Since it's about money it will be settled. It's just how much more will get Boise to accept and drop things. Beyond that Boise State wants the MWC to affirm their special rights and status -- I think that is more important than a few $K more.

(01-26-2020 05:21 PM)Sactowndog Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 01:42 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-25-2020 11:37 PM)Sactowndog Wrote:  

(01-24-2020 02:59 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-24-2020 12:15 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  Yes, as I said far back in the post, the onus is on the MW to produce evidence that Boise signed off on their segment of the deal.

But I suspect they have that evidence. The MW commissioner doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who wouldn't know something basic like Boise having to agree to their portion of the deal, and wouldn't make a statement announcing the deal unless the deal really was done in all respects. I suspect Boise screwed up and agreed to the deal without having made sure they were getting a bigger bonus. The complaint is about trying to undo that mistake and get the bigger bonus. IMO that's why there is fuzzy language in the complaint about Boise not being given all the specifics and MW officials not following through on alleged pledges to get the Board to agree to a bonus increase. That strikes me as Boise trying to say there was bad faith on the part of the MW and therefore the deal is invalid.

One thing that makes me think that is that Boise's ire wasn't triggered until the MW commissioner made that statement about ending the $1.8m bonus in 2026. IIRC Boise publicly objected to that, not the real issue, the enhanced bonus. I bet they were stewing over not getting a bigger bonus to begin with, but they were going to eat that, but this public announcement about ending it entirely was too much for their ego. That's when they replied. All the public talk was about ending the $1.8m in 2026 - and that is purely ego related, as it has zero to do with dollars now or even the next five years. The real issue that is in play now is the Boise desire for a boost to their bonus.

That said, like you, I think what is most likely to happen is that a deal is being hammered out, probably as we speak, and that deal will come to fruition, with Boise remaining in the MW but also getting a boost on that $1.8m bonus.

But I am not sure that will happen. It's possible that an impasse could be reached, there does seem to be some evidence that the other MW members are fed up with escalating Boise demands, and the public nature of the spat has now created a "loss of face" situation for both sides, which tends to harden everyone's position. Kind of like how AAC officials bristled at the notion of UConn keeping their football in the AAC after announcing they were leaving for the Big East.

If that happens then it could get very messy and who knows what the result will be and where Boise will end up.

We shall see.

I dont think Thompson was the problem. Again, the law suit tells us what we need to know. I suspect the MW presidents drove this decision. Two MW presidents voted to end the Boise special deal IMMEDIATELY (an obvious violation of the agreement). All the presidents (other than Boise) voted to end it when the new CBS/FOX deal expires (again, a violation of the term sheet).

Seems obvious to me the presidents are sick of the deal, believe it should end, and apparently were not willing to allow the term sheet from interfering with the new FOX/CBS deal. Ignoring Boise's lack of consent is perfectly congruent with the other two votes that we know occurred (as Thompson's comments about ending the Boise special deal basically confirm that these conference votes alleged by Boise actually occurred). I have little doubt that Boise never gave the MW its consent. The law suit is calling the MW presidents bluff. Here is the thing---the lawsuit has no value as a negotiating tool unless Boise never gave its consent---which is why I suspect they, in fact, did not give their consent. If you notice--the MW has not denied any claim in the suit.

The way I see it---the purpose of the MW presidents accepting the deal without Boise's consent was to remove the Boise ability to hold the leagues tv deal hostage until the Boise "bonus" increase demands were satisfied by the league. The purpose of the law suit is to reinstate Boise's leverage.

Not sure what the board lawyers here think but lawyers on the MWC board have stated that given
1) the contract called for 1.8M and
2) Boise was leveraging their agreement to get a higher amount

that in fact Boise acted in bad faith and breached the agreement by leveraging their consent requirement to force a change in the payment amount.

Its not a breach. Boise can ask. The MW can say no. I dont see how either action constitutes a breach because neither action violates the terms of the deal. However, accepting the FOX deal over the Boise objection DOES violate the specific terms of the deal (that may even constitute fraud). Additionally, unilaterally ending the deal by a conference vote is also in direct conflict with the specific terms of the agreement. Violating specific terms in the agreement is where you get a breach.

