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Topic: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Topic: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

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cbus cat fan
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Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/24/2017 8:25:57 PM

I hate to pull out the old man card here, but I feel I must. Some folks who I assume are younger than me, I am in my early 50s, don't seem to understand the benefits of Bobcat sports being seen on television. Without TV, we have no way to get the message out due to being sandwiched between local TV sports coverage of Ohio State, Cincinnati, Dayton, West Virginia, Marshall, Akron and even Cleveland State. It not only matters to potential recruits, but prospective students as well. In the fall of 1995 and 1996 little Mount St. Mary's received something like 5-10x the amount of applications they normally received after they made the NCAA tournament for the first time in 1995.

In 2017 one can see Bobcat sports attire being worn throughout the region. I even bought a vintage Bobcat shirt while on vacation in the Charleston, South Carolina area a few summers ago. This did not happen when I was a student. You had to go the Athens to buy anything Bobcat. It was so bad that I somewhat humorously remember a couple of friends and me going down to Athens for a football game shortly after we graduated, and a couple of girls we knew (also alums) gave us money to buy some Bobcat sweaters. They were so desperate for Bobcat attire they asked us to get them something! We would never pass the fashion plate test!

Now you can buy Bobcat shirts, sweaters, coats etc in a large retail area. I remember proudly wearing a Bobcat basketball T shirt in the spring of 1985 to various places around Ohio. I was constantly stopped by Bobcat faithful, because this was not the common place event you see today.

MAC sports seen on television, however inconvenient they might make it, gives MAC schools a television audience we could only have dreamed of in the 1980s. This not only helps MAC athletics but spreads the word around concerning Ohio University and other MAC schools. Believe it nor not, we aren't household names to everyone in the region, let alone the country.

Pataskala
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/25/2017 10:09:13 AM

You don't have to go back too many years to find that Ohio merchandise could only be purchased in Athens, or maybe at bookstores at the regional campuses. Less than ten years ago I was pleasantly surprised to find Ohio t-shirts at the Elder Beerman store in Newark. It was the first time I had seen Ohio merchandise off campus. A year or two later I found some in another clothing store in Newark. About three years ago Bed, Bath & Beyond was selling Ohio glasses.

Just as important, more people know that "Ohio" doesn't mean A&M. When I wear an Ohio shirt in Pittsburgh, for example, strangers will talk Bobcats with me, not Buckeyes.

We will get by.
We will get by.
We will get by.
We will survive.

OU_Country
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/25/2017 11:01:40 AM

Great points, both of you. Re: the seeing of Bobcat apparel more often, I had one of my local postmen comment that I was about the third or fourth wearing Ohio apparel that he had seen come in that day. I just smiled. Times, they are a-changing in more ways than one.

Ohio69
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/25/2017 11:33:18 AM

I think it has more to do with the investment in the programs, but before MAC basketball was on TV it was a much better product. In the late 1980s and through the 1990s and say to 2005 or so there were many NBA players in the MAC. Very rare now.

But, I digress.

TV has definitely made people more aware of the MAC if that is your point.

Last Edited: 1/25/2017 11:38:29 AM by Ohio69

Can somebody hit a pull up jumper for me?.....

sargentfan
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/25/2017 12:38:55 PM

I for one don't miss having to watch games on the Stretch Internet feed. The only downside I have nowadays is that I can't watch the game when it gets picked up locally for Time Warner Sports or CBS Sports channels.

cbus cat fan
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/25/2017 12:42:30 PM

Ohio 69, yes that was my point that cable sports television has given the MAC exposure I couldn't have imagined when I was a student in the 1980s. However, I definitely get your point that we haven't had any MAC phenoms as of late. It would be an interesting study/discussion on why that has occurred.

Mike Johnson
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/25/2017 1:03:30 PM

As I've posted before that I consistently sport OHIO logo'd apparel in my travels purposely to engage folks, I won't regale fellow BAers with many examples of such engagements. Today I will limit myself to relating the most recent occurrence.

