Larry Scott defends Pac-12 After Dark, says late-night college football games 'unlock significant value'
http://www.oregonlive.com/pac-12/in...missioner_larry_scott_says_night_games_u.html
CORVALLIS — Larry Scott is aware that many Pac-12 football fans aren't happy with the conference's growing number of night games.
Despite the complaints, Scott believes in the benefits of Pac-12 After Dark.
"It's clear that for certain fans, that's a real irritation and it's a concern for our athletic departments because we do get a significant amount of negative feedback about the start times," Scott said Saturday prior to Oregon State's matchup with Arizona. The 53-year-old Scott has been the conference's commissioner since 2009.
A season ago, Scott said 24 of the Pac-12's 80 conference games had local start times of 7 p.m. or later. He did not give an estimated figure for 2018.
"The reason we play almost a third of our games at night is that was a way to unlock significant value from television in our last negations," Scott said. "ESPN and Fox placed a high value on us giving them a little more flexibility and being willing to play more night games."
The Pac-12 is the only Power 5 conference with schools in the Pacific time zone. Late starts are a way to avoid competition for eyeballs with the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big 12.
"We essentially extend their day," Scott said. "We give them a whole other window of high-quality, highly rated games. ... Playing more night games than we did in the past unlocked the kind of value our schools were looking for."
The Pac-12's deal with ESPN and Fox expires after the 2024 season.
"It's a complete open slate after that," Scott said.
NETWORK GROWTH STALLS
Scott said the Pac-12 Network is "very healthy" and will broadcast 850 live events this year.
"But it's not growing at this stage," Scott acknowledged. "We've had this stalemate with DirecTV and there's cord-cutting going on, so it's hard for any network to really be growing these days."
Scott still believes the network is a success, pointing to the increased exposure for all sports.
"We're creating a lot of value for the members," he said. "I would describe it as stable, valuable but probably not growing at the moment."
WASHINGTON VS. ESPN
Scott wasn't happy with ESPN play-by-play announcer Mark Jones' recent Twitter dig at Washington's non-conference scheduling.
ESPN announced that Jones will not call a Washington game this season.
"I was very disappointed that we had tension," Scott said. "And we, behind the scenes mostly, made a significant effort to try and bring parties together and quiet the situation. ... I think we've really improved the relationship between Washington and ESPN over the last year."
LEGAL GAMBLING
Scott said the Pac-12 is continuing to monitor the U.S. Supreme Court decision that opened the door for legal sports gambling.
"We are mostly concerned about the integrity of the competition and influences or temptations around student athletes, coaches," Scott said. "We're at a minimum going to have to put significant effort and resources into education and monitoring.
"I think there's still a lot of water to go under the bridge in terms of whether there might be some federal legislation and rules around it, or whether it will be truly state by state."
INJURY REPORTS
A conference-wide injury report is not coming anytime soon, Scott said.
"There was a strong belief by our schools that it should be a school by school decision," Scott said. "Some of the concerns on our campuses were that student athletes are different from professional athletes. ... There's a real caution about disclosing medical information about students."
-- Bob Lundeberg for The Oregonian/OregonLive
http://www.oregonlive.com/pac-12/in...missioner_larry_scott_says_night_games_u.html
CORVALLIS — Larry Scott is aware that many Pac-12 football fans aren't happy with the conference's growing number of night games.
Despite the complaints, Scott believes in the benefits of Pac-12 After Dark.
"It's clear that for certain fans, that's a real irritation and it's a concern for our athletic departments because we do get a significant amount of negative feedback about the start times," Scott said Saturday prior to Oregon State's matchup with Arizona. The 53-year-old Scott has been the conference's commissioner since 2009.
A season ago, Scott said 24 of the Pac-12's 80 conference games had local start times of 7 p.m. or later. He did not give an estimated figure for 2018.
"The reason we play almost a third of our games at night is that was a way to unlock significant value from television in our last negations," Scott said. "ESPN and Fox placed a high value on us giving them a little more flexibility and being willing to play more night games."
The Pac-12 is the only Power 5 conference with schools in the Pacific time zone. Late starts are a way to avoid competition for eyeballs with the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big 12.
"We essentially extend their day," Scott said. "We give them a whole other window of high-quality, highly rated games. ... Playing more night games than we did in the past unlocked the kind of value our schools were looking for."
The Pac-12's deal with ESPN and Fox expires after the 2024 season.
"It's a complete open slate after that," Scott said.
NETWORK GROWTH STALLS
Scott said the Pac-12 Network is "very healthy" and will broadcast 850 live events this year.
"But it's not growing at this stage," Scott acknowledged. "We've had this stalemate with DirecTV and there's cord-cutting going on, so it's hard for any network to really be growing these days."
Scott still believes the network is a success, pointing to the increased exposure for all sports.
"We're creating a lot of value for the members," he said. "I would describe it as stable, valuable but probably not growing at the moment."
WASHINGTON VS. ESPN
Scott wasn't happy with ESPN play-by-play announcer Mark Jones' recent Twitter dig at Washington's non-conference scheduling.
ESPN announced that Jones will not call a Washington game this season.
"I was very disappointed that we had tension," Scott said. "And we, behind the scenes mostly, made a significant effort to try and bring parties together and quiet the situation. ... I think we've really improved the relationship between Washington and ESPN over the last year."
LEGAL GAMBLING
Scott said the Pac-12 is continuing to monitor the U.S. Supreme Court decision that opened the door for legal sports gambling.
"We are mostly concerned about the integrity of the competition and influences or temptations around student athletes, coaches," Scott said. "We're at a minimum going to have to put significant effort and resources into education and monitoring.
"I think there's still a lot of water to go under the bridge in terms of whether there might be some federal legislation and rules around it, or whether it will be truly state by state."
INJURY REPORTS
A conference-wide injury report is not coming anytime soon, Scott said.
"There was a strong belief by our schools that it should be a school by school decision," Scott said. "Some of the concerns on our campuses were that student athletes are different from professional athletes. ... There's a real caution about disclosing medical information about students."
-- Bob Lundeberg for The Oregonian/OregonLive
