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Kate Rothgeb's avatar

Thanks for talking about a real problem us PAC-12 Fans have noticed with East Coast Bias. And your Aunt Sally’s work covering women in sports are always among my very favorite pieces!

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John Canzano's avatar

Thanks K. Appreciate that you're here.

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jon joseph's avatar

JC, hope you and the family had a great trip to the Big Apple.

As a transplanted Oregonian now residing in South Carolina, I can attest to the fact that when it comes to sporting events broadcasts, it gets late far too early on the Right Coast. 10:30 PM Pac conference kickoffs become must watch TV for this old-timer on Sunday. Even with a long overdue Polar Shift there is nothing to be done about the geography.

And to think that before the BCS most games on the Left Coast were played in the sunshine and without fans having to schlep home after midnight. The are consequences to monetizing anything and everything.

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John Canzano's avatar

Thanks JJ. really good points. thanks for being here.

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George Cody's avatar

Sometimes it seems that the consequence of monetizing everything is that nothing seems to have real value...

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SCBeav's avatar

I, too, am a life-long Oregonian and Beav who retired to South Carolina one year ago. I didn't appreciate how blessed we were on the West Coast in terms of sports start times. In a major victory, I did manage to find the Pac-12 Networks here, but man those 10:30 (more like 10:41) kickoffs are brutal. Loved it when Big Noon kickoff was at 9:00 AM. Now everything is backloaded to make it a very long day.

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Tom Jacobus's avatar

As a Duck in Georgia I rarely see a complete game live. For the 7:30 start times I can usually make it to half time and DVR the rest. Even in those situations I am staying up until midnight. I can't imagine many viewers hanging in there for a complete game. It is not surprising that very few East Coast football fans have much interest in the PAC 12.

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John Canzano's avatar

That is a real issue. Thank you for posting.

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Jack Bird's avatar

I have the same issue in Dallas. A 7:30 start time means 9:30.

I just stay up and watch it. Otherwise, I can’t sleep and end up tracking the game on my phone.

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George Cody's avatar

So adding SMU, and maybe even Rice and Tulane, would make a lot more "real time" inventory available.

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Spybeck's avatar

I am in my 70's and am a season ticket holder for U of O Football. With every year I can hack the 7:30/8:00pm start times less and less. I find myself having to leave early now and miss the endings. I believe streaming would solve a lot of time zone issues. I remember in the 60's Bell Telephone came out with a map of the United States from an east coaster's view. If I remember correctly the Northwest barely existed, and there were still Cowboys and Indians roaming the dusty boardwalks of the towns.

(Love your column!)

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John Canzano's avatar

Thank you. I suspect the presidents and chancellors are interested in controlling their kick times. Let's see.

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Stephen Smith's avatar

Aunt Sally Jenkins! That story she did about Chris and Martina was the best I have read in years. Glad you were able to spend some time in NYC with your family. My mom worked their in the early 50s for the Women's Home Companion. She lived in the East Village and worked in Rockefeller Center. I went there as an 8 year old and it was one of my best memories I have.

Regarding the Pac12, I will continue to wait for an agreement with tv.

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John Canzano's avatar

It was butter. Stay tuned on that front. I think she has more coming.

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Glenn Izer's avatar

Yes, yes, yes PAc 12, please start the games earlier for us PAC 12 fans living in the eastern time zone. Watching my Ducks play is difficult on some Saturday evenings. I have to prepare myself for the games not to end until 1:30 or 2:00 Sunday morning. I have talked to other PAC 12 fans and they aren't able to view the entirely of the games. This might help viewership if the games started earlier. Hey JC can you put in a good word for us ?

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John Canzano's avatar

Won't be surprised if the streaming partner has more advantageous kickoffs.

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Jim Stewart's avatar

East-coast bias has driven me nuts for decades. I understand it, I think, but it still drives me nuts.

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John Canzano's avatar

Population imbalance. But the view from the east is skewed.

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Colin Meyer's avatar

One huge factor not mentioned - there is far less interest in college football west of the Pecos. Same is true in New England. That isn't 'bias' , it's just a different culture.

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John Canzano's avatar

There's a generational feel in the south, particularly.

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Farrier Irene's avatar

After fans East of Milton Freewater, OR, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and maybe Minnesota watch their favorite College teams they could care less about watching the Pac 12.

In fact the Pac 12 doesn't exist for the majority of these FB fans. The Pac 12 is not as important as it likes to think it is.

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John Canzano's avatar

Nobody is as important as they like to think... if you really think about it.

