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Western Illinois Leaving Summit for OVC


TrueBlue82

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Forget the WAC, I am not sure that even amounts to a lateral move let alone a step up.  I hope however that the Summit can get beyond Augustana and try to get someone who would elevate the league as a whole and not just get another stiff from the Dakotas.  However, I do not hold much hope for that to occur.  What is really sad is that the Summit is stuck with MIDCO Sports which basically no one outside of the Dakotas has ever heard of and cannot get while I sit in my man cave outside of Pittsburgh and can watch anything from the SEC, ACC, Big-10, Big-12, MAC and AAC sports all the way down to the Horizon, Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley, Big South, Patriot League and Northeast Conference as well as others.  To make matters worse, it appears that the Summit Commissioner is trying to continue this relationship with MIDCO off into the future while every other conference/league in D-I sports is signing deals with ESPN and in the process making each member of the conference/league serious $$$ in viewing rights while giving their conference/league national exposure day in and day out.  How pathetic is that?

 

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1 hour ago, ORU82 said:

Forget the WAC, I am not sure that even amounts to a lateral move let alone a step up.  I hope however that the Summit can get beyond Augustana and try to get someone who would elevate the league as a whole and not just get another stiff from the Dakotas.  However, I do not hold much hope for that to occur.  What is really sad is that the Summit is stuck with MIDCO Sports which basically no one outside of the Dakotas has ever heard of and cannot get while I sit in my man cave outside of Pittsburgh and can watch anything from the SEC, ACC, Big-10, Big-12, MAC and AAC sports all the way down to the Horizon, Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley, Big South, Patriot League and Northeast Conference as well as others.  To make matters worse, it appears that the Summit Commissioner is trying to continue this relationship with MIDCO off into the future while every other conference/league in D-I sports is signing deals with ESPN and in the process making each member of the conference/league serious $$$ in viewing rights while giving their conference/league national exposure day in and day out.  How pathetic is that?

 

It's possible that a deal with ESPN/FS1-2/CBSN requires a commitment by the institutions that would need to upgrade their audio/video and distribution technology.  There may be some schools that cannot meet those standards and/or don't want to invest that into their athletics program - even though those upgrades could be used elsewhere on their campus community.  I don't know that this is the case - purely conjecture on my part - but I wouldn't be surprised if we are using MIDCO because they are the only ones that will put up with our institutions of higher education.

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I hear you Bogus Smith and appreciate your input.  However, a quick review of this week's nationally televised D-I baseball conference championships which will be viewable nationwide includes such conferences/leagues as the American East Conference (AEC), the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), the Northeast Conference (NEC), the Big South, the Atlantic Sun (ASun) and Ohio Valley Conference.  If you have any familiarity with any of the aforementioned conferences/leagues you will understand that the Summit should at least be on par with them if not exceeding them.  Some of the schools in those conferences/leagues are very small and obscure to say the least.  I guess I just expect more from the Summit, which by the way is not a high bar to get over. 

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Perhaps it would help to consider the following:  the Summit League does not truly have a broadcast or streaming deal of ANY kind with its member institutions.

What it has is an agreement with a regional cable provider (MIDCO) to produce and broadcast the men's and women's basketball tournament in Sioux Falls, available to MIDCO subscribers within the MIDCO regional footprint, simulcast on ESPN+, and streaming from the Summit League website. 

And that's only through the semifinal games:  MIDCO may (?) do the production for the men's and women's finals, but it's with ESPN graphics, announcers, advertisers, etc.

And that's it!

MIDCO also produces and broadcasts SDSU, USD and UND men's and women's basketball games during the regular season, but it's not part of any Summit League arrangement (at least I don't think it is), and it does not involve any other Summit League schools unless they happen to be playing (and typically, visiting) one of those three Dakota schools.  These games are also available on ESPN+, but are behind a paywall on the MIDCO website for streaming.

This exclusive SDSU/USD/UND arrangement explains why the MIDCO announcers seem so chummy with those programs (and clueless-bordering-on-antagonistic re: ORU) when tournament season rolls around.  ORU is for all intents and purposes "the enemy" whenever appearing on MIDCO broadcasts vs. one of the Dakota "home teams".

The league DOES stream some additional live championship competiton for free from its website (summitleague.org), but it's hit and miss each school year. 

For example, this week's baseball tournament stream is a simulcast of NDSU's broadcast partner WDAY's production, and that outfit is only producing the games this year because NDSU is the host. The games will not be broadcast or streamed on any of the ESPN platforms, unlike so many other conferences' postseason baseball tournaments.

I'm guessing that if the conference is without a true deal again next year, the 2024 baseball tournament would be streamed on the ORU Sports Network, simulcast from the Summit League website, and once again be unavailable on any ESPN outlet.

What the league needs here and now is a truly conference-wide, truly universal broadcast & streaming arrangement for all Tier One sports - with ANYONE (but preferably involving "The Worldwide Leader in Sports").

 

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13 minutes ago, Old Titan said:

Perhaps it would help to consider the following:  the Summit League does not truly have a broadcast or streaming deal of ANY kind with its member institutions.

What it has is an agreement with a regional cable provider (MIDCO) to produce and broadcast the men's and women's basketball tournament in Sioux Falls, available to MIDCO subscribers within the MIDCO regional footprint, simulcast on ESPN+, and streaming from the Summit League website. 

And that's only through the semifinal games:  MIDCO may (?) do the production for the men's and women's finals, but it's with ESPN graphics, announcers, advertisers, etc.

And that's it!

