Commentary Thread for Premium Top-Shelf Tweets | Page 39 | The Boneyard

Commentary Thread for Premium Top-Shelf Tweets

WestCoastHusky said:
Yes. ESPN directed ACC to expand as soon as BE turned down the TV deal proposed by the ESPN. Instead of letting BE go to the open market to get a better TV deal, ESPN decided to rip the BE apart by funding the ACC expansion. Through its actions, ESPN virtually destroyed the BE by using the ACC as the weapon of the choice.

This is a cutthroat business. Instead of risk losing the BE to NBC or FOX, ESPN used the ACC to control as much media assets as possible through the ACC expansion since ESPN has all of ACC's media rights. ESPN will protect the ACC as long as it controls much of the ACC's media rights. As a result, UCONN, USF, and Cincy were damaged . I would love to see a massive lawsuit against ESPN and the ACC just to get some of these backroom dealings out in the deposition. I doubt it will happen though.
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I understand the sentiment, but we don't need more lawsuits. Blumenthal did enough damage by taking that route. I just hope we end up in the Big 12 or, better yet, the B1G. Then the ACC, their duplicitous and useless collection of former BE members and the entirety of ESPN can settle beneath the waves, preferably stern first.
 
HuskyHawk said:
Yes, but do you really think ESPN directed the ACC to expand? Or that the ACC decided to expand and ESPN said, "heck yes, we're in on that. Here's the extra money you need to make it work."
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They did give them the extra money to make it work. If they hadn't, it wouldn't have worked.
 
upstater said:
They did give them the extra money to make it work. If they hadn't, it wouldn't have worked.
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Yes, no question. I'm not saying they didn't want and facilitate the expansion, they did. I just tend to think that the ACC drove it, with ESPN's help. Honestly, we don't really know. Maybe ESPN did orchestrate the whole thing.
 
And right now everyone wants ESPN and Fox to help destroy the American by funding and pushing UConn.

So it's a bit hypocritical to be all bent out of shape. It was really Pittsburgh who screwed everyone anyway. They pushed for turning down the contract - which was the motivation to add them.
 
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whaler11 said:
And right now everyone wants ESPN and Fox to help destroy the American by funding and pushing UConn.

So it's a bit hypocritical to be all bent out of shape. It was really Pittsburgh who screwed everyone anyway. They pushed for turning down the contract - which was the motivation to add them.
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Hey, we're UConn fans. Have we met?
 
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whaler11 said:
And right now everyone wants ESPN and Fox to help destroy the American by funding and pushing UConn.

So it's a bit hypocritical to be all bent out of shape. It was really Pittsburgh who screwed everyone anyway. They pushed for turning down the contract - which was the motivation to add them.
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Going to have to disagree on the AAC part. AAC is a G5 conference with a huge disparity in media payouts comparing to P5 conferences. Teams are going to leave one way or another if any P5 conference comes calling regardless what ESPN or FOX thinks. Big East was a former BCS conference. It received a contract that would have paid members around $14M to $15M per year. Even if some teams leave, that per year payout would have kept the conference afloat since it could have backfilled teams easily from G5 conferences.
 
I actually think realignment might end up being good for both the Big 12 and the AAC. I get the feeling that the AAC want to try this TV deal again with 16 schools in all 4 time zones with a focus on football.
 
If there is no expansion - becoming more and more likely - I would think that some of the Mt. West schools may give the American a serious look considering the final cut has been almost entirely AAC programs. The 12 team American + BYU, Boise, Nevada and Colorado State to make a 16 team football conference would be pretty damn good.
 
NYUConn said:
If there is no expansion - becoming more and more likely - I would think that some of the Mt. West schools may give the American a serious look considering the final cut has been almost entirely AAC programs. The 12 team American + BYU, Boise, Nevada and Colorado State to make a 16 team football conference would be pretty damn good.
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That'd be a nice compromise, though it'd be great if we could find a way to shed Tulane and Tulsa.
 
brasssbonanzaa said:
That'd be a nice compromise, though it'd be great if we could find a way to shed Tulane and Tulsa.
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If there is one thing this round has actually taught me it's that Tulane is actually pretty good company to keep academically. I don't hate having them in our conference, just wish they could be less of a dumpster fire in athletics. Plus always fun to visit New Orleans.

Tulsa should be fired into the Sun.
 
NYUConn said:
If there is one thing this round has actually taught me it's that Tulane is actually pretty good company to keep academically. I don't hate having them in our conference, just wish they could be less of a dumpster fire in athletics. Plus always fun to visit New Orleans.

Tulsa should be fired into the Sun.
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I get the academic side of it but my god they're bad at everything. I mean, why not add Rice too? They suck but have great academics. (I'm not advocating this!!!!)
 
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brasssbonanzaa said:
I get the academic side of it but my god they're bad at everything. I mean, why not add Rice too? They suck but have great academics. (I'm not advocating this!!!!)
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Because UH covers that market. I think. :p
 
Re boren's comments on fan excitement. Pro for BYU and UH. Semi-pro for UConn in terms of the basketball prestige. Not sure it affects Cincy (vanilla).
 
