On Thursday, May 22nd, at 1:30 pm, while many of us are at work, the ACC Network will air "Authentic ACC: Syracuse Spring Football." According to the official Syracuse Athletics website, this will be a behind-the-scenes look at not just the spring game but also practices, storylines and interviews with coaches. As for the working schedule thing, the website also says that the ACC Network will re-air it three more times on May 29th (7 pm), June 13th (3 pm) and June 18th (6 pm).
Now I could simply just share this information through retweets and Facebook shares but honestly, I think this is a great idea so I wanted to expand on it. As a fan who has said for years that I think it would be fun to have open practices for fans and even make them fun events, this is a televised version of seeing for yourself what this team is about.
I think one way to build fan interest is to include them as much as possible. Let them see what the players endure on a regular basis. Let them see for themselves the players they want to root for. Let the fans feel closer to the program and be more invested in the product. I lived in Pittsburgh for a few years and remember many Steelers fans who went to Latrobe, PA, every season for practices and were so excited to bring their kids along as they grew into Yinzers who loved their black and gold.
And while this is slated to only be a one-hour show, fans can get a lot of up-close knowledge in that one hour, especially with the coaching staff also doing interviews as well. This hour-long show might actually provide even more insight than actually attending a practice can give a fan. Maybe it will also show the average fan how much work an athlete endures to be able to get on the field as well.
Syracuse football will be on the ACC Network this week.
I am a huge fan of showing up for events when you can and supporting the players and the team whenever possible and affordable. The more events fans can attend, I think the more they feel like part of the team and are willing to invest. I personally can't afford many of the NIL opportunities that are provided to fans but think it is an amazing opportunity for those who can and hope more events will come about, especially at prices more fans can afford.
So kudos to the folks in the Syracuse athletics department and the Newhouse School of Public Communications for putting this together. I hope Syracuse fans will tune in and watch as well as those people who may not be as passionate about the football program but are curious to see what it is like being on this team. I will be at work for the first airing with nothing to tape it on but am hopeful to catch a replay and see firsthand players I will be rooting for and hear from the coaches themselves about the program.