While many have differing opinions on midweek games, I'm sure there are a few things most of us can agree on.

1A. MACtion games must be on a major station (ESPN, ESPN2, CBSSN, etc.). No ESPN3 only games.

1B. Games not on a major network should be played on Saturday.

2. Only 1 home and 1 away midweek MACtion game per team. (This will help 1A and 1B above). This still allows for 12 total midweek MACtion games which is more than 2 per week for TV.

This would also be a huge benefit for the student athletes as far as classes and studying go.

3A. Games cannot start before 7:00 pm local time. This will allow most fans to attend and actually bring some money back to the college towns.

3B. Games cannot start before 6:00 pm for the visiting team. This mostly benefits NIU which I believe is the only team in the central time zone., but a 5 pm start time for the Toledo "rivalry" game is ridiculous. People are still at work at kickoff. This also dispels the myth of a national audience. No one on the west coast or the mountain time zone is watching a 3:00 pm or 4:00 pm midweek game.

I hope the MAC office is reading this. What are your suggestions?

Oh for sure.

I think a big point is: No more then 2 or 3 weeknight games. When every single one in November is a weeknight game, that's an issue.

I like the exposure and getting the MAC name out, but it does come at a price.

Not sure when the deal ends, but I wouldn't extend it. If it's extended, fire the commissioner.

Agreed espn3 is pointless for maction.

(11-01-2017 06:20 PM)NIUSox10 Wrote:  Agreed espn3 is pointless for maction.

By the time this deal is up ... most of us won't care one way or another. It actually just started ...

ESPN wants the MAC and other non majors in part to help fill out its streaming platform. If the MAC says ‘no thanks’ to ESPN3, why would ESPN want the MAC at all? What bargaining power does the MAC have to demand that they put all the games on the main channels? (Hint: none)

(11-01-2017 07:15 PM)axeme Wrote:  ESPN wants the MAC and other non majors in part to help fill out its streaming platform. If the MAC says ‘no thanks’ to ESPN3, why would ESPN want the MAC at all? What bargaining power does the MAC have to demand that they put all the games on the main channels? (Hint: none)

The question is whether the money the MAC gets for the games from ESPN is worth it overall. Will it kill future fan bases - or is it giving the MAC the exposure it thinks it is getting. I would hope someone in the MAC office has done that study and present the findings to show it is beneficial. I don't know. Maybe more casual fans know about our teams - so what? They won't buy gear based on that and will not attend the games - at least doubtful they will. Not good for season ticket sales when 2 games a year in November will be a weeknight and likely very cold.

(11-01-2017 04:39 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Oh for sure.

I think a big point is: No more then 2 or 3 weeknight games. When every single one in November is a weeknight game, that's an issue.

I like the exposure and getting the MAC name out, but it does come at a price.

Not sure when the deal ends, but I wouldn't extend it. If it's extended, fire the commissioner.

The deal ends in the 26/27 season. Yuck.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

(11-01-2017 07:15 PM)axeme Wrote:  ESPN wants the MAC and other non majors in part to help fill out its streaming platform. If the MAC says ‘no thanks’ to ESPN3, why would ESPN want the MAC at all? What bargaining power does the MAC have to demand that they put all the games on the main channels? (Hint: none)

It shouldn't be only what is best for ESPN. It should be what is best for the teams, students, fans, communities, MAC and ESPN. The contract should be beneficial to all of the parties. While the MAC offices may not have the bargaining power to demand that all games are on main channels, they should have thought this out much better before they entered into this conference ruining contract.

No rivalry games either

(11-01-2017 07:01 PM)FrankAnderson Wrote:  Make a petition. I would sign and send to our AD.

(11-01-2017 08:02 PM)HUSKIEFOOTBALLFAN Wrote:  

(11-01-2017 07:15 PM)axeme Wrote:  ESPN wants the MAC and other non majors in part to help fill out its streaming platform. If the MAC says ‘no thanks’ to ESPN3, why would ESPN want the MAC at all? What bargaining power does the MAC have to demand that they put all the games on the main channels? (Hint: none)

It shouldn't be only what is best for ESPN. It should be what is best for the teams, students, fans, communities, MAC and ESPN. The contract should be beneficial to all of the parties. While the MAC offices may not have the bargaining power to demand that all games are on main channels, they should have thought this out much better before they entered into this conference ruining contract.

ESPN3 games midweek in November ( and there are not too many of them) are really the only major drawback to this deal. Having gone to MAC games for over 50 years, I can assure you that even Saturday games in November are much more poorly attended than those in September/October. The only well attended November games have always been the big games. So Yes, instead of starting at 5:00 on a Thursday for Toledo at NIU, if that game was on Saturday afternoon it would be much better attended, but that is probably the biggest MAC game of the year. It is an outlier.

