Aresco cannot sell the The Big East 'brand equity' to the C7

[ConnHuskBask]

I know there is a lot of talk about the Catholics deserving the Big East name and while that may be true (as the BE was originally for hoops) the football members own it now and it's important to keep it.

No matter how much the Big East has been trashed in ESPN and the media, it is still infinitely more of a brand than C-USA, MTN West or trying to rebrand the conference as 'The American Conference' or whatever awful name they likely will decide on.

It's important for a football standpoint, to be viewed as at least the 'middle' conference between the B1G,Pac,ACC,BigXII,SEC and the MAC,C-USA,MTN West,MAC,Sun Belt.

On to hoops. The Big East will still have some nice programs that are certainly better than the Catholic 7. Of course, Tulane, East Carolina will suck, but the top programs are still legitimate NCAA Contenders most season. Also, consider the dregs in the C7 like Providence, Depaul and Seton Hall.

Here's my big point though - I think keeping the name, the Big East, helps to maintain our relationship with MSG and The Big East Championship.

MSG has the ability to re-do it's contract with the Big East based on current membership and I have an alternate take on why the Big East MAY stick with the football schools.

The Catholic 7 will have better overall 'name' schools and probably slightly more marketable in terms of TV, but for MSG, in terms of attendance I still think the football schools stand to be more likely to sell the building out. At the end of the day, the C7 are still small private schools with small almuni bases that don't generate a ton of ticket sales.

Given that UConn, Temple, Cinci and Memphis are likely to be in the semis-final every year, I would think that those matchups are way more bankable in terms of tickets sold than relying on St. John's to sell out the Garden. If you could get 3/4 every year for Friday/Saturday I think you'll sell more tickets than what the C7 will provide on UConn alone.

I think it's crucial for our basketball recruiting to keep MSG and the Big East brand.

UConn Basketball playing under some BS 'Big American Conference' name with a Tourney in Memphis is going to absolutely kill us in hoops.

 

[Jericho]

Disagree. The brand used to have value, still has some value currently, but will no longer keep that value if its attached to a conference with schools like Tulane, East Carolina, Central Florida, etc... Let's face it. The brand has already taken quite a hit with all the defections. And while the name alone may carry some weight for a season or two based on past goodwill, unless the on the field (or the court) performance backs it up that goodwill will erode.

The options seem to be to sell it now for a tidy sum or run it into the ground so that it is meaningless in a few years. The smart play seems to take the money and get the most out of the brand.

I don't agree with your points. The name Big East will not create some false sense of superiority over the rest of the "group of 5". I don't see how it has any relationship to MSG or the conference tournament (MSG is more concerned with which teams and what fans are there, not the name of the conference). And I don't see how it affects recruiting one iota. Recruits won't magically play for UConn simply wth the name Big East attached to the school. It will play for UConn based on the schools merits and the possible conference opponents.

As Shakespeare would say, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet". The Big East by any other name is the still the same compilation of mediocre schools. The name isn't fooling anyone.

 

[Hoophound]

Disagree. The brand used to have value, still has some value currently, but will no longer keep that value if its attached to a conference with schools like Tulane, East Carolina, Central Florida, etc... Let's face it. The brand has already taken quite a hit with all the defections. And while the name alone may carry some weight for a season or two based on past goodwill, unless the on the field (or the court) performance backs it up that goodwill will erode.

The options seem to be to sell it now for a tidy sum or run it into the ground so that it is meaningless in a few years. The smart play seems to take the money and get the most out of the brand.

I don't agree with your points. The name Big East will not create some false sense of superiority over the rest of the "group of 5". I don't see how it has any relationship to MSG or the conference tournament (MSG is more concerned with which teams and what fans are there, not the name of the conference). And I don't see how it affects recruiting one iota. Recruits won't magically play for UConn simply wth the name Big East attached to the school. It will play for UConn based on the schools merits and the possible conference opponents.

As Shakespeare would say, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet". The Big East by any other name is the still the same compilation of mediocre schools. The name isn't fooling anyone.

