The Big Ten’s media contract requires that six football games be played on Friday nights over the next six seasons. Dissenting opinions abound including inside the conference itself.
Starting in the 2017-18 season, six Big Ten Friday night games will be televised via ABC, ESPN and Fox. Whether that will continue past the next six seasons is in doubt, partially because many voices inside the conference aren’t on board with the change.
The conference is holding meetings this week, and Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips spoke his mind about the conference scheduling football games for Friday nights.
“I think part of this has to be the local politics, if you will. What does it feel like in Evanston versus what does it feel like in Lincoln or feels like in Iowa City or Columbus, Ohio. And the more we can allow those schools to locally have influence over what we do on Friday nights, the better off we’ll be.”
Those local politics involve the high schools in the markets that Big Ten schools occupy as well. Whether or not Big Ten football games cut into the business of high schools who also get revenue from football games isn’t the Big Ten’s concern. The Big Ten does need to have a good relationship with high schools across the country, however, as the vast majority of its on-field football talent comes from high school football programs.
Michigan AD Warde Manuel expressed another concern about Friday night games.
“When I came in and heard [that Michigan is opposed to playing Friday night games as either the home or road team], I was glad to hear it, because I would have been adamantly opposed for reasons I released in the statement: our fans, Friday night football in high school and all the things that go along with it. But the main reason is the majority of our season-ticket holders, maybe 60% … are outside of the state of Michigan or a five-hour radius. To get them here on a Friday, to have a game on a Friday, just doesn’t make sense for us and our fan base.”
Manuel’s point is more about the local business community than anything else. Wolverines football games bring hotel guests, restaurant patrons, Michigan merchandise buyers and transportation users to Ann Arbor. Compacting the time that fans are in Ann Arbor for football games cuts down on the opportunity to consume those goods and services. College football programs thrive on the support of the local communities as much as the communities thrive on the games.
Not all voices inside the Big Ten are expressing disapproval for Friday night games, however. Illinois AD Josh Whitman and Ohio State AD Gene Smith voiced support for the contest schedule, citing national exposure that the Illini wouldn’t get on Saturdays and the creativity of the schedule setting the Big Ten apart.
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Whether Friday night games will continue to be held past the six-year time frame that the conference has already committed to remains to be seen. What’s certain, however, is that there are differing opinions within the conference on that matter.