Every November — and sometimes October — football fans worldwide are treated to the greatest spectacle of them all. As the leaves change and the air begins to crisp in America’s midwest, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are dominated by talk of MACtion.
And you’d be stupid to miss a single play of the best time of the year.
What Does MACtion Mean?
To put it simply, MACtion means regular season midweek MAC conference games. All 12 Mid-American Conference teams play the majority of final games of the regular season on either Tuesday or Wednesday, treating fans who typically don’t have the chance to watch MAC football on Saturdays to the delight that is MAC football.
In all fairness, you can likely call any regular season contest between MAC teams a “MACtion” game, but the term MACtion colloquially refers to the midweek games that dominate the TV screens across all the ESPN networks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Why Does the MAC Play on Tuesdays and Wednesdays?
As stated by MAC Jon Steinbrecher back in 2020, the midweek MACtion is a revenue-generator as much as it is a fanbase cultivator.
“The typical Tuesday-Wednesday game generates $6 million of exposure value,” Steinbrecher said during the MAC Media Days in 2020.
In addition to the exposure each team gets, the MAC signed a media rights deal with ESPN that pays each member school around $830,000 a year through the 2026 season.
MACtion Actually Means More
As fun as it is to call these midweek games MACtion, they truly do mean more. It’s a chance for lesser-known stars to have their names on the big stage.
It’s a time for casual college football fans to witness the glory that is some of the top rivalries in sport. Some of the most historically-rich programs college football has to offer. And a time to see some of the most unique traditions in all of football.
MACtion is more than regular season games within the conference. It’s a money-making opportunity for each program and always delivers entertainment value for viewers.
It allows families to attend games and former players to return to their old campuses. Current coaches can recruit to the games during the midweek slot and hit the recruiting trail on the weekend when other coaches are tied up in their own action.
MACtion also allows for some truly unique weather as the midwest is no stranger to blinding snowstorms on any given Tuesday night.
Midweek MACtion means more for all involved, no matter how you slice it.