The Michigan football team takes the field before the game against Northwestern on Nov.10.
Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com
University of Michigan football fans will want to tune into the CBS News program “60 Minutes” Sunday.
Tonight's the night the program will air a segment featuring the Wolverines and possibly scenes from Ann Arbor.
Crews from the program were in Ann Arbor in August and for the first two home games of the year filming for a segment on the business of college football that’s scheduled to air Sunday, said David Ablauf, Associate Athletic Director, Media and Public Relations for the University of Michigan.
A crew also went to U-M’s high-profile, season-opening game against Alabama in Dallas.
"They saw what we do here at Michigan and what our game day experience is like and what we have to offer and the different things we do to make football an experience that people enjoy,” Ablauf said.
In an article about the segment on the program’s website, University of Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon says the school has to more than rely on its reputation:
“If you don't keep pace, if you don't stay competitive, you're going to have a problem," he says. “ We're going to accomplish all the goals that we need to accomplish to keep this department moving ahead.”
Besides Brandon football coach Brady Hoke, quarterback Denard Robinson and safety Jordan Kovacs were also interviewed for the segment, U-M said.Alabama head football coach Nick Saban and the Towson University football program are also featured.
The article notes football programs play an important public relations role for universities, calling them “critical tools in a race to raise revenues, bolster images and ultimately, win bowl games and championships that will attract more students and better players next year.”
Ablauf said the “60 Minutes” crew also got a taste of other sports on campus and other parts of Ann Arbor.
“The got some footage of some of our Olympic sports. They made some other stops along the way to get some footage of Ann Arbor.”
Among those stops was Zingerman’s Delicatessen. “I think they ate there a few times,” Ablauf said.
The program is scheduled to air at 7:30 p.m. You can watch a preview featuring Towson below:
Cindy Heflin is associate news director for AnnArbor.com. Contact her at 734-623-2572 or cindyheflin@annarbor.com or follow her on Twitter.