(04-19-2017 07:35 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote: This whole exchange is funny because conferences exist really for one reason... to benefit (i.e. $$$$) the member institutions. The whole gist behind the conference-shuffle is ALL ABOUT the $$$.
My first reaction is to say it's not ALL about the money. Some of it is academic politics. But then again, those who have political power in academics tend to have it because of money. So it would be more precise to say, it's not just about the money in university sports ... it's about the money in universities in general.
And it has been since the 1950's and the rise of the "football factory" programs. A big school playing for a conference championship helped keep students, alumni and townspeople coming to the games as the season progressed. A lesser school in the conference got a big home crowd or two when the big school came to town, and often could also develop a rivalry with another lesser school in the conference.
But it was about ticket sales. That's what generated the dollars to keep feeding the beast.
What's changed is what drives the money. And that will change again. And that will lead to more realignment.
But while other aspects of money in universities will enter into it, it will always be primarily about the money generated by the athletics at the big sports schools ... they are the ones that drive the arms races for sports facilities and coaches' salaries and all the rest.
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(04-19-2017 04:57 PM)Lenvillecards Wrote: B1G was obviously to blinded by $$ to be concerned about athletics.
Maryland was clearly the #13 that drove expansion ... Rutgers was just an available school to pair with Maryland that fit the Big Ten profile and would grab some extra cable carriage $$$.
Grabbing Maryland was all a plot to move into a dominant position in Lacrosse, just in case college football gets shut down one day by all that concussion stuff.