A look at just how corrupt the TV/Bowl game complex is

[MplsBison]

This was a really eye-opening article for me:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/UConn-made-the-BCS-and-all-it-got-was-this-loom?urn=ncaaf-296921

If schools like Florida and Ohio State are losing money on BCS bowl games...then truly the only ones making money are the bowl games themselves and TV.


And the bowl games fight tooth and nail for every last dollar by pretending to be on the side of the schools and against the commercialization that a playoff would bring. What a lie.

Now what I can't understand is what possible motivation college presidents have to defend the bowl tradition so vehemently. It can't be just for tradition's sake!

I always thought the presidents wanted the bowls because their schools made so much money off them...but that's just not true. So what can it be? Are the bowl games making threats to the presidents? IE, support the bowl games or we'll make sure you don't get xxx donations?


Interesting, to say the least. Only way this thing is going to get brought down for the mafia-run speakeasy that it is will be to get the federal government involved.


And the worst part of this, to me, is that all this money that goes into the pockets of bowl game and TV executives is being made on the backs of 20 year olds that kill themselves for no pay. Oh yeah right, they supposedly get a free undergraduate degree. Too bad most players have no time to study and take advantage of it and are so exhausted from the more than 40+ hours a week (wink wink) that they put in during the season. (yes I do realize that some players work their butts off to make sure they take advantage of their educational opportunities - I'm thankful for them....it's just too bad that *every* player doesn't view his time in college the same way)

Ok, off the soap box.

[ColgateTD]

Another aspect to this year's travesty of bowl games is the hijacking of the TV rights by ESPN. I've read that the bowls are losing 20-30% of their usual TV audience due to putting the games on cable/ESPN, but that ESPN is happy with that. What about we fans who have watched these games on network TV for decades? So far the only bowl I've seen is the Outback and Cotton; New Year's Day traditional games (Rose, Sugar, Orange, etc.) are out the window for those of us without cable or a dish. I feel the bowl committees have thumbed their noses at America with the decision to go with ESPN. The lure of big bucks is obviously what's behind it, but it hurts the average fan, as the lower TV viewership attests. GRRRRR!

[DFW HOYA]

ESPN's parent, Disney, made the decision to move its bowl games off broadcast TV, as it did by essentially gutting ABC Sports in favor of running with content from the Worldwide Leader.

And with Comcast (NBC) trying to decide how it plans to offer sports outside the Olympics and one NFL game a week, most of TV sports is left with Disney (ESPN), CBS, and Fox.

[JSUBison]

Best way to bring down the BcS is for the high end alumni to step up to the plate and say no more money from me, Mr AD/President until we get playoffs.

That or having congress get involved. Obama is for the playoffs, too bad there's too much other crap going on in the country for him to have the time to lean on those fools like Delaney.

[Blueandwhitefightfight]

So wait, the teams are either making a little profit, breaking even, or losing money.

Whereas in the FCS it's lose money, lose money, or ... oh, what's that? Lose money. In the FCS you have to sell those same tickets or you lose money. You have to cover travel expenses for those in your contingency that aren't in the allotted travel allowance covered by the NCAA (meaning the players that aren't on the playoff travel roster, families of the players, families of the coaches, boosters, fans, staff from the athletic dept., etc.) they have to eat and stay somewhere and need a ticket too.

Oh and you are feeling bad for those UConn Huskies because they have to share their bowl revenues with the rest of the conference? Why? West Virginia played in a bowl game that will share revenue with UConn. Louisville did as well. So did Syracuse. USF did as well. Oh hey, Pitt did too.

So wait, UConn lost some money on THEIR bowl game? Doesn't matter because the other 6 schools in their conference that played in bowl games will pay UConn part of the share.


Meaning, UConn doesn't have any financial burden to worry about like the writer makes it out to be.

Stop reaching guys.

[MplsBison]

My point was more like: screw the tradition of the bowl games. Bowl games should not be making money on this. That's the only tradition these bowl execs care about, protecting their bowl game money.

[bojeta]

Bowl games have a place and they can and should remain even with a playoff system. The bowl games give teams a reason to fight on even after the conference title is lost. They provide an excellent opportunity for school spirit (what I believe it is really all about) and potentially much needed revenue for programs. Here's the problem: The networks are milking the sacred cow to death!!!
Initiate a playoff system which designates certain level bowl games as tiers in the playoff brackets. You can win a bowl and go on for a shot at the national championship which should be a bowl game in itself.
Additional bowl games can still be played outside of the playoffs as well. May not excite everybody, but do they now??? They do offer great excitement for the schools, their students and alumni as they should. Read Death To The BCS. I have a few of my own thoughts outside of theirs, but definitely on the right track!!

[Hammerhead]

The only bowl game I actively watched (meaning not just as background noise so I could turn my chair around) was the Rose Bowl. I'll watch the BCS "championship" just root against the Ducks.

There's nothing like making student athletes practice for a month or more for a meaningless exhibition game.