Mike Aresco addresses UConn's departure, the impact on his American Athletic Conference moving forward

[whaler11]

Can't wait to have nothing to do with this guy, and this crap conference

uh hey mike we’d love to. you know what would have been a huge help? tv revenue...

 

[UConnNick]

Aresco is trying his best to get in front of this to control the narrative but in the end UConns departure is going to expose how bad a deal he made.

Where did anybody find Aresco? He has to be the worst conference commissioner in the history of conferences. He even has PAC12 commish Larry Scott beat, and that really takes some doing. I thought Marinatto was bad, and then we get this lame brain. He's so full of it I think he delusionally believes his own BS.

 

[noeynox]

Where did anybody find Aresco? He has to be the worst conference commissioner in the history of conferences. He even has PAC12 commish Larry Scott beat, and that really takes some doing. I thought Marinatto was bad, and then we get this lame brain. He's so full of it I think he delusionally believes his own BS.

He really didn't start with much. When you consider what he has done for the rest of the conference (save for us, USF and Cincinnati) he belongs on the Mt Rushmore of commissioners. USF and Cincy cannot understand our move back to Big East because its not an option available to them. No school in the conference has the pressure of producing high quality women's bball games like UConn does. They can get away with a high school level of production we can't. So that is just another expense out of the "7 million", they don't have.

He's been a good commissioner for 80 percent or more of the league when you consider what the rest of the G5 is making. We are just tired of taking one for the team.

 

[CL82]

He really didn't start with much. When you consider what he has done for the rest of the conference (save for us, USF and Cincinnati) he belongs on the Mt Rushmore of commissioners. USF and Cincy cannot understand our move back to Big East because its not an option available to them. No school in the conference has the pressure of producing high quality women's bball games like UConn does. They can get away with a high school level of production we can't. So that is just another expense out of the "7 million", they don't have.

He's been a good commissioner for 80 percent or more of the league when you consider what the rest of the G5 is making. We are just tired of taking one for the team.

Lol, "Mount Rushmore of commissioners?" Really?

As I've said often, the AAC is a bad fit for UConn. A northeastern land grant university with a strong brand and name recognition was always going to be a bad fit in southern/western conference of upstart and has been directional and city schools. So I agree, that Aresco's performance can be abysmal for UConn but good for the rest of the schools. But here's the thing, college sports has become a shooting war of every increasing expenditures. The way the successful conferences fund that is through media money. That was specifically why Aresco, a TV executive, was hired. That is the thing he has singularly failed to deliver.

Oh he has his reasons for failure, but every failed executive has excuses. The Mount Rushmore of executives are the ones that overcome those excuses and succeed regardless. His big success is the exposure he got us in lieu of a reasonable payoff. Of course that can also be viewed as ESPN getting content at next to nothing. Who really won on that exchange?

But wait he got us this great media deal which lasts to 2032, right? Yes he did. Of course he only is getting marginally more on an annual per school basis than a nine year old basketball only conference deal. Not particularly impressive. But wait there's more... the supposed $7M per school he got? That is number that is in effect in 2032, the current amount is less. Wow, that sucks pretty bad right, but it gets even worse. That number is a gross number. Since the ACC will have to bear their own production costs, estimated at $2M per year, that means that in 2032 the ACC will be making about $1M more than the NBE is making today. Oh and that doesn't count the fact that AAC schools will have to make capital investments so that they have production capability.

Aresco on the "Mount Rushmore of commissioners?" I think not. Perhaps he deserves a plaque near the men's room in the "Hall of Suckery" though.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Lol, "Mount Rushmore of commissioners?" Really?

As I've said often, the AAC is a bad fit for UConn. A northeastern land grant university with a strong brand and name recognition was always going to be a bad fit in southern/western conference of upstart and has been directional and city schools. So I agree, that Aresco's performance can be abysmal for UConn but good for the rest of the schools. But here's the thing, college sports has become a shooting war of every increasing expenditures. The way the successful conferences fund that is through media money. That was specifically why Aresco, a TV executive, was hired. That is the thing he has singularly failed to deliver.

Oh he has his reasons for failure, but every failed executive has excuses. The Mount Rushmore of executives are the ones that overcome those excuses and succeed regardless. His big success is the exposure he got us in lieu of a reasonable payoff. Of course that can also be viewed as ESPN getting content at next to nothing. Who really won on that exchange?

But wait he got us this great media deal which lasts to 2032, right? Yes he did. Of course he only is getting marginally more on an annual per school basis than a nine year old basketball only conference deal. Not particularly impressive. But wait there's more... the supposed $7M per school he got? That is number that is in effect in 2032, the current amount is less. Wow, that sucks pretty bad right, but it gets even worse. That number is a gross number. Since the ACC will have to bear their own production costs, estimated at $2M per year, that means that in 2032 the ACC will be making about $1M more than the NBE is making today. Oh and that doesn't count the fact that AAC schools will have to make capital investments so that they have production capability.

Aresco on the "Mount Rushmore of commissioners?" I think not. Perhaps he desires a plaque near the men's room in the "Hall of Suckery" though.

seems like no post on the BY is complete without the phrase 'men's room' tossed in there somewhere. lol.

 

[Adios]

Somehow, JMU looks at the AAC as heaven on earth. So does Buffalo.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Somehow, JMU looks at the AAC as heaven on earth. So does Buffalo.

Easier to rationalize for the 2 schools than it does for UConn, no?

 

[CL82]

Somehow, JMU looks at the AAC as heaven on earth. So does Buffalo.

Because it is a step up for them. I'm sure a net couple of million a year, plus games that are actually broadcast somewhere seems like nirvana.

 

[Scrutineer]

By not meekly accepting a deal in which the commissioner negotiated away media rights UConn pretty much solely enjoyed, UConn has made a bold statement about how it sees itself going forward.

That statement, if coupled with improved football and men's basketball performance, could even tip the scales in UConn's favor should there be another round of conference expansion. If, for example, the B1G has maxed out its viewership in its existing footprint and the media deal that will be offered to them in several years includes major streaming components, the only way for them to increase (or perhaps even maintain) revenue per school would be to generate more viewership in a new region. New England, New York and New Jersey is a region that comes to mind.

 

[Scrutineer]

They're not going to cut the contract by $2M per school, but the answer would be no even if they did.

We can leave with 27 months notice and $10,000,000. To leave earlier, we need to come to some sort of arrangement with the conference, but it certainly would not be $2M per school, per year.

The new television contract doesn't even start until 20-21, which is the earliest we'd be able to leave anyway.

Football may struggle with a schedule for 2020, but that scheduling problem will also exist for the AAC teams who lose us from their schedules so it may make sense, for the league and UConn, for us to depart after the 2020 season for football and after the 2019 season for all other sports. Fall of 2021 is more than 27 months (for football) after June 2019 and maybe that's why this happened in June of 2019.

 

[noeynox]

Lol, "Mount Rushmore of commissioners?" Really?

As I've said often, the AAC is a bad fit for UConn. A northeastern land grant university with a strong brand and name recognition was always going to be a bad fit in southern/western conference of upstart and has been directional and city schools. So I agree, that Aresco's performance can be abysmal for UConn but good for the rest of the schools. But here's the thing, college sports has become a shooting war of every increasing expenditures. The way the successful conferences fund that is through media money. That was specifically why Aresco, a TV executive, was hired. That is the thing he has singularly failed to deliver.

Oh he has his reasons for failure, but every failed executive has excuses. The Mount Rushmore of executives are the ones that overcome those excuses and succeed regardless. His big success is the exposure he got us in lieu of a reasonable payoff. Of course that can also be viewed as ESPN getting content at next to nothing. Who really won on that exchange?

But wait he got us this great media deal which lasts to 2032, right? Yes he did. Of course he only is getting marginally more on an annual per school basis than a nine year old basketball only conference deal. Not particularly impressive. But wait there's more... the supposed $7M per school he got? That is number that is in effect in 2032, the current amount is less. Wow, that sucks pretty bad right, but it gets even worse. That number is a gross number. Since the ACC will have to bear their own production costs, estimated at $2M per year, that means that in 2032 the ACC will be making about $1M more than the NBE is making today. Oh and that doesn't count the fact that AAC schools will have to make capital investments so that they have production capability.

Aresco on the "Mount Rushmore of commissioners?" I think not. Perhaps he desires a plaque near the men's room in the "Hall of Suckery" though.

This TV contract can only be judged in the context of what other G5 leagues get. For all the bluster, this is still a group of 5 league. When i see other G5 top what he got in terms of money and exposure, then sure. What ECU, Tulane, and Tulsa are getting, I'm sure are numbers they have never come close to previously. Same for UCF, Houston, Memphis etc.

I said this long before the contract was signed, but what schools like Memphis were bound to see as an amazing contract wasn't going to apply to us.

The Big East got Fox to over pay but their ratings have been a mixed bag. Getting UConn back is a huge chip to their future bargaining situation.

I just want to see us negotiate our way out of the AAC, to begin seeing what is in store for football.

 

[CL82]

seems like no post on the BY is complete without the phrase 'men's room' tossed in there somewhere. lol.

Lol, I'd never noticed that. It seemed appropriate in this case.

 

[CL82]

This TV contract can only be judged in the context of what other G5 leagues get. For all the bluster, this is still a group of 5 league. When i see other G5 top what he got in terms of money and exposure, then sure. What ECU, Tulane, and Tulsa are getting, I'm sure are numbers they have never come close to previously. Same for UCF, Houston, Memphis etc.

I said this long before the contract was signed, but what schools like Memphis were bound to see as an amazing contract wasn't going to apply to us.

The Big East got Fox to over pay but their ratings have been a mixed bag. Getting UConn back is a huge chip to their future bargaining situation.

I just want to see us negotiate our way out of the AAC, to begin seeing what is in store for football.

Well Aresco, say our peers are the P5. If so, shouldn't that be our standard?

But even ignoring that for a moment, our original media deal was lower than the NBE a basketball only start up conference. But what about our brandy new media rights deal? On net basis it is still lower than the nine year old NBE deal. It is just plain bad.

 

[DefCONNOne]

I don't care for ESPN.... I do care about UConn, where ever they are shown I will tune to it. If they move to FS sport that is where my remote channel will be moving to. The only time ESPN will get me to watch them is when UConn is playing on it if on National TV, if it is behind a pay wall then I will read about it on the internet or watch it on youtube after. They are not getting a penny more from me.... They are responsible in the situation the university is in. I will not forget that.

What's "FS sport"?

 

[whaler11]

I don't care for ESPN.... I do care about UConn, where ever they are shown I will tune to it. If they move to FS sport that is where my remote channel will be moving to. The only time ESPN will get me to watch them is when UConn is playing on it if on National TV, if it is behind a pay wall then I will read about it on the internet or watch it on youtube after. They are not getting a penny more from me.... They are responsible in the situation the university is in. I will not forget that.

Can we stop w/ nonsense.

You can’t get FS1 & FS2 in any package without paying for ESPN.

If you think ESPN makes money from *you* watching - get what they don’t.

 

[noeynox]

Well Aresco, say our peers are the P5. If so, shouldn't that be our standard?

But even ignoring that for a moment, our original media deal was lower than the NBE a basketball only start up conference. But what about our brandy new media rights deal? On net basis it is still lower than the nine year old NBE deal. It is just plain bad.

Like I said, forget the bluster. It’s a G5 league. The Big East is in its unique spot. A true power conference without football. The AAC should be judged against fellow G5’s. But you’re right he claimed P6, but did not deliver the dollars to make that claim legit. It is however as close as those out of the P5 will get to say Boise State.

 

[noeynox]

Easier to rationalize for the 2 schools than it does for UConn, no?

Well yeah. It’s all relative to where you came from. We were in a BCS league. Those schools can’t spell BCS.

 

[hardcorehusky]

Can we stop w/ nonsense.

You can’t get FS1 & FS2 in any package without paying for ESPN.

If you think ESPN makes money from *you* watching - get what they don’t.

I have FS1 and FS2 without ESPN on Fubo. I get all the sports channels I want except ESPN. It is perfect for me.

 

[whaler11]

I have FS1 and FS2 without ESPN on Fubo. I get all the sports channels I want except ESPN. It is perfect for me.

My bad - did not realize anyone sold a package with FS1 that didn’t have ESPN in it.

 

[UCFBfan]

More of a rehash but couple of interesting blurbs in this Capital Gazette article:

American Athletic Conference commissioner not concerned about Connecticut departure

For the past week or so, commissioner Mike Aresco has been conducting interviews with most of the newspapers that cover member schools of the American Athletic Conference. Aresco’s message ha…

www.capitalgazette.com

>>Aresco had planned to take a vacation to Europe this week, but that was postponed so he could address this situation.<<

>>There is a provision in the new media rights contract that allows ESPN to renegotiate because of Connecticut’s departure. Naturally, Aresco was not eager to discuss any potential changes to the deal.

“We’re going to sit down with ESPN fairly soon. We have a great relationship with ESPN,” Aresco said. “Obviously we hope that the impact is minimal, but I really don’t want to get into it. I don’t want to do anything that would put them on the spot. We’re still a powerful conference in both revenue sports.”<<

Naval Academy athletic director Chet Gladchuk declined to comment about Connecticut’s departure from the American and its potential impact. Gladchuk told The Capital via text message he wants to wait until the AAC athletic director’s meetings in Newport, Rhode Island later this month before speaking about the issue.

I found this bit at the end interesting. Is this hinting that Navy could be rethinking it's set up after they find out the results of the fallout?

 

[huskymedic]

Naval Academy athletic director Chet Gladchuk declined to comment about Connecticut’s departure from the American and its potential impact. Gladchuk told The Capital via text message he wants to wait until the AAC athletic director’s meetings in Newport, Rhode Island later this month before speaking about the issue.

I found this bit at the end interesting. Is this hinting that Navy could be rethinking it's set up after they find out the results of the fallout?

I think Aresco told Gladchuk that loose lips sink ships after his last interview on 6/24.

Spite and greed is a powerful combo...

Chris Vannini @ChrisVannini 7 hours ago
Navy AD Chet Gladchuk to The Athletic on the AAC potentially replacing UConn down the road: "I don’t think we bring in anybody that doesn’t add value. That’ll be my vote. I don’t think we fill to fill. I have no interest in that."

Chris Vannini @ChrisVannini 7 hours ago
Navy AD Chet Gladchuk doesn't believe UConn's impending departure will significantly affect the AAC TV deal. "The ratio of interest by ESPN on the AAC, it was overwhelming in football. … I don’t think losing UConn is going to affect us to any degree of any significance.”

Chris Vannini @ChrisVannini 7 hours ago
Whether or not the AAC replaces UConn also ties into the TV deal. Navy AD Gladchuk: "It means there’s one less distribution to make. It means we get a little more of the revenue sharing. Anyone that comes in has got to be a plus rather than a fiscal detriment.”

Chris Vannini @ChrisVannini 7 hours ago
Navy AD Gladchuk on UConn: "They were a good partner. I enjoyed the relationship with them, but if they think the grass is greener, they need to go grace in that direction. We want people affiliated with the conference that want to be there."

 

[UConnNick]

Lol, "Mount Rushmore of commissioners?" Really?

