Big Ten Network is killing UW-Madison wrestling

OneEyedFatMan · March 20, 2016, 12:46:00 PM

Public TV is the way to go

How many farmers are going to pay $180/month for BTN when they might get 4 duals worth watch a year?

So many of our state's kids go elsewhere because they have no reference to what UW is about.

Keep Shane Sparks, however!

Handles II · March 20, 2016, 04:43:12 PM

I doubt farmers having or not having BTN really matters much in getting blue-chip wrestlers. Who's the last blue-chip farm kid?

littleguy301 · March 20, 2016, 09:23:04 PM

Quote from: Handles II on March 20, 2016, 04:43:12 PM
I doubt farmers having or not having BTN really matters much in getting blue-chip wrestlers. Who's the last blue-chip farm kid?

Wasnt there talk about Robert Kokesh?

Well I think it sucks for about anyone that follows wisconsin wrestling that they really dont get wisconsin wrestling on the BTN.

But I will say you need to put out a good product to get noticed in the BTN programing, much like pro football, college football and so on. To be the best you get those perks!

MarkK · March 21, 2016, 10:52:59 PM

The BTN is a joke. I wouldn't pay for that inferior product ever. I won't say they are killing uw wrestling but I will say they would kill my wallet and I won't let them do that. Try and find a match you want to watch is a joke. Then they don't have the decency to keep them on their website to watch at a later date. I had a lot of hope for the channel now I realize that it is way over priced and not worth my dime. you've got bigten2go bigten plus and and a website bloated with Bigten news but very little real coverage of actual events through video replay. It's not that I don't understand their site. I do. It's a hype machine to get you to pay the money for something you think will be the Willy Wonka Golden Ticket of Bigten coverage. It's not that at all. go to their videos section. It is full of interviews of coaches and players ala press conference info. Even ESPN knows better than to bait and switch like that. Look at the lineup. About 7 hours of big ten and beyond basketball banter and and beyond. Then there is the 1981 rerun of some Indiana Hoosier basketball game. 2013 and 2014 highlights of Badgers basketball and a Frank Kaminsky highlight reel. That's just a Monday. Tuesday you get to watch a 2002 basketball game between Maryland and Indiana. Oh there is a current men's volleyball game. Oh wait that was from 5 days ago. Never mind. Like it if you want I think it is way over priced. Then when you do get to watch a match you want to watch they don't have great announcers. A few years ago when it was open and on the internet and universities were live casting these things with students, I understood that. Quite honestly I think I preferred it. It was free. Now the BTN locks it all down and it is pay up or sit out. Then if you pay the $15 per month you don't even get to watch bigten football at all on Bigten plus. No replays NO live football games. NO Big ten replays. It is live. For $15 a month you should have a library of games/matches that you can replay. You have to watch the game live or not at all. Real competition would be welcome here.

OneEyedFatMan · March 28, 2016, 02:29:13 PM

Not a Wisconsin kid!
( He's from Wagner, SD)

I'm just saying, you have to turn over every rock to find that one in a million wrestler, and if that means making the sport not just palpable but enviable to any and all kids, then you are more than likely ceding great athletes to basketball or hockey.

Quote from: littleguy301 on March 20, 2016, 09:23:04 PM
Quote from: Handles II on March 20, 2016, 04:43:12 PM
I doubt farmers having or not having BTN really matters much in getting blue-chip wrestlers. Who's the last blue-chip farm kid?

Wasnt there talk about Robert Kokesh?

Well I think it sucks for about anyone that follows wisconsin wrestling that they really dont get wisconsin wrestling on the BTN.

But I will say you need to put out a good product to get noticed in the BTN programing, much like pro football, college football and so on. To be the best you get those perks!

bigG · March 28, 2016, 04:43:39 PM

I have BTN in my basic package. When I'm not watching the wrestling, I'm not watching. I keep it all on the Hopper for off-season nostalgia. It could be so much more. Think of the possibilities; instead of reruns of old games, and ho-hum interviews.

Dale Einerson · March 28, 2016, 08:44:12 PM

I dropped it and enjoy not being billed for it...

bigG · March 29, 2016, 06:17:04 AM

I sure am getting to that point. You do get a bazillion channels of crap. I don't even know what we pay for the whole deal. But, it probably ain't chicken scratch.