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jon joseph's avatar

Brothers and Sisters, can we give the man an AMEN!

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Volman777's avatar

I guess most of us hate the late kickoff tines. Those are what really made me give up our season tickets at Oregon. As a pastor, I couldn't justify getting home at 1:30-2:00 am Sunday morning. Having to be ready to minister, meet and greet people after being up so late doesn't work. One game a year was no big deal, but multiple times didn't work.

It's even a challenge watching the games on TV to completion on the 8:pm start times. I also am a night person, but it has gotten to frequent.

When they did the 1 game late one the old fox network, it was fine. Most of the other games were on during the watch time back east and the Pac got better coverage.

They need to push back a little in the negotiations.

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John Canzano's avatar

I don't think you're alone.

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John in CO's avatar

Very good point on A-Rod and Ortiz's comments about the "Pacific NW". Now, imagine what else we hear from the desk completely scripted by the big corporations. Now you can see the propaganda. Which is why I've been less than interested in professional sports over the last 3 years. It's just so obviously a giant corporate machine full of BS to support our shelling out for it.

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jon joseph's avatar

John, when we talk about a Power 2 in CFB both the B1G and the SEC are dwarfed by the NFL.

In 2022 the NFL brought in $11.9 Billion in gross media income. And in 2023 Alphabet's UTube takes over Sunday night NFL broadcasts from DirecTV with UTube doubling the $1B DirecTV was paying to the NFL.

With the NLRB, the courts, and legislative bodies demanding that College athletes be classified as employees and not student-athletes, how long before we see NFL-Lite with 32 top programs who decide not to go Ivy League or D3 being adopted by NFL teams with a players union, team salary cap, restrictions on transfers and most likely, a high school draft. And college head coaches getting big pay cuts.

Once the Money Express leaves the station there is no slowing it down.

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John Canzano's avatar

Truth on the NFL.

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John Canzano's avatar

It felt obvious.

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Shelley Lewelling's avatar

Lucky you to have two such illustrious aunties. I'm a big Sally Jenkins fan and always have been. I was a big fan of her father, Dan, too. Excellent columnists and writers, and the story your aunt Sally wrote about Navritilova and Evert was excellent, as per usual with her. I take the WaPo online, and always look for her byline. Just as I always used to look for your byline in The Oregonian. Now you are so much easier to find and read, and I am ever so thoroughly enjoying your Bald-Faced Truth columns, and look forward to reading them. Interesting, informative, always in the know and always looking for answers for your reading faithful. Thanks, John!

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John Canzano's avatar

Thank you for being here. Means the world.

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Dave M's avatar

Late game start out here, is another example of “We know best” mentality and leadership of Pac 10/12. Purposely putting thousands of people on the I-5 north after 10 pm for 1+ hr is soooo selfish and short sighted.

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John Canzano's avatar

Also maybe unsafe

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Lacamastraveler's avatar

After 40 years of Oregon football season tickets my wife and I gave up the seats, largely because of late games. The drive from Bend to Eugene is tough enough and I refuse to drive back after a late night game, which means staying in a hotell that has tripled its game weekend rates.

For the first 20 years we either drove from Seattle or flew from San Francisco. But, for most of that time, the Ducks weren't good enough to play night games and hotels certainly couldn't justify raising their rates.

Be careful what you wish for😂

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John Canzano's avatar

You’re not alone with your thoughts on the tickets

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James Bailey's avatar

John, way to be a great dad:

“We’re on an extended family trip to New York. We saw the Statue of Liberty, visited the Natural History Museum and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

My three daughters stood on the observation deck of the Empire State Building, watched a Broadway production of “The Lion King” and got to spend time with a couple aunts who live nearby.”

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John Canzano's avatar

We did it all...

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Jason Houston's avatar

After I graduated from UO I went straight to grad school in Connecticut. I remember what joy I had when the YES Network picked up Oregon Duck's football. I could watch the games live for free (or with my normal cable) rather than hoping from sports bar to sports bar hoping one tv, often by accident, was still on pay per view. it was a strange feeling being in a sports bar from 10-1 am (sometimes earlier) watching, usually by myself or with some mystified friends (my grad school pals were not college football fans!) while the rest of the clientele was on to darts, pool, Jaeger shots, and bad pick up lines. Oh yah, most of the tvs were tuned to EITHEH NY Yankees games or Boston Red Sox games. No bar in that part of the Northeast would play both teams' games. A personal anecdote to back up the sense that college football mattered up until about dinner time on Saturday evening in that part of the East Coast.

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John Canzano's avatar

Cult like

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