When the Big Ten announced their record-breaking media rights deal with Fox, CBS, and NBC Thursday morning, my colleague and Eleven Warriors editor-in-chief Johnny Ginter sent three separate messages to the Slack company.
9:59 a.m: SEVEN
9:59 a.m: BILLION
9:59 a.m: DOLLARS
At 10:22 a.m., assistant editor and lead football writer Dan Hope sent an update that Sports Business Journal valued the agreement at $8.05 billion over seven years. Johnny replied again with three messages.
10:29 a.m: EIGHT
10:29 a.m: BILLION
10:29 a.m: DOLLARS
That was exactly my reaction to Thursday’s news. Fox, CBS, and NBC backed the Brinks truck for the deal, and the Big Ten got paid.
With the approval of the conference’s member schools, Commissioner Kevin Warren changed the future television experience for fans of the Big Ten teams – what they watch, how they watch and where they watch. We’ll find out in 2023 if these changes actually make watching Big Ten football better for fans, but we already know the conference will reap the financial rewards.
Anyway, let’s get to the good stuff and have a great Friday, okay?
WAIT – ONE MORE. OK, I lied. Sorry I’m not sorry. This video from CBS is too good and I need to make sure everyone watches it. If you’ve already seen the clip, watch it again and take it all in.
Hello, @B1Gfootball.
beat the music pic.twitter.com/PbMHPql1Cz— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) August 18, 2022
It is wonderful. Get ready to hear this music often next fall.
O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! Ohio State’s six captains are CJ Stroud, Kam Babb, Tyler Friday, Tommy Eichenberg, Kourt Williams and Cade Stover. The latter name has gone through many changes during his Buckeye career, including several position changes between linebacker and tight end.
Regardless of where Stover has played for Ohio State, he’s always been a leader, and it shows in how the team’s coaches talk about him and his influence in the locker room. Take, for example, this video of tight ends coach and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson calling Stover’s mom to break him the news that he’s been made captain.
.@cstov8 is officially a Buckeye Captain. Here is the call when @OSUCoachKDub brought the message:#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/EkohEEdZSD
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 18, 2022
“This is going to be a special, special year,” Wilson said in the video. “He doesn’t just do plays, he does a lot of plays behind the scenes. His way of working and the connection to our players – he is just a special person and a special talent.”
When asked what it has meant to him to become team captain, Stover said he feels blessed and honored to be so valued by his teammates, whom he considers brothers on and off the field.
“That means a lot,” Stover said Monday. “I really have no words. i love this team I love the people around me.”
Cheers to Stover for what appears to be a massive off-season. Indeed, may Ohio State take advantage of the tight end more than ever this season, and may Stover reap the rewards of his hard work in 2022.
HELP ME HERE. I don’t usually offer consideration to a Twitter user named Big Game Boomer. However, on Thursday he released a list that caught my attention.
The Boomer lists all things college football related like coaches, players or even the best restaurants on college campus, among other things. This time he created five tiers for the best tailgating schools in college football, and the Buckeyes fell into the third category. They were also the third-best Big Ten school in the tailgate division behind Michigan and Penn State.
College Football Tailgating Stages pic.twitter.com/YjPvl00irL
— Big Game Boomer (@BigGameBoomer) August 18, 2022
Well, I’ve been to fewer tailgates in Ohio State than I could count on one hand. Still, I felt a deep disrespect that the school where I received my bachelor’s degree was not considered one of the best environments for college football game days.
Am I wrong to feel this way? Please tell me if the placement of the boomers in the Ohio state tailgate scene is justified or not in the comments.
OLYMPIC VILLAGE. Ohio State women’s hockey won the program’s first national title in 2021-22 with victories over Quinnipiac, Yale and Western Collegiate Hockey Association rivals Minnesota-Duluth in the NCAA tournament.
When head coach Nadine Muzerall lifted the trophy, it fulfilled a prophecy she made to the university’s athletic department before the season – that they would have a championship-level squad capable of winning anything.
“Earlier in the year, Muz stood in front of the entire athletics community and said, ‘We’re going to win a national championship this year,'” Ohio State forward Clair DeGeorge said after winning the title. “We look back on it now and realize that we actually made that come true. It’s huge.”
Muzerall’s undoubted faith, coaching and teaching, combined with the Buckeyes’ collective talent at every line, propelled Ohio State over the hilltop last season. Now the team’s historic championship win will live on forever in Toronto’s Hockey Hall of Fame.
hey #GoBucks Fans – look what just arrived! article out @OhioStateWHKY‘s Frozen Four win are in the archive for processing pic.twitter.com/3IamJ2C1Gm
– Hockey Hall of Fame (@HockeyHallFame) August 18, 2022
I think these items would look perfect next to the Stanley Cup. A small memorabilia from the state of Ohio alongside this large silver trophy would be really nice.
SONG OF THE DAY. “Feels Right” from Danny’s Dead.
CUT TO PURSUIT. Buffalo Wild Wings adds chicken wing pizza to menu…Streaming services outperform cable networks for first time…Kid Cudi and Kanye West clash again…Japan encourages young people to drink more…Michigan woman wins the lottery with a randomly found ticket.