Who Killed College Football?
Who Killed College Football?
Suspect Number 1: Television
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Suspect Number 1: Television

The expansion of college football as a television product has made the game easier to watch than ever - but have networks fundamentally changed the sport from the inside?

College football’s rise as a valuable TV product is still relatively new. For decades, the sport either couldn’t be televised or was limited at a national level. But once that market opened up, networks moved fast to get more of everything – more games, more bowls, more playoffs. They’re not just broadcast partners either. These companies have found a way to acquire partial ownership of college football, becoming business partners with conferences.

Thanks to television, it’s easier than ever to watch almost every game at the FBS level. It’s also a lot harder to tell what that level’s going to look like in the future.

Producer: Michael Henahan
Researcher: Alex McDaniel

Discussion about this podcast

Who Killed College Football?
Who Killed College Football?
College football has undergone radical, sometimes alarming changes in recent years, and this show explores the motives, history, and power behind six different suspects who have reshaped an American sport right before our eyes.