ESPN: Why Cal vs. Washington State Won't be Televised

(Thanks to Drew for this submission)

 

From Stewart Mandel’s www.si.com column today. 

Why is Cal the only top 10 team that won't be on TV this weekend when it plays Washington State?  -- Chris, Lincoln, Calif.

When I first saw this, I assumed Chris was complaining that Cal wasn't on national TV. But no. Believe it or not, in an age of 700 cable channels, many of which are foaming at the mouth to show even the most obscure live sporting event, a college football game between two Pac-10 schools, one of them 5-1 and the other 4-2, will have not a single television camera present. And for that, Bears and Cougars fans can thank their fine conference leaders.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: As a sports entity, the Pac-10 is right up there with the Big Ten, SEC and everyone else. As businesses, however, the Big Ten and SEC are Wal-Mart and Target; the Pac-10 is the mom-and-pop shop down the street. The Pac-10's bizarre loyalty to Fox Sports Net over ESPN (supposedly because of the better time slots) kills the conference's exposure. This coming weekend, you'll be able to watch as many as five Big Ten games from anywhere in the country. You'll be able to watch three SEC games. You'll even be able to watch Louisiana Monroe at Troy. Depending on your satellite package, you could theoretically watch 28 college football games. But you will not be able to watch the No. 10 team in the country play an important conference contest.