Wednesday, June 20, 2001
UH may have to Caught between a rock and a hard place, the University of Hawaii's top athletic administrator concedes the school may have to yield to the pressures of the Western Athletic Conference and play a football game on a Friday night.
play on a Friday
Despite concerns, Yoshida might
have to yield to the WACStar-Bulletin staff
"We are very reluctant, but we have to be sensitive to the WAC," UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida said yesterday. "There are financial and competitive reasons for not wanting to play on a day other than Saturday.
"Not to mention from a fan's standpoint it's very inconvenient. People just can't get away at 3 p.m. during the week."
Yoshida said yesterday that although UH would prefer not to play on a Friday, it might do so in a concession to the league. He may have no choice.
While stopping short of saying the conference could force Hawaii to shift dates, WAC associate commissioner Jeff Hurd did confirm the league could strongly recommend it.
"We understand why Hawaii is reluctant to play on Friday,'' said Hurd. "But let me say this: If any school should suffer a hardship by agreeing to play a proposed game, the league would look into ways we could compensate that school for that hardship.
"But we need to do what's good for the league overall."
The WAC is looking at putting together the best possible packages for its new contract with ESPN-TV. A conference call involving the league's athletic directors took place yesterday afternoon to target possible games for ESPN to show this season.
One of those being considered for the four ESPN national broadcasts is Hawaii's homecoming game Oct. 27 against Fresno State at Aloha Stadium.
However, the unwillingness to play Fresno State on a Friday is not holding up contract talks with ESPN-TV, WAC associate commissioner Jeff Hurd said yesterday.
"To say that game is keeping us from reaching a deal with ESPN is inaccurate," Hurd said. "Right now, we're just trying to find out who would be interested in playing on a non-traditional day like Friday.
"No decisions have been reached," Hurd said. "We'll talk more (today) and see where that takes us. But we're getting closer to targeting the games ESPN wants to broadcast on a national and regional basis."
Yoshida declined to talk about specific issues addressed in yesterday's teleconference.
Last month, the WAC reached a tentative agreement with ESPN to take over the national phase of football and men's basketball from the Fox Network.
Hurd said ESPN is also considering doing five regional broadcasts in football if the deal is approved by the presidents.
"I'd like to say it would be done by the end of the week, I don't know," Hurd said. "There are still details to be worked out on several different fronts. We're just trying to put together the best possible package."
Last month, UH head coach June Jones said he didn't want to play on a Friday at 4 p.m. (the proposed time switch to accommodate a national broadcast) because of the inconvenience for the fans. Aloha Friday traffic would make getting into Aloha Stadium a real chore.
Yoshida shifted Hawaii's season opener with Arizona in 1998 to an early evening game on Thursday so ESPN could show it nationally. Traffic problems were monumental, something Yoshida hasn't forgotten.
Star-Bulletin reporters Paul Arnett and
Dave Reardon contributed to this report.
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
