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6-1990 College Baseball Popularity Traced To ESPN Coverage Michael L. Hilt University of Nebraska at Omaha, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation Hilt, Michael L., "College Baseball Popularity Traced To ESPN Coverage" (1990). Communication Faculty Publications. 49. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/commfacpub/49

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Communication at DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Communication Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 0.17- ID ~ er... .n O.-...on.·.:.. "--·- 0.17 7. Tom HiclCollege athletics. · 0.51 Rank Team G W L T AB HITS Avg. World Series began in 1947. But it did College basketball and college -0.50 1. LllJ.Brooklyn 38 27 11 0 1285 467 .363 not have a national television contract baseball were two of the sports around 0.48 2. New Mexico St 59 40 19 0 1908 655 .343 untlll980, when ESPN agreed to CIIIT)' which ESPN built its programming 0.47 3. Loyola Marymount 60 45 15 0 2221 759 .342 some of the games. schedule. Botll sports have enjoyed a 0.46 4. Central Mich. 55 38 17 0 1586 534 .337 decade of growth in popularity 0.44 5.~ne 59 41 18 0 1941 651 .335 Since then college baseball, and 0.44 6. Long Beach St 59 36 22 1 2052 687 .335 specifically the College World Series, unparalleled in sports history, and ESPN 0.44 7. Louisiana St. 63 47 16 0 2144 717 .334 has experienced a popularity explosion. is responsible, to a degree, for this 0.43 8. Southern Ill. 59 47 12 0 1981 658 .332 That popularity increase can be directly popularity explosion. But willie the 0.43 9. Illinois 60 41 19 0 1965 649 .330 attributed to ESPN. network earned its reputation with 0.43 10. E. Carolina 53 46 7 0 1663 549 .330 Ulm, to 0.42 ESPN, in may not have reached college basketball, ilhad be convinced 0.42 SCORING its position in broadcasting without the tllal college baseball would attract an 0.42 Rank Team G w L T RUNS Avg. experience itreceived in producing and audience, 0.41 1. New Mexico St 59 40 19 0 541 9.17 airing college baseball games. CWS since 1980 2. Loyola Marymount 60 45 15 0 508 8.47 3. Washington St 63 46 17 0 533 8.46 ESPN and College World Series In the beginning ESPN questioned Avg. 4. Oklahoma St. 65 49 16 0 547 8.42 For the past 10 years the College the interest in college baseball, and 1.43 5. LIU-Brooklyn 38 27 11 0 319 8.39 World Series has been a featured event tlloughl the cost of televising the games -1.41 6. Louisiana St. 63 47 16 0 528 8.38 on ESPN. The popularity of college was prohibitive. The network also was 1.38 7. East Carolina 53 46 7 0 443 B.36 baseball in general, and the College concerned with !he threat of inclement 1.38 B. Stanford 62 52 10 0 507 B.1B World Series in particular, can be weather, because Rosenblau Stadium 1:32 9. 111inois GO 41 19 0 490 8.17 1.31 tO. Clemson 62 42 20 0 505 B.15 measured through aucndaoce, and in Omaha, tlle site of the College World 1.30 comments from those close to the Series, is an open-air stadium witll 5 129 EARNED RUN AVERAGE situation. natural grass. B 1.28 Rank Team G W L T 19 R ER ERA The evidence gathered indicates tha! At the ti.me Jerry Miles was director 0 1.27 1. Miami, Fla. 60 49 11 0 534.3 17B 149 2.51 while the College World Series' growth of men's championships with the 2 1.27 2. South Alabama 59 41 18 0 496.0 206 144 2.61 7 1.24 3. Jackson St 50 33 16 1 394.6 186 118 2.69 during the past 10 years would have NCAA. He is now tlleexecutive director 5 1.23 4. Central Florida 60 40 20 0 528.0 242 164 2.BO continued, it could not have reached its of the ABCA. Miles has been involved '2 1.22 5. Texas A&M 60 47 13 o 485.3 187 151 2.80 current stature without ESPN. There witll college baseball fornearty20years, .s 1.21 6. SouthWes.tern La. 63 47 16 0 512.0 227 165 2.90 also is evidence that ESPN may not and helped negotiate tlle NCAA's fm;t 7. S.W. Mo. St. 57 42 15 0 455.0 200 147 2.91 have reached itspositionjn broadcasting contract witll ESPN. 8. McNeese St. 55 35 20 o 425.3 199 138 2.92 without the experience it received "We tried to tell thematthattimethat SA ·Avg. 9. Nicholls St. 54 36 17 1 467 .3 204 152 2.93 47 1.07 10. Texas 63 4B 15 o 539.3 258 1n 2.95 producing and airing college basebaU one of tlle premier events, we thought a 64 1.00 games. sleeping giant, was the College World 51 .98 FIELDING PERCENTAGE ., Brief History of ESPN , Series," Miles said. 34 .94 Rank Team G W L T PO A E Pet. ESPN took to the air in September He pushed the network to carry some 55 .93 1. Northwestern La. 51 38 13 0 1125 403 30 .981 of the games, and ESPN finally agreed n .93 2. Loyola Marymount 60 45 15 0 1564 709 63 .973 1979 promising 24-hour sports. The 65 . .88 3. Sam Houston St. 57 34 22 1 1232 944 64 .971 to televise five CWS games. 48 .88 4. Stanford 62 52 10 0 1677 623 69 .971 59 .84 5. Southam Illinois 59 47 12 0 1460 653 65 .970 55 .B1 6. Long Beach St. 59 36 22 1 1564 661 70 .969 49 .80 7. New Hampshire 37 18 19 0 B26 346 37 .969 11th CWS Year For ESPN 53 .79 8. Davidson 51 27 23 1 1234 497 55 .969 33 .78 9. Miami, Fla. 60 49 11 0 1603 708 74 .969 BRlSfOL, Conn.-ESPN's eleventh consecutive year of televising the NCAA 53 .7B 10. Cal. St. Fullerton 53 32 21 0 1403 618 65 .969 College World Series will begin with live coverage of the first game Friday, June 50 .7B 1 at4 p.m. EDT from Rosenblatt Stadium in Omah a, Neb. WON·LOSS PERCENTAGE The network will televise as many as 14 games lead ing up to the championship Rank Team W L T Pel. game. ESPN's coverage will include up to ten live games: doubleheaders June 2, 1. East Carolina 46 7 0 .86B (if 1, 3, 7. 2. Stanford 52 10 0 .839 4 and 8 necessary) and single games June 5 and ER ERA 3. Miami, Fla. 49 11 0 .B17 CBS will carry the ehampioosrup game scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern time on 8 5 0.83 4. North Carolina 49 12 0 .803 Saturday, June 9. Announcers will be Greg Gumblc and Jim Kaat for the national 4 7 0.94 5. AoridaSt 53 13 0 .B03 telccasL B 8 1.05 6. Southern Ill. 47 12 0 .797 ESPN's Mike Patrick (fm;t CWS) and Tim Bran do (second CWS) will share the s 7 1.11 7. Notre Dame 46 12 0 .793 play-by-play duties. Jim Kaat (fifth CWS), a 25-year Major League veteran, and 3 20 1.'29 B. Arkansas 47 1~ 0 .783 3 9 1.46 9. Arizona St. 49 14 o .nB Larry Sorensen (first CWS), a former Major League pitcher with Milwaukee and 4 16 1.54 10. The Citadel 41 12 o .n4 Cleveland, will provide ana.iysis.