UConnTrumbull said:
Re boren's comments on fan excitement. Pro for BYU and UH. Semi-pro for UConn in terms of the basketball prestige. Not sure it affects Cincy (vanilla).
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Eric Bailey ‏@EricBaileyTW 2h 2 hours ago
Boren in weighing Big 12 candidates-Do they add financial strength? Do they add athletic/academic strength? Do they add athletic excitement?

Eric Bailey ‏@EricBaileyTW 2h2 hours ago
Boren: "I'm also listening to fans, not just to our coaches & AD ... How do they feel about it? Are they excited about the expansion pool?"
 
>>Boren said that while the pro rata bumps are motivation for expansion, they're also a concern. "We do have a relationship to maintain, not only short term, but long term with the networks," Boren said. "When you have a partnership and you have a friendship, it isn't just for today, it's long term. And I think you have to think about long-term implications in any action we take. If we were to expand by two teams, four teams, that has financial implications for the networks. I think we have to see if that adds to the long-term stability or not."<<
 
whaler11 said:
And right now everyone wants ESPN and Fox to help destroy the American by funding and pushing UConn.

So it's a bit hypocritical to be all bent out of shape. It was really Pittsburgh who screwed everyone anyway. They pushed for turning down the contract - which was the motivation to add them.
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I disagree about the hypocrisy because I don't think the two situations are remotely equivalent. The ACC/ESPN set out to kill the Big East out of greed. UConn is trying to exit the American, not kill it, and not out of greed but rather a desire for long-term survival.
 
Jimbo said:
I disagree about the hypocrisy because I don't think the two situations are remotely equivalent. The ACC/ESPN set out to kill the Big East out of greed. UConn is trying to exit the American, not kill it, and not out of greed but rather a desire for long-term survival.
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And I'm sure Pitt would say the same thing about what they did.

It's everyone looking out for themselves and not being concerned about anyone else.

ESPN offered the Big East money that was more than fair. The schools turned it down - was ESPN just supposed to pay them more because they said no?
 
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Jimbo said:
I disagree about the hypocrisy because I don't think the two situations are remotely equivalent. The ACC/ESPN set out to kill the Big East out of greed. UConn is trying to exit the American, not kill it, and not out of greed but rather a desire for long-term survival.
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I'm pretty sure UConn could care less about the fate of the American if we were to leave. And it is about money - maybe not necessarily greed which is a bit excessive - but definitely about money. Our long-term survival depends on one thing - money.
 
Who Ha said:
Any conference that seriously listens to fans deserves their fate.
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If you polled B12 fans they would all only want to play UT and OU in football every week.
 
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brasssbonanzaa said:
I get the academic side of it but my god they're bad at everything. I mean, why not add Rice too? They suck but have great academics. (I'm not advocating this!!!!)
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Because Tulane is in New Orleans and Rice isn't. Good football or not, having the excuse to grab a few buddies for a weekend in the French Quarter away from the misses and kids is worth it.
 
Sea Goat said:
I understand the sentiment, but we don't need more lawsuits. Blumenthal did enough damage by taking that route. I just hope we end up in the Big 12 or, better yet, the B1G. Then the ACC, their duplicitous and useless collection of former BE members and the entirety of ESPN can settle beneath the waves, preferably stern first.
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You're right for the very reason why a case should be made. There is no doubt a well funded litigation team could lay out a significant case against the evil empire for tortious interference. There is no political appetite because of the repurcussions of being blackballed....which is precisely the reason redress to the courts is ultimately needed to fix a broken system.
 
whaler11 said:
And I'm sure Pitt would say the same thing about what they did.

It's everyone looking out for themselves and not being concerned about anyone else.

ESPN offered the Big East money that was more than fair. The schools turned it down - was ESPN just supposed to pay them more because they said no?
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No, of course not (and I agree that the money was more than fair). But ESPN could simply have let the Big East walk away from the table and try its luck negotiating with some other TV partner. Instead it opted to bankroll the Big East's destruction at the hands of the ACC. I understand that every party will act in its own interest, and doubtless ESPN was doing the same, but still, some self-interested moves are necessary and some aren't. I don't believe for a second that killing the Big East was essential to ESPN's long-term survival, whereas leaving the American probably is essential to UConn's. Hence my original point (which I won't belabor beyond this post) that I personally don't find it hypocritical to be indignant about the former scenario while condoning the latter.
 
Who Ha said:
Any conference that seriously listens to fans deserves their fate.
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I had the same reaction, but I suspect (and hope) Boren is paying lip service to "listening to our fans" and plans to make whatever decision for Oklahoma he would have made anyway, regardless of the fans' input.
 
Not sure what his message is, but mindful of the OU-UT relationship, he could be saying our fans have zero interest in being part of a conference that is essentially comprised of TX schools. Said differently, no Houston
 
Jimbo said:
I disagree about the hypocrisy because I don't think the two situations are remotely equivalent. The ACC/ESPN set out to kill the Big East out of greed. UConn is trying to exit the American, not kill it, and not out of greed but rather a desire for long-term survival.
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The B12 is not looking at the American as competition it wants to destroy. The ACC looked at the BigEast as exactly that. So you're right. The two situations aren't comparable.

Consider, the ACC wanted to be known as the top bball conference. But the Big East stood in the way.
The ACC took Miami, BC, VT, Syracuse & Pitt, 5 of the 8 or 9 FB schools pre-2004. That's over 50% of the conference.
 
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