For all of the disappointment and anger that we are feeling towards ESPN/theACC about potentially not hosting a Thursday night home game, I wanted to post the following article:
At Louisville, Athletic Boom Is Rooted in ESPN Partnership
I understand that Virginia Tech is not Louisville, our name recognition is different, we have been a main-stay in Thursday night football for over a decade, and we (hopefully without any slight to Louisville) consider ourselves a drastically different program. However, I still think there is something to be learned from the rise of Louisville.
Louisville has dramatically increased their name, brand, athletic, and some may argue academic, standing over the past two decades. This Louisville boom can at least be partially attributed to the deal they struck with the devil/ESPN. Louisville football agreed to play anyone, anytime, anywhere in exchange for ESPN broadcasting their games. On Joe's thread about us losing our home Thursday night game I kept seeing people mention Tech having a mentality of playing anyone, anytime, anywhere... and then complaining that the anytime wasn't Thursday night.
What is so dreadful about a Friday night game? As I see it, Tech is guaranteed a Monday night, Thursday night (at GT) and Friday night game next season. Those are three very big timeslots that expose us to the entire nation. Wouldn't we prefer to watch P5 college football on a weekday night instead of Two and a Half Men or whatever other garbage that is sharing that timeslot? Wouldn't we prefer to be the sole CFB game playing, instead of squaring off against some outrageously overhyped SEC game that ESPN has been talking about all week? Hell, wouldn't we prefer to be playing on a Nationally televised Friday night game instead of a regionally televised nooner on Saturday?
Things could certainly be worse, but at least we have some relatively decent exposure and although it seems less than ideal, Louisville was able to use it to their benefit. I believe we can too.
Comments
I think a lot of Virginia Tech fans long for the 90s and early 2000s of being the only game in town on Thursday.
The fact is, the Thursday night platform is not the same anymore.
The NFL dominates the ratings when going head to head against college football - and the NFL is make Thursday more of a permanent fixture (CBS).
Friday nights are often a dead spot in sports television in the Fall. Playing NC State on Friday isn't as bad as most people think.
The downside to Friday games is the conflict with HS Football.
Oh no I'll have to skip the Blacksburg Highschool game to watch Virginia Tech
People around the country both with kids on the team and off go to high school games.mas do the future players Texh is trying to recruit, because well they are playing in said game. It hurts exposure and recruiting.
You're missing the point. It means Tech coaches cannot attend HS games/recruit on that Friday and HS recruits cannot make a visit on that Friday.
I agree with no being able to recruit that day, but I would say if push came to shove, a HS coach would let his player go visit one of his schools of interes,, especially if he has a scholly from them, even if it was during one of their games.
I can't think of a single coach I've ever played for allowing me to miss a game, something the team has a very limited number of, in order to visit a school or watch a game on TV. There is plenty of opportunity for the students to watch us on replay or make a visit some other time.
Does it kinda suck? Yes, but in the big picture of things, I doubt we're going to lose any recruits over it.
your coaches dont represent all the coaches around the world. And im not talking about watching the game on tv instead of playing your HS game, thats just dumb. All I am saying is that if there was HS game and an official visit, no way a HS prevents him from going.
I would say BS to that! No serious high school coach is going to let a stud miss a game to attend a college game. I have coached in the past and I don't actually think that any of them would actually want to let their teammates down by not being there.
Thats fine you disagree... imo I would say a visit to a potential college is greater than a HS game.
I'm going to have to disagree here as well. A recruit would love to be at VT for an official visit, but they're not missing a game for it, for several reasons. The first is letting their teammates down. The stud player is not going to let their teammates down for a visit. And if they would, they're not the type of player I would want on my team (HS or College) because they would let their family (the team) down for their own agenda. The second is simple: you only get so many games. These boys love to play football, and unfortunately, any game can be their last. No player is going to miss a game.
Plus missing a game can lower their stats, which could make them less desirable to other schools.
Let's look at it this way. A recruit is being looked at by Schools X, Y, and Z. He goes to school X on a Friday night for an official visit and misses a game. Maybe he ultimately decides not to go to school X, but now schools Y and Z have cooled on him because of missing that game.
wow lol, you guys look into things wayyyyy too much.
Thats fine, but thats your opinion. I played football in HS and I had a friend who was going on a recuiting visit for the weekend and he had to leave friday, resulting in missing the game that night. None of the other players on our team cared that he was missing our game because we all knew that visit was part of a huge decsion that is bigger than just one HS game. You can disagree, but you definitely dont speak for ALL the recruits out there
I shouldn't speak for all recruits, you are right. But if a high school teammate of mine who was being recruited by D1 schools (meaning he is probably the best player on the team) decided to skip a game around that time of year (usually district play) then it would leave a very, very bad taste in my mouth.