As I've said often, the AAC is a bad fit for UConn. A northeastern land grant university with a strong brand and name recognition was always going to be a bad fit in southern/western conference of upstart and has been directional and city schools. So I agree, that Aresco's performance can be abysmal for UConn but good for the rest of the schools. But here's the thing, college sports has become a shooting war of every increasing expenditures. The way the successful conferences fund that is through media money. That was specifically why Aresco, a TV executive, was hired. That is the thing he has singularly failed to deliver.

Oh he has his reasons for failure, but every failed executive has excuses. The Mount Rushmore of executives are the ones that overcome those excuses and succeed regardless. His big success is the exposure he got us in lieu of a reasonable payoff. Of course that can also be viewed as ESPN getting content at next to nothing. Who really won on that exchange?

But wait he got us this great media deal which lasts to 2032, right? Yes he did. Of course he only is getting marginally more on an annual per school basis than a nine year old basketball only conference deal. Not particularly impressive. But wait there's more... the supposed $7M per school he got? That is number that is in effect in 2032, the current amount is less. Wow, that sucks pretty bad right, but it gets even worse. That number is a gross number. Since the ACC will have to bear their own production costs, estimated at $2M per year, that means that in 2032 the ACC will be making about $1M more than the NBE is making today. Oh and that doesn't count the fact that AAC schools will have to make capital investments so that they have production capability.

Aresco on the "Mount Rushmore of commissioners?" I think not. Perhaps he deserves a plaque near the men's room in the "Hall of Suckery" though.

Yeah, I fail to see how anybody thinks this guy is on the "Mt. Rushmore" of anything. I was embarrassed when I found out he's a UCONN law grad. He's a good reason not to go to law school there.

He has now managed to deliver not one, but two crappy media rights deals. BTW, media rights are supposed to be his strong suit. Hahaha...so much for that.

Let's examine these deals more closely. The first time around he was representing three schools that were members of a BCS conference up until the final BCS season, and four other schools that formerly were members of power conferences. These seven schools and the rest got a 2 million dollar per school media deal? That's all Connecticut, Temple, Cincinnati, USF, Houston, SMU and Tulane were worth? Did ECU, UCF and Tulsa drag down the league THAT much?

Then we have the current deal, which is so convoluted it would take an army of accountants locked in a room to calculate the real net numbers in this heavily back loaded deal. Maybe you'll make between 5-6 million for 12 years after deducting ESPN+ production costs per school, but you're not really getting 7 million less costs until near the end of the 12 year team, when 7 mil isn't going to be worth what it is today.

Is that a deal worthy of this conference? Not when you consider what UCF has done in football the past few seasons, or what Houston has done in BB and FB, or what Temple has done in FB, or what UCONN has done in BB, winning four NC's during conference play. The conference is worth a lot more. Aresco left money on the table.

Aresco does deserve to be on one Mt. Rushmore...the one dedicated to the biggest BS artists. His AAC member schools (other than us) seem to be buying his BS, but after our exit, you have to wonder if he's going to lose some of his ability to sell cherry popsicles to women wearing white gloves. The guy's a total assclown.

 

[CL82]

Like I said, forget the bluster. It’s a G5 league. The Big East is in its unique spot. A true power conference without football. The AAC should be judged against fellow G5’s. But you’re right he claimed P6, but did not deliver the dollars to make that claim legit. It is however as close as those out of the P5 will get to say Boise State.

Except for the Big East, who are already making as much on a net basis.

You can keep repeating the same lines as often as you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that the best Aresco did was to get as much money on a net basis for basketball and football as the big East got for basketball only.

Keep in mind that for years he cut less. He did not do an outstanding job. At best he did an adequate job. Frankly, that’s being generous.

 

[noeynox]

Except for the Big East, who are already making as much on a net basis.

You can keep repeating the same lines as often as you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that the best Aresco did was to get as much money on a net basis for basketball and football as the big East got for basketball only.

Keep in mind that for years he cut less. He did not do an outstanding job. At best he did an adequate job. Frankly, that’s being generous.

