Some network execs think fans will still watch despite scandals like the one involving OSU's Zach SmithGETTY IMAGES
While "rough off-the-field summers" can help boost interest in college football, early-season TV viewership will be an indicator if the "ugly offseason has had any kind of impact" on the sport, according to Richard Deitsch of THE ATHLETIC. ESPN VP/College Sports Lee Fitting said of scandals like the one at Ohio State, "It has been brutal to watch, brutal to read about. It's disgusting. It's depressing. I just think at the end of the day people are still going to watch these games." CBS analyst Gary Danielson said of the OSU scandal potentially affecting fan interest, "It has nicked away at it but I don't know if we are going to notice it as, 'Boy that was the turning point.'" NBC Sports Producer Rob Hyland added, "I don't think the product has been damaged, but fans are ultimately the judge." Deitsch noted Fox is "unapologetic about avoiding (for the most part) in-depth discussions of off-the-field incidents during game action." Fox Sports VP/Production & Coordinating Producer Judy Boyd said, "Philosophically I am a believer of covering the game and whatever happens on the field. What happens off the field is meant for our top studio shows. As far as the game side, we are not '60 Minutes' and we are not investigative reporters." FS1 analyst Joel Klatt said he still believes his job is to "cover the game." Boyd added that she "feels no pressure from the Big Ten about how to cover (or not cover) a story." Meanwhile, Fitting said "don't expect ESPN to add much in the near term" with regard to sports betting on its game telecasts. Boyd also said that it was "very unlikely" Fox would "infuse gambling in its game coverage" (THEATHLETIC.com, 8/27).
