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The Longhorn Network: The great TV no one can see... yet

The College GameDay set being built on the University of Texas South Mall.
Photo by Kevin Benz
Kirk Herbstreit meets the media.
Photo by Kevin Benz
Kevin Dunn (l), Lowell Galindo, and Samantha Steele.
Photo by Kevin Benz
Lowell Galindo
Samantha Steele
Kevin Dunn

If a cable television channel launches but no one can watch it, does it really exist? Despite the assurances of many who should know, there is still no announcement by any Austin area cable provider that the Longhorn Network will be available.

Still, the Longhorn Network is here, even if no one around the state can see it.

Friday night at 6 p.m. LHN launches live from the South Mall at the University of Texas. With it come very high expectations from Longhorn fans and great fear and loathing from Longhorn competitors.

The most looming question is, who will watch. So far, no one can. Thursday morning ESPN / The Longhorn Network announced their first major distribution deal with Verizon FiOS. Verizon provides cable television to much of the Dallas / Fort Worth region and a few cities along the I-45 corridor between Houston and Galveston. They will not start carrying the LHN until September 1^st, just in time for the September 3^rd season opener. So, no way to see the launch there even.

"It's pretty cool as a Texas fan to have your own network. You have to be appreciative of getting the kind of access fans will get with this network."

Besides Verizon... crickets.

Time Warner Cable said "we've had discussions," AT&T said, "we can't discuss details," Grande is said to be close; all parties still believe a deal will be announced soon, most likely ahead of the launch... chirp. This is how cable deals with national networks go — down to the wire. Too much money is at stake to make quick decisions, the corpoate master-minds prefer to wring out every ounce of leverage they have.

ESPN did confirm today that there will not be any other way to watch the network. They will not be streaming online.

Still, it's full speed ahead for launch.

Today ESPN royalty came to town supporting the Longhorn Network crew. The College GameDay team is the best in the business and Kirk Herbstreit is the best colorman in college football broadcasting. He took a few moments between show rehearsals and production meetings to talk about the LHN and the college football landscape.

College football is undergoing significant change which began last year when Nebraska bolted from the Big 12 to the Big 10 and Colorado jumped to the Pac-10. "We knew this wasn't going to be the end," Herbstreit said, "this won't end until we get to the point of realignment. It's inevitable. It's about conference networks and creating conference networks."

But the Longhorn Network is not a conference network, it's a single school network. A point that bothers the other schools in the Big 12 (10) like a hang-nail. Those schools are concerned about the potential advantage Texas might gain in recruiting. That's why the NCAA decided not to allow any high school football coverage on the Longhorn Network. Herbstreit had a different perspective. "As a(n) [high school] athlete, I can't say the Longhorn Network would affect me one way or another. As an athlete, I am much more interested in whether I'll play for national championships and will the coaching staff prepare me for a career in the NFL. That far outweighs any other issues."

But Herbstreit also thought Longhorn fans should appreciate having their own college sports network (hey Kirk... we DO... if only we could see it!). "It's pretty cool as a Texas fan to have your own network. You have to be appreciative of getting the kind of access fans will get with this network."

In other words, you're probably not missing much. ESPN is smart enough to keep their powder dry until Austin fans can watch.

For their part, the Longhorn Network talent — anchor Lowell Galindo, reporter Samantha Steele and analyst Kevin Dunn — were humble, excited and surprised by all the national attention the network attracted. "We came here for something we knew would generate attention," said Galindo, "I'm feeling more relief [getting this started] than pressure."

"I didn't expect it to be national the way it is," said Dunn, "but it's out of our hands, out of our control. For us, this is about doing good TV."

And good journalism, added Galindo responding to criticism that the network might be a bit well... biased. "We're all journalists first and we want to be fair and balanced and do it the right way. We're not doing our jobs if we don't ask the questions that need to be asked."

For her part, Samantha Steele seemed simply appreciative of the opportunity, "I am building relationships in this community and I appreciate being part of this community. I've been on the road for the last three to four years. This is a chance to really get inside of a program, with the access we can provide."

It's access that as of right now, only a select few ESPN employees sitting in a production truck will get to see. Until, that is, the cable companies and ESPN get their shit together and get a deal done.

It's a deal the University of Texas Athletic Director, Deloss Dodds, all but acknowledged as done on Tuesday, "You might have heard we will launch the Longhorn Network Friday morning," Dodds said, "and it looks like it will be available to you. We have great news coming, but we can't announce anything yet." We're all still waiting.

In the meantime, here's the weekend Longhorn Network show schedule. It's what you'll miss if the worst possible scenario for everyone ends up coming to pass — well, actually it's just some old football games, films, volleyball and soccer, and what might be a pretty good Texas All-Access show. In other words, you're probably not missing much. ESPN is smart enough to keep their powder dry until Austin fans can watch.

If a tree falls in the woods and there's no one there to hear it...

First weekend Longhorn Network schedule highlights:

Friday, August 26:

6:00 p.m. — The Longhorn Network debut. Anchor Lowell Galindo, reporter Samantha Steele and analyst Kevin Dunn will introduce the channel, joined by ESPN's College GameDay crew — Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and Erin Andrews. According to the LHN press release, this group will "preview the Longhorns upcoming football season and its September 3^rd home opener vs. Rice which will air exclusively on Longhorn Network. ... Texas coaches, players and former student-athletes will also be on hand for the two-hour special."

