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ESPN Bias?

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ESPN Bias?

Generally speaking, do you guys feel the ESPN TV commentators give balanced coverage of the game?

More to the point, do you watch these games and feel like they talk about one team more than the other?

It feels to me like…
When we play a UNC vs FAU type game (whether it's UNC, Florida, Minnesota, etc) the commentary seems 80% about them, 20% about us.
When we play as two mid-levels, like a Memphis vs FAU type game, the commentary seems more 50/50.

Is it that these ESPN commentators struggle to have something to say about us because we're really that meh
or
Is it that the ESPN believes they can get higher ratings if they talk up the name brand teams and marginalize the mid-levels?

I've been trying to figure this out… if it's a business decision, if it's a subconscious thing on the part of the sports commentators, or maybe a number of things.

Because we bend over backwards trying to get national exposure, we get into these TV games like the FAU-Texas football game where we had a legitimately good team yet we go down 52-10 and in the third quarter they cut away from the game as it's being played to interview people in the audience or show dogs doing tricks? Is that really good coverage for us? Do we still benefit from that kind of coverage?

The answer is probably yes but it still feels like they got us by the balls and they know it.
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Re: ESPN Bias?

No.

It's all about the big dogs…….
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I think it's both of those things you mentioned.

I was thinking about the way we were portrayed on ESPN last night…as these upstart underdogs that no one's heard of (see:FGCU as a 15 seed in the NCAA BBall Tourney) when we were a top 25 team that just won the conference and tourney for the #4 RPI conference in college baseball…FAU is a legit program! I'm not mad at the guys on TV…but I think we have to make runs like this for 5 years before we become part of the regular conversation.

Info on UNC is readily available, it's easier to talk about them more. They also have many more engaged alumni/fans than we do, and you cater to whoever will turn on their TV and watch, and sadly, they outnumber us big time.

The exposure for FAU was fantastic, even if we were portrayed as a scrappy underdog from a school of 2000 enrollees when that's not the case.

The BEST part? Not one mention of Jesus, Geo Group, or Sandy Hook in association with the University! I guess weak research has it's perks ;)
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Re: ESPN Bias?

As the OP said, I think it's "just that we are that meh".  We are still a relative newcomer to this level and our marquee team (football) has been less than inspiring the last couple years.  The media is obviously slanted towards the big dogs (Ex. FAU vs. Tex, it was all about texas), but even when we play a tue or thursday conference game, it seems as though the talk is 20/20 FAU/ECU, and 60% anyother random game coming up on saturday.  I don't blame the TV guys, it just sucks as an owl fan that even when we are on TV, its not necessarily about us.

I'd still rather be a true alumnus/fan of a mid level FAU than a bandwagon UF fan who has no ties to the school beyond a T-shirt and some stickers.

FAU - We got Bowls!
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Re: ESPN Bias?

duder said

I'd still rather be a true alumnus/fan of a mid level FAU than a bandwagon UF/Miami/FSU fan who has no ties to the school beyond a T-shirt and some stickers.

+1000

Post of the day…Rick??

GO OWLS!
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Re: ESPN Bias?

dusky256fc said

duder said

I'd still rather be a true alumnus/fan of a mid level FAU than a bandwagon UF/Miami/FSU fan who has no ties to the school beyond a T-shirt and some stickers.

+1000

Post of the day…Rick??

I 1000% agree with him Rick!
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Re: ESPN Bias?

duder said

I'd still rather be a true alumnus/fan of a mid level FAU than a bandwagon UF fan who has no ties to the school beyond a T-shirt and some stickers.

Me too…Duder in tha House!



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Re: ESPN Bias?

Thanks guys!

FAU - We got Bowls!
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Re: ESPN Bias?

duder said

I'd still rather be a true alumnus/fan of a mid level FAU than a bandwagon UF fan who has no ties to the school beyond a T-shirt and some stickers.

…but I would not mind having more of those type of fans.  Our alumni base have had the opportunity to embrace this program, and for the most part, have not.  Our students have had the opportunity to embrace this program, and for the most part, have not.

Then you take a guy like OwlFamily who has no ties to FAU other than his wife went there and he lives in Boca…and he is a huge fan, win or lose.  I will take 30,000 of those guys every day of the week over alum and students waiting around for us to win before they decide to support this school.

That doesn't pertain to anyone on here (because that's why you are here), but it certainly pertains to most others in the category.
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Re: ESPN Bias?

fauowl said

duder said

I'd still rather be a true alumnus/fan of a mid level FAU than a bandwagon UF fan who has no ties to the school beyond a T-shirt and some stickers.

…but I would not mind having more of those type of fans.  Our alumni base have had the opportunity to embrace this program, and for the most part, have not.  Our students have had the opportunity to embrace this program, and for the most part, have not.

Then you take a guy like OwlFamily who has no ties to FAU other than his wife went there and he lives in Boca…and he is a huge fan, win or lose.  I will take 30,000 of those guys every day of the week over alum and students waiting around for us to win before they decide to support this school.

That doesn't pertain to anyone on here (because that's why you are here), but it certainly pertains to most others in the category.
 I agree you have to remember 120,000 is not a  a lot of alum to support a football program. Lets pretend that a third of those alum care and follow about fau athletics. So that's forty thousand alum now take away fans for things like simply not livin within in 350 miles of FAU. I say 350 becuase you can make about a 4 hour drie to a couple games a year. Ok after that lets take always alum who simply can not make games to due to work/ Family obligations. For example I could have a job where I have to work weekends. Or somone like Andrew can get hired to become a beat writer for any school in the country thus might not be able make an FAU game for years. Most of alum who were here when football was on campus are in the low 30's at the oldest. This many having young kids etc so making it to game on a sat becomes harder.

  So when you add these factors what are we left with most likely the number of alum who show up every week.  The local fans fill in those alumi gaps but those fans can be finicky and only come when the team is winning. Look at UM fans……
I have said if FAU graduates 5000 a semester you hope 500 of those become major supporters in anyway.  1000kids a year over the process of 15 years throw in local fans and a solid student section boom we have 30k.

These numers are assuming we stay the same. Student support does grow every year and the school is getting bigger so chances of getting athletics supporters only increases.
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