James Franklin calls for Big Ten to be more 'accessible' after moving media days to Las Vegas

For the last four years, the Big Ten hosted its annual media days at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis after previously doing so in Chicago. This year, however, the field wasn’t available – leading the league to relocate the event to Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

As Penn State coach James Franklin sat at his podium during a breakout session, he didn’t see the usual amount of Nittany Lions beat writers in attendance. That led him to call for more accessibility amid the “different feel.”

Franklin also pointed out the difference between the Big Ten’s media days and the SEC’s, which sometimes sees fans attend seeking autographs. The former Vanderbilt coach pointed out the need to also connect with the fans considering a majority of the conference is in the Midwest.

Penn State’s James Franklin not a fan of Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/oY6EuxWpME

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“A lot of our beat writers did not come to this because they couldn’t afford to get out here,” Franklin said. “And the majority of our teams are near Chicago, where this used to always be. The majority of our teams are near Indianapolis, where this used to be, and it creates a different environment.

“I walk around the lobby, I don’t see any signage, I don’t see anything for the Big Ten. I don’t see people getting autographs. It’s a different vibe and it’s a different feeling.”

James Franklin: ‘We need to be talking about the Big Ten’

As he weighed the Big Ten’s approach to media availability, James Franklin further used the SEC as an example. When the conference hosts its annual spring meetings in Destin each year, commissioner Greg Sankey and coaches hold media availabilities throughout the week.

During its spring meetings this year in Los Angeles, the Big Ten didn’t hold such press sessions. Franklin said that’s also important to keep the conference in the conversation year-round.

“I think that other conference, when they have their meetings, there’s essentially a press conference every single day at the end of the meetings,” Franklin said. “It keeps people talking about that conference at a time of the year and makes them relevant. We’re not doing that. We need to be talking about the Big Ten and our programs and the things that we have done, and making it as accessible to everybody as we possibly can and connecting with the fans.

“Don’t misinterpret what I’m saying. I think Vegas is a special place and I think they run events as well as anybody. But it’s a different feeling. It’s a different feeling. And I’ve been at those other places where people are putting up babies for you to autograph. It’s different. I think there’s still some things that we’ve got to be strategic and smart about that are going to put our conference and our schools in the best position on a national level, in my opinion.”