Heard in the Halls at SEC Media Days:
HOOVER, Ala. — A year ago, the SEC Network had yet to launch and nobody knew what to expect. So this is the first SEC Media Days for a network that new SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said has now reached 70 million subscribers. And the network is making its presence known. While the regular ESPN is set up in the hallway outside the main media room for the second year in a row, the SEC Network is set up like an elephant in the room. An area that used to be used for local TV stations to do their interviews has been cleared out, a portable wall has come down and the network is broadcasting live coverage from a stage raised several feet in the air with floodlights blazing. It may seem like a lot of repetitive coverage, but ESPN said last year's coverage had around 300,000 viewers a day.
* David Pollack, one of the ESPN experts, is like a lot of people who think that Auburn is going to be dangerous this year. “I think Jeremy Johnson may be the best player in the league,” he said. Auburn kicked off SEC Media Days which meant a horde of fans in the lobby roped off to allow people actually staying in the hotel to get to the elevator. One of those fans was wearing a T-shirt that said “Boom Brothers — The Most Dangerous Combination Since Nitro and Glycerin” with pictures of Gus Malzahn and Will Muschamp.
* One of the perks of working for the SEC Network — while the regular radio shows are on the ground floor lining Radio Row, the “Paul Finebaum Show” has a nice set-up on the second floor so Finebaum can race from radio to TV around the corner.
* There is a sign on the wall of the main media room that says the occupancy is 1,388 but it seemed like there were more people in there when Sankey gave his first Media Days speech. It was standing room only. Sankey took questions after the speech which Mike Slive didn't do although Slive was always available to talk during the week. Several SEC officials said the change in commissioners has been seamless.
* There are always great stories from SEC Media Days involving the media including the night one hack lost his shoe while drinking in the hospitality room. Add to it three sports writers getting locked in the Galleria Mall that is connected to the hotel. It was very Seinfeldian. They will remain nameless.
HOOVER, Ala. — A year ago, the SEC Network had yet to launch and nobody knew what to expect. So this is the first SEC Media Days for a network that new SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said has now reached 70 million subscribers. And the network is making its presence known. While the regular ESPN is set up in the hallway outside the main media room for the second year in a row, the SEC Network is set up like an elephant in the room. An area that used to be used for local TV stations to do their interviews has been cleared out, a portable wall has come down and the network is broadcasting live coverage from a stage raised several feet in the air with floodlights blazing. It may seem like a lot of repetitive coverage, but ESPN said last year's coverage had around 300,000 viewers a day.
* David Pollack, one of the ESPN experts, is like a lot of people who think that Auburn is going to be dangerous this year. “I think Jeremy Johnson may be the best player in the league,” he said. Auburn kicked off SEC Media Days which meant a horde of fans in the lobby roped off to allow people actually staying in the hotel to get to the elevator. One of those fans was wearing a T-shirt that said “Boom Brothers — The Most Dangerous Combination Since Nitro and Glycerin” with pictures of Gus Malzahn and Will Muschamp.
* One of the perks of working for the SEC Network — while the regular radio shows are on the ground floor lining Radio Row, the “Paul Finebaum Show” has a nice set-up on the second floor so Finebaum can race from radio to TV around the corner.
* There is a sign on the wall of the main media room that says the occupancy is 1,388 but it seemed like there were more people in there when Sankey gave his first Media Days speech. It was standing room only. Sankey took questions after the speech which Mike Slive didn't do although Slive was always available to talk during the week. Several SEC officials said the change in commissioners has been seamless.
* There are always great stories from SEC Media Days involving the media including the night one hack lost his shoe while drinking in the hospitality room. Add to it three sports writers getting locked in the Galleria Mall that is connected to the hotel. It was very Seinfeldian. They will remain nameless.