The SEC asked CBS for more money when they added Missouri and A&M a few years ago. CBS said no. Neither party breached the deal.

I’m not sure it’s just ask and saying no. The amount was in the contract. Boise refused to agree unless the terms of the agreement was changed. So how is it one side can force a change in the agreement terms and the other side can’t?

To be fair---its not one sided. The MW came to Boise and wanted to change the way the bonus structure was handled and Boise negotiated a new system that was more agreeable to the other members. That was just in 2017. Now Boise was using the terms of the deal to negotiate something they wanted. In my opinion, this why you dont do special deals. It's detrimental to a league because you end up in too many situations where whats good for the league may not be whats good for Boise and vice versa.

(01-26-2020 05:31 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Since it's about money it will be settled. It's just how much more will get Boise to accept and drop things. Beyond that Boise State wants the MWC to affirm their special rights and status -- I think that is more important than a few $K more.

The more Ive thought about, the more Im convinced, that's why this happening. The MW presidents are getting rid of the Boise bonus and the MW presidents have looked at the worst case scenarios presented by their lawyers and decided those wold be preferable to continuing on with the Boise bonus.

I think the bonus is gone at the end of this CBS/FOX deal. If Boise leaves over it---I think the MW presidents are willing to accept that outcome. They have had a can full of the "Boise bonus" (and perhaps Boise as well). The only real question is "Is there some monetary "buy out" or some set of temporary concessions the MW can give Boise that will get them to stay in the MW with equal revenue distribution?"

If you think about it----Its not like the Boise alternatives to the MW are "perfect"....so, Boise might in the end have to swallow their pride and take some sort of face saving settlement in order to stay in the MW simply because they decide its in the best interests of the school long term to stay.

(01-26-2020 06:15 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 05:31 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Since it's about money it will be settled. It's just how much more will get Boise to accept and drop things. Beyond that Boise State wants the MWC to affirm their special rights and status -- I think that is more important than a few $K more.

The more Ive thought about, the more Im convinced, that's why this happening. The MW presidents are getting rid of the Boise bonus and the MW presidents have looked at the worst case scenarios presented by their lawyers and decided those wold be preferable to continuing on with the Boise bonus.

I think the bonus is gone at the end of this CBS/FOX deal. If Boise leaves over it---I think the MW presidents are willing to accept that outcome. They have had a can full of the "Boise bonus" (and perhaps Boise as well). The only real question is "Is there some monetary "buy out" or some set of temporary concessions the MW can give Boise that will get them to stay in the MW with equal revenue distribution?"

If you think about it----Its not like the Boise alternatives to the MW are "perfect"....so, Boise might in the end have to swallow their pride and take some sort of face saving settlement in order to stay in the MW simply because they decide its in the best interests of the school long term to stay.

legally though I don't think there is anything that they could do short of kicking Boise out to change it.... They can't just be like we don't like that any longer and be done with it.

(01-26-2020 06:15 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 05:31 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Since it's about money it will be settled. It's just how much more will get Boise to accept and drop things. Beyond that Boise State wants the MWC to affirm their special rights and status -- I think that is more important than a few $K more.

The more Ive thought about, the more Im convinced, that's why this happening. The MW presidents are getting rid of the Boise bonus and the MW presidents have looked at the worst case scenarios presented by their lawyers and decided those wold be preferable to continuing on with the Boise bonus.

I think the bonus is gone at the end of this CBS/FOX deal. If Boise leaves over it---I think the MW presidents are willing to accept that outcome. They have had a can full of the "Boise bonus" (and perhaps Boise as well). The only real question is "Is there some monetary "buy out" or some set of temporary concessions the MW can give Boise that will get them to stay in the MW with equal revenue distribution?"

If you think about it----Its not like the Boise alternatives to the MW are "perfect"....so, Boise might in the end have to swallow their pride and take some sort of face saving settlement in order to stay in the MW simply because they decide its in the best interests of the school long term to stay.