It was early November last year. I was in Malta in its capital of Valletta. I was strolling down the main street - closed to vehicles. I was wearing an OHIO logo'd cap. Ahead I spotted a man approaching who was wearing an OHIO logo'd polo shirt.

As he drew nearer I stopped and pointed to the logo on my cap. He smiled, stopped and we began chatting. Not only did we confirm that we both are Ohio alums, but remarkably we learned that we were students at the same time, he just a year behind me.

http://www.facebook.com/mikejohnson.author

cbus cat fan
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/25/2017 1:29:52 PM

Fascinating anecdote Mike, a country I have always wanted to visit, whether it be it's role in the Crusades or World War II, Malta seems like an island where the Middle East meets Europe. Were you there researching another book? I am envious!

Mike Johnson
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/25/2017 6:09:37 PM

cbus cat fan wrote:

Though working on a book, the Malta visit was simply to satisfy my ongoing itch to visit places with long, rich histories. Malta qualifies. Its history dates back 7,000 years (temple ruins confirm that). Malta - consisting of 3 islands - Malta, Concino, Gozo - has been invaded and ruled by Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Ottoman Turks, French (briefly), England. It has been an independent nation since the 1960s.

From east to west Malta sits smack in the center of the Mediterranean. From north to south it sits at the sea's narrowest point. During WWII, the Germans were determined to conquer Malta; that would have given Germany control of shipping traffic, and Nazi control of Maltese airfields would have facilitated supplying German troops in North Africa.

With the Maltese running low on food and fuel, a cargo vessel named the OHIO withstood German attacks and, with help from a British destroyer, limped into Malta's Grand Harbor. Its arrival enabled RAF planes based in Malta to switch from defense to offense against the Luftwaffe. Via amazon you might want to buy a 1945 movie called The Malta Story.

My roundtrip airfare from Akron-Canton to Malta via Detroit and Amsterdam was $1,200. I stayed in the waterfront British Hotel for 115 euros a night. Restaurant and caf� prices ranged from inexpensive to moderate. Sooo, cbus cat fan, my recommendation is to start a bucket list that includes Malta.

Last Edited: 1/25/2017 6:24:22 PM by Mike Johnson

http://www.facebook.com/mikejohnson.author

cbus cat fan
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 8:11:43 AM

Thanks Mike, besides an amazing history their language (developed from Arabic and Latin among other languages) is quite unique. While on a family vacation last year, we met a Canadian couple who emigrated from Malta 50 years ago. They spoke Maltese and it was fascinating to hear that language being spoken.

Mike Johnson
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 11:21:48 AM

cbus cat fan wrote:

A few more facts. Most Maltese also speak English - and often with a British accent. The country is 98% Roman Catholic - reflecting its 200-years under the leadership of the Order of St. John.

The capital city of Valletta is named after Jean de Vallet who served as grandmaster of the Order of St. John for 11 years during the 1550s-60s and who led the initiative to build the new capital of Valletta.

When you go, be sure to visit the ancient capital city of Mdina (pronounced mdeena). A Hop-On/Hop-Off bus tour makes such a visit easy.

http://www.facebook.com/mikejohnson.author

OUVan
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 1:14:50 PM

I miss the good old days when I would have to call the Washington Post Sportsline or George Michael Sports Machine line to listen for about 15 minutes before the MAC scores were read on Wednesday or Saturday nights. The scores typically came in too late to make the morning paper on Thursdays and Sundays (if it happened to be a night game on Saturday). Good times.

cbus cat fan
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 1:59:47 PM

OU Van, I remember those days. I lived in the DC area for a time in the early and mid 90s. The OU alumni club would try to book a room in various bars so that we could watch the very occasional MAC telecast from some distant cable feed. On a couple of occasions a brawl nearly broke out between some Duke or North Carolina fans who wanted to watch their game, and couldn't understand why we cared about the MAC when we could be watching ACC basketball. If some of our younger fans only knew what the Bobcat faithful had to endure in those days. I am glad it is different now.

rpbobcat
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 3:13:48 PM

I go back to when the only time you heard about O.U. in N.J. was the annual spring riot when they moved the clocks forward and closed the bars an hour early.

