Oracle Online

ESPN 4 is a television station that is available to customers of Direct TV and Comcast Cable only. The station specializes in reporting on sports that are typically not available in the mainstream. Their programming includes shows such as College Badminton Game Day, Fishing with Chum, Lawn Dart Analysis with Larry Hoover, and Frolf Time to name a few. Their Sports Center programming also pays special attention to college sports but not D-III. The sports ticker is a little strip that appears along the bottom line of the station at all times. It is constantly scrolling providing up to the minute news and sports scores from around the world. Rarely does the bottom line report anything from D-III, though.

It was O’Donnell who first noticed this glaring omission. O’Donnell has been on the tennis team at Hamline for two years. Up until this year, he has experienced moderate success as a tennis-playing Piper but all that all changed this season. Hamline tennis is having a phenomenal season and O’Donnell wants everyone to know it. O’Donnell said, “We are Hamline University, the oldest university in Minnesota. I don’t think the fat cats at ESPN 4 know the score. We’re having a great year and nobody knows about it.”

O’Donnell has taken it upon himself to organize athletes on campus and across the MIAC to take this issue to the “fat cats.” Last November, O’Donnell created a group on the popular internet site, theFacebook.com. The group’s mission was to point out ESPN 4’s glaring shortcoming. The group’s membership took off right away. If it is true that there is strength in numbers, then O’Donnell’s group has a fighting chance. They have almost fifty student-athletes in total. Since its inception, this group has written numerous strongly worded letters to ESPN 4’s programming directors, Direct TV and Comcast officials, and even several local politicians. It appears their cries have fallen on deaf ears.

“Well, I’ve written about thirty letters by hand and numerous emails and I have never received a response from anyone. Its not like we’re trying to get on ESPN 3.” says O’Donnell.

With already five months of petitioning and no progress, it still doesn’t appear O’Donnell is going to give up any time soon. He is running out of time though, as he will graduate next year. Although, his cause is receiving absolutely no attention outside of the MIAC, the group of student athletes serves as quiet the role models on campus. “It doesn’t seem like anyone cares about anything on campus,” says Hamline junior Brad Gausman. “Personally, I’m not involved in anything on campus but it makes me feel warm inside knowing that someone like Casey and his group is doing more than enough to pick up the slack for the rest of us.”

Nonetheless, O’Donnell and Hamline tennis are both having phenomenal seasons. After spring break they pick up play at St. John’s on March 31. For more information on ESPN 4 and their programming you can contact Casey O’Donnell through Facebook or contact your local cable service provider.