Its not that hard to do systems that reward those who perform. Big East did it. Big 12 did it. Pac 12 did it. USC was earning triple what Washington St. earned. Texas/Oklahoma/Kansas were earning about 50% more than Baylor/Kansas St./Texas Tech.

Having a fixed bonus and a separate TV negotiation is pretty much the worst way to do it.

I think Boise State have a case and will win against the MWC. The agreement is for Boise leave with no exit fees and their bonus money they get from the sports. Fox and CBS will be the biggest losers since they wanted Boise's games. Boise is the hottest ticket in MWC with Air Force next and UNR's men's basketball. Boise could park their olympic sports in the WAC and football as an independent with a bigger ESPN deal.

MWC could backfill with the next hottest ticket. North Dakota State for all sports.

(01-26-2020 06:27 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 06:15 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 05:31 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Since it's about money it will be settled. It's just how much more will get Boise to accept and drop things. Beyond that Boise State wants the MWC to affirm their special rights and status -- I think that is more important than a few $K more.

The more Ive thought about, the more Im convinced, that's why this happening. The MW presidents are getting rid of the Boise bonus and the MW presidents have looked at the worst case scenarios presented by their lawyers and decided those wold be preferable to continuing on with the Boise bonus.

I think the bonus is gone at the end of this CBS/FOX deal. If Boise leaves over it---I think the MW presidents are willing to accept that outcome. They have had a can full of the "Boise bonus" (and perhaps Boise as well). The only real question is "Is there some monetary "buy out" or some set of temporary concessions the MW can give Boise that will get them to stay in the MW with equal revenue distribution?"

If you think about it----Its not like the Boise alternatives to the MW are "perfect"....so, Boise might in the end have to swallow their pride and take some sort of face saving settlement in order to stay in the MW simply because they decide its in the best interests of the school long term to stay.

legally though I don't think there is anything that they could do short of kicking Boise out to change it.... They can't just be like we don't like that any longer and be done with it.

I think thats where they are. That said, some of the lawyers have said that perpetuity clauses can be difficult to enforce when challenged, so that may be a legal strategy the MW might attempt to use.

Again, pure educated speculation on my part---but I think the MW presidents are willing to let the cards fall where they may. They just want an end to the special deal. They probably have looked at it and decided there are no real financial damages Boise could hit them with at this time---so, worst case scenario is Boise leaves. They have likely decided they prefer a Boise exit to going on with the current deal. I suspect the presidents believe that, once Boise takes a hard look at the options, they can all come to a reasonable settlement that keeps Boise in the MW----and if not---the presidents are ok with that.

By the way, (and by their own admission in the complaint) Boise wanted a proportional increase in their bonus. The new MW TV deal roughly triples the old deal. That would produce a 5.4 million dollar bonus for Boise. Thus, all the other MW teams would receive about 3.6 million each while Boise received about 9 million. So, perhaps that request was the last straw for the other MW presidents.

(01-26-2020 06:15 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 05:31 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Since it's about money it will be settled. It's just how much more will get Boise to accept and drop things. Beyond that Boise State wants the MWC to affirm their special rights and status -- I think that is more important than a few $K more.

The more Ive thought about, the more Im convinced, that's why this happening. The MW presidents are getting rid of the Boise bonus and the MW presidents have looked at the worst case scenarios presented by their lawyers and decided those wold be preferable to continuing on with the Boise bonus.

Yes, there's a good possibility that the whole point of that vote was to goad Boise into taking legal action and leaving, that the membership is just sick and tired of the special treatment and want Boise out even if it harms the TV deal or whatever or have to buy Boise out. They may have had enough and are willing to pay the price. That makes more sense to me than the "Thompson blundered and stuck his foot in his mouth" theory, though I can't rule that out either.

(01-26-2020 07:05 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  I think Boise State have a case and will win against the MWC. The agreement is for Boise leave with no exit fees and their bonus money they get from the sports. Fox and CBS will be the biggest losers since they wanted Boise's games. Boise is the hottest ticket in MWC with Air Force next and UNR's men's basketball. Boise could park their olympic sports in the WAC and football as an independent with a bigger ESPN deal.