There's no way that this happens but if a kid skipped a high school football game to visit a college, then I don't want that player on our team anyway. His first commitment is to his team and if he's selfish enough to skip a game, for an official visit that he can take on any of the other 5+ home games, then it would be hard to consider him a team player and I would question his character.
All I was saying is IF there was a conflict, then I highly doubt the HS coach would prevent him from visiting.
There's no way Tommy Reamon would have let Michael Vick visit us on a Friday night.
Nor Mike Smith and Tyrod Taylor.
Thank God we would have had five other home games he could visit during, then...
Exactly.
Well, unless it's within driving distance of Blacksburg on a home game weekend the coaches aren't attending the Friday night game with a Saturday game scheduled either.
That's a valid point.
Actually, my understanding is that they do this with some regularity, especially with Richmond/DMV/757 /Charlotte 'croots.
Coaches also have access to air transpo (commercial and private) these days... not necessarily VT coaches, but coaches.
VT coaches do have access to air transportation. I talked with Coaches Stinespring and Gray at a game this year and they both said that the turbulence was horrible on their flight in! But it was on a bye week.
Now why would you go and spoil that delicious kool-aid with bitter reality?
I think the Bruins will understand your decision
The problem that I have with it isn't so much recruiting, it's that I'll probably end up missing most if not all of the game's live broadcast since I film for my high school's football games unless their bye week happens to line up with the NC State game.
I really don't think one Friday night game/conflict with HS football is that big of a deal in the bigger picture. Some high schools will occasionally play a game on an early Saturday afternoon.
My high school plays on Saturdays and it is absolutely gorgeous.
At first I thought you were going to post a pic of UVA playing when I read that caption
It's just ONE game....
This... Its one game on day out of one year.. Some of y'all just need something to argue over
One of 6.
How many players visit multiple times? And how many don't even visit during the season? How many commit before even visiting?
The recruiting impact of one Friday night game -- which very well could be after the HS regular season -- will be nominal. If a kid doesn't come to VT because they couldn't visit on a particular night for a particular game, that kid wasn't coming to VT to begin with.
I have duties with Friday night high school football that will have to be squashed by VT. Not the end of the world but definitely prefer Thursday.
I actually like the Friday night game better than Thursday since I graduated. it allows me to take less time off work, a day to recover and not go into work with a hangover, and it's easier (for me at least) to travel for the game. I love the Thursday night games but it's harder for me to devote the entire day to vt not on a Friday or Saturday.
I'd rather play every Friday night than 6+ games in the noon/1:30 time slot on Saturdays!
Night games are what we want PERIOD! The later the better!
I am just hoping that our Thursday and Friday night games are in back to back weeks.
10 win seasons = Thursday night game worthy
After Losing to Wake Forest we are lucky if any network puts us in a prime time nationally televised game.
You realize that this team has a losing record against opponents from the Power 5 conference over the last 3 years? yikes.
Actually the opposite is becoming true. Thursday night is becoming a graveyard for college football. Five years from now, folks will be wondering why anyone would want to play on Thursday night.
And this team beat Ohio state... I'm not saying that erases everything but everybody points out why we shouldn't get something instead of saying reasons we should... Why are we so negative...
Well we were 7-6 in 2012, 8-5 in 2013 and 7-6 in 2014. One good game against Ohio state doesn't erase the fact that we have been extremely mediocre over the past 3 years.
As it's been mentioned we have a LOSING record against P5 teams over the past few years. Our home record is pretty poor as well. IMO no matter how impressive OSU's win is, it's a sad anomaly rather than the norm since 2012.
Im tired of this mentality. College football is largely regional anyway, so if ratings are down, it's because we are not watching. Monday night football used to try to schedule good match ups based on previous seasons success and it backfired.
This isn't about wins and losses. ESPN doesn't care what our record is, they care about ratings. They'd put us on Thursday night if we were 2-10 if we'd pull a strong rating and share in that slot. And they are. Everyone seems to be forgetting that we ARE in a Thursday night game, because ESPN considers the Techmo Bowl bankable. Its just an away game. ESPN doesn't care where the game is played, but Whit does and we do. We wanted a home game on Thursday but ESPN only wanted to feature us once. If you're gonna have one VT conference game on a Thursday, which one do you want? Probably the matchup that has determined the outcome of the Coastal Division all but once. By luck of the draw, that's an away game this year.
We've all talked about how noon games are less fun and the atmosphere isn't as great. Part of that comes with having more time to wake up and tailgate. Don't you think the student section will be fired up on a Friday night game after extra time to tailgate? I know Thursday nights are the same way (a lot of classes will cancel the day of the Thursday game) but people often choose a class schedule that lets them out of class early on Fridays or even gives them Fridays off. It makes for more tailgate time for students and local peeps than a nooner or even a Thursday game
A Friday game allows more of the out-of-towners to travel to the game. It's a heck of a lot easier to only miss one day of work than to miss two if you choose not to make the haul home after a Thursday night game. I'm not too upset about it.
