One of the most fascinating things about the mountain west conference has been the TV deal. Anyone who follows Utah, BYU or anyone who has tried to watch a game involving mountain west teams will cringe at the thought of "the mtn". Its hard to find the channel. When it is located, its filled with talking heads and off the wall number shows like "Its a numbers game".
During the actual games, the commentary is poor, the analysts are very ron boone-esque and the cameraman gets lost more often than a kid on the first day at a new school.
Ultimately, this TV network (and the lack of money and exposure) were what caused Utah and BYU to jump ship this past summer. But taking a look at its history reveals an interesting economic scenario.
Rewind to 2006. The Mountain West, led by commissioner Craig Thompson, was looking for a TV deal with ESPN. However, the terms were not fair. ESPN wanted the MWC teams to play games at hours and on odd days. For instance, every team would need to play some Thursday and some Friday games to be on TV. During basketball, ESPN wanted to continue the "big monday" games that tipped off at ten p.m. local time. In the minds of the MWC, this was not worth it.
So, the idea was formed to create a Mountain West channel. It was to be the saving system of a conference looking to make a name for itself.
Contract negotiations started. It was not well received. Only a few providers were willing to pick it up. Eventually, it got going, but the quality has never improved. The revenue never came. The flagship programs took off for greener pastures.
It remains to be seen what will happen to this conference without Utah and BYU. But the economic and business examples that brought this about are numerous. Not wanting to sell out his clients (the MWC schools) Craig Thompson took a shot for the fences. Ultimately, his gamble cost him his two biggest clients. What would have happened had he gone for ESPN's demands? Perhaps the Mountain West would have been on the verge of a BCS automatic berth. But now, its just small schools struggling to make it, though some are exceptionally talented.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Five for Five
1. College Football
One of the things that makes college football so exciting is the unexpected. Did anyone really see UCLA taking it to the Longhorns in Austin like that? I didn't. I think we all knew that Texas was overrated and in the top 10 because of their name, but UCLA gave them a beatdown. Alabama avoided a scare by beating Arkansas. When every single game counts so much, you have to come ready to play each week.
In the local news, Utah improved to 4-0 by throttling San Jose State. It's hard to tell where this Utah team is and how good they really are. And we really won't know until the 8th game of the season against Air Force. BYU continued to struggle. The offense moved the ball effectively at times, but could not seem to punch it in. It doesn't get any easier for the cougars either. On paper, Utah State probably won't put up much of a challenge, but Utah State fans don't like BYU and will be ready with lots of venom. That being said, I predict cougars by 10, 24-14.
2. NBA
Well, basketball season is just around the corner. With training camps opening up Monday, it will be interesting to see how a drama-filled summer translates into the regular season in the NBA. Hard to believe its been two and a half months since "The Decision". LeBron James has put a huge target on his back and it will be very interesting to see how he performs this year. Keep an eye on how LeBron and Chris Bosh react to not being "the man" all the time. Make no mistake, this is Dwyane Wade's team. Can the three headed-monster work?
I have no reservations about saying this. Kobe Bryant is still the best player in basketball. LeBron has better stats, but Kobe is better, plain and simple. Teaming him with the most skilled big man in Pau Gasol, combined with solid role players in Odom, Artest, Fisher, Barnes, and Bynum means another world title for the Lakers this year.
I think the Lakers beat the Heat in 6.
3. Rivalries
I love being a part of rivalries. I have a lot of passion for my teams. Anything and everything can happen in a rivalry game. Take the game this past friday night between Viewmont and Bountiful High Schools. Admittedly, this rivalry is not nearly intense as it used to be. With the teams playing in different regions and classifications, the game does not mean quite as much for these two schools who sit less than miles apart.
Viewmont had yet to win a game. Bountiful had a smash mouth defense that had not yielded to anyone. Bountiful stood at 4-1 on the year and figured to win this one going away. Then, the game started and by the time things were over, Viewmont walked off the field with a 27-2 victory. And Bountiful is back to the drawing board. I don't know how it happened, but only in a rivalry game would you see something like this.
