Deion Sanders criticizes late game start vs. Kansas State: ‘How foolish is that?’
Deion Sanders, the head coach of Colorado football, was pleased to part ways with the Pac-12 Conference this year, believing it would lead to earlier game start times in the Big 12.
However, that hasn’t been the reality. On Thursday, Sanders expressed his frustration with the 10:15 p.m. ET kickoff for his team’s upcoming match against Kansas State at home on Saturday.
“Who’s in charge of this?” Sanders asked during the Colorado Football Coaches Show. “Who could decide, ‘Yeah, let’s make them play at 8:15 (MT)?”
The show’s host, Mark Johnson, informed him that the television networks, particularly ESPN, determine these times.
“But how foolish is that?” Sanders repeated. “How foolish is that?”
“This happens because you have a team that everyone wants to watch,” Johnson said.
“Yet, it doesn’t make sense for a TV executive to say, ‘We’re going to schedule the game at this time,’“ Sanders remarked. “They should consider viewership. They should be focused on selling merchandise during commercial breaks. Why schedule it when half of America is asleep?”
ESPN has a different perspective
ESPN does not share Sanders’ view. Last year, they aired a Colorado vs. Colorado State game that wrapped up after 2 a.m. ET, attracting an average of 9.3 million viewers, making it the most watched late-night game in the network’s history.
Despite the migration of western teams from the old Pac-12 to other leagues in earlier time zones, ESPN aims to continue filling late-night slots with appealing content.
Moreover, Colorado remains popular among viewers, even if the Buffaloes (4-1) aren’t in the Top 25 rankings.
This season, four out of Colorado’s five games have begun at 7:30 p.m. ET or later. Nevertheless, the Buffs ranked 10th in average viewership through the season’s fifth week, attracting an average of 4.3 million viewers, according to data from the university.
Sanders finds this late scheduling particularly frustrating, admitting on Thursday that he typically goes to bed around 8:15 p.m. local time. He mentioned his plans to take a nap before the game.
