When is the ACC GOR up?
I must say, I really do enjoy reading all of the silliness that gets posted here.
A few years ago, many of the self-styled realignment aficionados posting on these threads proclaimed that the ACC was doomed because they would never have a GOR and would subsequently be picked apart.
How did that prediction turn out?
Many of these same folks also proclaimed that the ACC would be doomed because they would seldom get a team into the "CFP 4", much less win a NC.
How has that prediction worked out so far?
The OP's first starts with a factual inaccuracy. The ACC GOR extends through the end of the 2026-27 season. That's 11 years not 8.
Behind this, the whole premise that anyone can predict the environment in something as volatile as College athletics 11 years out is ludicrous, IMO.
But since we are all engaging in opinions and prediction here...I have some of my own.
1. Contrary to the fantasies of some here, there will be very little conference movement in the next decade. Beyond the obvious fact of the GORs in 4 of the 5 P5 Conferences, there are other things to consider....
2. Differences in Conference Revenue - Given market volatility, it is indeed probable, IMO, that some conferences may fare better (in some cases, maybe measurably better) financially than other conferences for a comparatively brief period of time, depending on when their media contracts come up for renegotiation. That said, most of these schools have been in their conferences for many decades. The 10 or 12 year period of a media deal is a comparatively brief time. I don't think many schools are going to be abandoning long established cultural ties for what may be a brief window of increased revenues. Just look at what has happened to date. How many schools have left one P5 Conference for another P5 for reasons other than a reported immediate financial issue (Maryland). Other than that, just Nebraska? (I don't count the old BE as those schools left what was widely perceived by many to be a dysfunctional hybrid conference.)
3. Criticizing the ACC's so-called "failure" to secure a Conference network also, IMO, seems a bit premature and possibly misinformed. First, we don't know what's the state of play is with an ACCCN. For all we know, one could be announced in the next month(s). Just remember, in the days prior to the announcement of an ACC GOR, many here were proclaiming that the ACC was never going to get a GOR and its destruction was imminent. Again, how did that turn out?
4. Perhaps the ACC will never establish a conference network - and not because of a lack of ability but because of a concern that the environment for networks like this has changed? Nobody knows, but, IMO, I would not be surprised if this was the case.
Throughout human history, technology has always been the great disrupter of the status quo - forever altering established norms that people just took for granted. During the 1990's, people marveled at the rise of Blockbuster. Imagine, a coast-to-coast network of large brick and mortar stores that offered a vast array of videos and DVDs for rent at a low price. All the stores were uniform and highly efficient. All one need to do was drive to their neighborhood store. What could possibly be better than that? As we all know, markets and technology have disrupted this. People can rent DVDs at their local supermarket while they shop for groceries and, more significantly, people can now stream videos and content without leaving their homes, for little or no extra cost.
How will these disruptive changes affect the current bundled cable model and attendant conference networks. I don't know. That said, something tells me that the concept of depending on subscriptions for bundled packages where the majority of customers are paying for something they have little or no interest in (even in so-called rabid football locales) may be fraught with peril. If you doubt this, just look at the polling done with millennials, where a large numbers of them seem to be completely eschewing the bundled cable model. How does that bode for the future?
A few years from now, could conferences that have put their faith and trust in networks find themselves in the same place as Blockbuster did, namely sitting on assets that were relics of a previous time and environment? I don't know the answer to this, but neither does anybody else. One thing we do know, however; it has been reported that some media companies are shedding subscribers and revenues. Even if the current model does survive in some form, it could very well be that the era of exponential growth - at least with this current model - has ebbed, which, if true, will have ramifications for ALL conference media deals, IMO.
We shall see.
(This post was last modified: 01-15-2016 10:35 AM by Eagle78.)
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When is the ACC GOR up?
