Pac-12 hoping to cut down on marathon games
Give us action, and make it fast. The lords of sports know how Americans like their games.
To keep fans engaged — in the stands or on TV or mobile devices — the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball have taken steps to shorten games. Now it’s college football’s turn.
Last week, the Pac-12 announced a trial in which some nonconference games on its network this season will feature shorter halftimes — from 20 to 15 minutes — and fewer commercials. The Mid-American Conference also is picking up the pace, and ESPN said it would place greater emphasis on getting in and out of commercials on time and adhering strictly to 20-minute halftimes on games it televises.
All this comes after the average game length in the Bowl Subdivision increased to a record 3 hours, 24 minutes in 2016.
Professional and college sports and their TV partners are wise to watch the clock, University of Nebraska-Omaha sociologist Dan Hawkins said.
“Outside of big cultural events like the latest ‘Game of Thrones’ episode, we seem to have passed a tipping point where most people are satisfied consuming media on demand at their own convenience and in relative isolation,” Hawkins said.
“But there is a strong social aspect to watching sport — interaction with fellow fans, the immediate and unpredictable nature of sport, the fear of spoilers from social media or other sources — that still make sporting events best consumed in the moment. Clearly, sports leagues are afraid of losing this advantage if the product becomes boring for enough fans, and they’re now finally reacting to that.”
The NBA this month unanimously approved several changes, with the intent of speeding the final minutes of games. In college basketball, the NCAA experimented with a couple of time-saving measures in the NIT.
Professional baseball uses a 20-second pitch clock in the minor leagues, and Major League Baseball now allows intentional walks to be signaled without throwing pitches.
The NFL, with an average game length of about 3:09 last season, this year is reducing the number of commercial breaks per quarter and is changing the protocol for handling video reviews.
Longer college football games can be attributed to an increase in scoring, offenses that favor the pass over the run and the introduction of video review a decade ago.
Last year, average pointsper-team hit 30 points for the first time. The game clock stops for point-after touchdown kicks and 2-point tries, and a TV commercial often comes before the ensuing kickoff.
Per-team pass attempts reached 30 for the first time in 1999 and have been under that mark only one season since. Incomplete passes stop the clock.
With no cupcakes early in schedule, Ohio State rushes to get ready
COLUMBUS, OHIO » Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said opening the season on the road against a Big Ten opponent brings another level of urgency to preseason practice.
Usually there are lesser opponents scheduled for the first couple of games, which Meyer said gives the team a chance to work out the bugs. This season, the Buckeyes open Aug. 31 against Indiana at Bloomington, then come back for the home opener nine days later against Oklahoma.
“We are not playing preseason games,” Meyer said Monday, referring to the usual early home games against outmanned opponents. “We are in the Big Ten conference, Game One. So sometimes I’ll count those games as a chance to get guys ready. We don’t have that luxury this year. This year, you’re in it.”
Along with the NCAA rule changes that eliminated two-a-day practices, adjustments had to be made to the practice schedule to get the team ready to go. Teams were allowed to start practicing earlier this year to get as close as possible to the 29 sessions allowed. Ohio State has 28 scheduled before the opener.
Preseason camp opened last week, and the players put on the pads for the first time on Thursday. After a scrimmage Saturday, coaches will get serious about building their depth charts, Meyer said.
UCF placekicker gives up eligibility for YouTube videos
ORLANDO, FLA. » UCF kicker Donald De La Haye has made the decision to give up football rather than give up making advertising money from videos on YouTube that he produced.
The university released a statement Monday saying De La Haye did not accept the conditions of a waiver received from the NCAA and has been ruled ineligible to compete. The statement said UCF officials petitioned the NCAA on De La Haye’s behalf and got the governing body to allow De La Haye to continue to make money from videos that did not depict him as a student-athlete. But the YouTube videos that depict him as a student-athlete would have to broadcast on a non-monetized account.
UCF spokesman Andy Seeley said he is uncertain what part of the agreement De La Haye did not agree with. De La Haye, who is from Port St. Lucie, Florida, could not be reached for comment.
The university began investigating in the spring whether or not the videos, and the fact De La Haye made money from them, were an NCAA violation. NCAA rules prohibit student-athletes from making money off of their images.
De La Haye, a marketing major, made several videos, some depicting his everyday routine and some that dealt with his experiences on the football team. Some of his videos had more than 50,000 views, though it is unclear how much money De La Haye made.
As a sophomore last season, De La Haye appeared in all 13 of the Knights games as a kickoff specialist. He had 73 kickoffs totaling 4,441 yards, averaging 60.8 yards per kick and finished with 37 touch backs.
Louisville dismisses senior defensive lineman Williams
LOUISVILLE, KY. » Louisville coach Bobby Petrino says senior defensive lineman Chris Williams has been dismissed from the team for violating unspecified team rules.
Petrino made the announcement after Monday’s first practice of fall camp. He did not elaborate.
Listed No. 2 at one tackle spot on the Cardinals’ depth chart, the 6-foot-1, 292-pound Williams was one of the more experienced linemen returning this season.
The Atlanta native had 29 tackles with a sack, 5 ½ tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries in 11 games last season after transferring from Northwest Mississippi Junior College.
Utah starting safety Hansen out indefinitely
SALT LAKE CITY » Utah starting safety Chase Hansen is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury.
After Monday’s practice, Coach Kyle Whittingham called the issue a “lingering thing” from before camp started last week. He hopes the 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior will be ready for the season opener against North Dakota on August 31.
Utah does not typically detail injuries unless they are season-ending.
“He’s one of the best players in the conference,” Whittingham said. “You always want to be full strength and have the best guys on the field, but if he’s not there, he’s not there.
“Knowing him, his work ethic, his toughness, my guess is he’ll be there.”