A Grip on Sports: TV’s schedule this weekend is sort of slim if golf isn’t on your radar but there are a number of reasons for that
A GRIP ON SPORTS • One thing about having the springiest of major golf tournaments on this weekend. Not much else wants to compete with it for TV eyeballs. Except, it seems, Ohio State’s spring football game.
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• That’s a joke of course. No, not that the Buckeye’s spring game is on TV – if you subscribe to the Big Ten Network. But that it will compete with the Masters. Heck, the school is starting at noon its time Saturday – 9 a.m. on the Best Coast – in part, possibly, to avoid the competition.
Competition is a thing in televised sports. There are only so many folks who watch sports most of the time – events like the Super Bowl and World Series and Final Four attract non-sports fans to varying degrees – and the more events taking slices of the pie, the less everyone gets.
With one exception, of course.
The NFL does what it wants. Everyone else adjusts. Don’t believe me?
Remember the late 1990s when the NBA came up with the bright idea of owning Christmas Day? Imitating the NFL’s Thanksgiving strategy but expanding on it? It worked for a long time. More than eight million folks watched in the best years, even if NFL games were on. Mainly because the football league didn’t aim its best games for the holiday.
That changed in 2023, when the NFL put on three games, one each on CBS, Fox and ESPN. They averaged, in order, 29.7 million viewers, 29 million and 27.1 million. The five NBA games, headlined by Denver vs. Boston? They averaged 2.2 million viewers, lowest Christmas numbers ever.
In 2024, the NBA fought back. The Lakers played the Warriors. The 76ers against the Celtics. All the games were on ABC. Viewership jumped to, on average, 5.25 million.
The NFL? The league moved its games to Netflix in the first of a three-year deal. The numbers had to fall, right? Uh, no. Netflix had its best Christmas Day ever, the games (Kansas City vs. Pittsburgh and Baltimore vs. Houston) averaged 30 million and 31.3 million, respectively.
Which brings us back to April, a month the NFL doesn’t have a presence – until the draft dominates the last week. This weekend, the big guy on the block lives in Augusta, though since Tiger Woods has left the spotlight, the Masters’ ratings haven’t been as intimidating.
Last year, the tournament’s final-round numbers decreased by 20% from 2023, dropping to 9.59 million viewers. In Tiger’s heyday, that number was upward of 15 million.
Still, Sunday’s final round, if the right names are on the leaderboard, should double the NBA’s average number from the Christmas just past. And that’s not something the league wants to buck. The only games on national TV this weekend are early Sunday, with Detroit at Milwaukee (10 a.m.) and the Clippers at Golden State (12:30 p.m.), both on ESPN.
• Baseball doesn’t have much of a choice, being it’s April and all. The Mariners’ home three-game series with Texas starts tonight (6:40). Saturday’s game is at the same time while Sunday’s begins at 1:10. All are on Root.
There are three games on national TV as well, which is sort of surprising. Saturday’s, on FS1 at 12:05 p.m., is at Yankee Stadium – no surprise there – with the Giants in town. Sunday? NBC has a game – Philadelphia at St. Louis – at 11:15 a.m. and ESPN has its usual Sunday night contest, with the Cubs at the Dodgers, starting at 4:10.
• What else is there? Our eyes might wander to the Indy Car race Sunday, with the Long Beach Grand Prix on Fox starting at 1:30 p.m. Or, if an oval is more your thing, NASCAR’s Food City 500, from Bristol, Tenn., is on FS1 at noon.
• As spring football practice winds down, everyone in Pullman is becoming more comfortable with their roles under new head coach Jimmy Rogers. That includes presumptive starting quarterback Levi Eckhaus, who contemplated changing addresses after Rogers’ hire. The senior stayed, though, and has developed into the type of quarterback leader WSU is known for. And by that, of course I’m referring to his ability to cook – on and off the field.
Intrigued? Then you’ll have to read Greg Woods’ story.