MWC could backfill with the next hottest ticket. North Dakota State for all sports.

In some respects, NDSU would be a very solid add to the MWC.

(01-26-2020 07:05 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  I think Boise State have a case and will win against the MWC. The agreement is for Boise leave with no exit fees and their bonus money they get from the sports. Fox and CBS will be the biggest losers since they wanted Boise's games. Boise is the hottest ticket in MWC with Air Force next and UNR's men's basketball. Boise could park their olympic sports in the WAC and football as an independent with a bigger ESPN deal.

MWC could backfill with the next hottest ticket. North Dakota State for all sports.

Sad state of America when you talk so proudly about this Clown College masquerading as a legitimate University.

(01-26-2020 08:52 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 07:05 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  I think Boise State have a case and will win against the MWC. The agreement is for Boise leave with no exit fees and their bonus money they get from the sports. Fox and CBS will be the biggest losers since they wanted Boise's games. Boise is the hottest ticket in MWC with Air Force next and UNR's men's basketball. Boise could park their olympic sports in the WAC and football as an independent with a bigger ESPN deal.

MWC could backfill with the next hottest ticket. North Dakota State for all sports.

In some respects, NDSU would be a very solid add to the MWC.

And could possibly be near last place annually too.

(01-25-2020 05:42 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  

(01-25-2020 05:39 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  Yep, Fox and CBS wants to steal Boise State from ESPN. The majority of the contract demands a Boise State. Boise State leaves? MWC is in breach of that contract so the MWC commish not only screwed Boise State, but the whole conference as a whole. He should be fired, the contract should be voided and get a commish that will get a contract with ESPN that is the same amount as AAC gets.

No, thats not how TV contracts work. Ask yourself why the AAC contract wasn't voided when UConn left? Or any of the Big east contracts voided when they lost members over the years? Hell the XII lost FOUR TEAMS and the TV contract wasn't voided!

Don't waste your breath, the guy hasn't a clue about anything being talked about here.

(01-26-2020 09:02 PM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 07:05 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  I think Boise State have a case and will win against the MWC. The agreement is for Boise leave with no exit fees and their bonus money they get from the sports. Fox and CBS will be the biggest losers since they wanted Boise's games. Boise is the hottest ticket in MWC with Air Force next and UNR's men's basketball. Boise could park their olympic sports in the WAC and football as an independent with a bigger ESPN deal.

MWC could backfill with the next hottest ticket. North Dakota State for all sports.

Sad state of America when you talk so proudly about this Clown College masquerading as a legitimate University.

Huh?

(01-26-2020 09:03 PM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 08:52 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 07:05 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  I think Boise State have a case and will win against the MWC. The agreement is for Boise leave with no exit fees and their bonus money they get from the sports. Fox and CBS will be the biggest losers since they wanted Boise's games. Boise is the hottest ticket in MWC with Air Force next and UNR's men's basketball. Boise could park their olympic sports in the WAC and football as an independent with a bigger ESPN deal.

MWC could backfill with the next hottest ticket. North Dakota State for all sports.

In some respects, NDSU would be a very solid add to the MWC.

And could possibly be near last place annually too.

Double huh?

(01-26-2020 07:10 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 06:27 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 06:15 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 05:31 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Since it's about money it will be settled. It's just how much more will get Boise to accept and drop things. Beyond that Boise State wants the MWC to affirm their special rights and status -- I think that is more important than a few $K more.

The more Ive thought about, the more Im convinced, that's why this happening. The MW presidents are getting rid of the Boise bonus and the MW presidents have looked at the worst case scenarios presented by their lawyers and decided those wold be preferable to continuing on with the Boise bonus.

I think the bonus is gone at the end of this CBS/FOX deal. If Boise leaves over it---I think the MW presidents are willing to accept that outcome. They have had a can full of the "Boise bonus" (and perhaps Boise as well). The only real question is "Is there some monetary "buy out" or some set of temporary concessions the MW can give Boise that will get them to stay in the MW with equal revenue distribution?"

