College baseball deserves more exposure.

[shake-n-bake]

We went to games at the Nike College Showcase this weekend. Really great baseball and fun atmosphere. Not near as many people there as I expected. It's sinful. Our regional sports stations have little coverage. You look at the major .com sports sites and NCAA Baseball isn't on their navigation bar. It took me like 5 minutes of surfing the web yesterday at the game just to find the Ducks' opponent West Virginia's record. Good thing they were playing because I finally found it next to their name in the schedule on the NCAA's official site. Sports radio and ESPN will spend endless hours talking about the drama of NBA poodles and not a minute on College Baseball. I hate it. Makes no sense.

[real green]

We (general population) drive coverage. Media today is not a social service it's a business. The media will broadcast what brings in the most viewers and based on what you have seen, it's not college baseball. Every sport brings in as much coverage as the general pop wants to see. If a sport wants better coverage than they better bring a good show with limited access. As much as I love baseball, I don't seek out games much, if any, outside of my area. Yet I watch 100 plus games a year. Just this weekend, I was atleast at a portion of 5 games ranging from LL to NCAA D1 baseball. I can't say the D1 was more or less entertaining than any of the other games. My point being baseball is not limited enough to drive national coverage.

Thinking about it, I can't think of another sport for me, that I enjoy watching almost all levels of play. I can watch a Major's LL game, with no connection, and be entertained by the game. To be honest, I can't say that about any other sport. Granted baseball is my favorite sport.

[scorekeeper]

We went to games at the Nike College Showcase this weekend. Really great baseball and fun atmosphere. Not near as many people there as I expected. It's sinful. Our regional sports stations have little coverage. You look at the major .com sports sites and NCAA Baseball isn't on their navigation bar. It took me like 5 minutes of surfing the web yesterday at the game just to find the Ducks' opponent West Virginia's record. Good thing they were playing because I finally found it next to their name in the schedule on the NCAA's official site. Sports radio and ESPN will spend endless hours talking about the drama of NBA poodles and not a minute on College Baseball. I hate it. Makes no sense.

Its just the next level of frustration for baseball people whose children play ball for their school, be it HS or college. For school roundball and football lovers, the sports mesh perfectly with what’s going on. FB is most often played at night and with no need to worry about getting up the next day, so it much more like a social event than anything else, plus the weather means nothing. Basketball is also played at night, and indoors, so like FB, parents and the student body have little difficulty getting to a game if they want to attend.

But scholastic baseball is a totally different animal. Baseball wasn’t meant to be played in temperatures that often hover in the 40’s, and unless you happen to be in a warm weather state and have lights, night games will be few and far between. That makes many parents have to leave work early, something that in many cases isn’t feasible. College baseball’s a bit better than HS, but its still a challenge, especially for northern teams who have to travel to play most of their early season games, and for parents who’s kids are too far away to make going to the games next to impossible.

But, it’s the price we all pay for the privilege of watching our kids play ball. Its just too bad that one of the reasons more of the student body isn’t all that interested in attending, is that when the weather is great for watching a ball game, its also great for doing lots of other things in the spring, where kids have basically been stuck inside and are itchin’ to get out.

[shake-n-bake]

Guys I here what you're saying. I really think that there are some tired and worn out paradigms that persist and apparently are stronger than the will to at least try to promote college baseball.

This Nike Showcase was a nice event. Quality opponents. Playing at both Oregon and OSU. Good baseball.

Anyone not familiar with Oregon Duck sports, let's just say everything is first rate. PK (PK as in Phil Knight Nike Founder) Field is a flipping temple. Duck Nation are unbelievable fans. Fanatical. Tailgating at Autzen Stadium starts before sunrise and that's for a 7 pm game. Duck gear - jerseys, hats, apparel, etc. is like crack. My son dresses daily like he just left the Duck Store.

We've got a back to back National Championship team and the #17 team in Baseball America's poll less than 35 miles apart with Illinois, Oklahoma, UConn, and W. Virginia in for a weekend of baseball and it's like a covert op. No one knows about it. We've got a local cable sports network that carries Duck football (in the rare case it isn't on College Game Day or ESPN) and basketball. You know what's on most of the time these days? 18 different Blazer talk shows and some reality show about a rodeo family - Really? Wtf?