Anything can happen in a rivalry game, and yes, Paul Kruger, Sean Smith, Robert Johnson, Joe Dale, Austin Collie, Andrew George, and, of course Johnny Harline are all still open. And I hear George is still running too.
4. Recruiting
I absolutely have to get this off my chest. Bingham High School has become a football factory the state of Utah has never seen before. At last look, they stood at number three in the ENTIRE COUNTRY according to USA TODAY. The last time I saw, they had 13 kids who had either signed or were being recruited by D-1 schools. I remember times when there were barely 13 D-1 committs in all of the state of Utah!
For reasons I don't want to go into here, I think Bingham football personifies everything that is wrong in high school sports. But I do want to reference a news report that came out this week. A Bingham player who has committed to play football for the University of Utah and Head Coach Kyle Whittingham made the news when it was reported that some time ago he held other people at gunpoint and demanded their wallets. Turned out to be a pellet gun, but the point is the same.
Coach Dave Peck, Bingham's head coach,decided to take no action until the charges came to the surface this past week. I absolutely hate that. In comments, it appeared as though Peck thought that he didn't need to take any action until the legal proceedings ran their course. Right. Hes just a kid! All of us, at one point or another, have held people at gunpoint and demanded money. Thats a part of life! We just grow out of it! Give me a break. The moment he found out about these allegations, he should have called this kid into his office and discussed it with him and suspended him. We are talking about a FIRST DEGREE FELONY!!!!!! As far as this kid goes, Im sure we'll hear plenty of "he's a great kid, just made a mistake" but I hope he never sets foot on the University of Utah campus until he has figured out some basic life principles. Figuring out that its wrong to point a gun at someone would be a start, but with so many people going easy on him because he can play football, I wonder if he will ever learn.
5. Larry Miller
I want to end on a positive note. I just want to say how much I respect the late Larry H. Miller. Reading his autobiogrpaphy, I learned that he literally saved the Jazz. Without him, they would have been sold and moved to Minnesota. It literally came down to the last minute. But Larry found a way.
Today, the Jazz are an icon in the State. BYU and Utah fans, who can't stand each other during football season, put on the same colors and stand side by side in cheering the Jazz on. The team has meant so much to the community and has been more than just a basketball franchise. I can't say it enough. The state of Utah is a better place because of Larry H. Miller.
One of the things that makes college football so exciting is the unexpected. Did anyone really see UCLA taking it to the Longhorns in Austin like that? I didn't. I think we all knew that Texas was overrated and in the top 10 because of their name, but UCLA gave them a beatdown. Alabama avoided a scare by beating Arkansas. When every single game counts so much, you have to come ready to play each week.
In the local news, Utah improved to 4-0 by throttling San Jose State. It's hard to tell where this Utah team is and how good they really are. And we really won't know until the 8th game of the season against Air Force. BYU continued to struggle. The offense moved the ball effectively at times, but could not seem to punch it in. It doesn't get any easier for the cougars either. On paper, Utah State probably won't put up much of a challenge, but Utah State fans don't like BYU and will be ready with lots of venom. That being said, I predict cougars by 10, 24-14.
2. NBA
Well, basketball season is just around the corner. With training camps opening up Monday, it will be interesting to see how a drama-filled summer translates into the regular season in the NBA. Hard to believe its been two and a half months since "The Decision". LeBron James has put a huge target on his back and it will be very interesting to see how he performs this year. Keep an eye on how LeBron and Chris Bosh react to not being "the man" all the time. Make no mistake, this is Dwyane Wade's team. Can the three headed-monster work?
I have no reservations about saying this. Kobe Bryant is still the best player in basketball. LeBron has better stats, but Kobe is better, plain and simple. Teaming him with the most skilled big man in Pau Gasol, combined with solid role players in Odom, Artest, Fisher, Barnes, and Bynum means another world title for the Lakers this year.
I think the Lakers beat the Heat in 6.
3. Rivalries
I love being a part of rivalries. I have a lot of passion for my teams. Anything and everything can happen in a rivalry game. Take the game this past friday night between Viewmont and Bountiful High Schools. Admittedly, this rivalry is not nearly intense as it used to be. With the teams playing in different regions and classifications, the game does not mean quite as much for these two schools who sit less than miles apart.
