OT: The Future of FOX and The Big East

[freescooter]

The world is vastly different than when Dave Gavitt put together the original Big East. Not only for conferences but for the schools. They largely drew their fan bases from nearby communities. 1979 was the first year Rhode Island residents did not make up the majority of the student body. St John’s didn’t have dorms until 1999. Georgetown drew mostly from Philadelphia to Richmond. Point is that most of these schools no longer draw their students from the local community. And the decline in Catholic life impacts them too. They drew fans from local Catholic parishes, who were often home to alums. So now they need to compete with national programs for fans. Fans in Providence or Queens are as likely to follow Purdue or North Carolina as they are the Friars now a days. There is no natural attraction unless they are good.

 

[shizzle787]

The world is vastly different than when Dave Gavitt put together the original Big East. Not only for conferences but for the schools. They largely drew their fan bases from nearby communities. 1979 was the first year Rhode Island residents did not make up the majority of the student body. St John’s didn’t have dorms until 1999. Georgetown drew mostly from Philadelphia to Richmond. Point is that most of these schools no longer draw their students from the local community. And the decline in Catholic life impacts them too. They drew fans from local Catholic parishes, who were often home to alums. So now they need to compete with national programs for fans. Fans in Providence or Queens are as likely to follow Purdue or North Carolina as they are the Friars now a days. There is no natural attraction unless they are good.

Providence is the most popular college basketball team in RI and some of southeastern MA.

 

[SouthBayHusky]

Ha, that is first rule of conference realignment territory there. Certainly, one can hope. But do we really want to be in the 12?

Yes. It’s called survival. Times have changed

 

[Hoophound]

The Big East would put up big numbers on ESPN. It always did in the old days. I observe what my son, my nephews and young cousins do. They go to ESPN first, then they use the guide and choose games between ranked teams. They will often end up on Fox but they always start on ESPN.

I noticed that UConn highlights, commentary and commercials showing UConn have been all ofer ESPN this week, particularly this weekend. Now Game Day is going to Storrs, the Big East to ESPN vibes are out there.

Edit: unless UConn to ACC or B12 vibes are out there.

 

[superjohn]

The world is vastly different than when Dave Gavitt put together the original Big East. Not only for conferences but for the schools. They largely drew their fan bases from nearby communities. 1979 was the first year Rhode Island residents did not make up the majority of the student body. St John’s didn’t have dorms until 1999. Georgetown drew mostly from Philadelphia to Richmond. Point is that most of these schools no longer draw their students from the local community. And the decline in Catholic life impacts them too. They drew fans from local Catholic parishes, who were often home to alums. So now they need to compete with national programs for fans. Fans in Providence or Queens are as likely to follow Purdue or North Carolina as they are the Friars now a days. There is no natural attraction unless they are good.

This is verbal diarrhea, you suffer from it often.

 

[Kenny11]

I’m going to queens college on Tuesday for an event. Should I give a review to the Boneyard?

 

[How Sway?!]

On spaces last night it was mentioned that the BIG 12 is joining FOX next year. With how FOX has prioritized the BIG 10 over the Big East, how will the Big East be treated when a conference better than the BIG 10 joins FOX?

Whose spaces? It was already known that B12 would show games with Fox, it's not new news.

 

[MTHusky]

No need. Depaul brings the Chicago market.

You are kidding, Right?

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

What is Queens? Queens College? Queens University?

I can't tell if you're trolling.

Not the crap school in Jamaica, Queens?

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Love SLU for the Big East, once we are out

Even in St. Louis itself and nearby burbs, interest and support for Mizzou, Illinois, and potentially even other more distant large, regional public universities likely far exceed that for St Louis U. Just another small private school (7,500 undergrads) with minimalist national brand.

 

[kobe]

reading this thread rules so much

 

[ThabeetDown]

The league needs to add Gonzaga and go to a 22-game double round robin schedule. It is significantly more inventory for a network or networks, it brings in a top 5 college basketball TV brand, and you would likely average 6 bids a year (half the league). Ackerman needs to get it done.

No

 

[Bongo Fury]

What is Queens? Queens College? Queens University?

I can't tell if you're trolling.

Well we almost got in the Big 12 on our own, to the point where ADs from the Big 12 said UConn was on deck until Utah joined and completed the Four Corner schools. Couple that with it doesn't seem too reasonable that Fox would want to let go of one of its juggernauts

some schools really want UConn, some really don’t

 

[Bongo Fury]

That would be great. Another nothing burger. Really excited about playing St Louis…not! St. Louis, the Dayton of St Louis, but without the success.

The BE isn’t too good for St Louis but UConn might be too good for the BE.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Adding mid majors or Gonzaga isn’t going to help

 

[gampelcrazies]

Would there be interest in Memphis? I know they are a football school but they are in a similar place as us.

 

[UConnSwag11]

How does adding mid majors help the league and UCONN?

 

[UConnTrumbull]

1. Gonzaga is not a candidate - Ackerman has said the presidents are not on board.
2. Unless a network pushes for an extra member, it's probably not happening. A-10 schools do not add value to a contract.
3. Fox needs to give assurances on game clearance (e.g., not relegating BE to FS2) in the media rights negotiations.
4. ESPN is overextended on its other CBB contacts to offer a significantly higher bid than what Fox would offer.
5. If a Fox deal doesn't take place in the exclusive window, streaming services like Netflix and Peacock will bid.

Number 5 is an interesting point. A lot of college football/basketball content is now on Peacock. I’m surprised Netflix hasn’t gotten into the live sports arena yet. Big East basketball is one of those niche leagues that may get a good contract from streaming. But you can’t afford too much displacement from linear Tv. That being said, both the Big 12 and Big 10 already utilize streaming. Especially Peacock is not afraid to put bigger games on their service versus NBC. The breakup of NBCSN was definitely a sign of that coming. Does FOX even use streaming?

 

[Storrs South]

Would there be interest in Memphis? I know they are a football school but they are in a similar place as us.

Moot point; Catholic 7 would never go for it. Memphis is viewed as nuclear level toxic by many University Presidents.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Moot point; Catholic 7 would never go for it. Memphis is viewed as nuclear level toxic by many University Presidents.

They’re not wrong

 

[Drew]

The BE offers UConn fans several things that shouldn't be discounted. MSG for both the tournament and games against St. Johns, geographical proximity with many of the teams, and a long and successful history that would end with a conference change.

That has to weighed against the changes in college sports that are reaching a climax in the near future. With that climax there is a strong possibility that UConn will find its sports, including basketball, relegated somewhere between the Power 3 and Division 2.

It's difficult to argue against an excited fan base that is contributing massive amounts of money, money that somewhat reduces the deficit of our conference inequity. Even more difficult given the success our basketball teams have had recently with the Big East especially given our struggles in the AAC. Plus the accurate observation that most of the former BE members are currently struggling in their new homes.

I lean ever so slightly that if we get an invite to the B12 we take it. I hate the idea of leaving the BE but I feel the outcome of the future I'm portraying is too likely. The glory days of the BE will be nothing more than a fond memory. And the ACC is not much safer if my predictions are correct.

I mean this very respectfully, but you don’t base what league you’re going to put your athletic department in based off of being able to potentially play 3 men’s basketball games at MSG in March. In the same vein, you don’t base it off where you are playing any of the championship events for any of your sponsored sports. UConn can (will) still play games at MSG regardless of the league they call home.

It’s really not that complicated of a choice, the athletics administration has a financial duty to the university and state to maximize their revenue potential for the entire athletic department. There is no rational world in which an administrator would ever turn down a potential 10x revenue increase for it’s department for nostalgia/feelings- they would be nuking their entire career by doing so.

This is evidenced by numerous different efforts from UConn over the years, including being left at the altar last year (yet again) by the Big 12. If the invite came last August, they were gone. We would’ve been playing in the Big 12 starting in July of this year along with Colorado and anyone else. The school has spent years and years and millions of dollars trying to move up- they aren’t turning that opportunity down (and shouldn’t turn it down) if it ever comes to them.

 

[Fishy]

I disagree with the schools you listed.

What they should do is wait until the ACC implodes and extends offers to Syracuse, BC, and Pitt. Then put together a football coalition with those 4. But whatever you do don’t dilute basketball with 16+ teams. Regardless the Big East is very picky about who they add. Not as easy as other conferences.

I’ve only heard Dayton in any seriousness discussion tho, I keep my ear to the wind.

The Big East has no money to expand. They don’t have a television contract.

You’re hearing nothing and making up nonsense.

 

[superjohn]

The BE offers UConn fans several things that shouldn't be discounted. MSG for both the tournament and games against St. Johns, geographical proximity with many of the teams, and a long and successful history that would end with a conference change.

That has to weighed against the changes in college sports that are reaching a climax in the near future. With that climax there is a strong possibility that UConn will find its sports, including basketball, relegated somewhere between the Power 3 and Division 2.

It's difficult to argue against an excited fan base that is contributing massive amounts of money, money that somewhat reduces the deficit of our conference inequity. Even more difficult given the success our basketball teams have had recently with the Big East especially given our struggles in the AAC. Plus the accurate observation that most of the former BE members are currently struggling in their new homes.

I lean ever so slightly that if we get an invite to the B12 we take it. I hate the idea of leaving the BE but I feel the outcome of the future I'm portraying is too likely. The glory days of the BE will be nothing more than a fond memory. And the ACC is not much safer if my predictions are correct.

The glory days of the Big East were over by the early-mid 90's, it's been UConn doing the heavy lifting since the 90's along with Nova. We're still one of the best conferences in the country but those glory years where the Big East dominated was a long time ago. It's still the ACC and Big East who win most of the championships though. ACC glory days have also been over for a good amount of time.

 

[How Sway?!]

The Big East has no money to expand. They don’t have a television contract.

You’re hearing nothing and making up nonsense.

Same could have been said for the B12.

 

[freescooter]

I mean this very respectfully, but you don’t base what league you’re going to put your athletic department in based off of being able to potentially play 3 men’s basketball games at MSG in March. In the same vein, you don’t base it off where you are playing any of the championship events for any of your sponsored sports. UConn can (will) still play games at MSG regardless of the league they call home.

It’s really not that complicated of a choice, the athletics administration has a financial duty to the university and state to maximize their revenue potential for the entire athletic department. There is no rational world in which an administrator would ever turn down a potential 10x revenue increase for it’s department for nostalgia/feelings- they would be nuking their entire career by doing so.

This is evidenced by numerous different efforts from UConn over the years, including being left at the altar last year (yet again) by the Big 12. If the invite came last August, they were gone. We would’ve been playing in the Big 12 starting in July of this year along with Colorado and anyone else. The school has spent years and years and millions of dollars trying to move up- they aren’t turning that opportunity down (and shouldn’t turn it down) if it ever comes to them.

This is exactly on point. Plus, if you are being honest, the New Big East is really only interested in mens basketball. In a perfect world, we’d be in another league for all our other sports because we care about baseball and football and Womens Bssketball, and others. The rest of the league doesn’t. Maybe Georgetown cares about soccer. If the NBE was a basketball only league it could make sense maybe.

 

[superjohn]

Same could have been said for the B12.

Fishy has been calling for the death of UConn and the Big East for over a decade now.

 

[Sole]

When you think about the reasons to stay in the big east..Hurley, travel, our identity… we just won a national championship and we are the best team in the country right now as member of the big east

 

[freescooter]

The glory days of the Big East were over by the early-mid 90's, it's been UConn doing the heavy lifting since the 90's along with Nova. We're still one of the best conferences in the country but those glory years where the Big East dominated was a long time ago. It's still the ACC and Big East who win most of the championships though. ACC glory days have also been over for a good amount of time.

You clearly have no idea of what you are talking about. Between 1999 and 2013 when it ceased to exist, Big East teams won National championships in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2011 and 2013. But in addition they had Final Four Teams in 2007, 2009 (2), 2010, 2012 and 2013 (2). Plus 6 more Final Four teams. But the glory years were behind it in the mid-90s. Yikes! Yes UConn was the dominant team. But hardly the only national power.

 

[superjohn]

You clearly have no idea of what you are talking about. Between 1999 and 2013 when it ceased to exist, Big East teams won National championships in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2011 and 2013. But in addition they had Final Four Teams in 2007, 2009 (2), 2010, 2012 and 2013 (2). Plus 6 more Final Four teams. But the glory years were behind it in the mid-90s. Yikes! Yes UConn was the dominant team. But hardly the only national power.

No shart. We had another short stretch of dominance when we added teams from other conferences. And the Big East won National Championships in 2016, 2018, and 2023 when you were talking about how badly the Big East and UConn suck before you disappeared again after UConn won it all. As I said the Big East and ACC win most of the championships.

Do you honestly think you know more about the Big East and UConn basketball than I do? You aren't even a fan of either. You're posting verbal diarrhea in other threads about how good BC basketball is.

UConn is dominant right now, you aren't supposed to be here.

 

[Gburyhusky]

I am glad that the doomsayers have weighed in today to confirm for all of us that the athletic department is on the road to ruin and irrelevance. For a minute I thought things were kind of going ok, what with the men a unanimous number 1, coming off a national championship,
the women playing at a sold out arena on national TV, with one of the games great stars recently announcing her intentions to return for another season. But if you read some of these posts you'd think the Big East is a junk conference and we are hanging on by a thread. If you can't appreciate our current success you are living in a fantasy land driven by the false narrative that football determines all. For UConn that is not the path to success.