(05-30-2021 10:39 AM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 09:23 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 05:03 PM)random asian guy Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 03:40 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(05-29-2021 08:35 AM)ken d Wrote:  What kind of media deal would the ACC have gotten if Clemson and Florida State had refused to agree to that long term GoR and contract? And if they would only agree to a deal that was expiring this year, how does anyone know how much the league would command in the open market? Would they be more valuable today relative to the B1G and SEC? Somehow, I doubt it.

You need to separate the decisions of the GoR versus the media contract extension.

IMO, the GoR was essential for the ACC’s survival. The 2008 media contract had been financially disastrous, and the subsequent additions of Pitt/Cuse/partial-ND did help boost immediate payouts. Nevertheless, Maryland leaving exposed the lack of long-term consensus amongst the schools. Florida State (and other football schools) boosters started vetting the B12; Virginia (and possibly Georgia Tech) were rumored to be talking with the BIG; UNC (and possibly Duke) were initiating feelers to the SEC; and Notre Dame had no real investment in the future ACC. The GoR forced all 15 members to commit to a joint future. Creating a dedicated conference network required upfront investment that neither ESPN nor the schools would risk without the GoR. BIG schools needed the GoR to start their BTN; and the ACC does not have the SEC’s football prowess that ensured its viability.

On the other hand, extending the length of the T1 & 2 contracts appears to have been a short-sighted gamble that is hurting the current value of schools. The ACC exchanged an increase in immediate cash for ESPN’s long term commitment. Given the horrible starting point (the once adjusted 2008 contract) and subsequent growth in sports media rights, the contract now appears very one-sided in favor of ESPN. Without the extension, the ACC members would likely be earning less today. Yet they could renegotiate rights to get market rates...IMO, valuations would be much higher if the ACC media rights were not locked-in for the next 15 years.

Yes it doesn’t look like the currenct contract is very fair to the ACC.

My question is, if the contract expires soon, say 2025 like the Big 12, would there be a possibility of some of the ACC leaving for the SEC / the BIG? To me, Swofford and the ACC took an extremely conservative approach to make sure nobody leaves until 2036. And if the ACC gets a high profile school by some miracle, then it will have a chance to reopen the contract.

Here's a 4D chess move: ND joins as an ACC member in full .... for four years. This triggers a renegotiation of the contract. The ACC gets brought up to market price. ND, in turn, gets higher payouts along with everybody else in the ACC. ND effectively halts the realignment pressure on the ACC, thus stabilizing the landscape, and reassuring its ability to be an independent after four years. All non-FB sports at ND get exactly what they want: An ACC that is stable and they're full members of.

ND is an ESPN white whale. ESPN is probably happy with ND being primarily a football independent, with an occasional year as a conference member. ESPN just wants media rights to the biggest games, such as last year’s ACC Championship Game between ND & Clemson. More importantly, ESPN needs access to some ND media rights in order to mitigate the potential market power of the BIG.

It has always been about this which is why Delany wanted them so badly. Notre Dame is the back door into most of the major cities in the B1G footprint and the main deterrent to full maximization of B1G advertising leverage.