We hear all the time that fans and media underrate west-coast sports teams simply because they don’t often stay up to watch them. To hear some people tell it, 10 p.m. ET tipoffs and kickoffs cost West-Coast players hype and attention, while costing west-coast teams postseason bids.
Well Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott is not complaining.
Scott was asked Friday whether he was worried about late-night start times costing his conference exposure, and his answer was awfully interesting.
Full quote from Larry Scott, who was asked if late tip-off times are hurting exposure for Pac-12 teams: pic.twitter.com/HVJWtqsUbO
— Joey Kaufman (@joeyrkaufman) March 10, 2017
Not only is Scott not resentful of ESPN and other networks for airing Pac-12 games when the East Coast is asleep, he credits those networks for his conference’s success.
The latest
- Singular focus on Caitlin Clark brings risk, reward for ESPN and women’s basketball
- Explosive lawsuit alleges sabotage and union-busting in Sports Illustrated-Arena Group divorce
- Sage Steele: The devil knocked out my teeth with a golf ball for suing ESPN and speaking out
- Rece Davis downplays ‘risk-free investment’ gambling comment on The Pat McAfee Show, insists he didn’t apologize
Given the ongoing issues faced by the Pac-12 Network—no deal with DirecTV leading to low coverage and unhappy athletic directors—the Pac-12’s deal with ESPN and Fox is more important than ever. If that means some 8:30 P.T. tipoffs, the conference will take it.
And really, the claim that playing on the West Coast limits exposure to recruits matters less than ever these days.
Pac-12 schools, like just about everyone else, recruit regionally first, and among west-coast high schoolers the conference has plenty of exposure. The Pac-12 doesn’t necessarily need every kid in Florida to be watching its games, as long as every kid in South California is.
Plus, with the proliferation of highlights on the internet, teams and players can get plenty of exposure without anyone watching live. Lonzo Ball might be the most famous player in college basketball right now, even if many people on the East Coast have scarcely watched his UCLA team play.
So it figures that Scott isn’t anxious to throw ESPN and Fox under the bus for late tip times.