The Ranger M1 Millennium bass tournament from Cypress Gardens scored a respectable 1.8/4 in its network television debut on FOX Sports, Nov. 7, 1999. Nationally, the broadcast outdrew NBC’s New York Marathon, and among the all-important male demographics, it beat the Marathon, NBC’s Breeders Cup horse race and ABC’s World of Golf Championships. More impressive is that the show’s 1.8/4 beats the average rating for WNBA on NBC, NHL on FOX, Gravity Games on NBC and MLS (soccer) on ABC. Regionally, the event was a ratings home run. St. Louis had a 6.4 rating, while Milwaukee and Detroit delivered a strong 5.5 rating. Says Operation Bass Chairman, Irwin Jacobs, “The only thing certain in life is death, taxes and that there will be more bass fishing on network television.”