Midwest Conference television arrives at Monmouth

By: Dustin Looney
Features Editor

The Midwest Conference (MWC), which Monmouth College is a part of, recently agreed upon a contract with a company called Penn Atlantic which will enable fans from all over the world to watch Monmouth play live sporting events on their computer.

The contract was finalized when every college in the MWC agreed to the terms and the first Monmouth College game was broadcasted on Jan. 12.

According Dan Nolan, sports information co-director at Monmouth College, this deal will prove to be beneficial to Monmouth and our alumni and fans who want to support the team but cannot attend the games.

“This really is a great opportunity for fans of Monmouth College to catch their favorite team wherever they are, not only in the Midwest but wherever they are they can see the action live and know what’s going on with their team,” Nolan said.

As of right now, the sports that will be accessible online are men’s and women’s basketball, football and probably volleyball.

Each school will be responsible for filming their teams’ home games and finding broadcasters to give a live play-by-play of the game. Penn Atlantic will take the live feeds and host them on its website.

Monmouth will rely exclusively on students to film and broadcast the games, which will provide valuable experience for students who are looking to go into that field for a career. Juniors Ian Van Anden and Dejuan Listenbee are currently the two students who are most involved in this process.

Nolan said that Monmouth College has had a strong history of DJs, including Joe Tait, who calls the games for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He said the new contract will provide a good opportunity for current Monmouth students.

“This will be a completely student-run operation and it’s a great opportunity for them to get real-world experience and get that real-world exposure,” Nolan said. “Who knows, maybe later on it could help them get a job after graduation.”

As of right now, only conference games are available online. Specific games can be purchased for $5.95, or, for the Monmouth College fanatics, you can purchase a full season of your favorite sport for $34.95 (includes every game of your favorite team) or $44.95 (an all-conference pass). Every game will be played live and all you need to access them is a computer with a broadband connection.

Nolan said half of the money produced from the games will go to Penn and Atlantic and the other half will be divided between the ten schools in the MWC.

Nolan also said that every game will be available at no charge on the college’s cable channel in the near future.

For more information, go to www.midwestconference.tv.