Are you talking prime time or early evening TV? Cuz I watch Seinfeld from 6-8 every night, and it's definitely not garbage.
God I wish they'd bring that show back. Beats the bejesus out of any prime time sitcoms on now. Especially in the post-HIMYM wasteland.
Parks and Rec is pretty solid right now. The first 5 seasons are on Netflix and the last season that is airing now is great so far.
I have a hard time trying to get into the mockumentary style of sitcom. It feels like they're ripping off The Office, which in turn was ripping off the films of Christopher Guest.
Stupid reason, I know, but it just feels like a rehash. Can't get into Modern Family for the same reason.
I don't watch every week, but The Middle is pretty good. That, P&R, and Modern Family are pretty much the only new sitcoms I watch. I wish Happy Endings was still on.
My wife was a fan of Happy Endings. I was a fan of the two hot blondes on that show.
Me too! I am still so pissed the CW took it off at 11 every night.
I'm sure there are places to watch Seinfeld online, right?
Weekday games typically start after 8 PM. Even ESPN knows not to compete with Jerry.
The more I think about it, the more I actually really like Friday compared to Thursday. No NFL, no classes the next day, people don't have to take 2 days off of work and can hang around town for the whole weekend, guaranteed night game, solid opponent (especially if their QB plays well like he did most of last year) but a winnable game... did I miss anything? It's one Friday night that coaches can't recruit when they may or may not have been planning on doing so anyways, and it's not "Thursday Night Football." .... ok. I think the positives pretty convincingly smack the negatives here.
I think some people knee jerked because we all felt Thursday night games to be something sacred for us. But then you get to thinking about the logistics of it all and Friday nights are way better for everyone except the current students.
I think somewhere along the line football started falling into a day of the week ranking, if you will. Friday nights are for HS football, Saturdays are for College, Sundays and Monday nights are for the NFL. I think we are seeing that abandoned and new norms are being established.
Not sure it's really worse for students either. Start your weekend with a game then hit the bars. No class the next day.
That's true. I was thinking more along the lines of half assing through early Thursday classes and skipping Friday classes altogether. Not that I ever did that or anything.
or just wrangle all tues/thurs classes. Best last semester of college ever
Leg for making it to the promised land.
It's definitely worse for students because a lot of kids treated Thursday night games like that anyway. Now its a day less. But alumni feed the program so I have no problem with making it easier on them
Oh okay I get it. Worse in the sense that's it's not a de facto four day weekend anymore. And I will give you that, but also I will say that doing it in Friday can still get all the party people to the game but also provide an opportunity for upperclassmen and especially grad students who can't shrug off classes as easily to get their Lane on at night without worrying.
This. Plus i think most people's perspective on Thursday night games is largely nostalgic. We played them to get into the national spotlight because as I remember most big teams didn't want to. Then we made it our bitch and now everyone wants them. But just as they were a special event in those days, they are expected fair now. It's time for Friday Night Football. I would rather pave our own way then clamor for table scraps with the rest of the programs. Time to own Friday. I'll take it.
Right you are sir. And there are still tons of "blue-blood" programs that think playing on Thursday is bush league.
And again I say, we ARE playing a Thursday game, some people are just butthurt it isn't at Lane. But ESPN doesn't care where the game is played. They're interested in the Techmo Bowl, and for good reason.
EDIT: stupid autocorrect. Nobody would be interested in a Techno Bowl.
Agreed, I loved Thursday night games when I was in school (00-05). Nowadays I still look at Thursday as the gateway to the weekend. Doesn't mean I don't love to have a good Friday game to sit down and watch, but since I've always associated us with Thursday, Friday feels funny. Still better to have a primetime spotlight game on Friday than to have none at all. I feel like this is an acceptable substitute. We'll have to see how I feel about it when it happens. I'm pretty content with a single Thursday night game per year, since we have a Friday and Labor Day, but I wish the Thursday night game was at home (but since I won't be attending anyway, I suppose this is even less important to me). Even more than that, though, I'd love to have Gameday in Blacksburg. 10 AM on a Saturday is when heaven starts for me, and when it happened in Blacksburg, there was nothing better.
Here's another perspective for this year.
Outside of Ohio State, our home schedule is weak this year. And with OSU already being tagged for Labor Day, our options for Thursday games were severely limited: Pitt, NC State, Duke, and UNC. I don't think those are very appealing to ratings for ESPN. Pitt, maybe, but the last few times that VT has played Pitt in primetime have been horribly one sided.