Will still never forget seeing the 110 on the Today show before the preseason NIT.

FearLeon
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 3:24:52 PM

This is a good thread. Every time I get frustrated by a time change to accommodate TV, I think back to December 1993 when OHIO shocked UCONN in Hawaii. You know how I followed that game? Watching the ticker on CNN. For two hours, I had it down pat knowing exactly how many minutes would pass before OHIO score would come around again. I kept calling my best friend (fellow OHIO grad) every 5 minutes saying...are you watching this on CNN Ticker?? We couldn't believe it.

23 years later, I still have yet to see one highlight of Trent/Geno crushing the Marshall boys from UCONN. But it still goes down as one of my all-time favorite OHIO memories.

#BleedGreen #TrentIsGOAT

OU_Country
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 3:41:21 PM

FearLeon wrote:

This is a great story! I remember it because I think I was a student at this time, and I'm pretty sure I tuned in to Derek Scott on Power 105. (Maybe)

FearLeon
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 3:51:50 PM

OU_Country wrote:

FearLeon wrote:

This is a great story! I remember it because I think I was a student at this time, and I'm pretty sure I tuned in to Derek Scott on Power 105. (Maybe)

+1^^^^ Have always wondered if there is any video of this game? If that game were played today, I guarantee you we could find it live on some web feed or cable channel.

#BleedGreen #TrentIsGOAT

bobcatsquared
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 4:04:13 PM

OUVan wrote:

A similar analogy from just 24 hours ago: came home from work and found on periscope a live feed of a Springsteen concert from Australia. Never in a million years would I have thought I could pull up video from a Bruce concert as it happened from halfway around the world. Made me think to the 1980s when I would call a hotline to get the lastest Springsteen news from a fan's apartment in Seattle.

SBH
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 4:54:48 PM

FearLeon wrote:

Marshall was thrown out of that game in the early going, no?

Ted Thompson
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 5:50:59 PM

SBH wrote:

FearLeon wrote:

Marshall was thrown out of that game in the early going, no?

They have most all of the Uconn games from that year archived. But not Ohio, probably because it was in that Hawaii Tourney: http://uconnhuskygames.com/1993-1994-mens-basketball-game-replays/

Follow Ohio Football recruiting on the BobcatAttack.com football recruiting database.

Ted Thompson
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 5:53:47 PM

SBH wrote:

FearLeon wrote:

Marshall was thrown out of that game in the early going, no?

Boals and Marshall tossed with 7 minutes left in first half: http://articles.courant.com/1993-12-30/sports/0000000069_1_uconn-coach-uconn-assistant-big-east-official

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Alan Swank
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 8:44:30 PM

A much simpler time, kind of like listening to a baseball game on your transistor radio in late August in the midwest heat. You had to paint your own picture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGJ9Z0wOGYk

cbus cat fan
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 8:55:15 PM

Alan, I would have loved to hear Dick Schorr do the play by play, but after college even some in the Columbus area were out of range of broadcasts, not to mention the short period of time in the 90s that I lived in DC. Today, you could be on Gilligan's Island in the South Pacific and as long as the Professor rigged up the internet you could listen to the games, a couple of decades ago most people in Ohio weren't in earshot of the radio waves.

Last Edited: 1/26/2017 8:57:24 PM by cbus cat fan

Alan Swank
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 9:08:13 PM

cbus cat fan wrote:

And that is what made what you were able to get that much more valuable. Today everything is taken for granted and therefore less much less valuable. This is not a return to Gilligan's Island thread although my kids got me the complete Andy Griffith DVD collection, all 240 episodes for Christmas. Sometimes I just think we need to step back and receive the "news" when it eventually gets to us. By then it has already happened and there isn't any thing we can do about it.

BillyTheCat
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RE: Remember What MAC Sports Were Like Before Being Seen On Cable Television?

Posted: 1/26/2017 9:16:02 PM

cbus cat fan wrote:

I listened to Dick's call in the car driving at night, bout wrecked cheering Boals on when he started mixing it up.

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