Playing football games on television is a big deal for the University of Tennessee. Just look how many night games they play during the season. Being on TV is that important, and Vols alumni and fans seem to have accepted spending their fall Saturday nights at Neyland Stadium, rather than an afternoon.
Further demonstrating just how important playing on TV is for Tennessee, the university announced on Tuesday that its 2016 season opener against Appalachian State was being moved from Saturday, Sept. 3 to Thursday, Sept. 1, in order to accommodate ESPN and SEC Network. That’s not the only accommodation Tennessee made for a Thursday night telecast. Since the game is being played on a weekday, the university has canceled classes and closed most school offices for Sept. 1.
https://twitter.com/PutaSidonit/status/742726842684170240
The Vols’ football game will be played at 7:30 p.m. ET, which seems like plenty of time for students and fans to get ready. But this is college football we’re talking about, so there will be plenty of fans flooding campus and Knoxville streets and lots hours beforehand. And since plenty of people would have been likely to tailgate before the game anyway, now students and fans have the entire day to enjoy themselves without inconveniencing everyone working or studying on campus.
Tennessee AD on decision to cancel classes for Vols' opener. pic.twitter.com/xijHOChmb6
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) June 14, 2016
At first glance, this looks like Tennessee giving everybody the day off for a football game. And isn’t that really what’s going on here? The game versus Appalachian State could still have been played on Sept. 3, though it would likely have gotten a regional telecast, rather than a national spotlight game. School officials are saying this gives the athletic department and football program additional time to prepare for the Sept. 10 “Battle at Bristol” against Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway, and those three days will likely help.
But the university can also say that students, faculty and workers aren’t really getting a day off. An extra day is being added onto the 2016 fall semester during the first week of December. You keep those snickers about prioritizing academics to yourself!
