Deseret News | Reader comments: Angry Mountain West Conference football fans in good company

Reader comments
Dick Harmon: Angry Mountain West Conference football fans in good company

cougar_in_cali | 4:56 p.m. Aug. 24, 2007

The mtn. is a good network? BYUTV's penny-job broadcasts of volleyball are much better than the mtn.'s broadcasts.

bdunn02 | 7:30 p.m. Aug. 24, 2007

Wow, Dick, how much did the conference pay you to be that positive about BYU's fanbase getting worked over? Way to insinuate that the major problem with mtn acccess is old people unfamiliar with large numbers.

GBUCoug | 8:11 p.m. Aug. 24, 2007

Even though I'm lucky enough to actually get the Mtn., I would actually rather not have it because of how it keeps the MWC teams out of the national spotlight. Nobody else in the nation knew what BYU or Utah was doing last year because only a few of their games were broadcast nationally. The only reason anyone knew about BYU last year was mainly due to the Beck-to-Harline pass in the Utah game making it on the SportsCenter top 10. The Mtn. does absolutely nothing to promote the conference to the nation. It can't even promote the conference within the conference because nobody can get it.

Comments continue below

dunnb20 | 9:41 p.m. Aug. 24, 2007

Wow, bdunn, how much satisfaction did you just get in ripping a newspaper columnist? Think you bruised his ego? Nice try. Way to insinuate, i mean perpetuate, that anonymity plus veiled arrogance equals caveman-esque manners in our ubercyber society. I weep for the youth.

Oregoncougar | 8:25 a.m. Aug. 25, 2007

To me it seems like a big game that Comcast is playing. They are using the Mountain West fans to pressure thier network providers into carringhese fledgling stations. Way to use people to do the dirty work Sir Comcast. By the way- here in Oregon I still get nothing. I hope BYU gets a bowl game so I can watch the game on my TV--- go ESPN!

Midwest Utah fan | 12:40 p.m. Aug. 25, 2007

In chicago, third biggest market, and we still cannot see the BYU-UTAH games, crazy?!
Before we atleast we able to get a table at the ESPNzone downtown and catch the game.

pigskin | 1:49 p.m. Aug. 25, 2007

Why are directv and dish are giving us big ten sports but not BYU?

optimist | 2:13 p.m. Aug. 25, 2007

My kids in Provo tell me that the mtn is great for Provo and other Mountain Communitites. At the same time I tell them that it stinks for us in southern California.

I've tried Direct T.V. and I now have Dish Network.
Yes, I can get CSTV because I pay extra to get it. This gives me a couple of games a year. Those are the big important games that I travel to Provo to see so I even miss those.

I would like to see all the games that mtn shows. Without being able to see those, I might as well cancell my premium channel for cstv and just go basic Cable.

Resigned | 6:03 p.m. Aug. 25, 2007

This is a story about greed. The Conference gets Comcast to give them lots of money; Comcast then charges outrageous fees to try and recoup their costs. Neither side has enough brains or integrity to figure out how to make this work. But the losers are the fans - alumni that are feeling more and more abandoned by their schools. Greed first, alumni second seems to be the motto.
The solution is simple. (1) The contract is renegotiated so that Comcast has to pay out 60% of what they were paying before; (2) in return, Comcast is required to carry the mtn on all Comcast networks, and on non-premium channels in all states represented in the conference. That will bring some coverage to most of the country; (3) with less money to pay to the conference, Comcast can lower cable prices and pick up St. George and other areas that have independent cable companies that are reluctant to sign up.
What is the likihood of this simple situation happening? The answer is less than 10%. The minor schools in the conference (all except BYU, TCU and maybe Utah) are like monkeys with their hands in the coconut. They can't and won't give up the money (and they don't have many fans outside their home states anyway). They would rather be mediocre nothings with a few bucks in their pockets than get national exposure.

Tired | 10:16 a.m. Aug. 26, 2007

I'm not holding my breath.

RC Collins | 1:59 p.m. Aug. 26, 2007

The solution is simple. Leave the MWC and join the Wac. Take TCU, BYU and Utah to the WAC and along with Boise State Hawaii and Fresno State that is a great group to build on.

Put TCU, Utah and BYU in one of the six team divisions and Boise State Fresno and Hawaii in the other division and it would be quite balanced.

Then Utah and Byu would get their national exposure back and the 3 best from the mwc to the current wac and there are 6 to 8 quality football progarams.

Here is the bottom line I heard Chris Spielman talking about the Wac the other day and he mentioned Boise State and Utah making it to the BCS. Nationally nobody knows the difference anyway. So just join the Wac and it will be strengthened and you will get your ESPN coverage back.

Or stay in the MWC and dominant in obscurity while you watch Boise State Play on espn 5 times a season.

Or joing the Big Sky and play on altitude which is carried by dirctv and dish network.

Rome wasn't built in a day? | 2:44 p.m. Aug. 26, 2007

The implication in this article is that it will take more than a week to resolve this problem as with the construction of Rome. Well it shouldn't take as long to negotiate a deal and what happened to the 52 weeks since the last years fiasco?