Eh, I'll keep the name.

 

[ctchamps]

Keep the name!

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I think you make a lot of fair points, but perception rules all when it comes to our brand equity. For instance, in football, we are already the 6th best conference and the Big East has always been perceived as the 6th best conference. Keeping the Big East name and maintaining our position as the 6th best conference with solid on field play keeps us above the MAC, MTN West, C-USA, etc. If we play under a new name, we become no different to them to the average fan.

For hoops, I think it really does make a difference based on perception alone. At the top we still have great programs like UConn, Cinci and Memphis. We keep the national brand name and evolve. Sure, nothing will compensate for ECU, Tulane etc. but at least we maintain some of our standing in the mind of hoop fans. I think MSG will weigh who will be at the tournament and you could say a Thursday with Tulane v Houston and SMU v UCF draws nobody, but guess what? Depaul v Seton Hall and Prov v Marquette isn't doing much better.

I think the bottom line for me at least is that while The Big East is nearly entirely changed, it still has national name recognition and some cache. We change the name, it becomes easier to lose us in the mid major muck.

Do I think it's a game changer? Somewhat.

Do I think we're ultimately screwed if we never get out of the conference regardless? Yes.

I think playing under a Big East umbrella and in MSG better keeps us afloat the next 5+ years when we could potentially get an invite to the ACC. That's all that matters right now.

 

[Marty Jackson]

what's msg going to look like for the early round matchup of smu vs tulane? or houston vs ucf? ugh...

crickets. 2K in that arena wont last long.
would be better with unlv, sdsu, byu, and new mexico added..

 

[ConnHuskBask]

what's msg going to look like for the early round matchup of smu vs tulane? or houston vs ucf? ugh...

crickets. 2K in that arena wont last long.
would be better with unlv, sdsu, byu, and new mexico added..

What does it look like with Depaul, Providence, Seton Hall and hell even the big names Catholics aside from St. John's don't pack the house anymore.

MSG was selling out with the help of UConn, Syracuse, Pitt, Ville and ND. I mean, the semi's in 2011 was UConn/Cuse ND/Ville and I paid about $150 to sit in the last row of the Garden's upper deck.

For a Big East Championship of the remaining NBE/C7 schools, UConn is the most bankable brand left to sell out the Garden. With a weakened BE, you have to figure we're making it to at least the semi's 9/10 years.

 

[Marty Jackson]

not sure on depaul, but hall and providence brought some fans as they are within driving distance.

cant see smu, ucf, and tulane getting a lot of fans too travel.

 

[upstater]

Keep the name.

 

[RS9999X]

Keep the name but don't pretend the Catholics will end up with a weaker conference.

If Marquette wins on the Gonzaga St Marys thing and they add Xavier, Butler, and St Louis that is a fine conference likely to outsell and out-Nielsen the Big East for a tourney

Sent from my Lumia 920 via Windows 8. Now bite me Apple Droids.

 

[huskyjawz]

Keep it.

 

[Pudge]

Keep the name but don't pretend the Catholics will end up with a weaker conference.

If Marquette wins on the Gonzaga St Marys thing and they add Xavier, Butler, and St Louis that is a fine conference likely to outsell and out-Nielsen the Big East for a tourney

Sent from my Lumia 920 via Windows 8. Now bite me Apple Droids.

And then St. Mary's & St. Louis becomes the next Seton Hall for 20 years.

See ... I simply think you are overselling.

Georgetown has good longterm future. Marquette. Villanova. But ... each of the other 4 are modestly competitive every few years. Then you might get lucky & get a good Butler (with Brad Stevens) and Zavier. It's a good league - it is not the league we just had. It's a top 7 or so.

We ... can see Aresco helping the basketball side of this equation with UConn as well. I don't think anything is forever in stone. If we get a contract near to what the C-7 are talking, we could easily grab Virginia Commonwealth. We might see Boise (who has virtually NO Exit Fee) fold ... and have an opportunity to be good out west with UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State.

