ESPN / ACC deal... $17 mil / school

[junglehusky]

Swofford couldn't take the ACC contract on the market, he could only renegotiate with ESPN after adding in SyraPitt (correct me if I'm wrong). Refresh my memory, where did the $21mil per number come from? Was that ever supposed to be a slam dunk done deal? I'm speculating but maybe ESPN laughed at that number knowing the ACC couldn't shop around.

 

[Carl Spackler]

the future of the big east hinges on a media contract that allows the big east to broadcast in our respective sports (basketball and football) primetime television viewing slots- such that each program regionally, is in their own primetime slot for viewing as much as possible.

Syracuse just got roped into playing college football games on Friday nights twice a year for the next 15 years, and one of those game has to be against boston college.

Ouch.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

2) Swofford knows FSU and Clemson are gone and wants to set a new floor on his TV deal. When FSU and Clemson leave, he can just hold tight at $17MM/year and force ESPN to take him to arbitration or cancel the contract.

I predict this is what is happening. Swofford is locking in the post-raid contract.

I also think this is a glimmer of hope for UConn. Marinatto quitting/getting fired and Swofford completely caving and signing and extending a fairly crappy deal could be signals that:

1) the Big East is finished - something has happened behind the scenes that leads Marinatto to believe that the end is near. Maybe Louisville is gone and Notre Dame will be following them for non-football sports.

2) Swofford still got a marginally acceptable deal. And a big bump up off the current $13MM/team, in what is effectively a trade of Pitt and Syracuse for FSU and Clemson. If you think ESPN's motivations are to finish off the Big East, losing Louisville and Notre Dame may not get it done by itself. Packing UConn and Rutgers off to the ACC would be the final nail in the coffin. Boosting the ACC's deal, something ESPN did not have to do, for $82MM (12X4 + 17*2) for swapping FSU and Clemson for UConn, Pitt, Syracuse, and Rutgers, seems like a reasonable trade for the worldwide leader.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

$17,000,000 is about what the ACC would get with UConn and RU and without FSU and Clemson if you believe the rumors that the NBE could fetch $12,000,000-$15,000,000. Not sure this means much. ESPN might have said, "whatever, $17,000,000 even if you lose FSU and Clemson because once UConn and Rutgers join you in the ACC, we won't have to pay the Big East squat".

Great minds think alike.

 

[junglehusky]

I can't believe Nelson just came to the conclusion that #BegHarder might possibly work.

Whether or not this scenario does happen, and I hope that it does, one point possibly worth noting is that if FSU/Clemson leave the ACC solidifies its hoops-first identity. FSU would have been BCU's biggest ally in opposing UConn. If they're gone, and Cuse / Pitt get a vote and are not total tools (a la BCU) you have to think UConn is a top-2 choice with ND for ACC expansion. Rutgers does diddly for hoops, though I guess you could speculate the ACC wants another patsy.

 

[Hoophound]

I can't believe Nelson just came to the conclusion that #BegHarder might possibly work.

Whether or not this scenario does happen, and I hope that it does, one point possibly worth noting is that if FSU/Clemson leave the ACC solidifies its hoops-first identity. FSU would have been BCU's biggest ally in opposing UConn. If they're gone, and Cuse / Pitt get a vote and are not total tools (a la BCU) you have to think UConn is a top-2 choice with ND for ACC expansion. Rutgers does diddly for hoops, though I guess you could speculate the ACC wants another patsy.

I don't think you can possibly justify Rutgers over UConn if FSU and Clemson leave the ACC. That's two of their better basketball programs gone too. The strength of UConn basketball is more valuable in that situation. On another note, I doubt losing FSU and Clemson is going to help in bringing ND to the ACC.

 

[whaler11]

Thanksgiving Friday sounds fine to me. Not sure why that would be a complaint from anyone.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I can't believe Nelson just came to the conclusion that #BegHarder might possibly work.

Whether or not this scenario does happen, and I hope that it does, one point possibly worth noting is that if FSU/Clemson leave the ACC solidifies its hoops-first identity. FSU would have been BCU's biggest ally in opposing UConn. If they're gone, and Cuse / Pitt get a vote and are not total tools (a la BCU) you have to think UConn is a top-2 choice with ND for ACC expansion. Rutgers does diddly for hoops, though I guess you could speculate the ACC wants another patsy.