Steve | 2:58 p.m. Aug. 26, 2007

First, the MTN needs to stop asking almost triple the price what espn2 asks the satellite companies. What are they smoking?

It is a bad deal exposure-wise, but the schools and conference are getting ALOT more money--TONS MORE! Let's face it, as much as we want people to "notice" us...nobody besides MWC fans care about the MWC.

Even when they were playing on ESPN for popcorn and peanuts, the ratings were horrible. You might get one or two extra California recruits per team through ESPN exposure a year, bust the rest are all the PAC-10 leftovers, who would have found their way to the MWC coaches anyway.

Now maybe "cheap"(you know who you are)MWC fans will actually ATTEND games and support their teams where they need it- IN THE STADIUM!

greg | 3:13 p.m. Aug. 26, 2007

True...TCU, Utah, and now even BYU with all their success can't even fill their own stadiums consistently. If you look at the othe six teams in the conference, they have pathetic attendence. And you expect a major satellite company to invest in that?

It is such a joke! GO SUPPORT YOUR TEAMS "IN PERSON" before you even cry about a tv deal!

upnorth | 3:29 p.m. Aug. 26, 2007

What most folks around Utah do not understand is BYU is not a Utah school. It is an international school with a Utah address; an international following and international dollars which help supliment the LDS Church's support. Like Notre Dame it should be marketed with a North American mentality. The Mountain West Conference does nothing for the broad based international BYU fans and support it enjoys. The athletic programs are a great way for those of us in other countries to stay connected, cheer and support this great school. Maybe the Mountain West Conference is not the place for BYU?????

earle | 4:00 p.m. Aug. 26, 2007

BYU should go independent like Notre Dame. Then they could still play Utah and Utah State every year as well as Notre Dame, Miami, USC, LSU, Louisville and many other good teams. Think about it. They already have a well-known and respected tradition and large fan base.

They definitely wouldn't end up like the Utah State flopped attempt a few years ago.

Darryl | 4:30 p.m. Aug. 26, 2007

The MWC commissioner should haved demanded a seat at the bargaining table to ensure that Comcast is bargaining in good faith. He and the University Presidents somehow think Comcast will work for the best interest if the fans. Unfortunately they will only work for the best interest of their pocketbooks.

I agree that the fans of the respective schools need to start packing the stadiums and show the local interest is overwhelming, which could create waiting lists to get a ticket. This will demonstrate to the Executives at the companies that they do have a viable plan. Right now when you go to a game and you can walk up to the ticket window at the last minute and get a decent seat in the stadium it doesn't demonstrate a great deal of confidence in your team.

Bob | 11:57 p.m. Aug. 26, 2007

The TV deal is aweful! Kim Carver says the station is "bleeding money" - I say the station shuts down before it even hits the sats!

Bye Bye MTN!
Then fire Thompson for doing such a bad deal!

Edward | 5:49 p.m. Aug. 27, 2007

It's so sad that the School Presidents didn't have enough business experience to see a con job when placed before them.
There's one of the best football players I have ever seen in Arizona that wants to go to either Utah or BYU, having family going to both schools, but will not do so because his family will not be able to see his games. The lack of exposure has to be hurting the schools in more ways than one.
Craig Thompson was a mistake. I feel bad for him but some one has to step up to the plate and fix this problem and it won't be one who can't see the problem for what it is. School Presidents need to get together or BYU and Utah need to come up with their own "contacted" programing. Hey Larry Miller we need your help on this one.

Brandon Eddy | 8:35 p.m. Aug. 28, 2007

THe Mtn is terrible.

B4Cougars | 9:58 p.m. Aug. 29, 2007

BYU season tickets are sold out (finally). The stadium will be filled but there are so many more people left out and feeling disconnected from their school.

I would like some reporter to provide details on what the .mtn is asking and what Dish or DirecTV are willing to give. If this situation can't be resolved then it would be best for BYU and Utah to leave the MWC.

I got rid of cable long ago and I will never give another penny to the greedy overcharging company (unless they get it indirectly from Dish Network).

SouthernUtahFan | 8:13 a.m. Sept. 9, 2007

Why would Comcast strike up a deal with DirectTV or Dish? Aren't they their competitors?

I live in a southern Utah community that still won't carry the mtn? I find it ridiculous that we are in the second season of this network deal, and not even half the homes in Utah have the capability to watch it! Make a deal to broadcast the games on kbyu or ksl, so we all can enjoy.

Jrallen | 8:32 p.m. Sept. 25, 2007

What a crock! The mtn. only shafts the conference fans. The only reasonable resolution is to allow local broadcasting companies like school owned stations (KBYU or BYU-TV for example)to carry live game coverage. They do a better job anyway. Even if all cable and satellite providers carried the mtn. the fans still get the raw deal. The price for the bloated programming is robbery. Don't call Dish Network and "demand" that they carry The mtn. Contact the conference and demand that they dig themselves out of this rediculous hole which they dug and threw the helpless fans into. Who do you contact? Here you go:

Mr. Craig Thompson
Commissioner
Mountain West Conference
15455 Gleneagle Drive, Suite 200 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921

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