Colorado State University Athletics
RamWire Mailbag: A New TV Deal and Athletes to Watch
1/10/2020 2:00:00 PM | RamWire
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – There's still another week of break before the students return to campus, but the mail must still be delivered.
It was a big week regardless, with the basketball teams sweeping the Border War on the court, as well as a new television deal confirmed by the Mountain West. It's important, as the conference brings in a new partner in FOX Sports which is amping up coverage of college football. By adding the Mountain West, the network pretty much controls the western part of the country.
What does the television deal really mean?
More money for all involved. There is some hard math to be done, with Hawaii getting more of a share of the revenue than in the past, and Boise State being able to negotiate it's football rights separately. That was made possible by conference presidents in the past, but commissioner Craig Thompson said that will no longer be the case in the future.
The length of the deal is important, and so is the fact both primary carriers of football and men's basketball will put products on television outlets which have reach and can be viewed by just hitting the remote. The AAC deal is longer, yes, which pumped up the overall price. But a good portion of their product will have to be viewed on a subscription service, which means ESPN+ is banking the fan base doesn't mind picking up part of the price tag.
CSU athletic director Joe Parker was not in favor of any contract which moved in that direction, and neither was the conference. And by keeping the length of the contract down, the league has a chance to explore other avenues in a quicker fashion. The landscape is changing, not just in college football, but in how sports are being viewed by the consumer. The Mountain West will be in a position sooner to explore those paths.
Parting ways with ESPN was considered odd, by some, mainly because they were such a big part of the league for so long. CSU bolstered its reputation on Thursday games when Sonny Lubick was coach, and Boise State has profited off the relationship. But most of the Mountain West games were not on ESPN, but rather ESPN2 or ESPNU. FSI and FS2 have similar viewership numbers.
There will also be more to watch, as men's basketball will be on almost every night of the week, and more football games are part of the basic contract.
How do you like the 2020 softball schedule?
If you're a softball fan, you have to love the schedule coach Jen Fisher and her staff designed.
Coming off the first conference championship for the program since 1994, the Rams are missing some key pieces, namely conference player of the year Amber Nelson and top hurler Bridgette Hutton. The team still has plenty of firepower, and it will be tested long before conference play begins.
The squad will hit tournaments in Texas, Mexico and California, facing great opponents in Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Mississippi State and LSU, with the possibility of others, depending on how brackets shake out.
It will play well for the Rams' RPI, as well as that for the Mountain West. Pile up a few key wins along the way and the confidence builds. They'll need some, because six of the MW teams finished better than .500 in 2019. Then you have three-game sets with the other seven teams in the conference, with 18 home dates in all.
Folks should be excited about the direction of this team, and on top of it, the school has plans to build it a new home as part of the women's athletic complex, shared with soccer.
Plan on being at the CSU Field the first weekend of March, as the Rams square off twice against Kennesaw State and Purdue over the three days, with a contest with Idaho in the mix.
Is there any news on if any of Bobo's former staff will be retained by Addazio?
Officially, not yet, but don't be surprised if you see a familiar face or two when spring practice begins.
In my opinion, it's always a good move to retain a coach if possible. There is going to be a naturally awkward period as the players get used to the new head coach and his staff, and vice versa. Having a quality coach on hand from the previous regime provides a buffer of sorts for both sides. They have a better insight on who the players really are as people, information which is helpful for new position coaches. They also comprehend the ideas of how things were done and how they're going to change and can assist in heading off any disconnect.
Much of it is also determined by who can fit where within the coaching staff and how it is structured. At Boston College last year, Addazio had two defensive line coaches, one coach in charge of the entire secondary.
The idea is to officially announce the coordinators first, then follow up with positional coaches and assignments. Honestly, if you work social media channels pretty well (and I know many of you do), you can get a glimpse of who is on staff.
What other CSU athletes should we be drawing our attention?
If you are new to the concept of Colorado State, let me point you in the direction of Brian Bedard's track programs. You know, the group which swept the men's and women's indoor and outdoor conference titles a year ago.
While rather early in the indoor season, it is a quick campaign and the Rams are already posting some positive results, filling up the leaderboard in the Mountain West already.
You can find the familiar faces such as Lauren Gale, Aria Tate, Isa Bynum, Briyana Bunson and Eric Hamer, but newcomers Jordan Lanning, Celyn Stermer, Tameryn Coryell and Allam Bushara are adding depth overall to the program.
Repeating will not be easy, as New Mexico's women are highly thought of in the rankings, but with an ability to stretch out points and pack some events, the Rams will contend again.
Over at the pool, diver Skylar Williams is picking up steam in the diving well. In each of her past two competitions, she's raised her personal best on the 1-meter springboard, qualifying for NCAA Zones each time. This week, she also hit a Zones cut for the platform with a personal best of 225.83, which stands as the second-best score in program history (teammate Rachel Holland notched the fourth best). What's most impressive about the platform scores is the Rams don't have a place to practice, at least not within 60 miles.