An orangutan could market this Oregon baseball team successfully. It's not lack of interest. It's incompetence in making it an interest. It's the same thing with Track and Field here. Eugene is Track Town USA. People bleed Oregon Track and Field in Eugene, but you could have Hussein Bolt at Heyward Field next weekend and you'd find out about it 2 weeks later.

And weather? We say that "It never rains at Autzen Stadium (It pours touchdowns)." We're the Ducks for crimeny sake. It's like 40 degrees and raining and kids wear basketball shorts and t-shirts. There's like 2 different forecasts here - Rain or Showers.

And how can you say D1 baseball isn't anymore entertaining than LL? Quality of baseball aside. It's 9 innings of music, contests, games, dancing, fun, fight songs, clever stuff on the big screen, university pride, college girls, it's like the State Fair on PEDs. Please.

[tg643]

I get many games with the sports package on Direct TV. Even cable has the regional packages. If you go to team's websites there are webcast games. Conferences have packages available for a reasonable cost.

[Onebigwhitevan]

College baseball needs a TV deal tied to football. You put it on tv and you can gain viewers. The issue people have with college ball is the same with basketball, regular season is long and mostly uneventful. The tournament needs
more aggressive coverage. If networks were competing to keep the football deal they would try harder to promote.

[shake-n-bake]

College baseball needs a TV deal tied to football. You put it on tv and you can gain viewers. The issue people have with college ball is the same with basketball, regular season is long and mostly uneventful. The tournament needs
more aggressive coverage. If networks were competing to keep the football deal they would try harder to promote.

The PAC12 will soon have a network of regional and a national television deal. I've never thought that was the answer for baseball. It's fantastic for gymnastics, track and field, lacrosse, and other sports that really have no shot at moving into the realm of football and basketball. Baseball, I believe has that possibility.

NCAA D-1 Baseball should at minimum be a major part of the regional sports cable networks with "some" presence in the major sports .coms like ESPN, FOX, Yahoo, CBS, etc. Ideally, the perennial national powers should see some time on ESPN. I suppose what I don't get is that there's a nice blend of quality baseball and school and conference allegiance. That in my mind could/should play out well with potential viewers.

I'm not sure why I even have any passionate opinion on this. As a fan and a patron I probably should be happy that things are as they are. I can get tickets. The price is very reasonable for a quality product. I don't have to pay 1000s to the university's athletic fund to get a parking space at the stadium. It's a great value for what you get.

[Jake Patterson]

Shake,
I feel we have made such an unwarrented "big deal" with youth sports with all the showcases, world series, tournaments, Top 100 magazines, etc., etc., that we have saturated the hell out of the market. I did some research for a book an few years back and found colleges like Holy Cross would attract thousands of people, a Rhode Island Catholic middle school in the 1930's had 14,000 people attend a playoff game, now schools like UCONN and even some of the southern and western schools barely get 500 to attend. We've lost interest in those who play the game well and now place too much emphasis on those who don't... JMHO

[tg643]

If there was a market and money to be made there would be more college baseball on tv.

[real green]

If there was a market and money to be made there would be more college baseball on tv.

Yep!

How many viewers will you have watching a random D1 baseball on TV? 500, 1000, 10,000. I find lower level baseball (lower than MLB) quality of televised games very weak and not very entertaining and I am a fan. Our local ML AAA team broadcast is horrible. The higher level tournaments get higher quality camera times and broadcasters but low level low importance games do not have quality TV broadcasts.

[real green]

And how can you say D1 baseball isn't anymore entertaining than LL? Quality of baseball aside. It's 9 innings of music, contests, games, dancing, fun, fight songs, clever stuff on the big screen, university pride, college girls, it's like the State Fair on PEDs. Please.

99% of that will never be seen on TV! All that occurs during commercial time. Yes, I find LL baseball very entertaining as well as D1 baseball.

[tg643]

Before and during my son's college recruiting experience I loved going to college baseball games. I went to a lot. I talked to parents about their kid's recruiting experience. I asked about the coaching staff. Essentially I was doing research. It was also nice being outside on a good day. In our region college baseball isn't packed stands. It's easy to walk around the park and talk to people. I'm not sure I would bother to go to college games any longer that don't involve my son.

