History of the NBC contract

[SoCalDomer]

Many of you already stop in at the Bluegraysky blog and may have already seen this.

Their current piece gives the history on the television contract with NBC to air ND games exclusively. I found it very helpful because I started following the Irish around this time but was not really aware of the background.

Today's SI Vault article highlights one of the more controversial decisions between Notre Dame and the rest of college football. In a decision that still is used as an attack on the Fighting Irish, Notre Dame signed a deal with NBC back in 1990. In doing so, they became the only college football program with an exclusive national television contract.

An article in the February 19, 1990 edition of Sports Illustrated titled We're Notre Dame and You're Not detailed the path the Fighting Irish took to secure their very own television network. From the start, the reaction to the ND-NBC deal was all negative.

The Blue-Gray Sky: June 2008

I encourage you to read the whole thing. It is really a good piece, and Bluegraysky is deservedly one of the best ND (if not in all of CFB) blogs out there because they aren't simply ND homers and everyone-else haters. Their blog entries are not only well written, they routinely back up their position with ample historical evidence and references to facts.

The rest of the CFB is truley hypocritical when it comes to criticizing ND for the NBC contract, when in reality every school out there would ink an exclusive deal in a heartbeat if it could.

P.S. I did not get any kickbacks for this plug, nor am I a writer for BGS.

 

[IHateMarkMay]

ND and NBC just extended their contract to 2015...

Notre Dame renewing TV contract with NBC - Notre Dame Central - MSNBC.com

 

[Irishlew]

thats great news.

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

Awesome. Go Irish!

 

[ChubbyCubbie]

Great news- I really like NBC's coverage. Away games can be tough to find here in SEC country.

 

[tko]

dick rosenthal, genius

 

[goldandblue]

Great about the contract extension!

 

[irish4ever]

I was really glad to see the extension thru 2015! Only thing better to know for certain that the Fightin' Irish will be on TV for every home game would be to have actual tickets to the games!

 

[Echo Insanity]

the only negative to is that we will continue to be haunted by tom hammond and pat haden's moronic commentary.

 

[SouthernIrish]

LOVE the contract. Little bitty SEC fan heads were exploding all over yesterday at the news

so many were so sure NBC would pull the plug after the season that must not be mentioned...

 

[SoCalDomer]

LOVE the contract. Little bitty SEC fan heads were exploding all over yesterday at the news

so many were so sure NBC would pull the plug after the season that must not be mentioned...

that's so funny, because what I didn't know prior to reading the article is that the SEC was threatening to bolt the CFA agreement with ABC and go to CBS around the same time ND got the NBC deal. And guess what? They eventually did go to CBS and get an SEC exclusive deal. How do you think they were able to do that? Well one reason is that ND/NBC helped pave the way!

Chowderheads.

 

[onenybrother]

P.T.I. disrespected N.B.C. for resigning with The Dame again. I'm just sitting hear laugh at these hater's. The Dame will be back ON TOP AGAIN and N.B.C. knows this.

Let's Go Dame !!!