Why We Are Here

[FfldCntyFan]

Adding Miami was not the basketball schools' idea. That was a terrible decision that many saw at the time. No conference could depend on an anchor school that was so volatile and expect to succeed.

Adding Miami kept Cuse, Pitt and BC from leaving (at that time). While PSU had already agreed (although was more than a year away from officially joining) to move to the B1G at that time, there were still enough eastern independents in football (also a few decent Metro schools) with sufficient hooops programs that a departure at that time was a legitimate threat. Losing 1/3 of a conference was enough of a threat to scare the catholics into accepting Miami.

You can proclaim innocence on the part of the catholics all you want but the major motivation for Miami to look elsewhere was that the bulk of the then conference (look back a bit more than a decade) were contributing nothing to one revenue sport (football) and were in many cases merely drawing money that other schools earned in men's basketball.

 

[Druken Friar]

We are here because of what happened regarding the ESPN extension offer and the decision to "test the market". In hindsight the conference should have locked up everybody's media rights and made sure we were all in this together before going that route. Obviously, nobody was willing to wait 2 years for a better TV deal to kick in when they could get a sure thing now.

The Pac 12 had just gotten a deal worth $250 million a year and ESPN low balled the Big East. When the conference said no thanks they stabbed us in the back. The Big East helped build ESPN from a joke with Truck and Tractor pulls and Australian rules football to what it is today.

In business, that means nothing. Unfortunately, college football and basketball have become big business. Some of the people involved are not business people, because college and college athletics shouldn't be run like a business. These same people get taken advantage of in a business setting.

 

[upstater]

We are here because media markets are consolidating into 5 conferences'
We've seen this happening with the NBA , It's nothing new,
There are only 40 teams that make any money from Football. None of them in the BE.

When you include student fees and direct institutional support, it's 14 teams.

 

[upstater]

As long as we're playing what if... if Penn State had been accepted, would a BE FB league have been started sooner? Would Miami, VTech still be invited? Would Maryland have come? Would UConn have upgraded sooner, or not at all?

Of course we'll never know... but if PSU wanted more dollars, that would have been a different source of instability.

Well, given that the BE eventually agreed to give Miami more dollars, it would have been the same situation as BE football had in its best days.

 

[upstater]

We are here because of what happened regarding the ESPN extension offer and the decision to "test the market". In hindsight the conference should have locked up everybody's media rights and made sure we were all in this together before going that route. Obviously, nobody was willing to wait 2 years for a better TV deal to kick in when they could get a sure thing now.

The way to lock everyone up would have been split from the basketball onlies, no longer share NCAA tourney credits with them (since the football schools were responsible for bringing in the vast majority of bball money), and then negotiate a contract with ESPN. It would have locked everyone up for awhile.

 

[RS9999X]

The ACC promised SU and Pitt something the BE couldn't -- $15 mil and stability. The BiG and SEC couldn't deliver the same.

It's an easy argument that most of the non-revenue sports are better in the ACC featuring more top 25 teams than the BE. That's not to sneer at UConn baseball or soccer but they are oddities

With TCU the BE was in desperate measures mode to keep their AQ. Even WVU was stumbling after Rich Rod's departure. In comparison the ACC was fat and happy and in a position to negotate a better contract.

SU and Pitt will book the BE teams they like in basketball and ignore the rest-Depaul, USF, TCU, SMU, UCF, etc

It's easy to curve fit the past.

 

[ruskin]

Don't understand how wallowing in the past about what might have been is doing anyone any good.

Shouldn't lose sight of the nut issue that the 'private' instiution on Chesnut Hill has/is actively engaged in rendering the $150-plus million the state of Connecticut invested in football facilities worthless while devaluing UConn's basketball programs. Don't need any more evidence of that than DeFilippo's words.

Connecticut's governor is a decorated graduate of that 'private' institution. West Virginia's senators just intervened to improve WVU's position. The remedies at this point are political (public and behind the scenes) and legal. That's where the efforts need to be focused. Calling senators and congressmen seemed to work in West Virginia. A similar effort started on this board wouldn't hurt.

"This requires a futile and stupid gesture on somebody's part" ". . . .And we're just the guys to do it."

 

[traitor71]

How did Miami hold back the television deal? They have some of the highest rated ESPN broadcasts of all time. Or was it a case of some sort of financial arrangement that they wanted?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The reason it matters is because there is a large contingent on this board that wants to cut loose the basketball schools because...well, just because. This league has definitely made mistakes, but aligning itself with a group of major, big city, basketball programs was not one of them.

 

[upstater]

The ACC promised SU and Pitt something the BE couldn't -- $15 mil and stability. The BiG and SEC couldn't deliver the same.

It's an easy argument that most of the non-revenue sports are better in the ACC featuring more top 25 teams than the BE. That's not to sneer at UConn baseball or soccer but they are oddities

With TCU the BE was in desperate measures mode to keep their AQ. Even WVU was stumbling after Rich Rod's departure. In comparison the ACC was fat and happy and in a position to negotate a better contract.

SU and Pitt will book the BE teams they like in basketball and ignore the rest-Depaul, USF, TCU, SMU, UCF, etc

It's easy to curve fit the past.

The risk of becoming irrelevant in the ACC is too great. A BE with a $11-$12 million TV contract is something to be weighed against the ACC's current $13 million and eventual $15 million. How much money do you lose by becoming irrelevant in a more lucrative conference?

 

[upstater]

The reason it matters is because there is a large contingent on this board that wants to cut loose the basketball schools because...well, just because. This league has definitely made mistakes, but aligning itself with a group of major, big city, basketball programs was not one of them.

Those schools don't pull their weight.

