HARRISONBURG — The eyes of the lacrosse world will be on James Madison when the defending national champion Dukes play host to in-state rival and longtime powerhouse Virginia in an NCAA Tournament rematch Wednesday night.
And a game like that could draw interest from even casual fans.
Anyone interested in watching is in luck, the game will be broadcast on cable and satellite packages across the nation on NBC Sports Washington as part of JMU’s effort to increase exposure for the school through negotiated linear and streaming media deals.
JMU will produce broadcasts for two lacrosse and two softball games this spring to be broadcast on NBC Sports regional network based out of the Washington area. In addition, the Dukes added five games to the schedule on streaming service Lax Sports Network, giving JMU seven total on the app with two JMU games already part of the Colonial Athletic Association’s Game of the of the Week package.
“I think at the end of the day it’s all about maximizing exposure for our programs,” said Kevin Warner, JMU’s assistant AD for athletic communications. “When you look at softball and lacrosse, specifically, they are a couple of sports that have established themselves on a national stage. So that means they have opportunities. That helps. For something like NBC Washington, they want to make sure the programming is good for sponsorship appeal.”
James Madison, like others in the CAA, have become proactive in getting video broadcasts of their sports available to a wider audience. League wide, conference realignment and shifts across the media landscape have meant fewer CAA sporting events on national television. The CAA didn’t have a national televised conference basketball game until the tournament semifinals and finals, which were shown on CBS Sports Network.
But the geographic locations of several CAA schools have allowed them to strike on their own with regional sports networks, or RSN’s, such as NBC Sports Washington. JMU, with about 30,000 alumni in the Washington area and games on the schedule against other teams of regional interest such as Virginia and Maryland, had an appealing product as the network looks to fill time slots once the seasons for the Washington Wizards and Capitals wind down.
“Obviously, last year, the conference had a deal on the men’s basketball side with CBS Interactive and on the football side had a deal with CBS Interactive and Fox College Sports,” CAA commissioner Joe D’Antonio said. “As we move forward, those deals have expired. We’re in the process right now of a comprehensive media plan. We hope to be rolling out something in the near future.
“We’re very encouraging of the local linear deals for all our schools. The local linear market is something we’re very supportive of. As we begin to carve out what a conference package can look like, we’re able to carve out those local linear rights for our members, as best we can.”
Spring sports provided an opportunity for something of a trial run for JMU, which may try to get more games on RSN’s year round. JMU could run into a similar problem on the local level the conference has as a whole, with broadcast partners choosing to produce pro sports broadcasts over using Madison-produced college sports content.
NBC Washington’s commitment to the Wizards and Capitals makes fitting JMU men’s and women’s basketball into their schedule difficult, but Warner said the school may work with MASN, which broadcasts the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles during baseball season, as an option for fall and winter programming.
Regardless, Wednesday’s lacrosse game could be just the beginning of opportunities for Dukes fans to see their school compete across multiple platforms.