Still lots of moving pieces, so I have not come to any conclusion. The only thing I noted was that Swofford settled at a number that will not help him at all with Clemson and FSU. Why bother, unless a few of the chess moves have already been played and we as fans just don't know it yet?

I think Clemson and FSU are gone, and if the Big 12 goes to 14, Louisville is definitely one of the next teams added. I think ND is moving its non-football sports to the Big 12.

I think the ACC may have already decided on replacements, which is why both ESPN and the ACC agreed to a new deal. If the replacements were unknown, ESPN would drag out the negotiations. Why sign now? That, together with Marinatto's departure, would lead me to believe that UConn and Rutgers are up to bat.

We still don't know what everyone else is doing. VTech, UNC, UVa, Maryland, NC STate and GTech are all independent players in this, and we don't know who they are talking to.

 

[whaler11]

You just said this morning that Louisville isnt in the top 6 and maybe not the top 8.

 

[Fishy]

My guesses....

Clemson and FSU are staying in the ACC. Louisville will head to the Big 12. Notre Dame will continue to park their Ferrari in the Big East's trailer park and we will all just wait and wonder.

 

[John Greene]

Thanksgiving Friday sounds fine to me. Not sure why that would be a complaint from anyone.

Agree. Didn't one of BC's few claims to football fame, the Flutie game, take place on Thaksgiving friday?

 

[Carl Spackler]

Thanksgiving Friday sounds fine to me. Not sure why that would be a complaint from anyone.

Of course not.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Friday night slots are far and away the worst TV slots of the week, so that's nothing to crow about that they get three per year. If anything, it's a knock against the deal. No one is watching sports, or TV in general, at that time.

I think the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend is a good slot, though.

 

[IthacaMatt]

If this was a rumor, I would say that the ACC is basically screwed. FSU could make $10MM a year more leaving, and this agreement adds FIVE more years to the back end, which is a terrible deal for the ACC.

But they issued a press release and make a s*** sandwich sound like caviar. Why would they do that?

The other power conferences are making $20M per year, not $27M. We're talking a $3M difference, which would in large part be gobbled up by extra travel costs.

If FSU went to the Big 12, their two closest rivals would be WVU and Texas, each of which are over 800 miles away. That would kill the budget of all the non-revenue sports teams and really discourage fan travel to away games.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

You just said this morning that Louisville isnt in the top 6 and maybe not the top 8.

Give me your prediction, then I will debate mine. At least mattp had the balls to actually declare that he believes UConn will end up in the Big 10.

 

[IthacaMatt]

The first we heard that Pitt and Syracuse were leaving was a Raleigh radio station a week before they bolted, and no one believed it. The difference between UConn and FSU in this situation is that we have been begging anyone who will listen fro 8 months. That said, I have always stated that the Big 12 is the ONLY league that would take FSU. The SEC and Big 10 are never inviting FSU. I believe the rumors that FSU reached out to the SEC a year ago and was politely declined.

There are two possible reasons for Swofford to drop a $21MM/school ask, plug 5 more years on the deal (which hurts the ACC), and give up Tier 3 rights:

1) ESPN agreed to collude with the ACC not to help the Big 12 to raid the ACC.

2) Swofford knows FSU and Clemson are gone and wants to set a new floor on his TV deal. When FSU and Clemson leave, he can just hold tight at $17MM/year and force ESPN to take him to arbitration or cancel the contract.

This is a bad deal for the ACC, and would be without FSU and Clemson. I don't know why Swofford would agree to this deal at this point unless one of the above is true.

With the Big East only getting $3.6M per school from ESPN, $17M isn't chump change.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

With the Big East only getting $3.6M per school from ESPN, $17M isn't chump change.

Boring trolls like this make me miss Chip.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Boring trolls like this make me miss Chip.

Sorry, Master of the Universe. Keep spinning fantasies about the ACC's imminent collapse.

 

[zls44]

With the Big East only getting $3.6M per school from ESPN, $17M isn't chump change.