If you think about it----Its not like the Boise alternatives to the MW are "perfect"....so, Boise might in the end have to swallow their pride and take some sort of face saving settlement in order to stay in the MW simply because they decide its in the best interests of the school long term to stay.

legally though I don't think there is anything that they could do short of kicking Boise out to change it.... They can't just be like we don't like that any longer and be done with it.

I think thats where they are. That said, some of the lawyers have said that perpetuity clauses can difficult to enforce when challenged, so that may be a legal strategy the MW might attempt to use. Again, pure educated speculation on my part---but I think the MW presidents are willing to let the cards fall where they may. They just want an end to the special deal. They probably have looked at it and decided there are no real financial damages Boise could hit them with at this time---so, worst case scenario is Boise leaves. They have likely decided they prefer a Boise exit to going on with the current deal. I suspect the presidents believe that, once Boise takes a hard look at the options, they can all come to a reasonable settlement that keeps Boise in the MW----and if not---the presidents are ok with that.

By the way, (and by their own admission in the complaint) Boise wanted a proportional increase in their bonus. The new MW TV deal roughly triples the old deal. That would produce a 5.4 million dollar bonus for Boise. Thus, all the other MW teams would receive about 3.6 million each while Boise received about 9 million. So, perhaps that request was the last straw for the other MW presidents.

OT. After reading your posts, make BSU stay in the MWC. See where their ratings go. No hurry for the AAC. ESPiN, it is your call.

(01-26-2020 07:10 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 06:27 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 06:15 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 05:31 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Since it's about money it will be settled. It's just how much more will get Boise to accept and drop things. Beyond that Boise State wants the MWC to affirm their special rights and status -- I think that is more important than a few $K more.

The more Ive thought about, the more Im convinced, that's why this happening. The MW presidents are getting rid of the Boise bonus and the MW presidents have looked at the worst case scenarios presented by their lawyers and decided those wold be preferable to continuing on with the Boise bonus.

I think the bonus is gone at the end of this CBS/FOX deal. If Boise leaves over it---I think the MW presidents are willing to accept that outcome. They have had a can full of the "Boise bonus" (and perhaps Boise as well). The only real question is "Is there some monetary "buy out" or some set of temporary concessions the MW can give Boise that will get them to stay in the MW with equal revenue distribution?"

If you think about it----Its not like the Boise alternatives to the MW are "perfect"....so, Boise might in the end have to swallow their pride and take some sort of face saving settlement in order to stay in the MW simply because they decide its in the best interests of the school long term to stay.

legally though I don't think there is anything that they could do short of kicking Boise out to change it.... They can't just be like we don't like that any longer and be done with it.

I think thats where they are. That said, some of the lawyers have said that perpetuity clauses can difficult to enforce when challenged, so that may be a legal strategy the MW might attempt to use. Again, pure educated speculation on my part---but I think the MW presidents are willing to let the cards fall where they may. They just want an end to the special deal. They probably have looked at it and decided there are no real financial damages Boise could hit them with at this time---so, worst case scenario is Boise leaves. They have likely decided they prefer a Boise exit to going on with the current deal. I suspect the presidents believe that, once Boise takes a hard look at the options, they can all come to a reasonable settlement that keeps Boise in the MW----and if not---the presidents are ok with that.

By the way, (and by their own admission in the complaint) Boise wanted a proportional increase in their bonus. The new MW TV deal roughly triples the old deal. That would produce a 5.4 million dollar bonus for Boise. Thus, all the other MW teams would receive about 3.6 million each while Boise received about 9 million. So, perhaps that request was the last straw for the other MW presidents.

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. I can understand why BSU feels compelled to protect its interests under the original agreement with the MWC but just reading the BSU complaint I could imagine the other conference presidents concluding “enough already”.