It was a big week regardless, with the basketball teams sweeping the Border War on the court, as well as a new television deal confirmed by the Mountain West. It's important, as the conference brings in a new partner in FOX Sports which is amping up coverage of college football. By adding the Mountain West, the network pretty much controls the western part of the country.
What does the television deal really mean?
More money for all involved. There is some hard math to be done, with Hawaii getting more of a share of the revenue than in the past, and Boise State being able to negotiate it's football rights separately. That was made possible by conference presidents in the past, but commissioner Craig Thompson said that will no longer be the case in the future.
The length of the deal is important, and so is the fact both primary carriers of football and men's basketball will put products on television outlets which have reach and can be viewed by just hitting the remote. The AAC deal is longer, yes, which pumped up the overall price. But a good portion of their product will have to be viewed on a subscription service, which means ESPN+ is banking the fan base doesn't mind picking up part of the price tag.
CSU athletic director Joe Parker was not in favor of any contract which moved in that direction, and neither was the conference. And by keeping the length of the contract down, the league has a chance to explore other avenues in a quicker fashion. The landscape is changing, not just in college football, but in how sports are being viewed by the consumer. The Mountain West will be in a position sooner to explore those paths.
Parting ways with ESPN was considered odd, by some, mainly because they were such a big part of the league for so long. CSU bolstered its reputation on Thursday games when Sonny Lubick was coach, and Boise State has profited off the relationship. But most of the Mountain West games were not on ESPN, but rather ESPN2 or ESPNU. FSI and FS2 have similar viewership numbers.
There will also be more to watch, as men's basketball will be on almost every night of the week, and more football games are part of the basic contract.
How do you like the 2020 softball schedule?
If you're a softball fan, you have to love the schedule coach Jen Fisher and her staff designed.
Coming off the first conference championship for the program since 1994, the Rams are missing some key pieces, namely conference player of the year Amber Nelson and top hurler Bridgette Hutton. The team still has plenty of firepower, and it will be tested long before conference play begins.
The squad will hit tournaments in Texas, Mexico and California, facing great opponents in Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Mississippi State and LSU, with the possibility of others, depending on how brackets shake out.
It will play well for the Rams' RPI, as well as that for the Mountain West. Pile up a few key wins along the way and the confidence builds. They'll need some, because six of the MW teams finished better than .500 in 2019. Then you have three-game sets with the other seven teams in the conference, with 18 home dates in all.
Folks should be excited about the direction of this team, and on top of it, the school has plans to build it a new home as part of the women's athletic complex, shared with soccer.
Plan on being at the CSU Field the first weekend of March, as the Rams square off twice against Kennesaw State and Purdue over the three days, with a contest with Idaho in the mix.
Is there any news on if any of Bobo's former staff will be retained by Addazio?
Officially, not yet, but don't be surprised if you see a familiar face or two when spring practice begins.
In my opinion, it's always a good move to retain a coach if possible. There is going to be a naturally awkward period as the players get used to the new head coach and his staff, and vice versa. Having a quality coach on hand from the previous regime provides a buffer of sorts for both sides. They have a better insight on who the players really are as people, information which is helpful for new position coaches. They also comprehend the ideas of how things were done and how they're going to change and can assist in heading off any disconnect.
Much of it is also determined by who can fit where within the coaching staff and how it is structured. At Boston College last year, Addazio had two defensive line coaches, one coach in charge of the entire secondary.
The idea is to officially announce the coordinators first, then follow up with positional coaches and assignments. Honestly, if you work social media channels pretty well (and I know many of you do), you can get a glimpse of who is on staff.
What other CSU athletes should we be drawing our attention?
If you are new to the concept of Colorado State, let me point you in the direction of Brian Bedard's track programs. You know, the group which swept the men's and women's indoor and outdoor conference titles a year ago.
While rather early in the indoor season, it is a quick campaign and the Rams are already posting some positive results, filling up the leaderboard in the Mountain West already.
You can find the familiar faces such as Lauren Gale, Aria Tate, Isa Bynum, Briyana Bunson and Eric Hamer, but newcomers Jordan Lanning, Celyn Stermer, Tameryn Coryell and Allam Bushara are adding depth overall to the program.
Repeating will not be easy, as New Mexico's women are highly thought of in the rankings, but with an ability to stretch out points and pack some events, the Rams will contend again.
Over at the pool, diver Skylar Williams is picking up steam in the diving well. In each of her past two competitions, she's raised her personal best on the 1-meter springboard, qualifying for NCAA Zones each time. This week, she also hit a Zones cut for the platform with a personal best of 225.83, which stands as the second-best score in program history (teammate Rachel Holland notched the fourth best). What's most impressive about the platform scores is the Rams don't have a place to practice, at least not within 60 miles.
Tuesday, May 13
Wednesday, April 17
Thursday, April 20
Thursday, December 15