Some traditions should be left alone, including high school football on Friday nights
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – I’ll admit it.
I’m old-fashioned and stuck in my ways.
I’d rather listen to Pink Floyd than Taylor Swift.
I still pay most of my bills by writing checks.
And I despise the idea of playing Big Ten football games on Friday night, even more so now that it will involve the Iowa Hawkeyes.
That became official on Friday as Minnesota announced that its 2020 game against Iowa has been switched from Saturday, Sept. 19th to Friday the 18th in Minneapolis.
An official game time and television broadcast partner for the game will be announced in the future, but it will have to be played at night.
The decision to switch from Saturday to Friday was made by the Big Ten Conference as it, unfortunately, continues to use Friday night games as a new revenue stream.
It’s unfortunate, because at the risk of sounding old fashioned and stuck in my ways, Friday night should belong to high school football.
But the growing and never-ending thirst for more money has trampled tradition in this case.
No day of the week appears safe anymore, including Sunday night games in basketball.
Money talks, and nothing generates money like television revenue.
Television generates so much money that schools can’t afford to take a stand for tradition, or for just doing the right thing.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, to my knowledge, hasn't commented publicly on the switch to Friday, but he probably isn't pleased. Ferentz had three sons who played high school football, so he appreciates and understands the tradition on Friday night.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Minnesota was more than willing to make the switch because playing on Friday night will complicate things for Iowa fans with regard to getting off work, and with other Friday night commitments, like maybe attending a high school football game.
Iowa's Black Friday game against Nebraska was different because it was played a day after Thanksgiving, and in the afternoon. It seems likely that more people would have Black Friday off from work during a holiday weekend compared to a typical Friday in September.
It would be a logistical nightmare to play a Friday night game at Kinnick Stadium, except for on Black Friday, because of the lack of parking due to the hospital.
Space and parking at Kinnick Stadium is scare on Saturdays, so imagine what it would be like for a Friday night game with fans and hospital workers coming and going at the same time.
It would be chaos, but something tells me a Friday night game will be played at Kinnick Stadium at some point, and that something is the desire to make money.
The Mid-American Conference has a tradition of playing games on Friday nights, and that sort of makes sense because it’s a mid-level conference and benefits from the exposure.
But it doesn’t make sense for Big Ten teams, especially two that have combined to win 19 games this season in Minnesota and Iowa, to play on Friday night.
One argument for playing on Friday night is that it will give both teams more exposure.
That could be true, but is it enough of a difference from an exposure standpoint to make it worth conflicting with high school football?
No. It's not.
This is just another money grab that comes at the expense of a great and long-standing tradition, especially in states like Iowa and Minnesota where playing high school football on Friday night is a way of life.
It also is a part of Jim Delany’s legacy as Big Ten Commissioner, a job he has held since 1989. Delany will officially retire on Jan. 1, 2020 and he leaves with a reputation as a brilliant negotiator and businessman.
Delany has overseen the creation of the Big Ten Network, the expansion from 10 teams to 14 conference teams and successful negotiations with CBS to achieve a $6 billion, 11-year contract for men’s basketball NCAA Tournament games.
The 14 conference teams all get a big, fat check from the Big Ten Conference every year. However, in return, when the Big Ten Conference says jump, or play on Friday night, the schools have no choice, but to jump or play on Friday night.
And that’s just disappointing.