John Marinatto resigns as Big East Commish

[junglehusky]

Kind of along the same lines... I want someone to come in who isn't afraid to be ruthless. Kill or be killed. And I'm tired of the BE getting killed.

I don't disagree, but I also don't think it's a question of whether you're willing to be aggressive enough. I think the idea of bringing in Kansas etc. was never going to happen unless OU/UT actually went through with blowing up the B12. I would have loved for the BE to somehow bring in a Maryland or lock in Notre Dame but that was never going to happen either. Realistically, Boise State and UCF are about the best we could have hoped for. Anything beyond bringing in former CUSA schools is dependent on other leagues blowing up, and the B12 managed to hold it together and thus far we have to pray that the ACC will crumble. So far Swofford has proven pretty adept at surviving, we'll see what happens if FSU gets ants in their pants.

 

[freescooter]

Exactly, this is the basketball schools banding together for one final fight. This is not going to end well!

My sense is that the football schools didn't love him. It was basically the basketball schools who kept him. Once he lost their support, he was done. It wasn't all that difficult to assemble a majority to force him out. Interesting note to all those who think Jurich will be the next commissioner...I've heard he was one of the holdouts and is really tight with marinatto. this move would more likely speed up louisville's exit plans than lead to Jurich taking the job as commissioner...but who knows.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

My sense is that the football schools didn't love him. It was basically the basketball schools who kept him. Once he lost their support, he was done. It wasn't all that difficult to assemble a majority to force him out. Interesting note to all those who think Jurich will be the next commissioner...I've heard he was one of the holdouts and is really tight with marinatto. this move would more likely speed up louisville's exit plans than lead to Jurich taking the job as commissioner...but who knows.

This would require Jurich to put Louisville's long term best interests ahead of his own career ambitions. Very rare.

 

[Vowelguy]

The search for the new commissioner will be chaired by Cincinnati president Gregory H. Williams, a member of the Big East Executive Committee.

So I guess that means Cincy will be the next team to leave the conference.

 

[CTMike]

Why does SDSU give a rat's ass about the DC to NYC corridor? Or Boise, Houston or SMU? I've been saying for months that there is no way this Frankenstein's monster of a conference can stay afloat. The hoops schools know it and probably want to cut their losses. They can keep the name and MSG, bring in some additional schools or merge with the A1o. There is no way that PC, St. Johns, SHU and Georgetown want to (or can afford to) travel to Memphis, Houston and Dallas. Florida was bad enough.

Quite frankly the only scenario in which the Big East name retains any value is if the basketball onlies split and keep the name. As a football conference, it's been dragged through the mud long enough.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

My sense is that the football schools didn't love him. It was basically the basketball schools who kept him. Once he lost their support, he was done. It wasn't all that difficult to assemble a majority to force him out. Interesting note to all those who think Jurich will be the next commissioner...I've heard he was one of the holdouts and is really tight with marinatto. this move would more likely speed up louisville's exit plans than lead to Jurich taking the job as commissioner...but who knows.

So let me get this straight. The football end of the Big East is crumbling all around with "techtonic shifts" about every 8 years, while the Commish assumed to position. And now it's the basketball school booting him out? No wonder things are the way they are? What next Notre Dame demanding bumping rights in any future Men's Final Four should a BE team earn it's way in?

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

"One of the biggest stumbling points has been how the television money would be divided among the basketball and football schools. Last year at the spring meetings in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., one proposal suggested a 75/25 split -- 75 percent of the money going to football schools, and 25 percent going to basketball schools. One athletic director at a basketball school raised his hand and wondered why the numbers were not flipped, since hoops is the reason the Big East exists in the first place."

I've advocated for a split for 2 years. The time is now. Noone that's qualified for this job in their right mind would accept it.

 

[Dann]

does anyone know marinates mailing address? i want to send him some roses and a double cheese burger.

 

[IMind]

"One of the biggest stumbling points has been how the television money would be divided among the basketball and football schools. Last year at the spring meetings in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., one proposal suggested a 75/25 split -- 75 percent of the money going to football schools, and 25 percent going to basketball schools. One athletic director at a basketball school raised his hand and wondered why the numbers were not flipped, since hoops is the reason the Big East exists in the first place."

This is why 'Cuse, WVU, and Pitt are gone... and why UConn would follow in a moments notice. If the basketball schools had any sort of grasp on reality... you could maintain a conference like the Big East. They've been riding coat-tails for far to long. It's time to go. Before Pitt and Cuse left... I thought there was value in maintaining the relationship with the basketball schools... but I was wrong. They just don't get it.