[cps]

The PAC12 will soon have a network of regional and a national television deal. I've never thought that was the answer for baseball. It's fantastic for gymnastics, track and field, lacrosse, and other sports that really have no shot at moving into the realm of football and basketball. Baseball, I believe has that possibility.

NCAA D-1 Baseball should at minimum be a major part of the regional sports cable networks with "some" presence in the major sports .coms like ESPN, FOX, Yahoo, CBS, etc. Ideally, the perennial national powers should see some time on ESPN. I suppose what I don't get is that there's a nice blend of quality baseball and school and conference allegiance. That in my mind could/should play out well with potential viewers.

I'm not sure why I even have any passionate opinion on this. As a fan and a patron I probably should be happy that things are as they are. I can get tickets. The price is very reasonable for a quality product. I don't have to pay 1000s to the university's athletic fund to get a parking space at the stadium. It's a great value for what you get.

I follow FSU college baseball, and they get quite a bit of coverage starting this month. In the past it has been mostly regional Fox Sports/Sunshine Network. This year, it is ESPNU and ESPN3.com:

http://www.seminoles.com/sports/m-ba...ebl-sched.html

[shake-n-bake]

If there was a market and money to be made there would be more college baseball on tv.

I am of the opinion that a market does exist. Part of this market would seek out college baseball without a lot of promotion necessary. Part would be influenced to choose a college baseball broadcast. The size of that audience would depend on the marketing effort (an effort that is so non-existent now that it doesn't deserve to be called an effort), programming choices college baseball would compete with head to head in the time slots they appear, and the interest that the specific product generates. For example, a matchup of two top 25 teams with rivalry implications, strong alumni, strong conference pride, perhaps some playoff or seeding implications, and interest generated via individual players...i.e. highly scouted SP with a 98 mph fastball.

There must be a reality that it is a worthwhile product. That in my opinion exists. Then maybe more importantly there has to be a perception that it is a worthwhile product. Well, people don't really beat a path to your door if you build a better mouse trap. Build the coolest, most used by trendsetters mouse trap, and look out mice because some traps are getting rung up. THIS is what NCAA baseball needs. Then I ask, how big is college sports and pride in your alma-mater in your area??? We're not talking about trying to sell watching D-3 Equestrian.

[shake-n-bake]

From the website of my local cable provider's northwest sports channel. They say they are the "home of the Ducks and Blazers."


Today's programming:



Monday, March 12, 2012
6:00 am Paid Programming
7:00 am Inside The Pac
7:30 am The Wild Life
8:00 am Stompin' Ground Ep 3
9:00 am Talkin' Ball (R)
10:00 am Softy (LIVE)
1:00 pm Paid Programming
1:30 pm Stompin' Ground Ep 3
2:30 pm Paid Programming
3:00 pm The FAN (LIVE)
6:00 pm Trail Blazers Courtside (LIVE)
7:00 pm Talkin' Ducks (NEW)
8:00 pm Stompin' Ground Ep 3
9:00 pm NBA D League: Erie @ Maine
11:00 pm Trail Blazers Courtside (R




Ducks and Beavers headlines on their home page.



Ducks Earn NIT Bid
Beavers Host Opening Game of CBI Tournament
Colorado is Going Dancing
Stanford Claims Another Pac-12 Title
Colorado Drops Cal and Is in the Pac-12 Final
Arizona Puts a Halt to OSU's Run; Goes to Title Game
Colorado Moves On
VIDEO: Pac-12 tournament, Colorado over Oregon
Buffs Upset Ducks in Pac-12 Tournament
The Beavers Upset the Huskies; Keep Season Alive
Oregon/ Colorado Preview
UCLA Too Much For USC: 55-40
Beavers Finally Avenge Wazzu; Face Washington Next
Bubble Watch 2012
Putting the Pieces Togehter



Want to know what's crazy? I choose cable over D-Tv because of this channel and the few extra Ducks events that aren't available elsewhere. And there's a regional Fox sports channel that I get with cable. Their programming and coverage is slightly better for PAC12 sports, but not significantly so.