The ACC already has 3 teams headed to Omaha, North Carolina, Florida State, and Virginia. Clemson and Florida battled with the Gators advancing, and NC State vs Georgia will have a series-deciding matchup on Monday. In some combination, we are likely looking at 8 teams at the CWS hailing from the SEC and ACC. Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas A&M have secured their spots in Omaha as well.
Both conferences have 100% owned media rights deal by ESPN. Will ESPN go down the middle with 50/50 balanced coverage of both leagues at the CWS?
Well, don’t count on it.
The SEC has their massive media rights, while the ACC’s deal is considered so bad that two ACC schools Clemson and FSU have lawsuits pending to try and get out of the ACC. It’s the first of many instances where ESPN handles the ACC as a second-class citizen.
Outside of the media deal, we don’t have to go back even a year to see even more.
The Florida State snub playoff was exhibitA. ESPN Media personality after personality made their case for Alabama over Florida State. You saw it, I saw it, we all saw it. Save Booger McFarland, the ACC Network personalities, and maybe a couple of others ESPN was a mouthpiece for Alabama’s inclusion over Florida State.
Certainly, once we got to basketball it would be better right?
Nope… Remember this?
LOL Jimmy Dykes saying the SEC is a 9-10 bid league as their 5 ranked teams go 1-4 in the ACC/SEC challenge.
— Jeff or Jeffrey Fann (@TalkinACCSports) November 30, 2023
ESPN’s Bracketologist Joe Lunardi for an entire basketball season had the ACC hovering around 3 possibly 4 bids.
While this doesn’t affect results on the field, it sets the narrative that continuously puts the SEC and actually other conferences like the Big 10 in a better light. If these are your two leagues, shouldn’t you heavily champion both?
Now to baseball, I fully expect the coverage to go this way. The SEC will be called the country’s best and most talented league. We’ll probably see SEC commissioner Greg Sankey on telecasts touting how the SEC deserves more bids and/or that other leagues should get fewer. If we’re lucky ACC commissioner Jim Philips might get a 3-minute spot on the ACC Network.
In fairness, the ACC Network has come a long way in the last 18 months, and that is a ESPN Network. If you’re looking for positive ACC coverage I suggest you go there, because I doubt you’ll see it from the national ESPN media in their coverage of the CWS.