And MSG? I see the Barclay Center being a really great spot too. (we can pay more than the A-10)

 

[mcs333]

Keep the name but more importantly is to keep MSG for the conference tour. This is a huge recruiting advantage. All you have to hear is OC state that every kid in NYC dreams about playing in the garden.

 

[UConnDan97]

Keep the name...

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Not saying the New Big East is going to a killer conference for hoops (it won't) but it's actually somewhat eye opening just to see how bad the 'Catholic 7' has sucked since 2000. And yes, pointing out Tulane, SMU and Houstons ineptitude is unnecessary, I'm simply pointing out the Catholic 7's success or lack of it.

Georgetown - 1 Final 4, 1 BET, 2 BE Reg. Season Title
Villanova - 1 Final 4, 1 BE Reg. Season Title
St. John's - 1 BET, Not even 1 E8
Marquette - 1 Final 4
Seton Hall - 1 Sweet 16
Providence - 2 NCAAT Appearances
Depaul - 2 NCAAT Appearances

By comparison, UConn has outdone the 7 schools combined by ourselves - 3 Final 4s, 3 BET, 4 BE Reg. Season Titles.

I was never a big 'we need to split' fan as I think the raids would have still occurred, but if we did split, we really wouldn't have lost a whole lot in hoops.

 

[Adios]

The Big East name does sound nice. Only issue is it has the most defections in the history of the NCAA ever attached to it.

 

[UConnDan97]

The Big East name does sound nice. Only issue is it has the most defections in the history of the NCAA ever attached to it.

By that logic, it also has the most additions...

 

[kingdobbs]

The Big East name does sound nice. Only issue is it has the most defections in the history of the NCAA ever attached to it.

Nope. That honor still belongs to the SoCon, by more than twice the number of members (16 full members have left the Big East since its formation; 33 have left the SoCon, the most recent being the College of Charleston).

It's just that nobody remembers that because most of the defections went to a couple of conferences one might have heard of; they've been in the news recently. They're called the SEC and ACC. And the bulk of them happened by the year 1953.

Even so, the WAC has still generated more defections than the Big East in recent history; they're up to 26 when all is said and done next season.

 

[obliterata]

I hope the football schools keep the Big East name, letting the C7 have it would be a mistake.

I'd also like to see the conference move away from westward expansion and stay in the east/midwest/south but if a better TV contract could be had by adding western schools the BE would have to do it.

Being a fan of the hybrid, having Navy and possibly Army for football only would be good. What would be funny is if the BE added Butler, VCU, Charlotte, and St Louis or some other combination of schools for basketball - that'd kill the A10 and hurt the C7.

 

[Adios]

I hope the football schools keep the Big East name, letting the C7 have it would be a mistake.

I'd also like to see the conference move away from westward expansion and stay in the east/midwest/south but if a better TV contract could be had by adding western schools the BE would have to do it.

Being a fan of the hybrid, having Navy and possibly Army for football only would be good. What would be funny is if the BE added Butler, VCU, Charlotte, and St Louis or some other combination of schools for basketball - that'd kill the A10 and hurt the C7.

Says a Syracuse fan. Thank you for your input.

 

[husky210]

I hope the football schools keep the Big East name, letting the C7 have it would be a mistake.

I'd also like to see the conference move away from westward expansion and stay in the east/midwest/south but if a better TV contract could be had by adding western schools the BE would have to do it.

Being a fan of the hybrid, having Navy and possibly Army for football only would be good. What would be funny is if the BE added Butler, VCU, Charlotte, and St Louis or some other combination of schools for basketball - that'd kill the A10 and hurt the C7.

The hybrid got us into this mess. No thanks.

 

[upstater]

The Big East name does sound nice. Only issue is it has the most defections in the history of the NCAA ever attached to it.

You'd be surprised Butch.
Check out the WAC and CUSA.
More defections than the BE.
We just went through this exercise last week.

 

[TheRogers]

Keep the name...it's history will come in handy once it's value is rebuilt.