As more and more schools continue to upgrade and expand their facilities, it's always puzzled me why the premier sports coverage network continues to snub coverage.
What gives?
What gives?
Serious question: Why does ESPN not cover college baseball?
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ESPN’s 2018 College Baseball Television Schedule Comprises Record Number of Regular Season Games
[FONT=&]ESPN will showcase more than 800 NCAA baseball games during the 2018 regular season across ESPN’s networks, including a record 161 games slated for television.
[/FONT]https://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2018/01/espns-2018-college-baseball-television-schedule-comprises-record-number-regular-season-games/
[FONT=&]ESPN will showcase more than 800 NCAA baseball games during the 2018 regular season across ESPN’s networks, including a record 161 games slated for television.
[/FONT]https://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2018/01/espns-2018-college-baseball-television-schedule-comprises-record-number-regular-season-games/
Outside of the SEC, ACC, and maybe the Big 12, who is really expanding / upgrading their facilities?
College baseball is more popular than it used to be, but from a national perspective its still a distant 4th in overall NCAA sports viewership behind football and men and women’s basketball. Baseball in general has had declining popularity for years, so that probably plays into it as well.
College baseball is more popular than it used to be, but from a national perspective its still a distant 4th in overall NCAA sports viewership behind football and men and women’s basketball. Baseball in general has had declining popularity for years, so that probably plays into it as well.
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Yah... the majority of them are going to be on the SECN. I get that.
But go to their website and where do you find any significant coverage? Are you really going to tell me that Rugby and Cricket are deserving of their own sections over College BB?
But go to their website and where do you find any significant coverage? Are you really going to tell me that Rugby and Cricket are deserving of their own sections over College BB?
Well, from a national viewpoint, it’s hard to argue that any of those carry more weight than baseball. Hockey is the inverse of college baseball, in that it is popular in the North / Northeast and literally nowhere else. Lacrosse is big in the Northeast and out West, not so much in the South or midwest. And softball plays second fiddle to college baseball just like women’s basketball plays second fiddle to men’s basketball.
But, your point is still somewhat valid. All of those serve as competition for viewership for college baseball, and the gap in national popularity between baseball and those sports isn’t nearly as big as it is between baseball and men’s / women’s basketball.
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What really sucks is that a lot of online coverage for College Baseball is considered premium content and behind a pay wall.
And the “online content” you are referencing includes just checking scores from around the country. They charge for it because there simply aren’t enough clicks on the websites to drive an ad-based revenue model. Prime example of the lack of popularity.
You may be right overall, but it’s not obvious that college baseball is definitely in 4th place among college sports. For example, in 2015 and 2016, more people watched the women’s college World Series on tv than watched the men’s, though more people watched the men’s in 2017. I wasn’t able to quickly find numbers for the other sports.
The CWS’ ratings outdrew Softball last year for the first time in 3 years. It was quadruple the ratings of the frozen four.
Touche’. Didn’t realize that it was so close between baseball and softball. Either way, we would both agree that college baseball’s relative popularity doesn’t dictate a large broadcasting footprint for ESPN. Which sucks for us SEC baseball fans, whether it be MSU or elsewhere.
Baseball is being abandoned by the youth of America. We grew up playing baseball and established a bond to the game. Little Leagues are being shut down at an alarming rate which is further alienating the youth of America to the game of baseball. Sadly, baseball is on the decline due to youth alienation. ESPN knows where the future viewership is and it is soccer because young America is warming up to it. Major League Baseball is slumping with attendance thus it is working bad news downward to college baseball. Us baseball fans are dying off without being replaced with youth, they are focused on soccer. Google Atlanta United record attendances.
I know you're attempting to make a joke, but MLB TV ratings are way down YoY with the Tigers having a staggering 38% drop. No one wants to watch a 6 hour sport played by 38 year old obese men on television, why would they want to watch amateurs with metal bats instead/also?
