Bizlaw, are you really saying that if ND wasn't an all sports member of the BE from the start that the conference would be in the same position it is today? I don't see how you can justify that statement. For one, we'd have had a much better TV contract which could have negated the lure of the ACC for BC, Miami and Va Tech. Second, the boys in Providence clearly could have benefitted from ND's impact on the league office. Who knows perhaps we could have had a better (maybe even successful) chance at snaring Penn State? Or, maybe we could have become the hunter rather than the prey. I couldn't disagree with you more on this point.
By the way, ND is the only team in any sport that plays every game on national TV (not regional but national) and this applies to the professional teams. Say what you want about whether this is deserved or not but you can't ignore the ramifications of it.