Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weilberg proposed a network in 2006, but was voted down by the presidents. Some sources claim the vote was 11-1 against, but no source says who the one vote in favor was.
Texas got to work on the LHN the year after the Big 12 network was voted down. Presumably they wouldn't have created the LHN if the conference had voted in favor of the Big 12 network.
Would this have prevented the Big 12 from bleeding members in future years?
(02-01-2023 06:10 PM)Poster Wrote: [ -> ]Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weilberg proposed a network in 2006, but was voted down by the presidents. Some sources claim the vote was 11-1 against, but no source says who the one vote in favor was.
Texas got to work on the LHN the year after the Big 12 network was voted down. Presumably they wouldn't have created the LHN if the conference had voted in favor of the Big 12 network.
Would this have prevented the Big 12 from bleeding members in future years?
Nebraska and Texas were interested in studying it and the two schools jointly funded a study. After the study both pursued individual networks.
Without the LHN, Texas would have left for the PAC12.
Former ESPN President John Skipper already revealed that on the Dan LeBatard show.
“Texas had decided to do a network, we didn’t give them the idea. But we knew if we did the network, we could entice them to stay in the Big 12. Keep them together, that was important to us. We already had a Pac-12 deal, but FOX was ascendent in the Pac-12. We didn’t want to see Texas go to the Pac-12.”
(02-01-2023 06:15 PM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote: [ -> ]Without the LHN, Texas would have left for the PAC12.
Former ESPN President John Skipper already revealed that on the Dan LeBatard show.
The LHN ended up keeping Texas in the Big 12 after the Big 12 had lost three members (Nebraska, Colorado, aTm) and was on the brink of losing a fourth (Missouri).
Those three teams might not have left the Big 12 in the first place if it wasn't for the LHN. Especially if there had also been a Big 12 network that had increased the conference's income. And if the Big 12 hadn't already lost three members, it's not like Texas would have been looking to leave the conference.
The LHN only "saved" the Big 12 in the loosest of ways. It kept Texas from leaving the Big 12, but only after Texas had been considering leaving the Big 12 because the LHN had been partially responsible for other teams leaving the conference.
(02-01-2023 06:15 PM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote: [ -> ]Without the LHN, Texas would have left for the PAC12.
Former ESPN President John Skipper already revealed that on the Dan LeBatard show.
The LHN ended up keeping Texas in the Big 12 after the Big 12 had lost three members (Nebraska, Colorado, aTm) and was on the brink of losing a fourth (Missouri).
Those three teams might not have left the Big 12 in the first place if it wasn't for the LHN. Especially if there had also been a Big 12 network had increased the conference's income.
PAC16 was already a concept. They wanted to be the first Super Conference and failed.
I don't think a Big12 Network would have stopped the PAC16.
Only the LHN stopped the PAC16. Texas saved the conference back then.
(02-01-2023 06:15 PM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote: [ -> ]Without the LHN, Texas would have left for the PAC12.
Former ESPN President John Skipper already revealed that on the Dan LeBatard show.
The LHN ended up keeping Texas in the Big 12 after the Big 12 had lost three members (Nebraska, Colorado, aTm) and was on the brink of losing a fourth (Missouri).
Those three teams might not have left the Big 12 in the first place if it wasn't for the LHN. Especially if there had also been a Big 12 network that had increased the conference's income. And if the Big 12 hadn't already lost three members, it's not like Texas would have been looking to leave the conference.
The LHN only "saved" the Big 12 in the loosest of ways. It kept Texas from leaving the Big 12, but only after Texas had been considering leaving the Big 12 because the LHN had been partially responsible for other teams leaving the conference.
Your timing and conclusions are off. LHN didn't exist when CU and NU left in 2010. NU was forming their own network, and, according to their president, was further along than Texas, but stopped when they joined the Big 10. Texas A&M's president said he decided to go to the SEC when CU and NU left and was just waiting for the right time. Texas A&M actually made the arrangement with the SEC before the LHN launched. The LHN was totally irrelevant to the other schools leaving the conference. Texas A&M made a big deal about it when they left, but that was just to stir up the easily stirred up Aggies to support something that had already been decided. Just read what the Nebraska and Texas A&M presidents said about the decisions instead of repeating internet realignment legends.
I bet the PAC wished it would have allowed UT to take the LHN network with them. UT would have gotten cable carriers to carry the PAC network immediately