Report: ESPN wanted it in primetime but NCAA overruled...

Happy for Coastal, but what does today say about what

surroundedtiger · 2016-06-30T23:08:37.641Z

ESPN, the NCAA, or whomever thinks about college baseball? If you ever wanted to send a message that "this is a minor sport", they sent it today. A National Championship game at noon on a weekday on ESPNU? It seems like ESPN falls all over themselves to promote other non-revenue sports--see women's basketball (my apologies gamecock fans) and softball--but they do nothing of the same for college baseball.

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Jun 30, 2016, 9:04 PM

http://www.omaha.com/sports/cws/cws-blog/report-espn-wanted-to-air-cws-championship-game-in-primetime/article_3d10379c-3ee0-11e6-a262-f7085bd5d20c.html

Thursday's College World Series championship game would've aired in primetime had ESPN gotten its wish.
In a statement to Sports Business Daily, the Worldwide Leader said it offered to broadcast the game on ESPN in primetime. Instead, the NCAA opted to start the game at noon and show it on ESPNU, which is carried in about 19 million fewer homes than the flagship channel.
“We offered a primetime window on ESPN as a preferred rescheduling option for Game 3 of the NCAA College World Series Finals," the statement said. "The NCAA made the decision to play the game at (noon) ... We were able to find a window on ESPNU and look forward to televising the matchup.”
Ron Prettyman, the NCAA managing director of championships and alliances, told The World-Herald on Wednesday that weather forecasts ultimately led to the afternoon start.
“If we had delayed it to evening and went through this again, we might have been in same scenario," Prettyman said. "We may not get the TV assignment we had hoped for. But we’ll be able to play our national championship game in a window that will allow us to finish it.”
Prettyman also said ESPN did not have input on whether the game would be postponed, “but they certainly have input on start times.”
The noon start resorted the CWS game to ESPNU because of previous obligations on ESPN's other networks. According to SBD, ESPN must carry Wimbledon and ESPN2 must broadcast the Euro soccer tournament, both of which run Thursday afternoon.

AT ANY RATE...CONGRATULATIONS TO THE COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTS!