RE: John Marinatto
Marinatto was a former Providence AD, so he always provided a valuable voice to the non-football schools; however, up until he was asked to resign, he began challenging the basketball schools to look in the mirror and questioned their reluctance to add football-first members. He will always be remembered as the Commissioner that oversaw Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia depart (in addition to TCU, who was going to be a full-member). The issue at this time was that the C8 (w/ Notre Dame) did feel that it lost an ally, and the Presidents continued to believe that they could still get a lucrative TV deal (which could not have been further from the truth, after turning down ESPN). The only reason that the basketball schools did not break off before then (in May, 2012) was because both the Presidents and, later, Aresco, sold the wrong belief about the Big East being able to recoup all of the lost value by adding media markets (not necessarily brands/programs). The idea that Orlando, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, and Memphis would, collectively, replace the brands of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia was so wrong then, and even more so now, it is laughable. After Louisville and Rutgers left (in addition to Notre Dame), it was clear that the vision being sold did not only not have any substance, but the new TV deal was drastically lower than what the Presidents and Aresco had been pitching. The C7 already had one foot out the door before, and the Fox offer/interest sealed the deal.
I credit Marinatto with the creative addition of TCU and the potential backup of back-filling with Big 12-remnants (which never worked, obviously). I think he deserves criticism for overseeing Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia all leaving (in addition to TCU) under his watch, as well the attempt of completely killing the basketball side in order to preserve football (which Aresco took to a whole new level with the additions of Tulane and ECU).
No matter who the commissioner of the Big East was at this time, that person was doomed to oversee a split. It's a miracle Tranghese held the group together as long as he did, especially after Boston College left in 2003.
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