ABC Selects Harvard-Cornell As Regional Game of the Week

ABC sports will broadcast the Harvard-Cornell football game as the NCAA Game of the Week. The contest will be broadcast this Saturday from Ithaca, N.Y., at 12:50 p.m. on ABC-TV, channel five.

The game is the ABC sports regional wildcard and is chosen as the college football match of most interest in the New England area. The game will be broadcast throughout New England and New York state, excluding New York City.

Harvard and Cornell are both undefeated, and Brown's triumph over Yale last Saturday makes the Harvard-Cornell match-up "the top Ivy League game," Beeno Cook, executive vice president of ABC, said yesterday.

In addition to television exposure, Harvard stands to gain financially from the game's coverage.

$320,000

Cook said yesterday that ABC pays $320,000 for the rights to the game. Six per cent of the sum goes to the NCAA and the balance is divided among Harvard, Cornell, and the rest of the Ivy League colleges according to the Ivy League revenue sharing program. Harvard's share of the money is expected to be about $80,000.

David B. Matthews, assistant director of Sports Information, said yesterday that this is not "a bonanza" since the Harvard Athletic Department expects to receive at least some money each year from ABC for its coverage of an Ivy League game. He said this money is used to pay athletic expenses but that the Athletic Department does not have complete control over its allocation. The money is turned over to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences which disburses it.

Crimson coach Joe Restic said yesterday that he is excited about the TV coverage of what he expects to be his "toughest game of the year." He described Cornell as a "balanced" team with strong defense and "tremendous offense." He hopes that the younger players on the team who have never played before television cameras can "keep their minds on the game," but said that it is too early to judge how the coverage will affect his players.

High-Flying Band

The high-flying Harvard Band will also make the trip to Ithaca and, according to Cook, will probably be televised during the half-time show. He said that Ivy League half-time shows are "the best in America."

Shep Rainie '74, manager of the Band, told the Crimson yesterday that the theme for this Saturday's show is "Mediocrity," but refused to give any indication of the songs or formations the band has planned. He said the show is "in no way obscene" and that he hopes for as much air time as possible.