College Football in a Digital Media Environment

College football is God's compensation for the end of summer. Some of the people I know may be surprised that I am a big fan - well of my alma mater anyway - the University of Hawaii. No, you are probably not hearing the echoes of brass bands, screaming stadiums or Keith Jackson's voice when I mention UH Football, but that is alright. The Warriors are up and coming and that is partly due to the new digital environment that college football has embraced.

I say UH is up because they went 11-3 last season and coming because they have a lot of players back and are in almost all the top 25 polls with the Associated Press putting it at #23 today. Despite losing at least 6 starters to the NFL, the Warriors are reloading around Colt Brennan who threw for a record 58 touchdowns last season with a NCAA record of 186 passing efficiency while throwing for 5549 yards. Three receivers with 1000 yard seasons - Davone Bess (96 rec, 1220 yds) Ryan Grice-Mullins (85, 1228), Jason Rivers (72, 1178) are back - and that may be a NCAA first, from an offense that averaged 47 points and 441 passing yards per game and racked up 7977 yards total for the season. Last season was the first time in my life when I prayed for bad field position, knowing that it would only give the QB, receivers, and running backs like Nate Ilaoa more yards to churn up.

So what does this have to do with digital media? The problem for UH is that they are based on the most geographically remote place on Earth. They travel more than any other team – college or pro. That also means that their home games start at 11 pm Saturday or 12 am Sunday morning on the East Coast, depending on daylight savings time. But digital media diversity is working in their favor. Last season I was able to watch every UH game, even though that took a utilizing a combination of Internet, audio and cable TV options. Radio from Hawaii comes espn142o through the Internet as does the less satisfactory video feed from KFVE via HawaiiTel. UH has always had the advantage of state coverage through its media, from newspapers to TV. But with ESPN multiplying the TV coverage of college games and emerging competitors like CSTV, the door has opened to the “mainland”. When newspapers went on the Internet, detailed coverage of the games could be accessed. Now blogs provide an even more interactive environment and even more detail about the players and strategies.

But why my love for college football? In a word, - tribalism. Having lived in Hawaii for 14 years and getting my MA and PhD from UH, it is my true alma mater or “mother of my learning”. But I realize it’s important only because its fun to make it important.

The UH football team used to be called the Rainbow Warriors, and although the name is gone, the feeling persists of a wide spectrum of people coming together to play and support this team. Of course, every team has their following. But I’m part of this one.

Oh, and the story of Hawaii this season – its not just Colt, but the defense.