I'm glad for those back in and around Ohio to be able to watch the game, albeit half a day or more later. It is better than nothing, which is what we out of the region and with Gameplan but without access to dish, Directv or bars or sports books for one reason or another.
Several of us complained to the Big 10 last week, and most received a canned response from some senior bureaucrat there about how they love the fans but...blah, blah, blah. This situation would probably not exist if the Big 10 had been more forceful with ESPiN and if it had fewer sugar plum faries in the form of $$ dancing in its head anticipating the revenues its plans envision. But that is the way of big time college athletics nowadays, and I don't know why I am surprised.
One thing that occurs to me, much to late to have any effect on Saturday's situation, but potentially some on next year is the Big10 situation. I've seen a lot of people upset with the Big10 office, but relatively little discussion about pressuring whomever is the Ohio State representative that no doubt oversees the central office operation. Surely there is a faculty or administrative type representative from each school involved, or perhaps someone from the athletic department.
I wonder if looking ahead, some volume of complaint to that more local person or entity to do something for '07 and beyong than simply complaining to the faceless bureaucrats in the Big10 office. I can't help but think that in the long run we are not going to be happy with the arrangements for coverages on TV. And doubly especially those of us in the western third, perhaps half, of the country where big cable carriers barely recognize that there is a Big10 at all. Are they going to invest in carrying a Big10 network. Personally, I doubt it. If I am correct, the good old days of being able to almost always watch the Bucks football at least, may fade away. Gameplan as we have known it is a dead duck, I think.
Anybody with a more informed understanding of the plans for subsequent years out there?
Go Bucks!
