If you’ve noticed a plethora of college football gametime announcements today and you’re wondering (not without justification) what is happening, well, it’s the magical day where networks/conferences/etc. release the schedules as they’re currently known.
ESPN went all-in on various releases today, for example.
https://twitter.com/ESPNPR/status/1529894685656985601
They also did the same for their various league-affiliated networks, ranging from the important:
https://twitter.com/ESPNPR/status/1529896136001175552
To the sort of important:
https://twitter.com/ESPNPR/status/1529896220239573003
To the lol:
https://twitter.com/ESPNPR/status/1529897179137159171
Big Ten Network also dropped schedule info:
https://twitter.com/B1Gfootball/status/1529892811520323595
We also got the ESPN Events calendar, with bowl info and a few early season matchups:
https://twitter.com/ESPNPR/status/1529897246216552448
And then, finally, if you’re in the mood at the end of May to start planning out your winter background sports content habits:
https://twitter.com/BowlSeason/status/1529897724476149761
College football, like the NFL, is turning into a year-round sport. From headline-grabbing days like Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher’s back-and-forth to networks rolling out massive lists of game start times months in advance, there’s no real downtime anymore.
This is clearly by design (well, maybe not Saban and Jimbo); remaining the main topic for sports talk and grabbing social engagements during a time of year when they would otherwise be ceding space to leagues like the NBA and NHL is a net gain for everyone with a financial interest in college football’s sustained success.
It’s almost like it’s a professional sport in every single way except the one where players are fairly compensated for the revenue they’re generating.
About Jay Rigdon
Jay is a columnist at Awful Announcing. He is not a strong swimmer. He is probably talking to a dog in a silly voice at this very moment.