Benefits of the Longhorn Network

We are now less than two weeks from the much anticipated premiere of the Longhorn Network. Scheduled to begin programming on August 26th, the Longhorn Network will have Longhorns fans new and old glued to their couches.

The Longhorn Network, a partnership between the University of Texas and ESPN, has recently announced that it will air some of the following programming (with much more to come):
   - Longhorn Extra: Nightly sports news at 10 PM
   - Texas GameDay: Two hours of coverage before every Longhorns football game
   - Rewind with Mack Brown: Re-cap of previous game on Mondays at 7 PM
   - Game Plan with Mack Brown: Preparation for upcoming game on Thursdays at 7 PM

This is not to mention that the station will air over 200 live sports events annually. Only one of these events will be football in 2011 - the opener against Rice on September 3rd. But at last, Longhorns fans will have a much greater access to the other great athletic programs, such as baseball, basketball, softball, volleyball, and swimming.

Many schools have come to suggest that the Longhorn Network gives the Texas Longhorns an unfair advantage in recruiting. This applies to all sports, although football is always the hot topic because of the insane amount of money the sport generates. It is rumored that some Big 12 schools such as Texas A&M are considering leaving the Big 12, perhaps in part to this "unfair advantage" given to Texas. But one must question, wouldn't Texas A&M have done the same thing in creating their own network if they had the same opportunity?

Most readers are probably aware that the NCAA recently ruled that the Longhorn Network is not to air any high school games in 2011. This is to help calm fears regarding any recruitment advantages the Longhorns would gain from televising potential high school recruits on their own network. However, it would be naive to think that the advantages stop there.

As a loyal Longhorn alumnus and orange-blooded fan, I'll be the first to admit having our own network is a great asset that will only help solidify our stature as a top 10 athletics school for years to come. This is not to say the Longhorns will not have their ups and downs in sports; we all quickly learned last year watching Texas football that we can not take anything for granted. But in the long run, the network will help Texas maintain its dominant presence in high school football recruiting. The benefits to having our own network reach beyond monetary values. High school recruits on the fringe about committing to Texas may be swayed by their parents when they learn their son can be seen on the Longhorn Network, which will now air one or two games a year that may normally not be seen on nationwide television. And as Longhorn students, players may be seen on some of the behind the scenes programming on the Longhorn Network, giving them more visibility to show their mental and physical talents to potential NFL scouts.

The network opens the doors to so many possibilities, and of course not just football, but for all sports. Swimming, softball, volleyball, baseball, basketball - all of these sports will experience greater coverage than they have ever received before, which should pay dividends in the recruitment realm. The exact benefits to the Longhorn Network are incalculable; the effects will not be fully known until the next few years play out. But one thing is for certain - any other team given the opportunity to form their own network with ESPN for $300 million over 20 years would have accepted it in a heartbeat. In an era where NCAA Division 1-A football has now become a cash-generating machine, teams are now playing 'musical conferences' on a regular basis in search of the most profitable situation for them. For the Longhorns, the decision was simple. And every other team must have muttered quietly to themselves that they would have done the same thing.