Barou · March 29, 2016, 08:49:21 AM

I think I'm paying like $5 a month more to get the sports tier which is BTN, NFL network, ESPNU, etc.... I need BTN and ESPNU for wrestling and NFL network as a football fan. Outside of wrestling and Badger football games I don't end up going to the BTN too often. FWIW, at the $5 a month just for the wrestling I really can't complain. I was starving for wrestling on TV for a long time. This year I watched wrestling on ESPN, ESPNU, ESPN2, BTN, FSN, and I don't know which one for Oklahoma vs SD State. I also enjoy Women's softball when they start regional action which is on ESPNU.

bigG · March 29, 2016, 11:12:51 AM

That' what my bride did. I remember her asking me.

I can complain; but the truth is, that $5 gets me to watch more wrestling than I have ever even known available. I remember just dying for NCAA finals or some oly wrestling on one of the big networks. Now, I do bask in the glory a lot more than I did.

I just don't like what we pay for Dish or Direct. Spendy stuff.

OneEyedFatMan · March 29, 2016, 11:28:09 AM

In Madison, to have ATT wireless television with internet but no phone, our bill went from (introductory) $99 for the first year to almost $180. We have two TVs, so they soak you for that second one + the DVRs - as if you would watch both at the same time. For all the advertising we were paying to see, I couldn't justify it. Would much rather spend the money seeing the meets in person than doing that.

As for the football games, I guess I get more done working at home Saturday and listening to the radio. Call me cheap, but maybe that back porch will get re-done this fall.

But the whole point I am trying to make is that there are great young athletes who aren't getting any exposure to Badger ( or any other WI collegiate wrestling) on tv.

Quote from: Barou on March 29, 2016, 08:49:21 AM
I think I'm paying like $5 a month more to get the sports tier which is BTN, NFL network, ESPNU, etc.... I need BTN and ESPNU for wrestling and NFL network as a football fan. Outside of wrestling and Badger football games I don't end up going to the BTN too often. FWIW, at the $5 a month just for the wrestling I really can't complain. I was starving for wrestling on TV for a long time. This year I watched wrestling on ESPN, ESPNU, ESPN2, BTN, FSN, and I don't know which one for Oklahoma vs SD State. I also enjoy Women's softball when they start regional action which is on ESPNU.

DocWrestling · March 29, 2016, 01:16:22 PM

I am a little confused.

Before ESPN's expanded NCAA coverage or BTN for duals was there any exposure? There is also a lot of wrestling on the regional Fox Sports Networks from across the country that I pay extra for with the Direct TV Sports Pak.

How can it be worse than nothing for exposure to potential athletes. Was wrestling ever on public TV? I only remember occasional football games and hockey games on PBS at 10:30pm on Saturday nights.

Putting it on public TV is just like getting WIAA finals on TV. If you find the money and advertisers, they will do it.

ChargerDad · March 29, 2016, 06:44:10 PM

Which Badger Duals this year were worthy of being on BTN that weren't? For awhile it looked like Whitewater might be their only win, but then they hit Maryland, Rutgers, and Norhwestern, none of which would count as quality wins.. Well maybe Rutgers.. Right now, the Badgers are a bottom 1/3 of the Big 10 team.

rv84 · March 29, 2016, 10:26:12 PM

Back in the day... late 70s earley to mid 80s they did show at least 1 match a year on local TV, Terry Shockley and Rick Lawinger did the play by play. I believe they even had it on PBS tape delay at night like they used to do for football and hockey.We have gone backwards on live local TV. The HS finals used to be Prime Time live Sat night.

bigG · March 30, 2016, 10:53:20 AM

Quote from: rv84 on March 29, 2016, 10:26:12 PM
Back in the day... late 70s earley to mid 80s they did show at least 1 match a year on local TV, Terry Shockley and Rick Lawinger did the play by play. I believe they even had it on PBS tape delay at night like they used to do for football and hockey.We have gone backwards on live local TV. The HS finals used to be Prime Time live Sat night.

Ha-ha. If you lived in Milwaukee (ironically) you could get the state championships on channel 36 (the other UHF station). I was glued, either way. Other than that, da Crusher, Ivan Potski and Nick Bockwinkel were your choices. Back when pro resslin' wuz reel.