Picture a world where UCLA water polo games are on national
television.
Or imagine watching an episode of SportsCenter that
doesn’t even mention pro sports for the entire hour.
Sound like the nightly fantasy of a college sports nut?
Well it could soon be reality, as the National College Sports
Network is set to debut in early 2003 with 24/7 coverage of all
college sports, from archery to yachting (there are no college
sports that start with a Z).
The NCSN, which will be on most major cable companies and
satellite providers, is gambling that traditionally-ignored Olympic
sports will catch on with the general public.
“If presented properly, we think our vision that speaks to
passionate college sports fans and alumni gives us an opportunity
to succeed,” said Chris Bevilacqua, co-founder of the
NCSN.
Bevilacqua is a former Nike marketing executive, and his
partners, Brian Bedol and Steven Greenberg, helped launch ESPN
Classic.
The network has a simple business model: Obtain the rights fees
to Olympic sports that aren’t currently broadcasted, and show
features profiling athletes and teams to help build a storyline and
interest.
Combine that with highlight shows about football and basketball,
and then put on variety segments and specials to fill the 8,700
hours of airtime each year.
“Our plan is to present college sports as a year-round
Olympics,” Bevilacqua said. “There are 25 men’s
and women’s sports. Certainly two get a lot of coverage, but
there are 23 other great sports that would get viewership if
wrapped in the art of storytelling.”
The NCSN already has deals with dozens of national and regional
conferences, and one is currently in the works with the Pac-10.
“Whether there is a rights fee or not is still up in the
air.,” said Pac-10 Assistant Commissioner Jim Muldoon.
“The (NCSN) wants the product without a rights fee. But
regardless, the real benefit to us would be exposure, not revenue
enhancement.”
So what Pac-10 sports might be shown on the NCSN?
Certainly not football or basketball, as the Pac-10 currently
has deals with ABC and CBS, respectively.
Fox Sports Net also has a deal with the Pac-10 to show football,
basketball, and 39 hours a year of other events, including
volleyball, baseball, softball and track.
Locally, Fox Sports West has a deal with UCLA to show
basketball, some football and 2-4 events in other sports.
So whatever is left after these networks have picked what to air
can go to the NCSN.
“They are interested in covering a wide variety of sports
that can be produced at a reasonable cost,” Muldoon said.
Even though they won’t be able to show major national
games, football and basketball will still be a major part of the
network.
The NCSN has a deal in place to show the best Div. I-AA football
games of the week, and they also expect to provide in-depth
coverage of Division 1-A football and hoops during their respective
seasons.
“It will be a lot like how the Golf Channel covers the
Masters,” Bevliacqua said. “Even though the actual
Masters is on CBS, real fans go to the Golf Channel to get updates
and stories.”
But still, the network’s backbone, not to mention its
prime-time programming, will be Olympic sports.
If the network does succeed, it has the potential to generate
interest in smaller sports that has been lacking for decades.
“I wouldn’t suggest for a minute that college hockey
fans amount to the same as football and basketball,”
Bevilacqua said. “But when you add hockey, baseball,
volleyball, and other sports, you have a sizeable
audience.”
Could the presence of the NCSN, designed to cover college
athletics, actually affect the outcome of the sports they
cover?
“If a recruit saw the exciting atmosphere when we play
teams like Stanford and USC, he could be convinced to come
here,” said UCLA men’s tennis head coach Billy
Martin.
Any exposure for Olympic sports, which usually get virtually no
media coverage, could sway potential recruits to choose schools
that get a decent amount of airtime.
The presence of cameras could also be intimidating to many
athletes in Olympic sports, who aren’t used to the pressure
of being on national television.
“But if these guys want to go on the (professional) tour,
they better get used to the cameras,” Martin said.
With the advent of the NCSN, they are going to have to.