University of Hawaii’s debut on Facebook has Oregon State fans scrambling
JAMM AQUINO / 2014
Hawaii linebacker Jeremy Castro (16) works to bring down Oregon State running back Terron Ward (28) during the second half of a college football game between the Oregon State Beavers and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Aloha Stadium.
The debut of University of Hawaii football on Facebook Saturday has fans of its opponent, Oregon State, scrambling.
“We’ve been getting calls from fans who want to know how and where to find the game,” said Steve Fenk, OSU sports information director.
Fenk said it is the first time since 2009 that a Beavers’ game won’t be available on over-the-air TV.
In Hawaii, the 6 p.m. non-conference game at Aloha Stadium will be available via pay-per-view to Spectrum and Hawaiian Telcom customers. But, viewers outside Hawaii can access it free on Facebook.
It is the third year that UH’s conference, the Mountain West, has had partnered with Facebook but a first for the Rainbow Warriors who will have seven of their games on that platform this year. The MWC controls UH’s TV rights.
OSU and UH said they are awaiting additional information from the MWC to aid Mainland viewers.
A worker at a Corvallis, Ore. Buffalo Wild Wings near campus, where Beavers fans gather to watch OSU’s road games, said management was trying to determine if it could show the UH game via a projector at the restaurant.
Fenk said, “In reality, Facebook might be a better option for some (fans), but it might also be a problem for some older fans who don’t use Facebook or social media.”
Fenk said his 90-year old mother asked him where she could catch the game on TV. When he told her it was available only on Facebook, “She said, ‘OK, then I can just watch it on my iPad.’”
