Published: November 04, 2009 10:18 pm      

ESPN should rethink scheduling practices for football, poker

ESPN needs to change policy. The cable giant originally known as the “Entertainment and Sports Programming Network” has recently broadcast (at least) four shows in the wrong time.

First, Virginia Tech played Thursday night. Next, West Virginia played Friday night. Marshall played Sunday night. Oh, yes, in the middle of the past week, the network also showed portions of the World Series of Poker.

I didn’t watch any of them in my own one-man protest of such scheduling.

What happened to Saturday afternoon or evening college football when teams played 10 regular season games starting in mid-September and finishing in late November?

A few teams were good enough to be selected for a highly prestigious group of bowl games, usually beginning on December 31 and finishing on January 1, unless a date happened to fall on Sunday.

Conference champions were decided in head-to-head season competition.

After having covered high school sports for nearly 40 years, I find it offensive and inconsiderate that college football games would be scheduled on the one night when high school games are traditionally played.

Friday nights should be reserved for high schools from September until the middle of November. Families and friends in towns across America have enjoyed that tradition and privilege for decades. It is not fair to make cash-strapped public high school programs compete with the mega-bucks being offered by ESPN and other major networks.

Unless there is a huge fire, flood, or second coming of Hurricane Katrina, there are few good reasons for Thursday games. People are working around the house, children have homework — and often tests — on Fridays. That includes students from first grade through college.

Thursday games force fans to make hard choices and many would rather play at the ball park than get their necessary work done. Ticket holders feel compelled to take off from work a day or sometimes two because they (understandably) don’t want to give up their seats.

It is inconsiderate of so many working people to have Thursday games affecting mid-week family activities.

Getting ready for the work week is almost impossible with a late game Sunday. Sunday night — are you kidding me? Coaches study game films Sunday afternoons so they can get ready for Monday practice in preparation for the upcoming game on the following Saturday, for heaven’s sake.

(Maybe we should eliminate the “heaven’s sake” phrase. It is obvious that particular angle is getting no consideration from ESPN in view of the time and date this game is being played!)

Money talks. Until the colleges/universities and fans ask for a change through their support — or not — we will continue to be saturated with games every day at all hours until the thrill and glamour are completely gone from the once grand game of college football, having been replaced by overwhelming cash.

As if that were not bad enough, we should all “thank” ESPN for encouraging our children and many adults to take up the grand game of poker and become gamblers.

See you Saturday for college football or Friday night for the high school variety!