Addy : 17!

 

2022 Summer Movie Awards Watch List

 The popcorn movies are back!  The pandemic is mostly over and we can get back to getting the Summer Blockbusters on the big screen.  They are starting earlier more and more each year, or at least I stretch this awards season out more each year with flicks I want to see.  

So what's on tap?  Again the summer is full of Sequels and Super Heroes and well usually a combination of both.  Here's what is on our radar this year.

  

  

 

I'm definitely most excited about the Marvel flix, take those out of the equation then I'm thinking Top Gun Maverick will be my most anticipated of this list followed by Jurassic World 3.  What are you most looking forward too.

So we have a good list of 8 and will probably add more.  Get out there and get back to normal and have some fun with these.  

ESPN & Amazon - A Match Made In ???

I'm not going to say I'm somewhat of a Nostradamus BUT in March of 2011 I did predict that the Big Ten would be moving to Fox.  And I think we'll have something new coming in the next 3 years or so.  

Amazon is getting big in to the NFL this coming year with the whole slate of Thursday Night Football, and went all in getting Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit in the booth.  They are going to have Yankees games on Amazon.  That will be just the start.  

Disney has been rumored lately to be looking to sell the World Wide Leader in Sports.  Why I'm not totallys sure.  Sports and live content is the main reason to have dish, cable or YouTubeTV.  And with sportsAmazon is wanting to go all in.  This would be a HUGE splash!  

Here is what I think should and could happen.

One thing I think that will maybe hurt Amazon is the baby boomer generation doesn't stream as much as the next generations.  Amazon doesn't have a "channel".  People don't like extreme change and I think this would help the gradual movement to streaming.  ESPN+ is a really good streaming network with great options for sports and entertainment, and has the name to go with it.  When you say Amazon you don't think sports, you think a place to get a mouse or airpods.      

So first move is that ESPN is sold to Amazon.  With that Amazon can then have the NFL stream on ESPN's channel for Thursday Nights and this would give them 2 NFL slots Thursday Night Football and Monday Night Football.  

NFL is king and right next to it is College Football.  ESPN already has the SEC rights, next would be the Big Ten.  Media rights are coming up for negotiation soon, and if I was ESPN/Amazon I would go all in on the Big Ten too.  Years ago they lost out to Fox and the Big Ten Network, and its becoming a bigger rift.  I would buy the Big Ten Network and all media rights from Fox and own the top 2 leagues.  The deal would have to be similar to the SEC though.  In doing this I would also not touch anything BTN wise, just let them operate as is.  They know what they are doing in Chicago, let them keep doing it.

After having those big 2, go all in on the College Football Playoff.  It will be expanded but will be HUGE money wise.  Go after it and get it.  

All the above would need to be done by 2023-24 season I think with the Playoff Expansion talks and then also the Big Ten next media deal.

The next would be to in 2032 get the NCAA Tournament from CBS.   Really want to be the world wide leader?  Get all the big gigs.  That would be the last one aside from the World Series and rotating Super Bowl.  And don't worry the World Series would be in the sights soon.  

Currently there are roughly 76 million subscribers to ESPN through cable, streaming, etc.  How many of us have enough streaming services to watch everything for shows and movies?  With Netflix, HBOMax, Apple+, Disney+, Prime, Peacock, Paramount+ if there is a movie or show out there we can find it and watch it.  

ESPN is currently roughly $10 on a cable bill.  You also get all those other channels you don't watch.  First off keep that, for now.  I would have the standalone ESPN app and all content on it be available for $20 a month.   Have it with ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, SEC, ACC and the acquired BTN all there.  Then all the shows and ESPN+ content available.  I love the YouTubeTV service but I would drop it and just go to that content easy.  If half of the 76 million subscribers get it, and the other half stay with YouTubeTv or a service its 13.6 billion in revenue.  That's not even including the advertisement revenue, which was 2.3 billion in 2020.    

With the content listed above that number will go up.  That number will only increase as more cut to just the app.    That gives more revenue to buy more content.  And with that I think you'd get an ESPN3 to include more timing.  Thus keeping Big 12 in there, and then also the Pac 12.  You then OWN college football mainstays.  

Now with that content what would it look like say on a normal week?  College Football Saturday?  See Below.

That would be the main feed, and I would throw in alternative feeds on ESPN+ for the extra games. in the MAC, MWC, SunBelt, American and HBCU and FCS.  That would be a great day.  

College basketball would fill out in the weekdays.  Thursday Night and Monday Night are all NFL.  Keep Manning Night football available.  

Then what else is in sights?  As mentioned above Men's March Madness along with Women's March Madness.  What else? 

The NFL makes 10 Billion a year, could 1 entity buy up it all and show games on ESPN/ESPN2 regionally at 12/3 each and then Sunday Night Football?  

MLB needs to get out of the blackout life.  With ESPN+ you can throw every game on a stream.  This will grow the sport.  It's 2022 games not on live are a disappointment.  

Then you can be called the World Wide Leader.

Campus Town Week 9 Predictions ATS

 Last Week : 13-12

On The Year : 77-72-1

Big Ten Week 9 Predictions

HUGE WEEK in the Big Ten.  The East starts to cannibalize each other and the Iowa can take a big step in the West. 

Indiana over Maryland                    Rutgers over Illinois

Michigan over Michigan State               Iowa over Wisconsin    

     Nebraska over Purdue                    Minnesota over Northwestern

Ohio State over Purdue

Last Week : 4-1 : 11 pts

On the Season : 52-16 : 312 pts

Play Along Here : Jimmy John's Big Ten Challenge : pw = beer 

*not affiliated with Jimmy John's*

Big Ten Power Rankings - Week 8

   

Week 8 Big Ten Power Rankings

1 - Ohio State

2 - Michigan

3 - Michigan State

4 - Iowa

5 - Minnesota

6 - Wisconsin

7 - Penn State

8 - Purdue

9 - Nebraska

10 - Maryland

11 - Northwestern

12 - Rutgers

13 - Illinois

14 - Indiana

Big Ten Weekly Awards - Week 8

The season is about two-thirds over, this week in the Big Ten we got a 9 overtime HUGE upset, the Buckeyes and Wolverines keep rolling (have we ever said that before?), Wisconsin win in West Lafayette sets up a big game next week in Madison that could/should decide the Big Ten West and quietly Minnesota continues to notch wins.  Think they want that Bowling Green game back?  And who is the front runner for Player of the Year in the conference?  A pair of Buckeyes?  

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Illinois

We Live.#famILLy pic.twitter.com/ew91ueTUSW

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) October 24, 2021

GAME OF THE WEEK 

Illinois 20 - Penn State 18

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

CJ Stroud - QB - Ohio State

21/28 - 266 yds - 4 TDs

3 rush - 1 yd