If this were an exercise in efficiency, only, it makes a lot of sense. But given that you have two different groups of competitors each with different fans it will accrue to the disadvantage of the women and, in all likelihood result in the women playing in half empty venues if you have to buy tickets for both tourneys together.
You forgot the USWNT--they are equally paid as the men and I daresay, the stars of this team are more well-known than their male counterparts...
Let me make a suggestion. Suspend your comment about many venues across the country being able to handle both tournaments Until you go to at least one tournament. Your qualification “aside from the challenges of dining and hotel” is telling. The airlines are just not nimble enough to schedule additional flights into most places including Atlanta so that fans do not have to drive significant distances to get there.The NCAA is looking at tis concept from a business point of view. We're looking at it from a fan's perspective. Aside from the challenges of travel, dining and hotel accommodations, I think having both final fours in the same venue would be profitable. I've never been to a final four, so I can't argue against Geno's takes here. He sees issues I don't and can't appreciate. I would love to attend a women's final four, but only if UConn is in it.
There are lots of venues (cities) across the country that could handle a combined final four. I'm admittedly being selfish and biased when I suggest Las Vegas as a potential site. Getting there, finding a hotel room and experiencing fine dining would not be a problem. You could get a room that weekend WITHOUT a reservation. There are thousands of hotel rooms in Las Vegas to fit every budget from the Strat Hotel $33 per night) to the Aria (from $564 per night). Hundreds of excellent places to dine. Stage shows to die for, not to mention all of the casinos awaiting your pleasure. Who doesn't like going to Las Vegas? Right Serg?
They have multiple venues in the city that could handle a final four audience. You could not tell there was a final four in the city that weekend. Las Vegas is use to large crowds of tourists and weekend warriors EVERY WEEKEND. They can handle it!! Four conferences have their end of season tournaments there every year. The NFL Raiders play 10 games a year there to near capacity (65,000) crowds at Allegiant Stadium. It will probably never happen, but if it does, I'm there.
You are right of course! But, the vast majority of WBB fans are not at the games. Thst does not mean we don't support them, financially or otherwise. Everything is not what you see. But I don't disagree with your comment.
Carnac, you are correct on 99.9% of your statement, except the highlighted portion. It is Five conferences that hold their end of season tournaments for both the men's and women's. There are over 150,000 hotel rooms in the Vegas Valley and during the March Madness there are over 200,000 people here watching the games in local sports books and even some special viewing sites that are anywhere from no costs to $500 a head.The NCAA is looking at tis concept from a business point of view. We're looking at it from a fan's perspective. Aside from the challenges of travel, dining and hotel accommodations, I think having both final fours in the same venue would be profitable. I've never been to a final four, so I can't argue against Geno's takes here. He sees issues I don't and can't appreciate. I would love to attend a women's final four, but only if UConn is in it.
There are lots of venues (cities) across the country that could handle a combined final four. I'm admittedly being selfish and biased when I suggest Las Vegas as a potential site. Getting there, finding a hotel room and experiencing fine dining would not be a problem. You could get a room that weekend WITHOUT a reservation. There are thousands of hotel rooms in Las Vegas to fit every budget from the Strat Hotel $33 per night) to the Aria (from $564 per night). Hundreds of excellent places to dine. Stage shows to die for, not to mention all of the casinos awaiting your pleasure. Who doesn't like going to Las Vegas? Right Serg?
They have multiple venues in the city that could handle a final four audience. You could not tell there was a final four in the city that weekend. Las Vegas is use to large crowds of tourists and weekend warriors EVERY WEEKEND. They can handle it!! Four conferences have their end of season tournaments there every year. The NFL Raiders play 10 games a year there to near capacity (65,000) crowds at Allegiant Stadium. It will probably never happen, but if it does, I'm there.
Business is business. The NCAA wants and needs to attract customers. The real question is the means and methods. My best guess is the Women of any sport would come out second in attendance. Men have been playing the game since the Canadian brought basketball to Springfield, Ma. The women haven't been REALLY visible until late in the 20th Century. A fan base IS developing. But it has not as yet arrived. Is this suggestion good for Women ? Is it great for them?? THEN the next question ; will this help or hurt the men's revenues? Suggestions need time to consider and then Test Sites before making this kind of change permanent. I'm a never say never type.
I agree with you on general terms. Isn't a one or 2 year test worth the try? The Women, in my opinion, are great sports events, but not competitive with men in attendance, it needs help. Do you have a better suggestion? That's not negative. Something needs to be done, if not this, then what?
It's TV and it's a lot of money. Currently, the TV rights for the Men's Tournament pay almost $800 million per year. The new deal starting in three years is $1.1 billion. Ticket sales alone would not fund the entire men's tournament. That TV contract funds 75-80% of the NCAA's operating costs.
I expected it was something like that. There’s no way the Women’s tournament can draw enough viewers to generate that kind of revenue, as things stand now. The question is whether combining the two tournaments would increase their ratings. It sounds like a gamble, but it may be the quickest way to expand interest in the women’s game.
What difference does it make the race, gender, or age of the fans? I have never understood that argument. It’s a butt in the seat. They spend their money. Please, give me a reason why it matters.
For the millionth time, the women’s tournament HAS NEVER BEEN SOLD to a network as a standalone product and it is estimated it COULD be sold for quite a profit. The commercial slots for the tournament this year sold out in 2 days. The WBB tournament was sold as a package with all women’s sports championships for a fraction of its estimated worth because the NCAA “men” in charge made that decision. If you keep giving something away for free you’ll never make a profit. See how that works?
yea good luck getting a bidder to overpay for a product that loses revenue. Wnba has been on Espn and now CBS and still can't profit.
There is a big difference between 12 teams that few follow and 68 teams that have hometown fans. I believe that there will also be more than one network that will bid on the Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament. In June 2024 the NCAA contract with ESPN will end. The NCAA has stated that it is going to open it up for bids starting in 2024-25 season instead of it being bundled with the other 23 NCAA tournaments that ESPN currently has the rights to.
and that might be worse. If Fox wins the rights that means games would be on FS1 and FS2, networks that are not available to everyone.
Some of the Men's games were on channels that are not available to everyone and they still played the games. I'm willing to bet that if Fox wins the NCAA will still make more money on the Women's tournament then what they are now getting from ESPN.
Playing a game on ESPN or CBS every once in a while is not going to turn a bunch of profit. Either you don’t understand how all that works or you just like telling everybody over and over and over and over that WBB can’t profit.
Where and how are women's college tennis and women’s college golf less profitable that the mens programs?
Correct. CBS buys the rights to both tournaments and the women’s tournament to ESPN for, I believe $34 million. As of today that is the value of the woman’s tournament. It has been estimated that its value might be as high as $100 million as a standalone product. That is a formidable number, assuming it’s correct. Heck, $34 million is a formidable number. But it is, quite literally, pennies on the dollar compared to the $1.1 billion the men’s game is worth. There’s nothing shameful in that. People would be far wiser, in my opinion, to celebrate what the woman’s game is, rather than lament what it is not.
There’s not a doubt in my mind that Fox would put the final four games on fox, not FS1 or FS2.
Where and how much money do women's college golf and tennis make money for the school? Is there a woman's football program that brings in many millions of $$? How much more does the men's NCAA tourney generate compared to the women's tourney? THAT was my point.
Absolutely agree. People act like because the women’s tournament isn’t worth what the men’s is worth means it’s not worth bothering with selling it outright. That’s ridiculous.
