This was addressed when I interviewed ESPN president George Bodenheimer last year, and it’s only going to grow and grow as the option for the NCAA to opt out of its contract with CBS next year gets closer.
Burke Magnus, the man who decides what college sports goes on where and when at ESPN, admitted the obvious to USA Today’s Michael McCarthy recently when he said The Juggernaut would be interested in attaining rights to air the biggest and most exciting postseason event in American sports.
“We do 1,100 college basketball games a year and they all lead to one thing and that’s the NCAA tournament,” Magnus told USA TODAY Wednesday. “If it were to become available, and fit the definition of a business decision for us, I’m quite certain we’d be interested.”
Uh … yeah — of course ya would, Magnus.
Thing is, I don’t know if this really a possibility. The story might have crept its way across McCarthy’s desk, but do you really think CBS won’t fend off ESPN in every possible way to keep The Tournament? Good for some early-season conversation, but don’t expect The Eye to lose its strangehold any time soon.
ESPN interested in bidding for the rights to March Madness {USA Today}
