(11-28-2015 08:14 PM)IceJus10 Wrote: Doesn't that first paragraph say exactly what my point was? The American is not a new conference and that negotiatons started before the C-7 left; while the conference was still known as the Big East and that ESPN had matching offer rights under the previous Big East Contract?
The reality is the American is the samNeoe conference formed as the Big East in 1979 and maintains the same operations in Providence.
The AAC is the same corporate structure as the old Gavitt/Tranghese/MArinatto Big East--True.
The ESPN match, for better or for worse, was an inheritance of the old Big EAst--true.
NEgotiations for the contract started before the Big EAst basketball schools left--mostly not true.
As far as anyone outside Aresco's and the networks' offices can tell, negotiations were going nowhere in the fall of 2012, which is part of the reason that hte Big East basketball schools left. (There were strong reasons to leave, I think everyone is better off with the divorce, certainly almost everyone is happier. But if there was an ESPN or NBC contract in negotiations that would have paid say $40M a year for basketball, it would have been much harder decision to leave.)
"But the contract provided for a reduction in payments whwn the C7 left?" When the contract was negotiated, the C7 had made our declaration that we were leaving, but the decision of 2013 vs 2014 had not been made. The contract provision was for the 2013-14 basketball contract only. (The 2013 football season was still under the old contract--they ran for different time periods).
Keep winning Access Bowls, guys!