 

[RS9999X]

The risk of becoming irrelevant in the ACC is too great. A BE with a $11-$12 million TV contract is something to be weighed against the ACC's current $13 million and eventual $15 million. How much money do you lose by becoming irrelevant in a more lucrative conference?

I think they chose mediocrity. When it's all said and done it was too disruptive to win. The conversations were obvious. If Pitt and WVU and SU weren't going to step up and produce top 10 teams then what choice did the Big East have but to kludge together a group of teams every 5 years looking for the next Boise?

They took the low road. Safe.

The Flipper's telling them "You can go 1-11 now and no one here really cares. Hell, we might not recruit next year. It's a waste of time. We can beat Edsall just by showing up."

 

[upstater]

I think they chose mediocrity. When it's all said and done it was too disruptive to win. The conversations were obvious. If Pitt and WVU and SU weren't going to step up and produce top 10 teams then what choice did the Big East have but to kludge together a group of teams every 5 years looking for the next Boise?

They took the low road. Safe.

The Flipper's telling them "You can go 1-11 now and no one here really cares. Hell, we might not recruit next year. It's a waste of time. We can beat Edsall just by showing up."

LOL, some good stuff in this post.
But, the thing is, I see the same for UConn in the ACC (excepting basketball).

 

[ZooCougar]

One of the main requisites of a conference is to have a bunch of similar schools who are like minded, have the same goals and objectives and so and so forth.

We basically created a conference with two halfs that have divergent interests and allowed an equal balance of power even though the basketball only half has far less at risk than the football half.

The whole construct was flawed from the day the conference decided to field a half assed football conference.

Not only that but Gavitt, Tranghese, Marinatto and Company always had a soft spot for the nothingburger Providences etc...

This of course made zero sense. And it affairs became ridiculous and untenable. Now that things are so out of control we're running around begging the SMUs and Boises to jump on board as football only members. Good grief.

 

[ZooCougar]

Those schools don't pull their weight.

They were a bunch of parasites. And the commissioner was the main facilitator. The football schools allowed this to happen and they have themselves to blame.

 

[businesslawyer]

They were a bunch of parasites. And the commissioner was the main facilitator. The football schools allowed this to happen and they have themselves to blame.

Out of curiousity, how would Providence, Seton Hall and DePaul being stronger in hoops the last few years have put UConn in a stronger position? More than half our conference goes to the tourney in hoops -- we can't all go. And how would that have helped the football conference in any way.

 

[ZooCougar]

Out of curiousity, how would Providence, Seton Hall and DePaul being stronger in hoops the last few years have put UConn in a stronger position? More than half our conference goes to the tourney in hoops -- we can't all go. And how would that have helped the football conference in any way.

Not sure how your question relates to my statement that the essentially the basketball schools should have never been given equal say on matters.

 

[Druken Friar]

Not sure how your question relates to my statement that the essentially the basketball schools should have never been given equal say on matters.

Ok open up your magic history book and let everyone know when the basketball schools were given equal say on matters. Who granted them this power? Is football the magic sport you have to play to have an equal say on matters? What about all the other sports the Big East supports ?

 

[upstater]

Ok open up your magic history book and let everyone know when the basketball schools were given equal say on matters. Who granted them this power? Is football the magic sport you have to play to have an equal say on matters? What about all the other sports the Big East supports ?

They shouldn't have any say on football only matters. None at all.

 

[businesslawyer]

1. The hoops schools don't have a say in football matters. Obviouslly, they have a say in membership for all sports, but there has never been a report they can block a football only school from being brought in.

2. Does anyone remember that we joined a conference that was a basketball conference and only added football over a decade later? How did we ever fairly expec the basketball schools would have no power over the conference in this scenario?

 

[Druken Friar]

They shouldn't have any say on football only matters. None at all.

Fine but that's not what was said was it?

I believe the problem is the BB schools won't accept full sports members until they know that Boise is coming first. Sounds like a reasonable position to take given the 5 remaining football schools have a weak allegiance to the Big East right now. They should have some assurance the football league has some future.

Many of the posters here, including you, have made it clear that you don't care about the Big East's future. You argue for manipulation of the conference to achieve the best jumping off point for UConn football. You can not expect the members of the conference to do just what's best for UConn football or anyone else to leave.

The fact that the remaining football schools won't agree to increased exit fees or assign future media rights says it all.

 

[businesslawyer]

Fine but that's not what was said was it?

I believe the problem is the BB schools won't accept full sports members until they know that Boise is coming first. Sounds like a reasonable position to take given the 5 remaining football schools have a weak allegiance to the Big East right now. They should have some assurance the football league has some future.

Many of the posters here, including you, have made it clear that you don't care about the Big East's future. You argue for manipulation of the conference to achieve the best jumping off point for UConn football. You can not expect the members of the conference to do just what's best for UConn football or anyone else to leave.

The fact that the remaining football schools won't agree to increased exit fees or assign future media rights says it all.

Yes. They do. They expect the Commissioner to act in UConn's interest and they expect the basketball members to act in UConn's interest. That is why discussing this rationally has become impossible.

 

[OHusky]

Biz - SHOCKED that you're suggesting that some of us are irrational!!!

 

[upstater]

Yes. They do. They expect the Commissioner to act in UConn's interest and they expect the basketball members to act in UConn's interest. That is why discussing this rationally has become impossible.

You're twisting things. We expect the football schools to act in their best interest. By enabling someone whose intellectual capacities are very much wanting, they have shot themselves in the foot.

I've been saying the football schools should have split for years now.

 

[ZooCougar]

Ok open up your magic history book and let everyone know when the basketball schools were given equal say on matters. Who granted them this power? Is football the magic sport you have to play to have an equal say on matters? What about all the other sports the Big East supports ?

Yes. And nobody outside of the northeast knows that your stupid school even exists. How it was allowed to hijack matters is a case study in what not do.