There's been a lot of talk lately about hoping that ESPN2 will pick up
college hockey.  At the same time, people have been saying that they don't
want to help the big schools (notably the Big 10 schools) buils stronger
rivalries and play more with each other.  I'm not sure that these are the
same people, but the two wishes are contradictory.
 
As things are right now, college hockey won't get a national TV contract.
 It's up against the proverbial 800-pound gorilla; college basketball will
get on anytime it wants to.  The problem college hockey has is primarily its
regionalism.  Not just that interest in hockey is regional, though that's
part of it.  (I'm not convinced that the NHL's move into the south is going
to be a long term winner.)  More importantly, there are no college hockey
teams in about two-thirds of the country.  The closest team to California is
Denver and the closest to the southeast is either Princeton or Bowling Green.
 
This is very important for a national network.  Even if college hockey would
draw almost as many people as the small school hoops games ESPN2 puts on at
the same time, it wouldn't do a thing to help the Deuce sell subscriptions,
or more importantly, get on cable systems over a large swatch of territory.
 
The only thing college hockey would be able to sell is its marquis names.
 These names are primarily in Hockey East and among the Big 10 schools.
 Let's face it, folks in San Antonio might turn in to see Michigan-Wisconsin
because they've heard of the schools.  North Dakota-Colorado College is
something they'll flip right past.
 
I'm not convinced that national TV is the way to go.  I keep seeing visions
of the hockey Final Four becoming the same kind of zoo the basketball tourney
is; maybe it's just me, but I like being able to get tickets.  No, I think
we're better off avoiding that trap.  Particularly given the changes that
would have to be made.
 
J. Michael Jackson
 
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