The real demographic that no one wants to mention for all sports is not any age group or gender, but has everything to do with Vegas - the gambler. That is where the money is and that is where the impetus for stats and information and broadcasting live and live score apps comes from. Getting a foothold in Vegas and exposing gamblers to live 'action' right under their noses is not a bad idea - you think the money interests in Vegas will jump on board yet another sports book option? Oh yes. Money going down live on which player scores the first basket, over/under points scored in a quarter, a half, third quarter, etc. (cool that the women split the game into four segments!) Who calls the first time out and when, fouls, three pointers, you name it. And the addicts sitting in the stands passing $100 bills back and forth as each new bet gets won or lost!
There is a reason the NFL started promoting 'Jimmy the Greek' so many years ago, and look at the explosion in their business that caused. Fantasy - you can just hear the cash register ring up a whole new source of profits and new fanatics that have to have all the latest data and analysis fed to them 24 hours a day. Injury list reporting by every team after every practice - nothing to do with competition on the field and everything to do with gambling interests. Ball deflation - Goodell screwed up, because the next year they didn't start publishing the half time and end of game inflation numbers as well as the field temperature and humidity and rate of precipitation - think of the book that could have been made on those numbers, and the physics geeks providing running analysis and predictions! definitely a lost marketing and money grabbing moment!
Debbie is no dummy!
You and Plebe make great points that I failed to mention. Some here think the Las Vegas idea wouldn't work. I think it depends on your perspective. It would not look appealing if I lived in the east, but if I lived in the western region of the country, it would look completely different. I would also ask those that don't like this idea (which is NOT mine, it Antonelli's) to suggest a viable option they think would work, given the dynamics already in place regarding fan travel, and interest in watching teams play other than their own.
One item I did not mention in my narrative was looking at this from the NCAA's perspective, and not the fan's point of view. If the NCAA can fill an arena of 12,000 seats to 85-90% capacity, they're putting butts in the seats. That's the bottom line. The question is this: Do you think they care where those butts come from? The west coast region, the south, the midwest or the east, or a combination from all over. If they can get 10,000 people in a 12,000 seat arena, they couldn't care less where those folks came from.
We are looking at this from our point of view, not theirs. They've already shown that they are going to do what they want to, whether the schools or fans like it or not.
My narrative mentioned two possibilities. The Vegas thing was an answer, not THE answer. Since the NCAA has not really pursued that option, they probably don't think it's a good idea either, but for different reasons. We'll never know for sure unless or until they try it. If anyone has what they think would be a viable option to solve this dilemma, I'd sure like to hear it.
