The Big Ten Nuttwork

I'm a big fan of Big Ten sports, especially college football. And I also like watching sports on TV, particularly the Big Ten.

So when the idea was proposed of a television network dedicated to Big Ten sports, I was excited. (They came up with the ultra-clever name "Big Ten Network.")

However, the execution has not matched the promise. For starters, the network was not available on any major cable system when it launched August 2007. The only carrier BTN got a deal with was DirecTV. This might be a good time to mention that DirecTV was owned by News Corp. (which has since divested its ownership to Liberty Media) and that the Big Ten Network is owned 51% by the conference and 49% by Guess Which Major Media Company. But by now they've landed RCN (our provider), Comcast, Dish, and a bunch of other cable companies.

That doesn't mean they are perfect after one year on the air. For example, our BTN comes in with a one-half to one-second delay between the audio and video. The result is Kung Fu Theatre when the talking heads do analysis. It's sometimes hilarious, usually annoying.

And now, this commercial. (I guess they want us to feel like we're being recruited by all 11 coaches?) The words come fast and furious, so make sure your volume is loud enough. (I can only imagine watching it on our RCN!)



Now, I'm also a fan of Orson Swindle and his merry band of blogsters at Every Day Should Be Saturday. Orson has a guest who is masterful at Photoshop spoofs, who goes by the nom de web LSUfreek. Now that you've seen the original BTN commercial, please enjoy LSUfreek's version.