8:00 p.m. — Volleyball — #4 Texas vs. Pepperdine in the Burnt Orange Classic live from Gregory Gym. ESPN's Carter Blackburn and Heather Cox will call the game with Steele reporting.

10:00 p.m. — Texas All-Access — Again from the LHN press release, "the documentary-style Texas All-Access show will debut providing unprecedented access to Coach Mack Brown and the Texas football team as it prepares for its September 3 home opener against Rice."

Saturday, August 27:

11:30 a.m. — Live Volleyball — #4 Texas vs. Mississippi

5:00 p.m. — Live Volleyball — #4 Texas vs. Israel's National team

Sunday, August 28:

1:00 p.m. — Live Women's Soccer — Texas vs. Cal State - Northridge

unspecified

High Score

Austin named the nation's pickleball capital in industry report

Photo by Henry Selis Photo

Other Racquet Social Club is back after city woes.

It's no secret that Austinites love pickleball. A new study proves just how much by ranking Austin the No. 1 city for pickleball in the whole country. Dallas and Houston also made the top 10 at Nos. 3 and 8, respectively.

The report was published by TeachMe.To, an online marketplace for learning sports (and sometimes music) from private instructors. It used data from its own platform, USA Pickleball, Places2Play, local pickleball associations, and more. It also referred to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), which named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America, with a growth rate of 223.5 percent over three years.

Similarly, TeachMe.To ranked Austin as the fastest-growing city for pickleball, and citing this as the main reason for the overall title of "the nation's pickleball capital."

It name-checked the Austin Metro Pickleball Association (AMPA) — with approximately 3,000-3,500 members — and the Austin Pickleball League (APL), estimating that overall, "15,000-20,000 people play pickleball at least occasionally in the greater Austin area." About half of those players — about 8,000-10,000 people — play at least twice a month.

The report did not include gender data on Austin, specifically, but it did note that not only are two-thirds of pickleball players female; women's involvement in the sport is also growing 50 percent faster than men's.

New courts everywhere
This probably isn't a surprise to people who have noticed the number of courts opened around Austin in recent years. By 2024, TeachMe.To's data shows 32 dedicated courts in Austin, and thanks to with a utility rate of 92 percent it doesn't look like that'll be slowing down.

In the summer of 2023, the online booking platform Swimply noticed how many pickleball courts there were in Austin compared to such great demand, and added courts to its service. In fall 2023 and summer 2024, at least two important developments expanded that availability: Other Racquet Social Club opened as a friendly, country club-like neighborhood option, and national chain The Picklr announced it's bringing five locations to Austin and Round Rock.

Perhaps because Austin is such a food-obsessed city, there seems to be some growing opportunity for food and beverage hospitality around pickleball, too. Other Racquet recently started hosting the Bill's Dips food truck, a spinoff of the popular downtown restaurant Bill's Oyster; and a pair of bars with pickleball courts, Drifters Social Coffee & Cocktails and The Pickle Pub, also opened in South Austin this year, with strong online ratings already.

The trend has even reached into real estate (see this cute house with its own pickleball court) and inspired athletes to introduce similar sports to the local market, as in the case of the padel club Paddle39. TeachMe.To's report also mentioned tech companies adding pickleball to their campuses.

Aside from growth, the study also considered lesson activity (including information about teacher availability and diversity of clinic offerings), infrastructure, community vitality, the tournament scene.

Austin had the highest concentration of all the cities of players under 40 (65 percent), as well as the highest share of national lesson bookings. At 16.90 percent, that means about one in six of the pickleball lessons contracted through this platform were in Austin. Lesson demand, the report says, is growing 125 percent year-over-year.

Elsewhere in Texas
Dallas was No. 3 thanks in part to its "central location" according to the report.

"The city's 45 dedicated courts and 85 [percent] public accessibility rate have fostered one of the most active competitive scenes in the country, with 8,500 registered league players," it says. "The combination of strong tournament presence, extensive infrastructure, and a 112% growth in lesson bookings solidifies Dallas as a powerhouse in the national pickleball landscape."

Houston made No. 8 with an emphasis on integrating pickleball with other sports.

"The city's 22 dedicated courts have seen a 92% increase in lesson bookings, driven by innovative programming that includes the nation's first corporate league system," it says. "Houston's success in integrating pickleball into existing sports infrastructure while maintaining 72% year-round utilization demonstrates a sustainable model for rapid growth."

Overall predictions
After laying out data about the top cities in pickleball, the report made some predictions. As the Austin newcomer mentioned above believes, the report also thinks padel is the next big thing. It also guesses more cities will act like Houston by focusing on hybrid facilities.

It also expects to see an expanded professional circuit and mainstream coverage, more technology used on the court, a rise in the prevalence of young players, and more opportunities in corporate wellness and real estate. "Dedicated pickleball facilities will become as common as swimming pools in luxury developments," it says. Texans will be the judge of that one.

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