National Sports Blog:
I sent my post regarding advertising on the field during college bowl games to the NCAA and heard back from several sources.
Please see the clarification from the NCAA blog regarding my post:
http://www.doubleazone.com/2008/01/setting_the_record_straight_on.html
I am pleased to hear that the NCAA is concerned with this issue and clarifed that they do not indeed receive revenue from these games. HOWEVER, I still do believe that they have the authority to deny colleges from participating in the network run BCS bowl games. I have also written numerous letters to Fox and ESPN to STOP the amount of advertising that is going on during games and on the field. I am pleased that the NCAA did indeed receive my letter and responded. My whole point with that letter is to get the ball roling with having them act against the BCS series to stop the madness. I am hoping that Michael Moore also responds to my letter about producing a movie about how overly corporate the US has become not only in sports, but in many, many other aspects of our culture.
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Comments:
Keep Dreaming
Seattle Sports Blog Guy:
I am not the biggest fan of corporate sponsorship of sporting events either, but please understand that without corporate sponsorship, the games that you hold so dear will end up on cable television, or worse, pay per view. The rights fees that teams and leagues are charging to broadcast the games are getting out of hand, and because of this, the entities that broadcast the games have to make up via corporate sponsorship. Because of other forms of entertainment (Internet, more television channels on cable) are decreasing viewership numbers, the price that corporate america is willing to pay for commercials is dropping. Therefore, commercials must be supplemented by other forms of revenue to entice the corporate sponsors, such as signage. If you want to watch our beloved Sonics, Mariners, and Seahawks on pay per view, then your argument holds water. However, if you want to continue to see them on basic cable or network television, until rights fees go down, you will continue to see corporate sponsorship of events. I am sure we would all love a clean model, unfortunately, we can't have it until rights fees go down.