Fighting Irish Out of the Fight?

Notre Dame: the name itself represents times gone by, a legendary football club with names like Knute Rockne, Ara Parseghian, and Lou Holtz.  However, in today’s money market, legends are forgotten and new names are called.  Some would never dare compare Longhorn football to the classic elegance of Notre Dame, but when it comes to network deals and winning seasons, the luck of the Irish seems to have run out. 

Notre Dame football is the school’s only sport showcased on NBC, the football team being an independent team that doesn’t intentionally overshadow conference teams or smaller brands like the Texas Longhorns do because, well, they’re it.  In June 2008, NBC renewed its television contract with Notre Dame through the 2015 season, with the 2010 contract reported to be worth $9 million a year.  Losing games translates into declining viewers, and although not a huge expense compared to its other agreements, NBC is now finding the deal with Notre Dame hard to justify.    

UT football is the unofficial mafia leader of the Big 12, taking advantage of its size and blanketing weaker brands like Baylor and Iowa State.  The rest of the Big 12 family has been written out of the will entirely, forced to stand by while its powerful big brother takes over the estate.  The much anticipated Longhorn Network provides coverage of all Longhorn athletes and guarantees the school $300 million over 20 years, revenue that is pocketed directly into the already deep pockets of the University.  However, any network proves useless if it’s unavailable to its viewers.  DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer stated, “We understand Longhorn has other programming that may be of value to a small segment of our customers, but two UT football games do not constitute a network."

Perhaps the one thing Notre Dame and UT have in common is a small viewing audience, albeit for two different reasons.  Notre Dame needs to figure out how to win on the field, and UT’s Longhorn Network has to prove itself worthy of being picked up by accessible providers. 

Business exists to make a profit.  Ethics aside, the Longhorns know money, they understand the value of their brand, and every move is strategic.  With approximately 90% of the football team being native Texans, fans are plentiful and loyalty abounds.  If ESPN and UT can effectively promote their product to national and accessible providers, we won’t even be writing about the sustainability of the Longhorn Network when renewal time appears. 

For Notre Dame, however, the green leprechaun is still in the room.  Considering the facts – last year’s Army game only pulled a 1.0 Nielsen rating among 18- to 49-year-old viewers with CBS crime reruns stealing the votes, Notre Dame has finished its season ranked 10th or higher just three times in the 17 years its home games have been televised on NBC, and with NBC’s, or rather Ebersol and Schanzer’s track record of fighting for the Irish – Notre Dame will be divorced from NBC in 2015.  Notre Dame’s warriors within NBC have abandoned ship, and with ratings and wins still declining since the last renewal in 2008, a third chance to renew in 2015 will be revoked.  Mediocre isn’t worth millions.             

My prediction: Notre Dame will join a conference, relish in the past, and hope for a better future.  Their followers aren't extinct yet, but most are watching if nothing better is on, or if Notre Dame is playing a notable opponent.  Considering their performance during the Michigan State game, the best time to watch is at the very end of the 4th quarter.