NCAA sports are a dying breed, so maybe baseball as a club sport becomes a lot more popular than club football and club basketball. Who knows.
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It's a minor sport. Nobody outside of just a few schools really cares. Baseball is a professional game.
Is this really true? I see people say this all the time, mostly quoting World Series TV ratings, but in my experience it doesn’t SEEM true at all. At least not in my area.
If it weren't for the Red Sox and the Yankees, ESPN would barely cover Major League Baseball.
Baseball/softball is still the most played team sport by kids. Even with it declining. So it's far from dead.
It will be interesting to see how the Exodus from youth football impacts it. Soccer is obviously growing, but I suspect baseball will get it's fair share of the football decline
My kids in travel baseball. Seems like an awful lot of cities in North Mississippi and around Memphis have amazing baseball parks. Just crazy compared to what it was 15 years ago (I have no idea if that holds true outside of here)
It will be interesting to see how the Exodus from youth football impacts it. Soccer is obviously growing, but I suspect baseball will get it's fair share of the football decline
My kids in travel baseball. Seems like an awful lot of cities in North Mississippi and around Memphis have amazing baseball parks. Just crazy compared to what it was 15 years ago (I have no idea if that holds true outside of here)
Hi 5049: Baseball has been part of my life and I have coached little league in the past. I coached Quenton Berry who has a World Series Ring as a back up outfielder for the Red Sox. I have followed the game for over 50 years as a fan of the game and have observed it closely. The beautiful thing like Mississippi State Baseball does not exist in most of America. BTW, I attended the record crowd against OM on Super Bulldog Weekend. I have attended San Diego State, USC, UCLA, USD, and other college baseball games. I have compared attendances and you will be lucky to get 600 people to watch the games. When I watch college baseball outside the South, college ballparks are about as empty. I believe you to be on point because you live in an area that supports college baseball, but the rest of the country does not like college baseball. In the sports attire market driven by the youth not one attire is sold in the to 50 items because the youth of America have abandoned the game. Sure some still play but baseball isn't a shadow of what it used to be. College Baseball will be featured in the South because baseball is still alive there but not America as a whole.
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Too many Dads reliving their youth vicariously through their kids.
1. Most parents cannot be objective in regards to their children's abilities.
2. If your child's level of play is equal or better than players 2 years older, you child MAY have a chance to be something special.
3. Many a superstar child suddenly becomes an "average-to-under average" player when the child goes (and his teammates go) through puberty.
4. Post-puberty, reread #2.
1. Most parents cannot be objective in regards to their children's abilities.
2. If your child's level of play is equal or better than players 2 years older, you child MAY have a chance to be something special.
3. Many a superstar child suddenly becomes an "average-to-under average" player when the child goes (and his teammates go) through puberty.
4. Post-puberty, reread #2.
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And you and Icontribute to that, for sure.
But in terms of sustainability? ESPN and every other broadcast and cable TV channel is hemorrhaging money at the expense of schools like Mississippi State University. The gravy train that MSU and the other SEC schools are currently on will end when the existing contracts expire, and by then I doubt NCAA basketball in its entirety has any negotiation power having been decimated by the NBA and G-league.
Football is another mess and the discussion on why I don't think it's sustainable could go in 1,000 directions: players' salaries, P5 vs G5, FBS vs FCS, decline in youth participation, CTE....
I think we're currently in a bubble right now. It hasn't popped, I don't think it's going to pop soon, but I think it's going to pop at some point and the underlying reasons are starting to become apparent. And because of that I doubt ESPN is willing to take a bath on a sport that they can't get people to watch the upper echelon of, let alone the sloppier amateur version. Think it's more likely they sign a deal to simulcast MiLB first.
Unfortunately, baseball isn't as popular as it was back in the 90s/early 2000s. There's no HR race to keep the casual fan engaged and the steroid scandals didn't help. I friggin love baseball and the braves, but I maybe watch 10 games prior to the playoffs. The games are so drawn out now and, unless it's a rivalry game, seem to mean very little in the grand scheme of the season.