(01-26-2020 07:31 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  The kicker might have been Boise asking for the bonus to be increased 'proportionately' (as their complaint says) to fit the size of the new deal. If that bonus really did rise in a directly proportionate manner, than we would be talking about a bonus north of $5m, and that's just the bonus not their regular share. Add $3.5m or whatever on top and Boise would be getting about $8.5m in media to $3.5m for anyone else. Boise would be the highest-paid school outside of the P5 and Notre Dame. Which I am sure Boise thinks would be appropriate, LOL.

That could could easily have been outrageously galling to other members and caused them to blow their tops, so to speak.

This is where the question of "proportional to what" comes in. If the Boise State bonus was bumped up 33% to 2.4m, that would mean somewhere around $3.75m per school, so around $6.15m for Boise ... 64% more than everyone else rather than 240% more.

And something like that would be the bargaining range for the negotiations, but the most likely sticking point is the permanent aristocratic status for Boise. They can, if they are wise, negotiate a transition into a strong performance bonus system which would be likely to serve Boise State well ... eg a 4:3:2:1 top four performance pool, and a OTA / Major Network media appearance pool ... but if they let their ego demand permanent privileged status, it's still possible for negotiations to break down.

(01-26-2020 07:10 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 06:27 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 06:15 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 05:31 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Since it's about money it will be settled. It's just how much more will get Boise to accept and drop things. Beyond that Boise State wants the MWC to affirm their special rights and status -- I think that is more important than a few $K more.

The more Ive thought about, the more Im convinced, that's why this happening. The MW presidents are getting rid of the Boise bonus and the MW presidents have looked at the worst case scenarios presented by their lawyers and decided those wold be preferable to continuing on with the Boise bonus.

I think the bonus is gone at the end of this CBS/FOX deal. If Boise leaves over it---I think the MW presidents are willing to accept that outcome. They have had a can full of the "Boise bonus" (and perhaps Boise as well). The only real question is "Is there some monetary "buy out" or some set of temporary concessions the MW can give Boise that will get them to stay in the MW with equal revenue distribution?"

If you think about it----Its not like the Boise alternatives to the MW are "perfect"....so, Boise might in the end have to swallow their pride and take some sort of face saving settlement in order to stay in the MW simply because they decide its in the best interests of the school long term to stay.

legally though I don't think there is anything that they could do short of kicking Boise out to change it.... They can't just be like we don't like that any longer and be done with it.

I think thats where they are. That said, some of the lawyers have said that perpetuity clauses can difficult to enforce when challenged, so that may be a legal strategy the MW might attempt to use. Again, pure educated speculation on my part---but I think the MW presidents are willing to let the cards fall where they may. They just want an end to the special deal. They probably have looked at it and decided there are no real financial damages Boise could hit them with at this time---so, worst case scenario is Boise leaves. They have likely decided they prefer a Boise exit to going on with the current deal. I suspect the presidents believe that, once Boise takes a hard look at the options, they can all come to a reasonable settlement that keeps Boise in the MW----and if not---the presidents are ok with that.

By the way, (and by their own admission in the complaint) Boise wanted a proportional increase in their bonus. The new MW TV deal roughly triples the old deal. That would produce a 5.4 million dollar bonus for Boise. Thus, all the other MW teams would receive about 3.6 million each while Boise received about 9 million. So, perhaps that request was the last straw for the other MW presidents.

My question would be, looking back, why did the MWC sweeten the pot for Boise the first time? Geez, all those bad bets back then.

And I think the MW presidents are fine letting Boise go. That this was, to some degree, hashed out between other member schools, the conference, and lawyers to put the kibosh on the special membership deal. That the deal forced ESPN terms on them that weren’t favorable with a lesser overall cut.

Ball’s in Boise’s court. Eat the slice of humble pie and give up your bonus to become an equal, or take a walk.

(01-27-2020 06:45 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 07:10 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 06:27 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 06:15 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-26-2020 05:31 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Since it's about money it will be settled. It's just how much more will get Boise to accept and drop things. Beyond that Boise State wants the MWC to affirm their special rights and status -- I think that is more important than a few $K more.

