FSU, ACC In It For The Long Haul

[auggie22]

If you believe this maneuver would work then you believe that ESPN would never leave the leave the state of Connecticut, and as Frankthetank has mentioned previously ESPN's profits equal EVERYTHING else that Disney owns. How much does ESPN get in tax breaks? 60 million dollars? ESPN would either threaten to leave the state of Connecticut over a gradual withdrawal if they were losing money or offer to go to another state.

I understand you think ESPN could tell another conference to invite UConn, but as Frankthetank mentioned it would have drastic circumstances to ESPN's shareholders. ESPN can have their cake and eat it as well. ESPN loves being in Bristol and loves the tax breaks, but the company would be profitable anywhere, and while ESPN wouldn't want to lose the tax breaks I am sure they would find other ways to generate the revenue they would lose in tax breaks by asking for more money from cable carriers to carry ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, or other ways.

Please reread fishy's post. Don't you see how foolish it is to suggest that Espn would move out of the state. They are in it for billions. And their entire production staff is settled here. It would take them decades to leave.

 

[whaler11]

Can ESPN move everything? Of course not. Can they move pieces or grow elsewhere? Of course.


ESPN didn't destroy the Big East in the end. They offered them a fair contract the league stupidly rejected (which is exactly what the geniuses here wanted to do). The Big East committed suicide in the end because they stupidly overvalued themselves and the geographic mishmash they had created. Remember when 4 time zones was a good thing? How clueless can you be?

 

[ruskin]

Can ESPN move everything? Of course not. Can they move pieces or grow elsewhere? Of course.


ESPN didn't destroy the Big East in the end. They offered them a fair contract the league stupidly rejected (which is exactly what the geniuses here wanted to do). The Big East committed suicide in the end because they stupidly overvalued themselves and the geographic mishmash they had created. Remember when 4 time zones was a good thing? How clueless can you be?

Wasn't the Pitt pres head of the TV committee? Fox (the animal, not the network), meet henhouse.

 

[whaler11]

Wasn't the Pitt pres head of the TV committee? Fox (the animal, not the network), meet henhouse.

If ESPN knew Pitt and Syracuse would be in the ACC they never would have offered that deal.

So unless you are proposing ESPN told Pitt to lead the rejection of the deal and they would have a soft landing... Pitt just happened to get lucky because without BC they would have been in WVU's position begging the Big XII.

 

[The Viking]

Can ESPN move everything? Of course not. Can they move pieces or grow elsewhere? Of course.


ESPN didn't destroy the Big East in the end. They offered them a fair contract the league stupidly rejected (which is exactly what the geniuses here wanted to do). The Big East committed suicide in the end because they stupidly overvalued themselves and the geographic mishmash they had created. Remember when 4 time zones was a good thing? How clueless can you be?

Regarding the idea that they "stupidly" rejected it, that's the perfect example of armchair QB. No one knew at the time or ESPN's offer being rejected that Cuse, Pitt, Louisville and Rutgers would all be gone by the time actual negotiations went down.

Only ESPN and maybe a few other people know about what actually happened AFTER the Big East rejected their offer and was ready to take their conference to a competitor, but let's just say things sure worked out for ESPN in the end.

 

[whaler11]

Regarding the idea that they "stupidly" rejected it, that's the perfect example of armchair QB. No one knew at the time or ESPN's offer being rejected that Cuse, Pitt, Louisville and Rutgers would all be gone by the time actual negotiations went down.

Only ESPN and maybe a few other people know about what actually happened AFTER the Big East rejected their offer and was ready to take their conference to a competitor, but let's just say things sure worked out for ESPN in the end.

Not sure why it matters if it's armchair quarterback. The league, it's schools and some it's fans greatly overrated the value of the collective. They got offered a fair contract and rejected it.

NBC was a fantasy that people talked themselves into. If you think that is armchair quarterbacking you should have paid closer attention.

Anyway if ESPN's goal was to destroy the league why did they offer them 8 figures a team? No one ever has that answer in these threads.

