Maize
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Charlotte Observer/How Swofford saved the ACC
Some portions of the article:
The ACC moved quickly to add Louisville. The formal announcement came in late November. Around the same time, Swofford and some of the league’s athletic directors and presidents began supporting the grant of rights.
“Maryland’s departure was surprising to all of us,” Swofford said. “So that was a factor. I think the continual rumors, as unfounded as they have been, were a factor. I think the presidents and athletic directors in our league got tired of that, and tired of being asked about things that weren’t even happening. I think that was a factor.
“But I think the real factor was the fact that these 15 institutions are very committed to each other (and) wanted to guarantee their commitment to each other.”
This part was with the FSU now Former BOT Andy Haggart that made the statements in favor of the Big XII last summer:
One came before a Florida State trustees meeting scheduled for March 7. Swofford and Dean Jordan, the managing executive of global media at the Raleigh-based Wasserman Media Group, flew to Tallahassee to meet with Haggard and other trustees.
Swofford wanted to address misconceptions, answer questions and share his vision for the conference’s future. Haggard had his doubts.
They met in a conference room.
“I wanted to be assured of what was going to happen, and why we would do (a grant of rights),” Haggard said. “And what would happen if we didn’t do it and what the repercussions were and all of that. And (Swofford) really spelled it out. And he answered all of my questions.
“I went in cautious. And came out impressed. And really thinking highly of John Swofford.”
During the meeting, Swofford and Jordan told Haggard what the grant of rights could do for the league. There was talk about an ACC channel down the line and the revenue that could generate.
“The connection with the ACC and ESPN (won me over),” Haggard said. “The idea of a possible television (channel) with the ACC, that it would be $5 million more a year, if we could do that. And probably more than that.”
Haggard in 1991 served on the Florida State committee that approved joining the ACC. He had seen the Seminoles thrive in the conference, throughout the 1990s, and then had been on the other end – a part of discontented fan base that hoped to move somewhere else.
But now, Haggard said, “I can’t emphasize more how excited I am about (the ACC). Because it’s been a mixed five years here. You had a lot of alumni and boosters and lot of big-time people very unhappy with the ACC. And I was there, too, with them. And I am 100 percent turned around. I’m excited about it. I believe in it.”
Swofford and Jordan also visited Charlottesville to meet with leadership at Virginia. One of the most important meetings came during the ACC tournament in Greensboro, where Jordan presented his analysis to the league’s athletic directors and presidents.
By then, the results of Swofford’s negotiations with ESPN had become clearer. It appeared likely that ACC schools would receive an average of more than $20 million per year in television revenue.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05...rylink=cpy
(This post was last modified: 05-05-2013 12:22 AM by Maize.)
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| 05-04-2013 11:39 PM |
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Charlotte Observer/How Swofford saved the ACC