Matt, they aren't getting $3.6M per school from ESPN. They're getting whatever they get in the NEXT contract.

Comparing the two is intellectually dishonest.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Matt, they aren't getting $3.6M per school from ESPN. They're getting whatever they get in the NEXT contract.

Comparing the two is intellectually dishonest.

Yes, zls, but it hasn't happened yet. Who knows what that number will be? With the Oops schools making noise about breaking away, the NBE might be the basketball onlies and UConn might be a football independent, waiting for ND to join the ACC, so they get the final seat. Counting on the NEXT contract from ESPN is not a place to be at this point. The schools aren't getting any of that money yet.

 

[whaler11]

Give me your prediction, then I will debate mine. At least mattp had the balls to actually declare that he believes UConn will end up in the Big 10.

I've predicted all along that FSU and Clemson won't go to the Big 12. I imagine that Louisville will.

I have no idea if the hoop schools bolt. I imagine that UConn will spend a few years in this new Big East minus Louisville but with the Catholics for hoops.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The only sources anywhere suggesting that basketball catholic schools are considering separating from the conference is unfounded internet message board rumor and speculation. It's not happening. College football is the primary market force in the intercollegiate sports world nationally. But in our neighborhood, the northeast corridor from Washington to Boston, the television markets are by far the biggest and most desireable in teh country - and this is the battle ground and college football and college basketball are both very important.

There's a reason why ESPN fills up the weeknights in the winter with 10-12 Big East college basketball games and not SEC games. ACC round ball programs not named Duke or UNC don't see a lot of air time either, although their planning on broadcasting more now, that they've got Duke, UNC, and now Syracuse to draw from teh northeast market - except none of them are actually local to the markets...... The big east still has UConn, St. John's, Villanova, now Temple, Georgetown....to draw television audiences on winter weeknights.

The big east basketball schools, through their direct ties with division 1-A football, have direct access to the money that division 1-A football brings. They are not willingly giving up access to that revenue, and in the northeast, after the creation of the YES network led the way....... the northeast, for a sports broadcasting company - college basketball is the way to fill up the winter weeknight primetime broadcasting slots......not college football....and that's what's most valueable to those kinds of broadcasting arragnements.....basketballl....now over college football.....because college basketball primetime fills up all those winter nights when there is no baseball.

College football belongs on fall saturdays, and the baseball carrying networks know it.

College football though, in 20 years has created a divide in athletic programs aroudn money that is enormous, and basketball can't close that gap alone.

Very interesting dynamic, very interesting times.

 

[UCFBfan]

The only sources anywhere suggesting that basketball catholic schools are considering separating from the conference is unfounded internet message board rumor and speculation. It's not happening. College football is the primary market force in the intercollegiate sports world nationally. But in our neighborhood, the northeast corridor from Washington to Boston, the television markets are by far the biggest and most desireable in teh country - and this is the battle ground and college football and college basketball are both very important.

There's a reason why ESPN fills up the weeknights in the winter with 10-12 Big East college basketball games and not SEC games. ACC round ball programs not named Duke or UNC don't see a lot of air time either, although their planning on broadcasting more now, that they've got Duke, UNC, and now Syracuse to draw from teh northeast market - except none of them are actually local to the markets...... The big east still has UConn, St. John's, Villanova, now Temple, Georgetown....to draw television audiences on winter weeknights.

The big east basketball schools, through their direct ties with division 1-A football, have direct access to the money that division 1-A football brings. They are not willingly giving up access to that revenue, and in the northeast, after the creation of the YES network led the way....... the northeast, for a sports broadcasting company - college basketball is the way to fill up the winter weeknight primetime broadcasting slots......not college football....and that's what's most valueable to those kinds of broadcasting arragnements.....basketballl....now over college football.....because college basketball primetime fills up all those winter nights when there is no baseball.

College football belongs on fall saturdays, and the baseball carrying networks know it.

College football though, in 20 years has created a divide in athletic programs aroudn money that is enormous, and basketball can't close that gap alone.

Very interesting dynamic, very interesting times.

