Trip to Elon Is a Rare Showcase for Glenville State

Elon finalized its schedule yesterday with a late final addition. The Phoenix announced it would host Division II Glenville State on Thursday, August 27th. This game is a footnote to many during the FCS's opening week, but it is a grand occasion for Glenville State. It marks the Pioneers' first game against Division I competition since 2012 and just their 11th FCS game ever. Elon is also one of two FCS teams that the Pioneers will visit this year, the other being Mercyhurst.

Perhaps more importantly, it is also an opportunity for marquee television exposure. The Piedmont Triad (Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem) My TV affiliate, WMYV, has aired every Elon home game since the 2021 Spring season. Glenville State can extend its reach beyond the Mountain East Conference footprint with this over-the-air appearance.

Unlike its counterpart, the Mountain West, which spans from DeKalb, Illinois to Honolulu, Hawai'i, the Mountain East has one of the tightest footprints in the country. The distance between its northernmost and southernmost football-playing schools is 280 miles, and 284 miles from east to west. Although the Mountain East streams its sporting events for free on MEC.TV, the site hardly grows the league's footprint.

Glenville State gets to play a weeknight game on local over-the-air television in the country's 47th-largest television market, one that serves around 773,000 people. This market alone equals 43 percent of West Virginia's entire population.

Few programs in the Mountain East get opportunities to play in non-conference games of this magnitude. The media exposure to the Piedmont Triad could give the Pioneers a presence in North Carolina and a resulting recruiting advantage.

It may not seem like much to outsiders, but a date with a CAA school on over-the-air television could make this Glenville State's most consequential non-conference game in years.