AAC commissioner discusses his league's football future and its sudden split with UConn

[DefCONNOne]

So many dumb takes from non-UConn fans.

Outnumbered by the dumb takes by the UCONN fans who think this is a "bigtime, winning" move.

 

[browndog319]

So they keep poking us because we couldn’t bite back and we just got up and left?

One of my dogs is in a cone- it’s being held together with unicorn duck tape. Between her and her brother, I don’t know if it will survive until her next check with the vet this Friday...
She was bitten by a brown recluse spider. Those things will f a puppy up!

 

[browndog319]

Outnumbered by the dumb takes by the UCONN fans who think this is a "bigtime, winning" move.

Only stupid to those who don’t get what it’s like to sell out a conference tournament.
Only stupid to those who don’t realize that the 2014 NC was likely made possible because it went through MSG... talk about a home field advantage. Watch those games against MSU and Iowa State. The crowd was insane.
That’s what being in the Big East for basketball is.

 

[TJT]

I get the monetary loss for UConn women's basketball tv rights. I however think that whatever is lost there is more than made up for on the football side. While many here argue that AAC women hoops outide UConn brings zero value, the same can be said about football with UConn. There is far more money derived from football TV rights and Husky football presently adds very little to the pot compared to some of the other teams.

 

[huskyrob1]

UConn cant have its cake and eat it too. Yall keep complaining about how the AAC sucks yet you wanna keep football here. It doesn't work that way. Yall took yall ball and went home, take your football home as well.

The AAC does suck and UConn leaving hurts the AAC really bad. The ESPN+ package is junk. Either Aresco gets fired soon or other AAC Schools start saying amongst themselves "hey maybe UConn made the right move". UConn has clearly shown how much value they add to ANY conference, they also showed that that value goes with them when they leave. UConn football will do well as an independent and will probably get a P5 invite in 3 or 4 years. As for the AAC it will probably implode spectacularly.

 

[UConnRock]

I would venture a guess that ESPN's actuarial analysis of the future contract allocated a very high percentage of ESPN+ memberships following completion of the football season directly to UConn basketball, both men's and women's. Based on the attendance for other AAC basketball teams there would be very few $5/month subscribers outside of the August to November football season. Maybe Cincinnati and Wichita would garner some interest. There was a reason ESPN did not budge on the Teir 3 rights. The AAC, and specifically UConn, was ESPN's Guinea Pig for ESPN+ at the FBS and semi-major basketball level. UConn was not interested in loss of revenue for the sake of ESPN's beta testing.

I am still interested in the details of the future contract. If Aresco negotiated for UConn not to be included in the list of departing teams that re-opened the contract, he certainly did well in protecting the others in the AAC. Also curious what Wichita St. gets for hoops only as that puts a bar for estimating UConn's value minus football.

 

[huskyrob1]

I would venture a guess that ESPN's actuarial analysis of the future contract allocated a very high percentage of ESPN+ memberships following completion of the football season directly to UConn basketball, both men's and women's. Based on the attendance for other AAC basketball teams there would be very few $5/month subscribers outside of the August to November football season. Maybe Cincinnati and Wichita would garner some interest. There was a reason ESPN did not budge on the Teir 3 rights. The AAC, and specifically UConn, was ESPN's Guinea Pig for ESPN+ at the FBS and semi-major basketball level. UConn was not interested in loss of revenue for the sake of ESPN's beta testing.

I am still interested in the details of the future contract. If Aresco negotiated for UConn not to be included in the list of departing teams that re-opened the contract, he certainly did well in protecting the others in the AAC. Also curious what Wichita St. gets for hoops only as that puts a bar for estimating UConn's value minus football.

As Benedict said, Uconn, Wichita State, or anybody in the AAC according to the contract Aresco penned, will cover all production costs for major sports. The schools actually lose money or barely break even, and ESPN cleans up with advertising revenues while soaking fans for 5 or 6 bucks in subscription fees . I could be wrong on this but I think this is why UCONN bolted. Basically ESPN was telling the AAC that their conference sucks and if they want to be on tv they will have pay up.

 

[Madmannsucks]

UConn cant have its cake and eat it too. Yall keep complaining about how the AAC sucks yet you wanna keep football here. It doesn't work that way. Yall took yall ball and went home, take your football home as well.

Did you say, Yall took Yall ball? Guessing you did not go to UConn.

 

[Pudge]

The Koch Brothers in Wichita own a business empire. Tillman Fertitta in Houston owns the Rockets and the Landry's restaurant chain, which includes about 35 brand offshoots. The problem with bagmen in America these days is that many of them have become very respectable.

It reminds me of Eddie DeBartolo, Jr., former owner of the SF 49'ers. Eddie is a gangster in Youngstown, Ohio. The NFL always knew about Eddie, but since he had the most successful franchise in the NFL, they looked the other way. Eventually the feds got him for tax evasion and money laundering, so the NFL was forced to ditch him by making him sell the franchise. That this guy is in the NFL HOF is disgusting.

His sister is now the Owner

 

[freescooter]

Mustang man gets it. The whole point of a conference is to benefit as a group. Take advantage of various members strengths. Frankly we weren’t making $5 million of SNY. And our basketball decline was 100% on us. In fact for a program that brought squat to the League over the past 5-6 years, it was pretty ridiculous for us to be as demanding as we seem to have been. We’ve been surpassed in basketball by Houston Temple Central Florida Memphis at least. Arguably SMU. In football by programs that have been dogs for a generation like Temple and Memphis and even Tulane. Sad to say UConn brought very little to the AAC yet wanted to be treated like royalty. Now we have moved on to be a modest program in a mostly mid tier academic mostly Catholic league. Let’s face it. Nobody is confusing St Johns and Providence with Duke and UNC. Made a move based on nostalgia. Now we just need to figure out Y2K every thing will be great.

 

[huskyrob1]

Mustang man gets it. The whole point of a conference is to benefit as a group. Take advantage of various members strengths. Frankly we weren’t making $5 million of SNY. And our basketball decline was 100% on us. In fact for a program that brought squat to the League over the past 5-6 years, it was pretty ridiculous for us to be as demanding as we seem to have been. We’ve been surpassed in basketball by Houston Temple Central Florida Memphis at least. Arguably SMU. In football by programs that have been dogs for a generation like Temple and Memphis and even Tulane. Sad to say UConn brought very little to the AAC yet wanted to be treated like royalty. Now we have moved on to be a modest program in a mostly mid tier academic mostly Catholic league. Let’s face it. Nobody is confusing St Johns and Providence with Duke and UNC. Made a move based on nostalgia. Now we just need to figure out Y2K every thing will be great.

I think you're off your rocker. If UConn had no value then why is Aresco, the AAC, and ESPN pss.d as hell at Benedict for pulling this? With UConn gone this ESPN + thing is garbage. The AAC right now reminds me of the Big East right after BC and Cuse bolted to the ACC. If Aresco isn't fired soon the AAC will implode just like old Big East did.