For the entire history of the Pac-12 Networks, play-by-play man Ted Robinson was its lead voice. As the conference folds this coming year, Robinson is treating its end as an “Irish wake.”
Robinson explained his feelings on the end of the Conference of Champions in an interview on Sports Media with Richard Deitsch released Friday.
“A lot of people I work with, a lot of people who work for the conference are losing jobs. That’s hard,” Robinson explained. “All year long, we’ve had 14 weeks of football and my statement at the beginning of the season for the crew I work with was ‘we’re having an Irish wake.’
“And when you go to an Irish wake, nobody’s maudlin, there’s no mourning, there’s no weeping. There’s a little drinking and a lot of celebrating good memories. And every Friday night this football season, I have a little Jameson toast, and that’s what we do … because otherwise it is sad.”
Robinson primarily called the premiere football matchup of the week on the Pac-12 network during his 11-year run with the conference.
This Saturday will be the networks’ final football broadcasts of effectively the conference’s final season when Stanford hosts Notre Dame and Utah hosts Colorado.
“It’s trying to have a little bit of fun amidst the darkness of what really is inconceivable and will forever be an inexplicable year in college sports,” Robinson added.
Oregon State and Washington State are expected to maintain the “Pac-Two” while partnering with the Mountain West on competition schedules.
Robinson saw the writing on the wall after USC and UCLA departed many months ago. Even prior to that, Robinson saw the Pac-12 losing its foothold by failing to innovate or even keep up with the big business of college sports.
“What sadly to me happened over the years … is that the conference never became proactive. And I think that’s been a legacy of the Pac-12,” Robinson told Deitsch. “A lot of schools that are brilliant academic schools with great heritage and great history, but are reactive when it comes to athletics.”
And it’s not just college football. Great basketball programs, baseball and softball dynasties and Olympic sports programs like Stanford swim will live on in other conferences starting this upcoming school year.
Maybe an Irish wake is the right way to contemplate what could have been.
[Sports Media with Richard Deitsch]
