Learning more about "MACtion"

11/7/2017
BY JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
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    • BOWLING GREEN — As you may remember, I wrote a few weeks ago about #MACtion and the Mid-American Conference’s move to midweek games during the month of November.

    I will not bore you with a blow-by-blow reminder of my opinion; click here and read it for yourself.

    As you might imagine, not everyone who read it was happy about it, which is fine. In fact there were a few counterpoints I think MAC football fans will find interesting. Before I lay them out, here is one reminder: In general, I’m a fan of midweek games in November. I think the plus of having MAC games in a national television window far outweighs the negatives.

    Here we go ...

    • Using the Oct. 26 games as a barometer for the failure of #MACtion misses a point about scheduling these games.

    And that point is simple: You cannot just jump into midweek games without “setting the table” with a few games in late October. And the games on that date were those transition games.

    I’m not a big fan of the “short week” the four teams that played that night had to deal with, but that’s a different problem. My post focused on TV, and the point is that some teams needed to play those games on Thursday to “transition” their schedules better for midweek #MACtion.

    • Fans use ESPN3 as a way to watch games.

    This one is hard to swallow, because I generally do not. But I understand the point is that I’m the old “Get off my lawn!” guy in a new era where watching games on phones or computers or other devices is just as prevalent as watching on TV. Then again: I was able to watch the Toledo-Ball State game broadcast on ESPN3 on my TV, so I guess I am a user, after all.

    • Stop with the cheap shots of CBS Sports Network.

    My point was, “If a game is on CBS Sports Network, and I don’t get that channel, does it actually happen?” I’ve been told that CBS Sports Network is in 60 million homes nationally; my research shows ESPN2 is in a little less than 90 million homes, and ESPNU is in roughly 70 million homes. Not a big difference, truth be told.

    Sorry, CBS Sports Network.

    And finally, between Oct. 26 and Nov. 16 there are 19 “midweek” games played on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. A total of 18 of those games were on either ESPNU, ESPN2, or CBS Sports Network.

    And the 19th game? Toledo at Ball State. You know, the game I actually watched.

    Contact John Wagner at jwagner@theblade.com, 419-724-6481, or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.