University of Texas lands TV deal with ESPN

Big news hit us this afternoon. According to ESPN, The University of Texas has made an agreement with ESPN to have their own 24-hour network. This channel will not only contain sporting events (uncluding an exlusive football game and 8 basketball games), but will feature "historical programming," academic events and other cultural events. It is an all Burnt Orange channel. And while my buddies back home in South Texas are probably salivating at the distinction Texas has over all the other schools (Especially the Maize and Blue), the implications may become problematic.
First off, I don't believe Texas, or any school for that matter, deserves its own network. If they make one, every powerhouse from USC to Florida to Alabama to Michigan to Ohio State and perhaps even NC State would want their own channel. Any school that doesn't have its own channel will not be in that elite level. You thought amazing practicing facilities is what kept the top programs? Think again...it will soon be having your own TV Network. And although it will be nice and dandy with cultural shows and lectures of the human anatomy and other educational information, the mere fact that this school can show itself to the entire nation is just publicity in excess. There was a big cry when I came to Michigan as a Freshman about how the Big Ten Network was ridiculous, how it would be too exclusive to households that didn't have Comcast and how they were stealing games that should be public and how they would fill up all the time slots. But after a few years, people gained access and BTN started to bloom and the next thing you know, every conference starts to talk about having its own network. Not Texas, no, they were thinking far beyond that.

Sure, maybe you could say I am jealous. But I am not. I think this is beyond what a school should be concerning itself over. University are academic institutions. Sure, sports have been forever argued that they do not belong in this academic setting. That debate is for another post on another blog. But the amount of attention and staff required to not only create and maintain a network, but to make one good, will take so much energy and resources and attention from where it should be placed: Learning.

Sure, students will have the amazing opportunity to work with such a national network setting, but the this network craze has the possibility of becoming a daunting fad, and when people thought sports were too much about money and business, television will take to a whole new level.