Big Ten Network dedication to women a good business move

As the Big Ten Network prepares to launch this August, questions surround whether it will be a successful business campaign or a bust that will fail to capture the attention of alumni. Last week an announcement that might have profound effect of the answers came from Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. The new network dedicated itself to “event equality” for men’s and women’s sports, pledging to have equal programming of live events within three years of its launch. The move is unprecedented on a national level, making the new network a champion for women’s athletics, which will already make up 40 percent of its programming in the first year of its launch.\nThe immediate concern is whether a fledgling network in need of a good start in order to remain afloat should be concentrating so heavily on women’s athletics when it might need the revenue surrounding men’s athletics to support it. While female athletes are important to the NCAA and just as passionate about their sports, women’s athletics continue to have lower ratings than its men’s counterparts.\nBut investigation of the numbers surrounding some current women’s athletics events will point to the ingenuity of the Big Ten in this regard, not only as a champion for equality but with a good business sense. While still not on the same viewing platform as men’s college sports, evidence shows that the popularity of certain women’s sporting events are on the rise. \nTake for example the 2007 Women’s College World Series softball championship, which featured the Arizona Wildcats and Tennessee Lady Volunteers. An estimated 1.6 million households viewed Game Three of the series, giving the ESPN2 televised event a rating of 1.8. Obviously, this number does not seem all that impressive when it stands alone. However, when compared the ratings of this year’s NHL Stanley Cup Finals (the championship series of what is classically considered the fourth major professional sport), it is impressive indeed. The dwindling NHL received lower ratings for its championship than the women’s softball championship, including a 1.1 rating for Game Three that set a record low for all NBC programs in history.\nComparing one of female athletics’ highest watched sports with one of the least popular men’s professional sports might not seem compelling. But that the Women’s College World Series has increased in popularity consecutively over the past few years shows that women’s college athletics are on the upswing in popularity. Combined with the fact that the female fan base is increasing, women role models such as Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt grow in popularity and prestige, and revenue for advertising is increasing (supported by companies such as American Express and Anheuser-Busch), women’s athletics are a business force to be reckoned with. For the first year in its 11 season history, the WNBA expects to turn a profit. \nFor these reasons, the Big Ten Network is tapping into the potential for increased revenue that might accompany its “event equality” dedication. Fans of the Big Ten can only hope that the network is a marketable hit, so that we can view our beloved sports team and college communities for years to come. The success of the Big Ten Network’s “event equality” will be an important part of that goal. With some luck and business savvy, hopefully the network will be here to stay come August.