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The Minnesota Daily

Serving the UMN community since 1900

The Minnesota Daily

Serving the UMN community since 1900

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Big Ten Network hosts show on campus

The Big Ten Network went tailgating in Minneapolis this past week in anticipation of SaturdayâÄôs Gophers football game . The comedic sports TV show Friday Night Tailgate featured the University of Minnesota campus and surrounding areas. It was correspondent Jordan KlepperâÄôs second time on campus. âÄúIâÄôve really grown to like it here; thereâÄôs always something new happening and thereâÄôs so much ground to cover,âÄù Klepper said. Klepper and fellow correspondent Steve Waltien took a tour around campus while riding segways, swam with sharks at the Mall of America , practiced with the club volleyball team and went head to head with the UniversityâÄôs Quizbowl Club . âÄúItâÄôs a great chance to interact and get to know people by sharing their passions,âÄù Klepper said. âÄúThatâÄôs why this is one of the best jobs out there.âÄù Athletics Director Joel Maturi said their presence showed the increased level of interest in the football program. Hopefully the University can get ESPN Gameday on campus in the future, Maturi said. âÄúExposure is one of the major issues with most prospects and no conference gets the national attention that we in the Big Ten get,âÄù he said. ItâÄôs a departure from other sports shows, host of Friday Night Tailgate Mike Hall said . âÄúItâÄôs a comedy show,âÄù Hall said. âÄúWe try to appeal to the college-age sense.âÄù The show aired a segment called the teammate game with football players Adam Weber and Eric Decker, which gave them a chance to see how much they know about each other. âÄúItâÄôs like the Newlywed Game ,âÄù Hall said. âÄúThe overriding idea of the show is getting fans to see the players without their helmets.âÄù Hall said the show has had some success thus far but there are no plans to expand into different sports seasons. Big Ten Network spokeswoman Elizabeth Conlisk said the networkâÄôs programming gives the Big Ten a recruiting boost. âÄúItâÄôs an irreverent show that gives potential students a taste of life on campus,âÄù she said.

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