08-05-2023, 02:53 PM
I don't know that the college football craze will die down and that viewership will drop. Out here in football factory land, the mania feels as strong as ever. The large student bodies and alumni populations will sustain ticket sales, merch sales, and TV viewership on Saturdays. Can conferences continue to command increasingly large contracts from broadcasters? Only until the advertising money stops, and that's contingent on viewership: home cable sports subscriotions, commercial cable subscriptions (sports bars), etc.
The cult of alumni/student loyalty to their football team is pretty close to a renewable/infinite resource at this point.
The NFL knows that fan loyalty is what keeps viewers coming back year after year. It's why the XFL or USFL haven't taken off like a rocket ship -- the product is surely better than college ball, but no one cares about XFL or USFL teams right now other than geographic proximity. Colleges have that loyalty, and the NFL has that loyalty now. The NBA G League is a matter of necessity (talent), different discussion. Suffice to say that NBA G League loyalty doesn't command a big broadcasting rights contract.
The cult of alumni/student loyalty to their football team is pretty close to a renewable/infinite resource at this point.
The NFL knows that fan loyalty is what keeps viewers coming back year after year. It's why the XFL or USFL haven't taken off like a rocket ship -- the product is surely better than college ball, but no one cares about XFL or USFL teams right now other than geographic proximity. Colleges have that loyalty, and the NFL has that loyalty now. The NBA G League is a matter of necessity (talent), different discussion. Suffice to say that NBA G League loyalty doesn't command a big broadcasting rights contract.