<p>^^^^ Not according to official USNA sources.</p>
<p>From the gomids article, “Interview with the 'Dant - part one”:</p>
<p>**“(Captain Klein said,) ‘The ESPN part was a late addition…a really late addition…the AD said if you’re going to have the brigade there, can I bring in ESPN? [Now what] we’re trying to figure out with the battalion officers is if ESPN is going to be there, do we care if there is a [partially] empty Alumni Hall after a certain point…if people want to go back to study.’” </p>
<p>As it turns out, ESPN isn’t even footing the bill for the coverage of midshipmen cheering in Alumni Hall during the Pitt game. According to Navy Sports Information Director, Scott Strasemeier, the Navy Athletic Association thought the footage would be such a benefit for the school that they are paying for the satellite truck and the costs associated with it."**</p>