Viewmont had yet to win a game. Bountiful had a smash mouth defense that had not yielded to anyone. Bountiful stood at 4-1 on the year and figured to win this one going away. Then, the game started and by the time things were over, Viewmont walked off the field with a 27-2 victory. And Bountiful is back to the drawing board. I don't know how it happened, but only in a rivalry game would you see something like this.
Anything can happen in a rivalry game, and yes, Paul Kruger, Sean Smith, Robert Johnson, Joe Dale, Austin Collie, Andrew George, and, of course Johnny Harline are all still open. And I hear George is still running too.
4. Recruiting
I absolutely have to get this off my chest. Bingham High School has become a football factory the state of Utah has never seen before. At last look, they stood at number three in the ENTIRE COUNTRY according to USA TODAY. The last time I saw, they had 13 kids who had either signed or were being recruited by D-1 schools. I remember times when there were barely 13 D-1 committs in all of the state of Utah!
For reasons I don't want to go into here, I think Bingham football personifies everything that is wrong in high school sports. But I do want to reference a news report that came out this week. A Bingham player who has committed to play football for the University of Utah and Head Coach Kyle Whittingham made the news when it was reported that some time ago he held other people at gunpoint and demanded their wallets. Turned out to be a pellet gun, but the point is the same.
Coach Dave Peck, Bingham's head coach,decided to take no action until the charges came to the surface this past week. I absolutely hate that. In comments, it appeared as though Peck thought that he didn't need to take any action until the legal proceedings ran their course. Right. Hes just a kid! All of us, at one point or another, have held people at gunpoint and demanded money. Thats a part of life! We just grow out of it! Give me a break. The moment he found out about these allegations, he should have called this kid into his office and discussed it with him and suspended him. We are talking about a FIRST DEGREE FELONY!!!!!! As far as this kid goes, Im sure we'll hear plenty of "he's a great kid, just made a mistake" but I hope he never sets foot on the University of Utah campus until he has figured out some basic life principles. Figuring out that its wrong to point a gun at someone would be a start, but with so many people going easy on him because he can play football, I wonder if he will ever learn.
5. Larry Miller
I want to end on a positive note. I just want to say how much I respect the late Larry H. Miller. Reading his autobiogrpaphy, I learned that he literally saved the Jazz. Without him, they would have been sold and moved to Minnesota. It literally came down to the last minute. But Larry found a way.
Today, the Jazz are an icon in the State. BYU and Utah fans, who can't stand each other during football season, put on the same colors and stand side by side in cheering the Jazz on. The team has meant so much to the community and has been more than just a basketball franchise. I can't say it enough. The state of Utah is a better place because of Larry H. Miller.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Five for Five
In this entry, ill look at five recent topics in the sports world and give my take on them.
1. Manny Ramirez
Manny is a topic and an entity unto himself. His oddball antics by now are well known throughout the baseball world. Whether its getting thrown out of a game he didn't want to play in, or chewing some sunflower seeds in the outfield, Manny is always, well.........Manny.
Recently, Manny was traded to the Chicago White Sox after the Dodgers had grown tired of his act. Upon arrival in Chicago, Manny was asked to answer some questions from the media. Not wanting to participate, Manny did what only Manny would do; he requested an interpreter. Even though anyone who has heard him knows he speaks perfect English (he's from New York)l, he asked for an interpreter, then asked the interpreter to interpret everything. A press conference for Manny wouldn't be complete without wasting everyone's time.
2. Team USA
For the first time since 1994, Team USA basketball came home with a World Championship. The team was able to defeat host Turkey to cap off a nice run. Many have said that the Championship is not valid because many other countries players chose not to participate, such as Spain's Pau Gasol and Argentina's Manu Ginobili.
Bologna.
This team played hard and brought respect back to American basketball. And this was hardly the Americans "A-list" team. Its good to see that America has taken pride in its international basketball dominance again. With the gold at the Beijing olympics combined with this world title, America has re-established itself as the premier basketball power in the world. With the core of young guys in the program, this could last for quite some time.