 

[The Funster]

IF BE had accepted ESPN offer then ESPN would have protected it's investment and advised the ACC not to poach the BE.. That advice would have held at least until the B1G scooped up Rutgers and MD. Had that happened, I believe ESPN would have encouraged two of its properties (ACC and ESPN) to form an alliance.

Of course, that didn't happen, so ESPN advised the ACC that there were BE schools it should take to enhance its profile.

Business is business and it was nothing personal.

Revoking the tax incentives because ESPN hasn't gone out of its way to help UConn would be personal and hence, bad business, IMO. That doesn't mean ESPN would leave. They'd be pissed but they'd stay. It is inane to think that they would "gradually" move elsewhere. They'd have to seek simiar incentives elsewhere then design, build and move in to the new facility. That is a big nut.

The only caveat I have is if ESPN, after being spurned by the BE, decided that it was going to go out of its way to wreck the BE. That, too, is personal and put its home state institution at considerable risk. That would change the Connecticut - ESPN dynamic considerably.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

D'Oh? Really? You sure? $300m in private funds come through the university every year, not to mention the residuals from having a higher educated and skilled workforce, that can ATTRACT companies LIKE ESPN BECAUSE of the workforce UConn produces. When the add the public private partnerships like Jackson Labs and the potential for the future (i.e. U. Albany's efforts have created a pool of $15 billion -- yes, billion with a B -- in private investment in the region), and you quickly see how schools are huge economic engines.

And ESPN is currently the world's most valuable media company at about $40 billion.

Obviously UConn is integral to the state's economy and ability to grow. But you need to think real long and hard before you tell the world's largest media company, who you rely on for jobs and tax revenue, to go f itself.

 

[upstater]

And ESPN is currently the world's most valuable media company at about $40 billion.

Obviously UConn is integral to the state's economy and ability to grow. But you need to think real long and hard before you tell the world's largest media company, who you rely on for jobs and tax revenue, to go f itself.

$15 million is the size of the tax break about to expire. Take that $15m, give it to UConn.

As for the world's largest, ESPN is in CT. Not Disney. There is still a difference there.

 

[upstater]

Not sure why it matters if it's armchair quarterback. The league, it's schools and some it's fans greatly overrated the value of the collective. They got offered a fair contract and rejected it.

NBC was a fantasy that people talked themselves into. If you think that is armchair quarterbacking you should have paid closer attention.

Anyway if ESPN's goal was to destroy the league why did they offer them 8 figures a team? No one ever has that answer in these threads.

If ESPN was aware Pitt and Cuse added to the ACC were worth $20m per (I'm assuming they are doing their fiduciary duty in giving those 2 schools that money), then ESPN also knew the ramifications of offering Pitt and Cuse $12 million in the BE.

 

[pj]

Just build up UConn's value; exit the AAC either for (1) football/basketball/WBB independence with major conference scheduling tie-ins and regional TV deals with SNY/NESN and occasional national media games, or (2) the B1G or B12 -- both Fox-associated leagues; and then let ESPN wish they had us, or make the ACC give us an offer to get us back on to ESPN. Success is the best revenge.

I'm serious about the independence part. The problem is scheduling; conferences solve that. But the AAC is no picnic, it's geographically extended with a ton of travel. If we can find opponents at all, we'll have just as good a schedule. If SNY was willing to pay $1.5 mn for WBB only, we can easily get $6 mn plus for regional cable deals in all sports. Then 4-5 $1 mn basketball games a year and 2-3 $1 mn football games a year, plus -- and this is big -- being able to keep all our NCAA tourney credits and playoff revenue -- puts us well above AAC/MWC/BE money and within hailing distance of the major leagues.

Scheduling is the tough part but if you can do football and basketball scheduling deals with major conferences that goes a long way. The AAC would surely benefit from such a deal as opposed to losing UConn entirely, it gets media rights to UConn's away games and that adds value to its media. The Catholic 7 - Big East would also benefit similarly from a scheduling arrangement in non-football sports.

 

[noeynox]

Just build up UConn's value; exit the AAC either for (1) football/basketball/WBB independence with major conference scheduling tie-ins and regional TV deals with SNY/NESN and occasional national media games, or (2) the B1G or B12 -- both Fox-associated leagues; and then let ESPN wish they had us, or make the ACC give us an offer to get us back on to ESPN. Success is the best revenge.