 

[IMind]

I don't disagree, but I also don't think it's a question of whether you're willing to be aggressive enough. I think the idea of bringing in Kansas etc. was never going to happen unless OU/UT actually went through with blowing up the B12.

I agree, but the Big East didn't help itself out when you had basketball schools actively lobbying against grabbing Kansas, etc.

 

[Carl Spackler]

This is why 'Cuse, WVU, and Pitt are gone... and why UConn would follow in a moments notice. If the basketball schools had any sort of grasp on reality... you could maintain a conference like the Big East. They've been riding coat-tails for far to long. It's time to go. Before Pitt and Cuse left... I thought there was value in maintaining the relationship with the basketball schools... but I was wrong. They just don't get it.

There is value there. It has to occur under a business structure that makes sense though. in one of the conference discussions a year ago, I wrote about what I thought could work - a Big East conference umbrella with separate football dba's and basketball/olympics. Separate corporate offices. Separate leadership panels. Could even go as far as to require separate / distinct/ unique representatives from schools that cross both sports to be involved in committee leadership.

Only way to make it happen, and go into television negotiations without hte weakness of internal crossfire, and have a stable structure where all members are confident and sure that their leadership chain of command, is owrking for their interests only and not others.

The big east could have gotten here for free, but they'll pay some company in Boston millions for it. LOL

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

There is value there. It has to occur under a business structure that makes sense though. in one of the conference discussions a year ago, I wrote about what I thought could work - a Big East conference umbrella with separate football dba's and basketball/olympics. Separate corporate offices. Separate leadership panels. Could even go as far as to require separate / distinct/ unique representatives from schools that cross both sports to be involved in committee leadership.

Only way to make it happen, and go into television negotiations without hte weakness of internal crossfire, and have a stable structure where all members are confident and sure that their leadership chain of command, is owrking for their interests only and not others.

The big east could have gotten here for free, but they'll pay some company in Boston millions for it. LOL

I think what you just described.....are 2 separate conferences.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Nope, not two separate conferences. A hybrid conference that makes sense.

If your quote Jimmy, about the b-ball AD is accurate - don't know where it came from, you didn't post citation, it's all you need to know. I'm confident in saying that the context/meaning of that quote is an accurate reflection of things that can happen in the current Big East business structure when it comes to internal decision making.

The hybrid conference can work, and can be quite powerful actually, MORE powerful than an all sports conference - with the power of basketball AND football in revenue generating, but it all depends on having a structure that doesn't allow for exactly what you quoted to be happening with internal decision making.

 

[Mr.Phat]

Just heard it from Bill King - stunner.

Not really.

 

[upstater]

I don't think anyone pushed for two separate conferences more than me over the last four years, back when WV, Cuse and Pitt were in the conference. No way I want to see UConn up against a slate of Rutgers, SMU, Houston, UCF, Memphis now. The bball games with any juice to them will be against Louisville, Cincy and the Catholics.

 

[FAIRTIDES]

"One of the biggest stumbling points has been how the television money would be divided among the basketball and football schools. Last year at the spring meetings in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., one proposal suggested a 75/25 split -- 75 percent of the money going to football schools, and 25 percent going to basketball schools. One athletic director at a basketball school raised his hand and wondered why the numbers were not flipped, since hoops is the reason the Big East exists in the first place."

I've advocated for a split for 2 years. The time is now. Noone that's qualified for this job in their right mind would accept it.

Every CC in the country has a diverse constituency and while the presence of FB only and non-football schools adds layer to BE challenges, it will not deter an ambitious, MEDIA SAVVY, reasonably young go-getter. I wouldn't want a CC that fears a challenge. What I hope for is a person that will see and address the challenges and, most importantly, sell and change the perception of the BE FB product.

On another note, I hope someone reached out to the new/about to become members so that they didn't learn of the resignation from the media. A simple, but important, courtesy.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

UConn's athletic program is finished if the basketball schools split. Absolutely finished. We will be in a league with UMass, UNH, Rutgers, Temple, Buffalo and a few CAA upgrades within 5 years.

If the hoops schools leave, and Louisville leaves, there is really no reason for UCF, SMU, Houston, Boise, SDSU and Memphis to join us. I have no idea what happens after they reach that conclusion, but 90% likely, it is very bad for UConn.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Marinatto is nothing more than a scapegoat. Anybody here who thinks they somehow have some brilliant plan to make the Big East immune to raids by superior conferences or can somehow prevent Universities from jumping ship for better TV deals is deluding themselves.