3. Jim McMahon
It was nice to see Jim McMahon return to Edwards stadium a couple of weeks ago. Jim has always been a very polarizing figure, but he could play football like very few before or since have been able to. The "Catholic who helped the Mormons beat the Methodists" back in the early 80's had not returned to Provo after a questionable dismissal from BYU.
The guy is bizzare, but it was great to see him honored among the other legendary Quarterbacks at BYU. Of all of them, I think he is the best. Hopefully, he finishes those ten credits, get his degree, and take his rightful spot next to Young and Bosco in the BYU hall of fame.
4. Real Salt Lake
Does anyone realize that Real Salt Lake set an MLS record yesterday? RSL has not been defeated at home in 23 matches after Saturday's win over Chicago. I had the chance to attend an RSL game earlier this spring and was very impressed with the atmosphere. After a surprising MLS cup title last season, RSL has been right there with the LA Galaxy all season and are looking to repeat.
Not many people in Salt Lake follow RSL, which is too bad, because they are a fun team and a fun group.
5. College Football
This is probably going to be a weekly topic. There are so many things to discuss. The one that I want to discuss this week is Ohio State. Is there anyone that believes this is the second best team in the country? These guys always seem to get to the big game, and lose. I know they won the Rose Bowl last year, but come on! They play a boring brand of football that drives me nuts. Pryor is overrated. Just wait until they play someone good, you'll see what I'm talking about.
1. Manny Ramirez
Manny is a topic and an entity unto himself. His oddball antics by now are well known throughout the baseball world. Whether its getting thrown out of a game he didn't want to play in, or chewing some sunflower seeds in the outfield, Manny is always, well.........Manny.
Recently, Manny was traded to the Chicago White Sox after the Dodgers had grown tired of his act. Upon arrival in Chicago, Manny was asked to answer some questions from the media. Not wanting to participate, Manny did what only Manny would do; he requested an interpreter. Even though anyone who has heard him knows he speaks perfect English (he's from New York)l, he asked for an interpreter, then asked the interpreter to interpret everything. A press conference for Manny wouldn't be complete without wasting everyone's time.
2. Team USA
For the first time since 1994, Team USA basketball came home with a World Championship. The team was able to defeat host Turkey to cap off a nice run. Many have said that the Championship is not valid because many other countries players chose not to participate, such as Spain's Pau Gasol and Argentina's Manu Ginobili.
Bologna.
This team played hard and brought respect back to American basketball. And this was hardly the Americans "A-list" team. Its good to see that America has taken pride in its international basketball dominance again. With the gold at the Beijing olympics combined with this world title, America has re-established itself as the premier basketball power in the world. With the core of young guys in the program, this could last for quite some time.
3. Jim McMahon
It was nice to see Jim McMahon return to Edwards stadium a couple of weeks ago. Jim has always been a very polarizing figure, but he could play football like very few before or since have been able to. The "Catholic who helped the Mormons beat the Methodists" back in the early 80's had not returned to Provo after a questionable dismissal from BYU.
The guy is bizzare, but it was great to see him honored among the other legendary Quarterbacks at BYU. Of all of them, I think he is the best. Hopefully, he finishes those ten credits, get his degree, and take his rightful spot next to Young and Bosco in the BYU hall of fame.
4. Real Salt Lake
Does anyone realize that Real Salt Lake set an MLS record yesterday? RSL has not been defeated at home in 23 matches after Saturday's win over Chicago. I had the chance to attend an RSL game earlier this spring and was very impressed with the atmosphere. After a surprising MLS cup title last season, RSL has been right there with the LA Galaxy all season and are looking to repeat.
Not many people in Salt Lake follow RSL, which is too bad, because they are a fun team and a fun group.
5. College Football
This is probably going to be a weekly topic. There are so many things to discuss. The one that I want to discuss this week is Ohio State. Is there anyone that believes this is the second best team in the country? These guys always seem to get to the big game, and lose. I know they won the Rose Bowl last year, but come on! They play a boring brand of football that drives me nuts. Pryor is overrated. Just wait until they play someone good, you'll see what I'm talking about.
Welcome!
Welcome to the Technical Foul blog! Here, we will try to take a fresh look at the world of sports and the people in it. Hope you enjoy!
-Big Ben
-Big Ben
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)