NJCAA signs multi-year deal with ESPN

Garden City, Kan (WesternKansasNews.Com) The NJCAA was at it again Thursday making big moves inside the league.

The move this time was a major multi-year-media contract that will begin this season and will see ESPN cover more than 50 games across football, basketball, and as well as other regular season sports.

In the regular season ESPN+ will have exclusive coverage rights to 13 NJCAA football games, 25 men’s and women’s basketball games. There will also be 20 baseballz softball regular season games in the agreement. ESPN will also air the Division I national championship games on ESPN+.

“This opportunity to work with ESPN presents a pivotal moment to maximize exposure and national awareness of the NJCAA,” stated Dr. Christopher Parker, NJCAA President and CEO. “Through ESPN and ESPN+, the NJCAA will be front and center with the leader in college sports programming.”

Unfortunately , don’t be shocked when you don’t see too many teams from the Jayhawk Conference on ESPN+ in the regular season. Currently, the NJCAA announced that member colleges who use Presto Sports to stream their games, will be considered for the NJCAA Game of the Week on ESPN+. However, the KJCCC has a 3-year agreement with BlueFrame Technology to stream their conference games. The contract was announced in Feb. 2021 and will expire in Feb. 2024.

“The NJCAA is excited to begin this new era for our association by collaborating with ESPN,” stated Brian Luckett, NJCAA Vice President for External Affairs and Development. “NJCAA student-athletes will now have more visibility than ever on the national stage, with many of them becoming major contributors on the four-year level across all divisions, including the Power Five conferences. Sports fans will be able to witness that opportunities start with the NJCAA.”