Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is not actually the definition of insanity. It would be a pretty good indicator that you may be insane though. It perfectly describes networks’ relationship with spring football. The USFL kicked off this weekend and I am sorry, but why are we doing this again?
I want to be clear. I am not rooting for anyone to fail. Far from it. There just isn’t an ounce of evidence this thing is going to succeed.
FOX is so invested in the USFL that it is willing to shake up its college football pregame show, Big Noon Kickoff, to make sure the league is protected. Once it was announced that Bob Stoops was going to be a coach again in the XFL, when it is revived for a second time next year, he was told his days yuckin’ it up with Brady Quinn, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush were over.
As I see it, the problem being made with both the USFL and XFL 3.0 is that networks are focused on the game. FOX should be ashamed it used time on The Herd to have Colin Cowherd reveal the nicknames of the USFL franchises. It should be embarrassed how much it used Outkick to shamelessly advertise these games.
FOX is heavily-invested. I get it. But who saw value in televising the USFL Draft?
It’s not just FOX either, by the way. Just last week, ESPN gave The Rock and his business partner Dany Garcia time on Get Up to shill for the XFL, which is still a year away from even playing a game.
Maybe you wouldn’t call these mistakes so much as really strange choices. Strange may be the wrong word. They are certainly transparent in terms of the motivation behind them.
Spring football isn’t all bad. It really does serve a purpose. I wonder if the networks recognize though that the audience it should be targeting isn’t fans. It is the NFL.
Networks that decide to put their weight behind spring football should be doing it with the fall in mind. These broadcasts are the opportunity to show off for Roger Goodell and the 32 NFL team owners. It is a group that moves notoriously slowly when it comes to innovation. Hell, they are just now getting around to the idea that there should maybe be a streaming option for Sunday Ticket. They aren’t going to adopt a cool idea without seeing it in action first.
Skycam cam came directly from the first season of the XFL. The very short-lived AAF put a camera inside the replay booth. It was a great idea that TV executives executed poorly by asking the officials to play to the camera instead of just doing their job.
The new USFL is giving us sky judge first down measurements, similar to the system that measures where a ball lands on a tennis court. That is supposed to come with a glowing football to make it even easier for fans to tell in real-time if a team converted a close play. That is something the NFL would pay attention to, as it could keep the game moving and cut down on the cost of some sideline staff.
We will also see and hear more player perspectives. 16 players on the field at any given time will be wearing microphones. Two players on each team will be wearing cameras inside their helmets. The technology is small and unobtrusive enough now that, if the USFL shows it can work, every NFL broadcast partner should be rushing toward it.
Look, the football we saw this weekend was bad. There is no getting around that.
Birmingham had a late score to seal a win in a back-and-forth game with New Jersey, but close doesn’t always mean good. Both teams used two quarterbacks. The four of them combined to go 32/57 for just over 400 yards. This is gonna be the standard, folks. Watching the USFL for the football is a losing proposition.
A lot of people watched too. I don’t want to discount that. Over three million tuned in to the first game on NBC and FOX, but history tells us that ratings come back to Earth in a big way in week 2 for these spring upstarts.
I would hope FOX and NBC, which will also carry games on its broadcast network, USA, and Peacock, are viewing the USFL as a loss leader. Restaurants do this all the time. It is a psychological approach to pricing that says you are willing to take a hit on one item in order to generate significant revenue off of another. Think of Happy Hour appetizer specials.
Spring football would be an ideal loss leader for these major networks. I would understand beIN trying to sell me on the idea that I don’t want to miss De’Andre Johnson playing for the New Jersey Generals, but FOX, NBC, and I assume ESPN when the XFL relaunches next year, should have different priorities.
These are all networks that paid HUGE money for NFL television rights. Any professional football that makes it to their airwaves should be used to maximize the value of those deals.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
