The last time Ashland athletics was prominently featured on a national broadcast was for women’s basketball when they were nationally recognized as a top-tier Division II team against Ferris State on ESPN3 in 2020.

Just think of all the attention and potential revenue that can be drawn in from a national appearance. It can also highlight small-town colleges, such as Ashland University, and the prominence of their athletic teams.

However, the Eagles do get a lot more regional coverage with their broadcasts on Bally Sports Great Lakes (formerly SportsTime Ohio). Ashland should get more national coverage for their sports. Furthermore, the Ashland Journalism and Digital Media (JDM) department deserves more recognition for their coverage of games on campus.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, regional television coverage played a key piece in recruiting certain student athletes to Ashland.

“Before the pandemic, TV coverage on SportsTime Ohio/Bally Sports Great Lakes played a big role in recruiting,” Ashland athletic director Al King said. “The coverage especially helped with football and basketball, because it gives your school positive exposure.”

Having that positive exposure can become a major influence for recruits. Watching games on TV may influence a recruit to choose Ashland over another school that does not regionally broadcast games.

Recruiting and the media can also help with communication and online forms of media and building a journalistic reputation.

“Our relationship with Bally Sports Great Lakes is beneficial in a number of different ways,” King said. “It certainly gives our teams a television reach that is vast, given that Bally Sports Great Lakes is so widely available. It is a recruiting tool for our teams that are televised, certainly, but it also certainly is that for our JDM department, and the campus as a whole.”

One of the sports covered prominently in the Ashland area is football. For head coach Lee Owens, the televised games have received high marks from his staff and his recruits.

“Our games on SportsTime Ohio/Bally Sports are critical to our recruiting efforts,” Owens said. “The broadcast blankets our primary recruiting regions with first class coverage that showcases our university, our facilities, our fans, and our student athletes. Just about every Ohio recruit I talk with has watched our games on Bally Sports and say they were impressed with our team.”

A majority of Ashland’s football players are from the Northeast/North-Central Ohio area, with a few representatives from within Ashland County.

Another prevalent sport on TV for AU is women’s basketball. For head coach Kari Pickens, a former Ashland alumni, the TV coverage is the biggest influence in recruiting.

“Regional coverage for our games has helped tremendously with recruiting,” Pickens said. “Our student-athletes and parents have had the opportunity to watch our style of play many times before they even step foot on campus. Truthfully, the airtime coverage is one of the biggest reasons why we get big-time recruits to start the recruiting process, because they are attracted to our style of play and the incredible atmosphere in Kates.”

With many sports being recorded on and rebroadcast by Bally Sports Great Lakes, the regional coverage paints the Eagles in a positive light. While Division II will never reach the same levels of viewership as Division I broadcasts, the Eagles’ frequent regional television appearances and coverage gives certain high school graduates a thought to play for the purple and gold of North-Central Ohio.