B1G's plan for Friday Night Lights takes criticism on Twitter
Some loved it. Some hated it. Some didn’t really care either way.
Those were the three categories that were present on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon when it was announced that the B1G had agreed to package six games with ABC/ESPN and Fox that are set to take place on a Friday night.
Many are worried about recruiting opportunities, attendance, viewership and parking, among other things, as it relates to Friday night football in B1G country. Because of this puzzling decision, fans, reporters and even some athletic departments responded to the idea of playing on Friday:
There were those who were playful:
Wonder how many high school recruits are going to love going to those Friday night Big Ten games. Oh, wait…
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 2, 2016
Those who were indifferent:
Both #Northwestern and #Illinois are cool w/Fri Night Games … home and road.
— Teddy Greenstein (@TeddyGreenstein) November 2, 2016
Some were disappointed:
Disappointed to hear of @bigten plans to play more FB games on Friday nights starting in 2017. Just say NO @HuskerFBNation! #Fridays4HSFB
— NE Coaches Assoc. (@NebraskaCoach) November 2, 2016
Spokesman for @OHSAASports says association "disappointed" in B1G decision to play 6 Friday night games in 2017. https://t.co/12gjPVbZ3s
— Tim May (@TIM_MAYsports) November 2, 2016
Others were mad:
Nothing like biting the hand that feeds you. High school coaches, send your players elsewhere. #B1G https://t.co/KS9nMDOxKk
— Tom Oates (@TomOatesWSJ) November 2, 2016
A handful were reasonable:
It's so bizarre to see Big Ten people freaking out about Friday night games. Others have been doing it for 15 years. Nothing bad happens.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) November 2, 2016
Penn State was having none of it:
Penn State has informed the Big Ten that we will not host football games on a Friday night. pic.twitter.com/6SH1tcvrw4
— Penn State Athletics (@GoPSUsports) November 2, 2016
And Michigan State is OK with it…on its own terms:
Michigan State has agreed to host one Friday night home game per year provided it is over Labor Day weekend.
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) November 2, 2016
It was a pretty eclectic mix of reactions on Wednesday night and the discussion is sure to continue through the rest of this week.
The B1G also said that the games for 2017 would be announced within the next week so be sure to keep your eyes glued to social media to see another slew of reactions when that happens.