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WSU: Yes, we linked above Woods’ story on Eckhaus’ burgeoning grilling skills. And we do it again here just because we know you expect it. … Jon Wilner covers a subject in this S-R column that is dear to every Cougar fan’s heart. The Pac-12’s upcoming media deal. No, it is not in place yet. At least it hasn’t been announced. But Wilner has some thoughts on what it should emphasize. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, John Canzano shares a fun, if albeit ultimately sad, memory from the conference’s recent quarterback heyday. … As spring practice rolls on at Washington, the defensive line is in the spotlight. … At Oregon State, a speedy receiver is. Along with the secondary. … The quarterback spot seems to be at Oregon. … Same with Utah. … There are always stories about Colorado football. … There are a couple stories to pass along from USC football, including one with a subject we would have never guessed would be in play. … Recruiting never stops. Ask Arizona State. … It also seems as if Arizona’s spring practices have been going on forever too. … The portal impacts everyone, even players at Boise State who aren’t contemplating a change. … In men’s basketball news, Colorado hopes a Big 12 schedule change will boost its nonconference matchups. … Tommy Lloyd’s new contract earned approval from the Arizona regents. … Colorado State will have a few new players to fit into the rotation. … Recruiting never stops in hoops too. Ask Stanford. … In the women’s game, Oregon State picked up a shooter from Australia. … Oregon will welcome a transfer from UCLA. … The Bruins have lost almost half their top-ranked team from last season. That’s sort of odd.
Gonzaga: If you click on Theo Lawson’s WCC transfer portal tracker, you will notice one thing. Few, if any transfers committed to the conference’s schools. That includes Gonzaga, a subject Theo covers in this story. The Zags have had a slow start to the portal season.
EWU: Funny, when Dan Thompson wrote about the Eagles’ scrimmage the other day, he called one former Mt. Spokane player by a name we were unfamiliar with. We always knew that player as Bode Gardner, from his time with the Wildcats. Dan explains why he wrote Boden in this story, which also highlights how well the redshirt freshman receiver has done in the spring.
Indians: It’s not often a Northwest League game enters the bottom of the ninth in a scoreless tie. But it happened last night at Avista, with Vancouver in town. That’s when Spokane’s Jared Thomas stroked a two-out single to score Jesus Bugarin from third and give the Indians a 1-0 win. Dave Nichols has the coverage.
Mariners: This is what it has come down to the for the M’s, according to the Times’ Mike Vorel. “If the M’s hit in critical moments, they win. If they don’t, they won’t.” … The two times Seattle started Luis Castillo and Luis Castillo back-to-back earned the franchise some notice. … So to did the team’s recent injuries. Who is available to bolster the lineup?
Seahawks: Even with Sam Darnold on board, the Hawks could still draft a quarterback. … But the No. 1 need is offensive linemen. Will the team pull the trigger there?
Masters: We wrote a lot about the Masters above. But nothing about the play. If you are interested, Justin Rose leads, Scottie Scheffler lurks and Rory McIlroy started his final-round issues early this year – on Thursday’s 15th hole. … Fred Couples is 65. Nearly shot his age. Life goals. … Ken Griffey Jr. is at Augusta. Working. With his camera. … No cell phones are allowed on the Augusta grounds. Made us wonder about smart watches.
Kraken: Despite a milestone for Jared McKann, Seattle lost to Las Vegas again.
Sonics: We linked this Tim Booth story a while back when it ran in the Times. Vin Baker and Shawn Kemp still love Seattle and still show it.
Sounders: FIFA’s president talked about Seattle’s soccer setup recently.
Storm: The Seattle Times story on whom the Kraken will draft with the second pick ran in the S-R today.
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• We’re headed out of town this weekend. To the Seattle area. Celebrating the most-important person in the world’s birthday. We have fond memories of April visits in the past. Maybe we’ll make another one this weekend. As long as the DVR works in case something special happens in Augusta on Sunday. Oh, well. The dog-sitter can make sure of that. Until later …