After Avoiding Disaster, A Classy Mike Aresco Vows To Make AAC Stronger Than Ever
Jeff Jacobs
Within the next month, he said, The American will be releasing its strategic plan.
"It has got some real meat on it," Aresco said. "It's not just a series of bromides. It has got real goals and benchmarks."
There will be sections devoted to health and safety, student-athlete welfare, revenue generation, to media, new media and TV and what the strategies might be. There will be a section devoted to competitive benchmarks.
"The first steps in getting back to where the old Big East once was, in the BCS, the power constellation, is to convince the media and the public competitively we belong there," Aresco said. "Once that happens, there's a critical mass and you try to create a fait accompli, so the-powers-that-be says these fellows belong.
"There's a prestige factor that means a lot. People probably thought it was a pipe dream when I talked about us in the P6 conversation. I don't think they think that anymore. The P6 affects recruiting, donations, the amount of media coverage."
Aresco said he will be talking to the NCAA and the Power Five conferences about legislative paths to become one of them down the road. He said the real issue, however, doesn't flow through NCAA legislation. Conferences do their own TV deals. The last football season of The American's current deal with ESPN is 2019 and the deal, which includes basketball, runs through 2019-20.
"We need to continue to be extremely competitive and get a better TV deal," Aresco said. "That's critical. We've kept UConn at a certain level in the conference [a $10 million payout last year, with the Big East dissolution deal], knowing that in a few years some of that revenue will disappear. But that's when we'll be negotiating a new deal.
"We're far more valuable than we were three to four years ago. It's night and day, not even close. Our path is to generate competitive and market value so that TV networks, online companies were willing to pay more than they did four years ago. We had anticipated some early discussion with ESPN and my guess is we'll still have them. In fact, we may have them sooner given all that has transpired."
Negotiations start at the beginning of 2019. That makes 2017 and 2018 vital for on-field success.
"I keep telling our schools, 'You need to keep improving and be competitive. Even though you don't have the dollars [the Power Five] have, you have good coaches, the facilities, a TV deal that gives you exposure. You need to schedule really good nonconference games home and away to attract the networks.'
After Avoiding Disaster, A Classy Mike Aresco Vows To Make AAC Stronger Than Ever
Jeff Jacobs
Within the next month, he said, The American will be releasing its strategic plan.
"It has got some real meat on it," Aresco said. "It's not just a series of bromides. It has got real goals and benchmarks."
There will be sections devoted to health and safety, student-athlete welfare, revenue generation, to media, new media and TV and what the strategies might be. There will be a section devoted to competitive benchmarks.
"The first steps in getting back to where the old Big East once was, in the BCS, the power constellation, is to convince the media and the public competitively we belong there," Aresco said. "Once that happens, there's a critical mass and you try to create a fait accompli, so the-powers-that-be says these fellows belong.
"There's a prestige factor that means a lot. People probably thought it was a pipe dream when I talked about us in the P6 conversation. I don't think they think that anymore. The P6 affects recruiting, donations, the amount of media coverage."
Aresco said he will be talking to the NCAA and the Power Five conferences about legislative paths to become one of them down the road. He said the real issue, however, doesn't flow through NCAA legislation. Conferences do their own TV deals. The last football season of The American's current deal with ESPN is 2019 and the deal, which includes basketball, runs through 2019-20.
"We need to continue to be extremely competitive and get a better TV deal," Aresco said. "That's critical. We've kept UConn at a certain level in the conference [a $10 million payout last year, with the Big East dissolution deal], knowing that in a few years some of that revenue will disappear. But that's when we'll be negotiating a new deal.
"We're far more valuable than we were three to four years ago. It's night and day, not even close. Our path is to generate competitive and market value so that TV networks, online companies were willing to pay more than they did four years ago. We had anticipated some early discussion with ESPN and my guess is we'll still have them. In fact, we may have them sooner given all that has transpired."
Negotiations start at the beginning of 2019. That makes 2017 and 2018 vital for on-field success.
"I keep telling our schools, 'You need to keep improving and be competitive. Even though you don't have the dollars [the Power Five] have, you have good coaches, the facilities, a TV deal that gives you exposure. You need to schedule really good nonconference games home and away to attract the networks.'
After Avoiding Disaster, A Classy Mike Aresco Vows To Make AAC Stronger Than Ever