MIDCO also produces and broadcasts SDSU, USD and UND men's and women's basketball games during the regular season, but it's not part of any Summit League arrangement (at least I don't think it is).  These games are also available on ESPN+, but are behind a paywall on the MIDCO website for streaming.

The league does stream some additional live championship competiton for free from its website (summitleague.org), but it's hit and miss each school year. 

For example, this week's baseball tournament stream is a simulcast of NDSU's broadcast partner WDAY's production, and that outfit is only producing the games this year because NDSU is the host. The games will not be available for streaming on any of the ESPN platforms, unlike so many other conferences' postseason baseball tournaments.

I'm guessing that if the conference is without a true deal again next year, the 2024 baseball tournament would be streamed on the ORU Sports Network, simulcast from the Summit League website, and once again be unavailable on any ESPN outlet.

What the league needs here and now is a true conference-wide, universal broadcast & streaming arrangement for all Tier One sports - with ANYONE (but preferably involving "The Worldwide Leader in Sports").

 

💯

Can we get an AMEN!!

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On 5/23/2023 at 2:32 PM, Old Titan said:

What it has is an agreement with a regional cable provider (MIDCO) to produce and broadcast the men's and women's basketball tournament in Sioux Falls, available to MIDCO subscribers within the MIDCO regional footprint, simulcast on ESPN+, and streaming from the Summit League website. 

And that's only through the semifinal games:  MIDCO may (?) do the production for the men's and women's finals, but it's with ESPN graphics, announcers, advertisers, etc.

And that's it!

Could the SDSU & NDSU football broadcasts have anything to do with this arraignment? Does MIDCO have the same deal with ESPN+ for the XDSU football games? If SDSU & NDSU have some advantages deal with MIDCO for football than I wouldn't be surprised at all if XDSU's are dictating to the Summit to keep MIDCO and the same terrible deal in place for basketball and baseball.

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4 hours ago, ORU40 said:

Could the SDSU & NDSU football broadcasts have anything to do with this arraignment? Does MIDCO have the same deal with ESPN+ for the XDSU football games? If SDSU & NDSU have some advantages deal with MIDCO for football than I wouldn't be surprised at all if XDSU's are dictating to the Summit to keep MIDCO and the same terrible deal in place for basketball and baseball.

The Dakota football programs are all members of the FCS Missouri Valley Football Conference (formerly The Gateway Conference and a sub-brand of the Divison 1 Missouri Valley Conference).  The MVFC has a broadcast and streaming deal with ESPN.

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Good article, though once again everything (from the writer's perspective to Commissioner MIDCO's comments) is slanted from a Dakota perspective.

Glad to hear that "mirror scheduling" for women's basketball may be on the way out; I always enjoyed the men's & women's home doubleheaders back in the day.

 

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Ya'll flap your mouths a lot for how little you know what you're talking about and for having so little to offer.

Edited by nodak651
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6 hours ago, nodak651 said:

Ya'll flap your mouths a lot for how little you know what you're talking about and for having so little to offer.

seems a little aggressive 🤣

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54 minutes ago, EagleManiac said:

seems a little aggressive 🤣

Seriously?  Read this thread.  It's nothing but bitching and whining about Midco and the Dakotas, which ironically are the only schools that generate tv revenue and put games on espn.

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39 minutes ago, nodak651 said:

Seriously?  Read this thread.  It's nothing but bitching and whining about Midco and the Dakotas, which ironically are the only schools that generate tv revenue and put games on espn.

Wow. Classy move with the foul language.

Tell me how other mid major conferences work to get all their team’s coverage and unbiased opinions through their broadcasters and league officials? 
 

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1 hour ago, Elis Flight Crew said:

Wow. Classy move with the foul language.

Tell me how other mid major conferences work to get all their team’s coverage and unbiased opinions through their broadcasters and league officials? 
 

I used the language I did because it most accurately describes what I read. Sorry.  League is announcing a new media deal any day now.  Your fan base bitches about literally everything.  Facts are facts.  Sorry.

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7 minutes ago, nodak651 said:

I used the language I did because it most accurately describes what I read. Sorry.  League is announcing a new media deal any day now.  Your fan base bitches about literally everything.  Facts are facts.  Sorry.

Got it. ORU fans comments are valid as the league caters to the schools in their region and they are good but not great. I don’t see the Big 12 or ACC cater to just the top schools like the Summit League does. 
 

ORU has also brought the Summit league great PR compared to the schools they hold and love dearly for many years in the world of ESPN and USA media.
 

It’s simple, if the league and their other dealings were not biased so bad, it could be a different conversation. 
 

So what forums are you part of in the Dakotas?

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7 minutes ago, nodak651 said:

I used the language I did because it most accurately describes what I read. Sorry.  League is announcing a new media deal any day now.  Your fan base bitches about literally everything.  Facts are facts.  Sorry.

Then why do you waste your time and ours posting on our board?  I don't think it would bother anyone if you just spent your time on the UND board posting about how we are simply the world's largest collection of uninformed bellyachers.  Go with our blessing.

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2 hours ago, nodak651 said:

I used the language I did because it most accurately describes what I read. Sorry.  League is announcing a new media deal any day now.  Your fan base bitches about literally everything.  Facts are facts.  Sorry.

At least our fans actually care. Outside of the Dakota's, name one other Summit League team that has a fanbase that cares about any of this?

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13 minutes ago, oruvoice said:

At least our fans actually care. Outside on the Dakota's, name one other Summit League team that has a fanbase that cares about any of this?

Dead Silence GIF by Studios 2016
 

This could take a minute……..🕞

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