The WAC's ESPN Contract Extended

WAC commish Karl Benson announced a contract extension and expansion with ESPN today.

As part of the agreement that runs through the spring of 2017, over 300 regular season WAC contests and 45 championship events will be aired on the ESPN networks.

Football: Double the number of games per year from eight to a minimum of 16 with at least 10 on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 and at least six on ESPNU. A minimum of nine games will be conference contests with an average of five on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. Every school will appear at least once on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.

Additional games could be added throughout the season.

There will also be increased coverage of men's basketball and women's sports. Here's a quote from Wahine volleyball coach Dave Shoji:

Dave Shoji, Hawai‘i Head Women’s Volleyball Coach
"I’m thrilled the WAC and ESPN see an importance of adding more exposure for women’s sports on a national level. As the popularity of women’s sports has increased by large numbers over the years, we are getting closer to a time when our female athletes get to share the national spotlight with their male counterparts. I’m glad that the WAC has taken proactive steps that will not only help the teams in our conference, but also the growth of women’s sports in general."

Excellent news. Thank you to Chris for the heads up.