The other point is that the contract is signed, the MAC got a great deal financially compared to what similar conferences are now getting, and we do get great exposure. I am currently flipping back and forth between Game 7 of the World Series and Western-Central in the rain. This contract still has about 10 years to run, so might as well enjoy the advantages of it.

I might also add that Miami-Ohio ( I was there ) drew 18,000 last night for a Tuesday night 8:00 start with 38 degrees at the opening kickoff. OU might have drawn a few thousand more if we played on Saturday, but the game would not have been on ESPN2 nationwide.

(11-01-2017 08:22 PM)DICK Wrote:  

(11-01-2017 08:02 PM)HUSKIEFOOTBALLFAN Wrote:  

(11-01-2017 07:15 PM)axeme Wrote:  ESPN wants the MAC and other non majors in part to help fill out its streaming platform. If the MAC says ‘no thanks’ to ESPN3, why would ESPN want the MAC at all? What bargaining power does the MAC have to demand that they put all the games on the main channels? (Hint: none)

It shouldn't be only what is best for ESPN. It should be what is best for the teams, students, fans, communities, MAC and ESPN. The contract should be beneficial to all of the parties. While the MAC offices may not have the bargaining power to demand that all games are on main channels, they should have thought this out much better before they entered into this conference ruining contract.

ESPN3 games midweek in November ( and there are not too many of them) are really the only major drawback to this deal. Having gone to MAC games for over 50 years, I can assure you that even Saturday games in November are much more poorly attended than those in September/October. The only well attended November games have always been the big games. So Yes, instead of starting at 5:00 on a Thursday for Toledo at NIU, if that game was on Saturday afternoon it would be much better attended, but that is probably the biggest MAC game of the year. It is an outlier.

The other point is that the contract is signed, the MAC got a great deal financially compared to what similar conferences are now getting, and we do get great exposure. I am currently flipping back and forth between Game 7 of the World Series and Western-Central in the rain. This contract still has about 10 years to run, so might as well enjoy the advantages of it.

That's the thing, we're making out like bandits especially compared with the C-USA and Sun Belt. And those conferences have the inherent benefit of being located in warmer climates with faster-growing demographies, the TV deal is a big differentiator for us in terms in cash and exposure. And with ESPN on shakier footing nowadays, it's probably a good thing for our wallets that it's locked in for a while.

This is what I truly enjoy about having attended a MAC school. We can get really riled up at one another, but we always have each others' backs in situations like this and I absolutely agree that the games not on TV shouldn't be midweek games.

(11-01-2017 07:38 PM)emanoh Wrote:  

(11-01-2017 04:39 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Oh for sure.

I think a big point is: No more then 2 or 3 weeknight games. When every single one in November is a weeknight game, that's an issue.

I like the exposure and getting the MAC name out, but it does come at a price.

Not sure when the deal ends, but I wouldn't extend it. If it's extended, fire the commissioner.

The deal ends in the 26/27 season. Yuck.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Yikes.

How'd we get talked into signing such a crappy, long-term deal?

Too be positive...at least there is coverage for hoops and other sports. It's shocking ESPNU gets Toledo NIU at 5 frickin pm tomorrow CST.

HUH? Someone needs to be punched real hard in the forehead for that one.

(11-01-2017 08:56 PM)prairiedawg Wrote:  Too be positive...at least there is coverage for hoops and other sports. It's shocking ESPNU gets Toledo NIU at 5 frickin pm tomorrow CST.

HUH? Someone needs to be punched real hard in the forehead for that one.

Pro Tip: If you want to be somewhere else during a workday for a day, take a vacation day.

I mean, E$pnu at 5 pm? Cmon that is ridiculous.

2 4-0 mac teams one getting top 25 votes and playing at 5? Pathetic lack of respect

I'm reminded of Rodney Dangerfield when ever fans resurrect no respect.

It's simply and sadly a "deal with it" fact of life as a fan of a midmajor program.

Nothing can dissuade MAC or ADs from a TV addiction or like addicts with opioids or the US President tweeting from the white house. Neither have the capacity to lead us any promised land.

(11-01-2017 08:27 PM)DICK Wrote:  I might also add that Miami-Ohio ( I was there ) drew 18,000 last night for a Tuesday night 8:00 start with 38 degrees at the opening kickoff. OU might have drawn a few thousand more if we played on Saturday, but the game would not have been on ESPN2 nationwide.

crowd attendance may have been recorded as 18000 tickets sold/distributed but the number of attendees on TV looked much, much smaller.