ESPN paid for permanent lights at Michigan Stadium

knapplc

knapplc

Well-known member
File this under "What the heck!??!??" 

And now I want to know what else has ESPN paid for at other schools, or at Nebraska? This is weird!


 


ESPN paid for permanent lights at Michigan Stadium


You can thank ESPN for the permanent lights that are now at Michigan Stadium.

Former Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon appeared on Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s podcast this week. On it, Brandon revealed that Michigan’s permanent lighting project at the football stadium was paid for by ESPN. Why? Because ESPN wanted to televise Michigan night games.

“We’d play those afternoon games and bring in those portable lights and there’s these shadows on the field,” Brandon said on the Attack Each Day podcast. “I actually got ESPN to pay for it. Didn’t cost us a dime. All we had to do was promise to play a night game once a year.”

Michigan installed permanent lights at its football stadium in 2010 ahead of an outdoor hockey game that was played between Michigan and Michigan State and the first home football game at night was against Notre Dame in 2011.

The school statement at the time said “the total cost of the project is $1.8 million. Funding will be provided from Athletic Department resources.”

Those resources were confirmed to be ESPN by a spokesperson for the school to MLive.com on Tuesday. And can you blame ESPN for paying for the deal? Paying less than $2 million for lights at Michigan Stadium in exchange for a primetime Michigan football home game once a year for the foreseeable future on an ESPN network is a great trade.
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nic said:
I guess those Midwest teams like nooners.  :thumbs
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We are stuck in our ways. I will say, I love the 6pm time slot and 3:30 isn't bad either. A 8pm start for the OSU/Michigan game is a non starter. I think the 3:30 time for that game probably is the best. 

 
jaws said:
We are stuck in our ways. I will say, I love the 6pm time slot and 3:30 isn't bad either. A 8pm start for the OSU/Michigan game is a non starter. I think the 3:30 time for that game probably is the best. 
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Well it's fricken freezing that time of year...

 
Moiraine said:
Night games are exciting but 2:30 games have a more college footbally feel to me for some reason.
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Night games are exciting but 1:00 games have a more college footbally feel to me for some reason.

And get off my lawn!!!

What is this Netflix you kids are talking about

 
Wait...I thought this was already publicly known back in 2010-2011. :dunno

I'm pretty sure we knew ESPN did this then--it's why Michigan was so resistant to putting lights up on their own for a few years, as they knew ESPN was chomping at the bit for Michigan night games and Michigan AD could get ESPN to chip in. 

Swiv3D said:
And we wonder why Disney is struggling 
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Disney isn't struggling--try again. 

Now if you were to say ESPN, one of Disney's holdings, is struggling...then you'd be correct (to a point). But to say Disney as a whole is struggling is absurd and patently false. 

EDIT: Added stock performance for the past year
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huKSer said:
Night games are exciting but 1:00 games have a more college footbally feel to me for some reason.

And get off my lawn!!!
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One part of the complaint that I can get behind is that once night games are an option it seems that all of the marquee matchups are destined to be night games.  In our case it seems like we will never see sun on the fallen Trojans again.  It doesn't affect me much watching in PDT but I can see why daytrippers and tailgaters resent losing their Saturday traditions.

 
Notre Dame Joe said:
One part of the complaint that I can get behind is that once night games are an option it seems that all of the marquee matchups are destined to be night games.  In our case it seems like we will never see sun on the fallen Trojans again.  It doesn't affect me much watching in PDT but I can see why daytrippers and tailgaters resent losing their Saturday traditions.
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Tailgaters would complain about a night game? Hell, the ones I know would welcome it as more opportunities to drink and watch college football during the day. 

Now, I can see the blue hairs and boomers throwing a hissy fit, as Matlock begins at 6pm sharp. But the rest of us shouldn’t have to suffer just because AARP discounts aren’t given after 5pm at many places. 

/s

 
VectorVictor said:
Tailgaters would complain about a night game? Hell, the ones I know would welcome it as more opportunities to drink and watch college football during the day. 

Now, I can see the blue hairs and boomers throwing a hissy fit, as Matlock begins at 6pm sharp. But the rest of us shouldn’t have to suffer just because AARP discounts aren’t given after 5pm at many places. 

/s
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Some claim they still have to start the tailgate early AM to get a spot and it runs stale that long.  I don't know.  The real complaint is the late departure and getting home time.  South Bend not having nearly enough hotel space.  FWIW I prefer 1 home night game early, Thanksgiving Saturday at night on the road, and mostly 2:30pm Eastern kickoffs in between.

 
Notre Dame Joe said:
Some claim they still have to start the tailgate early AM to get a spot and it runs stale that long.  I don't know.  The real complaint is the late departure and getting home time.  South Bend not having nearly enough hotel space.  FWIW I prefer 1 home night game early, Thanksgiving Saturday at night on the road, and mostly 2:30pm Eastern kickoffs in between.
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Maybe South Bend needs more cool things to do than go hang with Touchdown Jebus or throw the pigskin with Rudy?  :dunno

And with the advent of the portable electric generator, there's no reason a tailgate should run stale. You can watch football, play video games (including...football!), drink alcohol...

 
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