Fox announced that Fox Sports 1, its all sports flagship, will come into being in August, and with it, I continue to hold out hope that some day, we will see marching content on television.
There are a few reasons for my continued hope. While I still don't believe marching/athletic music to be a sport, there's no question that it's sports-adjacent, and as you know, by virtue of this very blog, I think it makes sense for them to share space. What it comes down to after that, assuming anyone else agrees, is a sheer numbers game. Eventually, the extant sports networks will max out on the content that is of vast commercial interest. While I can openly admit that, say, DCI may not be amazing for ratings, but as the pickin's get slimmer and slimmer, eventually the point comes where it's a better draw than an East Northeastern State field hockey game. Fox Sports 1 will likely beget at least Fox Sports 2, diluting the landscape even further.
Fox, since its first network burst onto the scene in 1987, has been one to push the culture and make a splash. While I recognize this sounds a lot like my case for NBC Sports, Fox is the network that has maintained its commitment to showing a decent amount of halftime during bowl game coverage, unlike the Worldwide Leader. They could be the one to take it on. And while it's certainly far from a slam dunk, if I'm an association that considers myself the major league of marching music, I'd be inclined to take a look.
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