Bill Belichick's UNC Struggles Spilling Over into TV Decisions
The Bill Belichick Experiment at North Carolina: A Tale of High Expectations and Diminishing Returns
The legendary coach's debut at Chapel Hill was met with great fanfare, with ESPN treating it like a major event. The network hoped to replicate the success of Deion Sanders' arrival at Colorado, but the reality has been quite different. Despite the initial curiosity, UNC's struggles on the field have taken a toll on their TV ratings.
When Belichick took over, ESPN gave his coaching debut primetime real estate on Labor Day Monday, hoping for high viewership. The debut drew 6.6 million viewers for a loss to TCU, proving the interest was real. However, as the losses pile up and UNC's record falls to 2-3, the mystique is fading.
This is evident in ESPN's programming decisions. For the Week 9 ACC slate, ESPN passed on the Virginia at North Carolina matchup, opting instead to air it on the ACC Network at noon. This decision comes despite ESPN having the first two choices in the standard selection process for those games. The ACC Network secured the UNC-Virginia game before The CW even made its selection.
To make matters worse for Belichick, the ACCN chose to air NC State-Pitt and Boston College-Louisville in its typically more attractive TV windows, bumping UNC to the less desirable noon slot. UNC's most recent game against Clemson drew 1.86 million viewers on ESPN in the noon window, and a September 20 matchup with UCF drew 2.03 million viewers on Fox.
These numbers aren't bad, but they're far from what ESPN had hoped for when it lined up to air between 8 and 10 UNC games this season. ESPN's senior director of programming and acquisitions, Kurt Dargis, had high expectations for Belichick, comparing him to Deion Sanders. However, the potential for Sanders-level viewership hasn't materialized.
The comparison to Sanders was inevitable, as Colorado consistently drew high viewership during his debut season. However, UNC's struggles have quickly turned curiosity into questions about Belichick's future. The reality is that even Bill Belichick's name can't carry the team without wins to back it up. ESPN hoped for a Deion Sanders story, but as the losses mount, the returns are diminishing.
The late-night game between UNC and Cal on ESPN on Friday night was locked in before the season started, when there was still optimism about Belichick's potential in Chapel Hill. Now, it's just another late-night game featuring a struggling team. The question remains: can Belichick turn things around, or will his time at UNC be remembered as a disappointment?