The more Ive thought about, the more Im convinced, that's why this happening. The MW presidents are getting rid of the Boise bonus and the MW presidents have looked at the worst case scenarios presented by their lawyers and decided those wold be preferable to continuing on with the Boise bonus.

I think the bonus is gone at the end of this CBS/FOX deal. If Boise leaves over it---I think the MW presidents are willing to accept that outcome. They have had a can full of the "Boise bonus" (and perhaps Boise as well). The only real question is "Is there some monetary "buy out" or some set of temporary concessions the MW can give Boise that will get them to stay in the MW with equal revenue distribution?"

If you think about it----Its not like the Boise alternatives to the MW are "perfect"....so, Boise might in the end have to swallow their pride and take some sort of face saving settlement in order to stay in the MW simply because they decide its in the best interests of the school long term to stay.

legally though I don't think there is anything that they could do short of kicking Boise out to change it.... They can't just be like we don't like that any longer and be done with it.

I think thats where they are. That said, some of the lawyers have said that perpetuity clauses can difficult to enforce when challenged, so that may be a legal strategy the MW might attempt to use. Again, pure educated speculation on my part---but I think the MW presidents are willing to let the cards fall where they may. They just want an end to the special deal. They probably have looked at it and decided there are no real financial damages Boise could hit them with at this time---so, worst case scenario is Boise leaves. They have likely decided they prefer a Boise exit to going on with the current deal. I suspect the presidents believe that, once Boise takes a hard look at the options, they can all come to a reasonable settlement that keeps Boise in the MW----and if not---the presidents are ok with that.

By the way, (and by their own admission in the complaint) Boise wanted a proportional increase in their bonus. The new MW TV deal roughly triples the old deal. That would produce a 5.4 million dollar bonus for Boise. Thus, all the other MW teams would receive about 3.6 million each while Boise received about 9 million. So, perhaps that request was the last straw for the other MW presidents.

My question would be, looking back, why did the MWC sweeten the pot for Boise the first time? Geez, all those bad bets back then.

And I think the MW presidents are fine letting Boise go. That this was, to some degree, hashed out between other member schools, the conference, and lawyers to put the kibosh on the special membership deal. That the deal forced ESPN terms on them that weren’t favorable with a lesser overall cut.

Ball’s in Boise’s court. Eat the slice of humble pie and give up your bonus to become an equal, or take a walk.

In 2012 when the MW offered Boise that deal, the MW was looking at losing their top 2 teams (Boise and SDSU) and had a reasonable expectation that the Big East might try to take at least 2 more. If you think our replacement options in the east are limited, the replacement options available in the West were almost nonexistent. After NM State, your looking at CUSA/SB schools in Texas or FCS move ups. Getting Boise back in 2012 was worth it at the time because the conference was desperate to prevent the league from being depleted to CUSA/Sunbelt levels.

(01-27-2020 12:39 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  This is where the question of "proportional to what" comes in. If the Boise State bonus was bumped up 33% to 2.4m, that would mean somewhere around $3.75m per school, so around $6.15m for Boise ... 64% more than everyone else rather than 240% more.

And something like that would be the bargaining range for the negotiations, but the most likely sticking point is the permanent aristocratic status for Boise.

That was settled in 2012. The Mountain West signed the deal.

Quote:They can, if they are wise, negotiate a transition into a strong performance bonus system which would be likely to serve Boise State well ... eg a 4:3:2:1 top four performance pool, and a OTA / Major Network media appearance pool ...

They had that, the MWC couldn't afford the bonuses, so they renegotiated it to a flat fee for Boise State.

Quote:but if they let their ego demand permanent privileged status, it's still possible for negotiations to break down.

That ship has sailed.

Quote:My question would be, looking back, why did the MWC sweeten the pot for Boise the first time? Geez, all those bad bets back then.

Because without Boise, the MWC is MAC/CUSA Mountain-PAcific

Quote:Ball’s in Boise’s court. Eat the slice of humble pie and give up your bonus to become an equal, or take a walk.

Let's see if the MWC still feels that way when they get some numbers for a Boise-less TV contract.