I'm serious about the independence part. The problem is scheduling; conferences solve that. But the AAC is no picnic, it's geographically extended with a ton of travel. If we can find opponents at all, we'll have just as good a schedule. If SNY was willing to pay $1.5 mn for WBB only, we can easily get $6 mn plus for regional cable deals in all sports. Then 4-5 $1 mn basketball games a year and 2-3 $1 mn football games a year, plus -- and this is big -- being able to keep all our NCAA tourney credits and playoff revenue -- puts us well above AAC/MWC/BE money and within hailing distance of the major leagues.

Scheduling is the tough part but if you can do football and basketball scheduling deals with major conferences that goes a long way. The AAC would surely benefit from such a deal as opposed to losing UConn entirely, it gets media rights to UConn's away games and that adds value to its media. The Catholic 7 - Big East would also benefit similarly from a scheduling arrangement in non-football sports.

I think your idea has to be seriously explored once the the exit fee money has dried up. Right now, that is too much to walk away from for independence. If were still in this conference by the time the current TV runs out in six years, I'm sure we could sell our TV rights to an SNY like station, park some of our sports in the A10 or similar conference and maybe pay them to play in their league and come off better.

Even though I'm over it, I still can't over the fact that we are the ONLY school, that was in a BCS league in 2004, that isn't today. No one has gotten more screwed in CR than UConn. It really is unbelievable.

 

[zls44]

If were still in this conference by the time the current TV runs out in six years, I'm sure we could sell our TV rights to an SNY like station.

Why?

Why do people think SNY would be running to get UConn FB at such a high price? They'd take it- but they wouldn't pay very much.

 

[whaler11]

Why?

Why do people think SNY would be running to get UConn FB at such a high price? They'd take it- but they wouldn't pay very much.

The rights are worth almost nothing to SNY. If they can't go back and renegotiate the fees there is no value. It's only home games... The same people who would watch are at the damn games.

Unattractive games up against much better television properties?

Independence is total and complete immediate death of the program. Nobody is stupid enough to go down that road.

 

[J187Money]

If it's that big, the loss of $15 million a year in subsidy won't hurt them.

It wouldn't. I've been through the math before.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I was thinking INDY for BB men's and women's.

Football has to stay in a conference.
Does it really matter what conference if its not top 5?
You could have contracts with all the Networks with SNY carrying the low tier.
One game per week on national network TV.
Create exciting matchups.

I think the networks would bite on a schedule of top games.
What does an automatic bid mean to us anyway?

 

[zls44]

Independence for football is stupid, independence for basketball is holy--call-the-doctors stupid.

Google "Cal St. Bakersfield"

 

[huskymedic]

ChaddScott 10:11am via HootSuite
I was told last night FSU AD Randy Spetman was CRITICAL in bringing Louisville to ACC; for that he should be applauded

ChaddScott 10:17am via HootSuite
What I was told by someone w/ intimate knowledge of situation FSU's Spetman & SYR AD Gross 2 key players in bringing UL to ACC

 

[upstater]

ChaddScott 10:11am via HootSuite
I was told last night FSU AD Randy Spetman was CRITICAL in bringing Louisville to ACC; for that he should be applauded

ChaddScott 10:17am via HootSuite
What I was told by someone w/ intimate knowledge of situation FSU's Spetman & SYR AD Gross 2 key players in bringing UL to ACC

And this is exactly what was reported back then by Blaudschun. It also jibes with what most of us believe. FSU held a gun to everyone's head. As for Syracuse, they don't want to compete with UConn.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

ChaddScott 10:11am via HootSuite
I was told last night FSU AD Randy Spetman was CRITICAL in bringing Louisville to ACC; for that he should be applauded

ChaddScott 10:17am via HootSuite
What I was told by someone w/ intimate knowledge of situation FSU's Spetman & SYR AD Gross 2 key players in bringing UL to ACC

As if we need more reason to hate the Orange, here is just another reason on top of many.