Ok, let’s do a mini-update. I’ll do a full blown update tonight.
Let’s start with Sports Business blogger extraordinaire Darren Rovell of CNBC.com. He breaks the story of Nike actually suspending the Michael Vick shoe that was supposed to be unveiled next month, but in the wake of Vick’s indictment by the Feds and an increased investigation by the State of Virginia, Nike has had second thoughts. Yesterday, Rovell mentioned that Nike was going full speed ahead with the shoe, but this is the right move. How bad would Nike look with that shoe on the shelves and Vick on trial?
Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press reports that the Big Ten Network is taking its battle with the larger cable companies public with full page ads in newspapers along with TV and radio ads. Tom Witosky of the Des Moines Register writes that University of Iowa officials are joining the BTN in taking the battle public against Mediacom Cable. And Kyle Nagel from the Dayton Daily News says BTN is also waging a battle against Time Warner Cable in Ohio. This is a four or five front battle that the Big Ten Network is fighting. It’s not going to be easy.
We mentioned yesterday that Howard Griffith will join the Big Ten Network. He was previously the analyst for Illinois football radio broadcasts. His replacement will be Kurt Kittner who quarterbacked the team from 1998-2001.
Peter Grant of the Wall Street Journal reports that the NHL Center Ice package will be offered on the web as well as cable and DirecTV. The NHL becomes the second sports league to offer its games online. MLB has been offering its games online for quite some time.
CBS has started an initiative called “Eye-lert” which will notify viewers by via text messages on their cell phones if sporting events or breaking news will delay their favorite programs. This will come into play especially when the NFL is on. We all know how CBS’ Sunday night lineup gets delayed especially when it airs the late game at 4:15 p.m. ET.
I’m not a fan of ESPN televising high school football games. If your local cable access channel airs the game, that’s fine because it’s providing a public service for your town. However, doing a game nationally only serves ESPN and is also dangerous as kids may play to the cameras like they do in college and the NFL. Anyway, Christopher Lawlor of USA Today reports on ESPN’s schedule of high school games starting on August 25,
Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Ray Lewis will host a radio show with Anita Marks on ESPN Radio 1300 during football season.
That’s it for now.
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