The Casper Journal :: Casper's Community Newspaper

When the Mountain West Conference decided a while back to launch its own television network, many were skeptical. I was included in that category.

I didn’t see the need for a MWC-only TV network since the SportsWest people seemed to be doing OK with the coverage of University of Wyoming football and basketball.

Plus, there was ESPN coming into the picture, especially in basketball, by cherry-picking the better games to be shown on that national sports channel.

I couldn’t see much advantage in “The mtn,” which would be dedicated to Mountain West Conference sports. Well, it turns out that I was being shortsighted and now it is time to admit that “The mtn” has a great deal of merit.

One of the best features of the MWC-only channel is that it shows a whole lot more than just football and basketball games. One can watch volleyball and soccer and the other sports that are part of the Mountain West Conference.

Certainly, those minor sports never will draw the viewership that football and basketball will attract, but it is rewarding to note that the other sports are getting some exposure and attention.

From the UW point of view, the coverage on “The mtn” has been excellent. In the just-concluded football season, we were able to watch all of the Cowboys’ games, not all of them on “The mtn”, but available on Versus or CSTV, which are available nationally.

And the games not shown on these networks were picked up by a local TV station, as Casper’s Channel 13 brought us the Boise State and Ohio games.

So, for the avid Wyoming fan, the 2007 football season was available in one way or another. The only real drawback to the “The mtn” is that this channel is not available in some parts of the state.

The satellite TV outfits, Dish Network and DirecTV, still do not carry “The mtn,” and that is a problem for subscribers to those services.

Many of the state’s cable systems are not offering “The mtn” as a premium channel; that works for the dedicated Wyoming fan.

Despite that early skepticism, I now have to admit that “The mtn” is fulfilling the promise that was originally promised when the network was launched.

The winter schedule will include a great many Wyoming basketball games, both men’s and women’s. Fans will be able to watch most of the Cowboys’ conference games on “The mtn.”

Our newest favorites, the Cowgirls, will be seen too, although not as often as their male counterparts.

Some of the UW games will be seen on other channels, but the coverage on “The mtn” will be extensive enough to allow Wyoming supporters to get a pretty complete dose of the Cowboys and Cowgirls.

At this point in the young season, the Cowgirls have given their supporters plenty to cheer about, while it is obvious that the Cowboys are very much a work in progress.

Both teams will be on display at the Casper Events Center on Saturday, Dec. 15, in the Wyoming Shootout doubleheader.

The subject of television coverage was front and center last week when most Wyoming folks were unable to watch the Thursday night Green Bay-Dallas game.

The attractive match-up was only available on the NFL Channel, and I was among the majority who don’t have that outlet available to me.

Actually, I could have watched the game, but it would have been an additional charge to view the NFL Channel, and I passed on that option.

I am sure we can expect more of the same as the NFL is eager to find another revenue source and those who wish to enjoy the complete National Football League fare will have to pay for that service. I am not sure I want to go that route.

Switching to junior college basketball, the Casper College teams are off to a promising start. The men’s team, under second-year head coach Gary Becker, is especially impressive and promises to be a serious contender in the Region IX race when play gets serious after the holidays.

The T-Bird women of coach Angelo Hill have had some injury setbacks with three of their tallest players out of action until the new year. Despite that challenge, the Lady T-Birds have competed well and stand at 9-5 with one game left prior to the holiday break.

When the T-Birds get back to full strength, they should be in position to compete with most everyone in the region.

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