Well said and it's true that SNY, YES, and NESN fill their winter programming with College bball. However, football still is the driving force and while ESPN won't abandon the Northeast Corridor, they won't be pining to pony up to keep it either. The NBE is getting further and further away from the North East. How much will this really play a role for them? Would they be willing or able to do a bball only type of TV deal? Will the Big East hold strong enough to make ESPN have to pay dearly in order to keep Big East basketball. Hell, is BE basketball even that big of a draw anymore now that Syracuse, Pitt, and possibly Louisville aren't in it anymore? I don't know....these are tough times coming up. It's crazy that THIS is what is taking up all the headlines of college football....not the actual game or players.

 

[CL82]

They're just trying to steal the thunder from the UConn women's SNY coup.

Nice try, Swofford. Nice try.

Hah, where is your ACC woman's basketball coverage Swofford? Where?
Bwahaha

 

[Jericho]

The first we heard that Pitt and Syracuse were leaving was a Raleigh radio station a week before they bolted, and no one believed it. The difference between UConn and FSU in this situation is that we have been begging anyone who will listen fro 8 months. That said, I have always stated that the Big 12 is the ONLY league that would take FSU. The SEC and Big 10 are never inviting FSU. I believe the rumors that FSU reached out to the SEC a year ago and was politely declined.

Which brings up a very simple and interesting question. If the rumors of Syracuse's departure cropped up within a week of them leving, why is that the FSU reumors have lingered for months without and really credible sources picking up on them? It's one thing to a miss a story that breaks in a few days. But sit on one that's out there for weeks? The media ate up the Missouri/A&M shenanigans and the potential UT to the Pac-10 move.

I still maintain that no move could even be evaluated until the ACC and Big 12 worked out new deals and the new NBC system was determined. We're a lot closer to those events actually happening, but the rumors have been around forever. Doesn't make them seem particularly credible.

 

[freescooter]

Looks like a kind of crappy deal to me...certainly not what I thought they were expecting. if the Big east gets something fairly close, I could imagine very close, the question would have to be what was the big deal about? I don't think BC-Syracuse on thanksgiving Friday is that bad a deal, though. Nice way to end the season...with Texas-A&M and a few others going away it isn't a bad thing to be the tureky weekend game, as long as it isn't Thursday morning! I wish UCONN-Rutgers (and note it isn't that weekend again this year!!! doesn anyone in this friggin' confernece get the concept of rivalries????) could be a feature game on that day or on Saturday of that week I wouldn't mind.

 

[freescooter]

And as an aside, can someone tell me why anyone actually cares whether Clemson stays or goes? If there was an award for underperformance over the last quarter century, clemson would be right in the running...Florida State I get...Don't believe all the nonsense about how good they are, but I get the concept. But Clemson...you could plug any one of 20 teams in and they'd perform as well as Clemson

 

[junglehusky]

I think the reason Clemson was being mentioned was purely because they are more of a football culture, less of a bball school, which matches FSU's supposed distaste for the bball centric direction the ACC was moving in with SyraPitt (and possibly UConn).

 

[CTMike]

- $17 mil per school isn't bad.
- Can the NNBE (if it makes it that far) meet or exceed that number? (allowing for whatever variences due to the hoops onlies)
- Is it better to be featured at the optimum football timeslots on NBC or Fox Sports (but it's NBC or Fox Sports)... or sub-optimal football timeslots on the worldwide leader? (Big Fish/Small Pond or vice versa).

 

[ConnHuskBask]

- $17 mil per school isn't bad.
- Can the NNBE (if it makes it that far) meet or exceed that number? (allowing for whatever variences due to the hoops onlies)
- Is it better to be featured at the optimum football timeslots on NBC or Fox Sports (but it's NBC or Fox Sports)... or sub-optimal football timeslots on the worldwide leader? (Big Fish/Small Pond or vice versa).

The thing that really worries me about being on NBC and not ESPN isn't the time slot, but the fact that ESPN completely and totally shapes public perception on sports. Nowhere does that perception play a bigger role than in college football.

If we have been ragged on for years as the worst conference ( even though we've been better than the ACC ) as a product of ESPN, I really shudder to think what happens when our games are no longer on the station. Big East Football would be lucky to get a 20 second highlight clip and extra lucky if the game wasn't made fun of for the duration of the clip.