Where does it come from?
to me, it’s a passionate base of fans that went to those schools. It’s a higher socio economic group and individually its more likely to be passionate about their team (and have the money to spend) than the average pro fan.
that’s what these networks are paying big money for whether they realize it or not.
I went to Purdue, but I’ll watch Iowa and Michigan all day. And the commercials in between the plays. Why? Because big ten football brings me back to brees to morales, woodyard picking up the blocked field goal while I jumped up and down in my buddy’s apartment, brees beating K state. I feel invested in that.
that’s the golden goose I don’t think they realize they are killing for short term gain IF this goes the way I think it’s gonna go.
the big ten audience, like many across the country, definitely has some people rooting for the supremacy of Ohio state, penn state and Michigan.. I.e. grads of that school and sub alum of that school. The miscalculation here is that if 9 of the other 11 schools become largely irrelevant.. those fans will suddenly become regional Ohio state fans.
Wisconsin fans I see constantly barely care once they realize Wisconsin isn’t going to the national championship in football. They aren’t going to go “oh, Wisconsin is irrelevant now? Let me be a good Midwest football fan and transfer my fandom over to Ohio state.” Neither will fans of Iowa or Purdue or northwestern.
My prediction, if this goes the way I think it is going, is that it will be like putting a Walmart in a small town.. once the Walmart closes down that quaint small town drag, the town goes to crap. We are that family owner hardware store in that drag by the way.
there will be a huge surge in interest and money. Then, once we get five years from now and it’s 24 schools and everyone else, espn will be on air lamenting the decreased viewership.
unless people really think that the entire state of Illinois AND Indiana will all fall in line behind ND and Illinois football with the same passion and dollars spent as their current schools
to me, it’s a passionate base of fans that went to those schools. It’s a higher socio economic group and individually its more likely to be passionate about their team (and have the money to spend) than the average pro fan.
that’s what these networks are paying big money for whether they realize it or not.
I went to Purdue, but I’ll watch Iowa and Michigan all day. And the commercials in between the plays. Why? Because big ten football brings me back to brees to morales, woodyard picking up the blocked field goal while I jumped up and down in my buddy’s apartment, brees beating K state. I feel invested in that.
that’s the golden goose I don’t think they realize they are killing for short term gain IF this goes the way I think it’s gonna go.
the big ten audience, like many across the country, definitely has some people rooting for the supremacy of Ohio state, penn state and Michigan.. I.e. grads of that school and sub alum of that school. The miscalculation here is that if 9 of the other 11 schools become largely irrelevant.. those fans will suddenly become regional Ohio state fans.
Wisconsin fans I see constantly barely care once they realize Wisconsin isn’t going to the national championship in football. They aren’t going to go “oh, Wisconsin is irrelevant now? Let me be a good Midwest football fan and transfer my fandom over to Ohio state.” Neither will fans of Iowa or Purdue or northwestern.
My prediction, if this goes the way I think it is going, is that it will be like putting a Walmart in a small town.. once the Walmart closes down that quaint small town drag, the town goes to crap. We are that family owner hardware store in that drag by the way.
there will be a huge surge in interest and money. Then, once we get five years from now and it’s 24 schools and everyone else, espn will be on air lamenting the decreased viewership.
unless people really think that the entire state of Illinois AND Indiana will all fall in line behind ND and Illinois football with the same passion and dollars spent as their current schools
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