Ohio Basketball Topic
Topic: Decline of College Basketball?
Page: 2 of 2
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cbus cat fan
1/15/2018 9:27 AM
Andrew, I can't imagine the ESPN icons would be personalized for me, because if it did the two icons I click on the most are those for college football and college basketball. I can't remember the last time I clicked on one for the NBA or NFL. Yet, they are on the main ESPN page and college basketball is lumped in with the other or miscellaneous icon.
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Alan Swank
1/15/2018 11:35 AM
cbus cat fan wrote:expand_more
Andrew, I can't imagine the ESPN icons would be personalized for me, because if it did the two icons I click on the most are those for college football and college basketball. I can't remember the last time I clicked on one for the NBA or NFL. Yet, they are on the main ESPN page and college basketball is lumped in with the other or miscellaneous icon.
When I go to ESPN.com on our MAC, on the bar at the top I get from left to right - NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAAF, Soccer, NHL then ...

When I click on ... I get three columns of other sports with NCAAM at the top of the third column.
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cbus cat fan
1/15/2018 12:16 PM
Thanks Alan, that's exactly what I get. I am sure ESPN is doing this because their analytics show that's what is most used. Otherwise, it would be different. As much money as they spend and televise college basketball, it would behoove them to put college basketball up on the main page. The fact that they are not is telling in that it indicates that is not what is being searched on their home page.

As I indicated in my previous posts, if they had it to do all over again, I am not sure the Murdochs would have started Fox Sports 1, which was a tremendous investment that hasn't reaped the rewards they thought it would 10 years ago when they were in the planning stages for the network. The college basketball ratings haven't gone according to plan for Fox Sports 1, which is why they along with NBC Sports have now bet heavily on European Soccer. MLS soccer is never going to rival European Soccer, they can get more of a return on their investment for European soccer rather than hefty contracts for college basketball and the NFL.

The 10% drop in NFL ratings this past season is unprecedented in the annals of sports TV viewership. Thankfully college sports haven't declined that rapidly, but I am sure CBS is not going to pay what they did for college basketball and college football when their contracts come up for renewal. ESPN is already paying that price in declining revenue and layoffs. Sad to see, but it is what it is and there is no way to sugar coat what we are witnessing.
Last Edited: 1/15/2018 12:21:05 PM by cbus cat fan
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Alan Swank
1/15/2018 12:37 PM
The graphic box in this article is most telling of several things one being college basketball isn't even listed.

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2017/06...
Showing Messages: 26 - 29 of 29
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