Now, if I lived near an MLB stadium I would be there as much as I could afford. It's just a slow game to watch on TV.
Now, if I lived near an MLB stadium I would be there as much as I could afford. It's just a slow game to watch on TV.
Travel ball has become an enormous money grab as well. It can be a great thing for kids, but like you said, it's a lot of dads living through their kids. When I lived south of ATL, I got to see it first hand. I went to a couple school meetings and witnessed several conversations with parents openly bragging about how much they spend on it. I never heard a number less than $5k for the summer.
What sounds like the cherry on top are all the random "all star" games. Many of which are NOT based on merit. You get some random coach that sits in the parking lot during games and takes notes on who might be willing to throw another $2k on a kid if he gets invited to an "all star" game. They hold 9 more practices, buy the kids some shiney jersey, travel 100 miles to play another "all star" team, and give them a trophy.
What sounds like the cherry on top are all the random "all star" games. Many of which are NOT based on merit. You get some random coach that sits in the parking lot during games and takes notes on who might be willing to throw another $2k on a kid if he gets invited to an "all star" game. They hold 9 more practices, buy the kids some shiney jersey, travel 100 miles to play another "all star" team, and give them a trophy.
I don't think there is much of a national interest, but I thought it was covered on the sec network?
This is my experience, though I'm certainly not doubting what coachnorm is saying. I'm just asking questions
The strike hurt it badly, but it could have recovered if not for the steroid part. It had the numbers thing going for it. Steroids ruined that
It is a regional sport much like ice hockey. i.e. nobody cares in most major population centers around the country.
I see this type of viewpoint in a lot of places, and it's an awful concern-trollish, left-leaning sort of look at things. Let's invent some problems where there are none.
As for the TV stuff, TV will continue to be consumed, as will the games. If ESPN fails, some other company will provide that product.
College sports have only grown in popularity. Just like the stock market, even if there is a little dip in attendance or something, it will correct itself once prices and things stabilize. The only legit thing I can think of that truly threatens it might be youth participation, like coachnorm said. I don't even know if I buy that participation is down, who really knows where these statistics come from.
When the overall talent in college football goes down, I'll begin thinking the end is near, but it's only gotten better. There is no shortage of players for college coaches to choose from
I don't know about the official statistics, but as a parent of elementary age kids, I can tell you for a fact, a lot of parents are not planning on letting their kids play football
Even here, in the football crazy south, parents of kids my age are getting away from it. I hear it all the time at baseball and soccer practice.
And it's often coming from parents who played football. I played high school football. I loved it. I love watching the sport.
My kids will not play it though. We will stick to baseball, basketball, and soccer. I am not alone.
What's your real reasoning behind it? Injury? I think the stats show you're more likely to get a concussion in soccer
I didn't think you trusted stats? I guess it depends on if they support your stance.
I will try to look it up, to verify but I believe football still has a much higher rate of concussions. The problem with soccer is the person has a higher chance of not realizing they have a concussion. Which is obviously dangerous in it's own right.
But that comes from hitting the ball with you head. My kids are not at they stage yet. If they stick with it to the point where they are playing at a point where that would be an issue I will look into it.
But utlimately it's not about concussions. It's about the overall abuse your body takes in football. I crushed my hand and can't bend my finger. I have a friend who had to have multiple surgeries on his leg that affect him today. Other injuries here and there that were pretty severe to people I know.
It's just not worth the risk to me. Not when other sports can teach the same life lessons as football.
Baseball will probably be what we end up sticking with. I am weary of soccer in the long term. Any sport that has repeated blows to the head are something a parent needs to look into
Yeah. I think where he is getting confused is girls soccer does have a higher rate of concussions per injury type...but that is attributed to girls neck muscles not being as strong.
Football is clearly more violent than soccer
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