Nebraska Asks Fox Sports To Stop Airing "Children Of The Corn" Promotional Video

The Univ. of Nebraska’s athletic department has "requested Fox Sports stop running a 30-second ad as part of the network’s promotion of its new TV contract with Big Ten football," according to Sam McKewon of the OMAHA WORLD-HERALD. Fox Sports "produced 14 30-second videos -- one for each Big Ten team -- and released the videos on Twitter." For Nebraska’s video, Fox had a camera "tracking through a cornfield until it reached a circle of players wearing Nebraska football jerseys -- NU provided the jerseys for Fox’s use -- performing a cult-like sacrifice." The promotion is a "clear takeoff" on the '77 Stephen King short horror story "Children of the Corn." ESPN’s College GameDay host Rece Davis has, at times, "referred to NU’s team as the 'Children of the Corn.'" A Nebraska spokesperson said that NU athletics did not "have prior knowledge of the promotion’s content" and has requested Fox "no longer run the promotion." Once the season begins, Fox will use "more straightforward promotions for upcoming games." Nebraska Senior Associate AD/Marketing & Communications David Witty said, "It’s not really the direction we want the brand to go in" (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 8/29).