As long as we are a conference full of teams who don't even share the same interests, nevermind lack the football culture to draw the kinds of dollars being thrown at the PAC 12 or SEC, we'll always have this problem regardless of who is in charge.

Think of the competing interests:

• Basketball-only schools
• Football-only schools
• Full-fledged members
• Notre Dame

They all have competing interests and the only thing they can agree on is that THEIR interest hasn't been served.
Marinatto leaving doesn't change anything, really.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I don't think anyone pushed for two separate conferences more than me over the last four years, back when WV, Cuse and Pitt were in the conference. No way I want to see UConn up against a slate of Rutgers, SMU, Houston, UCF, Memphis now. The bball games with any juice to them will be against Louisville, Cincy and the Catholics.

From 1997 to 2011, I wnated a split of conference. I only wanted to stay in, if football became a priority over basketball. I've said repeatedly, that I believe that football did begin to take precedence over basketball, and I've wanted to stay in conference - and the addition of the naval academy solidified that for me. But in reality - putting football over basketball? That's not fair to the basketball only interests in teh league, and isn't a positive change.

If what i believe to be happening, is actually happening, the conference itself is finally working to set itself up as a hybrid business structure in intercollegiate football and men's basketball, such that you don't need a commissioner that has to fight the battles that Tranghese and Marinatto fought......in constantly having to manage members with different agendas - in competition - rather than working together to create a better product.

We shall see.

 

[freescooter]

"One of the biggest stumbling points has been how the television money would be divided among the basketball and football schools. Last year at the spring meetings in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., one proposal suggested a 75/25 split -- 75 percent of the money going to football schools, and 25 percent going to basketball schools. One athletic director at a basketball school raised his hand and wondered why the numbers were not flipped, since hoops is the reason the Big East exists in the first place."

I've advocated for a split for 2 years. The time is now. Noone that's qualified for this job in their right mind would accept it.

If that quote is accurate, that just confirms just how out of touch these guys were. And how screwed up this conference is...

 

[Carl Spackler]

UConn's athletic program is finished if the basketball schools split. Absolutely finished. We will be in a league with UMass, UNH, Rutgers, Temple, Buffalo and a few CAA upgrades within 5 years.

If the hoops schools leave, and Louisville leaves, there is really no reason for UCF, SMU, Houston, Boise, SDSU and Memphis to join us. I have no idea what happens after they reach that conclusion, but 90% likely, it is very bad for UConn.

Take it easy, nobody is splitting anything up except for Businesslawyer's post on his three possible scenarios.

A split of the big east conference in 2012 along football/basketball lines is counterproductive to every member institution of the Big EAst - now and coming - including Notre Dame.

 

[metsfan2323]

UConn's athletic program is finished if the basketball schools split. Absolutely finished. We will be in a league with UMass, UNH, Rutgers, Temple, Buffalo and a few CAA upgrades within 5 years.

If the hoops schools leave, and Louisville leaves, there is really no reason for UCF, SMU, Houston, Boise, SDSU and Memphis to join us. I have no idea what happens after they reach that conclusion, but 90% likely, it is very bad for UConn.

Wrong. If the hoops school's split they will offer UCONN the opportunity to join them. UCONN would then just have to find a football only league for the football team. Hopefully that football only conference will be a national conference that includes the names we are currently tied to. The only real difference will be that the football only league has no ties to the Big East and of course Memphis, Houston, SMU etc will have to find another basketball league to join.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Wrong. If the hoops school's split they will offer UCONN the opportunity to join them. UCONN would then just have to find a football only league for the football team. Hopefully that football only conference will be a national conference that includes the names we are currently tied to. The only real difference will be that the football only league has no ties to the Big East and of course Memphis, Houston, SMU etc will have to find another basketball league to join.

If the Hoops schools walk, they are washing their hands of the football schools completely and irrevocably. They aren't going to open a hybrid relationship with UConn.

The best realistic solution is that the current Big East, this island of misfit toys, hangs together. Any other outcome is disastrous.

 

[metsfan2323]

If the Hoops schools walk, they are washing their hands of the football schools completely and irrevocably. They aren't going to open a hybrid relationship with UConn.

The best realistic solution is that the current Big East, this island of misfit toys, hangs together. Any other outcome is disastrous.

So the Hoops schools will cut off their nose to spite their face. I doubt it. I'm pretty sure that UCONN was in fact a founding member of the league. No way will they just toss us aside when having us there will help maintain the dignity of the conference

And in my scenario there is no Hybrid relationship for the Big East, they will have the same relationship they have with all of their other members, one that does not include football.

 

[Srqhusky]

Samuel Jackson for commish! Bad mutha f-er