But its still a g5 league. The Big East isn't because its not an fbs conference. Fox overpaid for them amd them bringing UConn in is I'm sure a way to improve that contract.Again for most of those schools its way more money than they've ever made.

I've said all along he needed to get 10 million. He failed. This is still a conference with Tulane, Tulsa, East Carolina. Ill have to see other G5 conferences come to that number.

At the end of the day, you're worth what you got paid. We could say Aresco left money on the table, but we don't know that. I'm sure the majority of the schools jumped at the figure he settled on.

 

[CL82]

But its still a g5 league. The Big East isn't because its not an fbs conference. Fox overpaid for them amd them bringing UConn in is I'm sure a way to improve that contract.Again for most of those schools its way more money than they've ever made.

I've said all along he needed to get 10 million. He failed. This is still a conference with Tulane, Tulsa, East Carolina. Ill have to see other G5 conferences come to that number.

At the end of the day, you're worth what you got paid. We could say Aresco left money on the table, but we don't know that. I'm sure the majority of the schools jumped at the figure he settled on.

Uh so FBS is where the money is but the American got less than a conference that doesn't play football but we can't count that against Aresco because the Big East is't FBS?

We don't know that Aresco left money on the table, I guess, but we do know that he got less on a per school basis basketball and football than a basketball only conference got for basketball only.

Yeah sorry, I think we'll keep that slot on the Mount Rushmore of Conference Commissioners open.

 

[hardcorehusky]

Just wondering how the contract was so bad. Obviously, Aresco didn't entertain offers outside of ESPN and felt the exposure on ESPN was worth more than $ from other media. So 2012 of him

 

[CL82]

Just wondering how the contract was so bad. Obviously, Aresco didn't entertain offers outside of ESPN and felt the exposure on ESPN was worth more than $ from other media. So 2012 of him

Because the last time the conference spurned ESPN, they gutted us like a fish?

 

[huskymedic]

The conference is worth a lot more. Aresco left money on the table

I’m curious... have you seen anyone (outside fans on a message board) say this? I don’t remember seeing any mainstream sport’s media, sport’s business writers or reputable bloggers saying that the AAC got shafted and signed a bad deal because there were a boodle of more $$ available elsewhere.

I get the UConn fan perspective... but it’s viewed through husky blue eyes.

Seemed that @noeynox ’s point was that for all but a few schools, Aresco is viewed favorable by those who got a bigger payday (Mt. Rushmore comment).

 

[noeynox]

I’m curious... have you seen anyone (outside fans on a message board) say this? I don’t remember seeing any mainstream sport’s media, sport’s business writers or reputable bloggers saying that the AAC got shafted and signed a bad deal because there were a boodle of more $$ available elsewhere.

I get the UConn fan perspective... but it’s viewed through husky blue eyes.

Seemed that @noeynox ’s point was that for all but a few schools, Aresco is viewed favorable by those who got a bigger payday (Mt. Rushmore comment).

It's like people don't realize the schools get to vote on whether or not to accept the deal. People also don't seem to get that the only school in the conference with a viable alternative was UConn. All the non former BE schools in the American are probably making 7 times what they made in their previous conferences. To those schools Aresco stopped just short of turning water into wine. The schools in the American are going to be on par with BYU and Boise State. Did people really think the league was going to go from 2 million per team to 15 or 20? That's just not realistic. 10 would have been the number that i think kept us here.

 

[BFieldHusky]

It's like people don't realize the schools get to vote on whether or not to accept the deal. People also don't seem to get that the only school in the conference with a viable alternative was UConn. All the non former BE schools in the American are probably making 7 times what they made in their previous conferences. To those schools Aresco stopped just short of turning water into wine. The schools in the American are going to be on par with BYU and Boise State. Did people really think the league was going to go from 2 million per team to 15 or 20? That's just not realistic. 10 would have been the number that i think kept us here.

And fans of schools like SMU and Tulane don't mind being on + because in the past they weren't any network.