After several years of "declining attendance throughout the league, the Pac-12 has modified its agreements with its major television partners to eliminate a few games" that begin after 7:00pm PT on Saturdays, according to Adam Jude of the SEATTLE TIMES. The creation of "two new broadcast windows for games on the Pac-12 Networks," to start at 2:30pm or 6:00pm PT, "means games on the conference’s networks can now overlap with games also airing" on ESPN or Fox. It is "not a significant change -- at most, the Pac-12 expects the new time slots to eliminate four total late kickoffs, or one every three weeks." But it is "a small step in the right direction for many fans" (SEATTLE TIMES, 5/25). Colorado AD Rick George said, "We’re going to have to play night games, but if we can minimize those, I think it’s better for all involved, most importantly our student athletes and getting home at a decent time, but also our fan base that sometimes night games are difficult for." He added that there has "been some discussion about limiting the amount of late-night games for specific teams." But he said, "A lot of it comes down to the selections that the network partners make on the game times" (Boulder DAILY CAMERA, 5/25).
MATTER OF TIME: CBSSPORTS.com's Robby Kalland wrote the motive for the conference's time changes is "understandable," as earlier kickoffs "allow for the potential for more eyeballs nationally -- east coast bias has long been a concern for Pac-12 teams in voting for both polls and awards." The "Pac-12 After Dark" effort "isn't going away totally, but we will now have some weeks where the Power Five conference slate ends before midnight on the east coast" (CBSSPORTS.com, 5/24). In San Jose, Jon Wilner wrote the Pac-12's gesture is "more important than the practical implications, because the practical implications could be minimal." But it is "something," and it shows that the conference is "listening to the fans, and its campuses." Wilner: "That's good" (MERCURYNEWS.com, 5/24). In Portland, Andrew Greif writes fans on the East Coast "didn't like staying up well past midnight to see their program play, while fans at the stadiums were often upset by early morning arrivals back home no matter how far they traveled for games" (Portland OREGONIAN, 5/25).
REDUCING DEMAND: USA TODAY's Steve Berkowitz notes the Pac-12 yesterday "stepped into the ongoing debate about how much time major-college athletes spend on their sports by issuing a 22-page report on the topic" that includes a series of ideas "aimed at reducing demands on athletes through changes in NCAA or conference rules." The document is "based on previous surveys of athletes by the NCAA and the Pac-12, as well as a recent series of meetings" Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott and his staff had discussions "with groups of athletes at each conference school." The proposals, which likely "could be addressed through NCAA legislation," include a requirement that schools "provide athletes with what are termed 'designated ‘rest days’' during the school year, in addition to the weekly days off now mandated by NCAA rules." Another proposal calls for "increasing the number of required days off from required athletic activities during the offseason to at least three per week from the current two." Another would "amend the NCAA rulebook’s definition of voluntary athletic activities 'to curtail perceived abuses' of the rules by school athletics staff 'to the point that these workouts are not voluntary'" (USA TODAY, 5/25).
JUST A GAME? In S.F., Tom FitzGerald notes the Pac-12 Networks will "begin to show competitions between member schools in video gaming." The competitions will "take place in studios as well as in tournaments in conjunction with Pac-12 championship sports events" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/25).
