Beware of the night unless money is involved
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The influence from television makes us do strange things, like staging football games at night in November.
That would’ve been hard to believe maybe as recently as a decade ago when night games were few and far between, and when the thought of a night game after October was almost inconceivable.
Money has a way of changing your perspective.
Suddenly, it’s not as risky weather-wise to play a night game in November, not with the enormous amount of television revenue that comes with it.
The Iowa football team will play at least three night games this coming season, including two in November, and one against Iowa State on Sept. 10 at Kinnick Stadium.
The Hawkeye will face Penn State under the lights on Nov. 5 in University Park, Pa., before hosting Michigan under the stars a week later.
Each game will bring plenty of intrigue and drama, even more so from playing at night. This will mark the first time in program history that Iowa has played three night games in a single season.
It is considered an honor to play at night because the games often feature two teams that are having success.
Iowa played in two night games last season against Pittsburgh and Minnesota, winning both games at home in dramatic fashion.
"We are excited to host two night games for the second straight season," Iowa director of athletics Gary Barta said in a statement. "Being selected for three prime-time games overall is a reflection for our past success and respect for our product."
Iowa dodge a bullet last season when it played Minnesota in a night game on Nov. 14 at Kinnick Stadium. The game was played just hours after the Iowa wrestling team had defeated Oklahoma State in the first outdoor wrestling match at Kinnick Stadium.
In addition to breaking the attendance record for a college wrestling match, the weather also cooperated throughout the day. The temperature climbed to the mid-50s during the afternoon and was pleasant by November’s standards at night.
Iowa also won both events, so the entire day was considered an overwhelming success.
A dose of November’s harsh weather would’ve changed everything, though. Maybe not the outcome of either sporting event, but certainly the viewing experience would’ve suffered.
The power of television makes us forget that November can be brutal in terms of the weather. It’ll be a major letdown if Iowa’s games against Penn State and Michigan are played in adverse weather this November.
Both games could go a long way in determining the conference standings that it would be a shame if they were influenced by the weather.
I don’t mean to be a party pooper because playing at night creates a vibe that is missing during the day. But you’re asking for trouble by playing night games after October.
You’re also asking for trouble of a different kind by moving the annual showdown between Iowa and Iowa State to prime time, as is the case this season.
The teams will square off at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 10 at Kinnick Stadium.
That means your average tailgater will have had about 10 hours to consume alcohol in an environment filled with two bitter rivals from the same state.
Combine that with the sobering fact that somebody has to lose the game and the post-game atmosphere will be filled with anger and frustration for one fan base. It’s reasonable to fear that some people will lash out, especially knowing that they’re hidden by darkness.
It also is reasonable to fear that night games in November are here to stay with Fox reportedly willing to pay 250 million per year for the rights to approximately 25 Big Ten football games and 50 Big Ten basketball games over six years.
My biggest concern with Fox reportedly climbing aboard is that the Big Ten will start playing games on week days during the night, much like the Mid-American Conference currently does. That might be hard to envision right now, but so were November night games until recently.
It would be a shame if the Big Ten started playing games on Friday nights because that night should belong to the high schools kids.
Hopefully, Big Ten administrators would draw the line at that point. But never underestimate the power of television.
Don’t get me wrong, television is a wonderful thing, perhaps the best of things outside of hope. I’ve wasted many hours planted in front of a television.
It’s power and influence is incredible and getting stronger every day.
Why else would we applaud the scheduling of night games in November?
It makes no sense until a check worth millions arrives in the mail.