Need a little help figuring this one out. I don't question the shrewdness of the B1G leadership because the moves they've already made have shown the are playing chess while others are playing checkers (BTN still resounds as one of the best moves of the past decade). The queston I have is what is the motivation for paying NYC & DC rent? DC satelite offices sound like empty space with a B1G logo and the NYC office is a mile and change from Times Square while having 3 staff members... OK, and?

Is this a gesture to make Rutgers, Maryland, and Penn State feel at home? Is it to recruit new sponsors? Advertise in the Financial and Political Capitals of America? I don't know that you need an office presence in NYC or DC to do any of those things, but maybe its good for public relations.

(04-11-2014 01:16 PM)Big Ron Buckeye Wrote:  Need a little help figuring this one out. I don't question the shrewdness of the B1G leadership because the moves they've already made have shown the are playing chess while others are playing checkers (BTN still resounds as one of the best moves of the past decade). The queston I have is what is the motivation for paying NYC & DC rent? DC satelite offices sound like empty space with a B1G logo and the NYC office is a mile and change from Times Square while having 3 staff members... OK, and?

Is this a gesture to make Rutgers, Maryland, and Penn State feel at home? Is it to recruit new sponsors? Advertise in the Financial and Political Capitals of America? I don't know that you need an office presence in NYC or DC to do any of those things, but maybe its good for public relations.

$$$$$$$$

They are present in the media capitals and centers of power.

(04-11-2014 01:19 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(04-11-2014 01:16 PM)Big Ron Buckeye Wrote:  Need a little help figuring this one out. I don't question the shrewdness of the B1G leadership because the moves they've already made have shown the are playing chess while others are playing checkers (BTN still resounds as one of the best moves of the past decade). The queston I have is what is the motivation for paying NYC & DC rent? DC satelite offices sound like empty space with a B1G logo and the NYC office is a mile and change from Times Square while having 3 staff members... OK, and?

Is this a gesture to make Rutgers, Maryland, and Penn State feel at home? Is it to recruit new sponsors? Advertise in the Financial and Political Capitals of America? I don't know that you need an office presence in NYC or DC to do any of those things, but maybe its good for public relations.

$$$$$$$$

They are present in the media capitals and centers of power.

We do have smart phones, video conferencing, and faxes. Planting a flag is Napoleonic... unless the realignment party is about to get started again.

$$$$$$$$

They are present in the media capitals and centers of power.
[/quote]
We do have smart phones, video conferencing, and faxes. Planting a flag is Napoleonic... unless the realignment party is about to get started again.
[/quote]

I'm waiting for Maryland v ACC to be resolved then I expect it to hit the fan again.

(04-11-2014 01:16 PM)Big Ron Buckeye Wrote:  Is this a gesture to make Rutgers, Maryland, and Penn State feel at home? Is it to recruit new sponsors?

BTN needs the advertising exposure, and yes, lessons learned with Penn State. This is not a slow assimilation; it's a marketing blitz.

(04-11-2014 02:16 PM)Big Ron Buckeye Wrote:  $$$$$$$$

They are present in the media capitals and centers of power.

We do have smart phones, video conferencing, and faxes. Planting a flag is Napoleonic... unless the realignment party is about to get started again.
[/quote]

I'm waiting for Maryland v ACC to be resolved then I expect it to hit the fan again.
[/quote]

It doesn't matter what gadget we come up with next, face to face will always be the way to do business, especially for first impressions. We've had physical mail, telephones, email, video conferencing, and whatever comes next. Those are follow up tools. The Big 10 is smart to put small offices where they will be making many first impressions over the next decade.

(04-11-2014 02:17 PM)SeaBlue Wrote:  

(04-11-2014 01:16 PM)Big Ron Buckeye Wrote:  Is this a gesture to make Rutgers, Maryland, and Penn State feel at home? Is it to recruit new sponsors?

BTN needs the advertising exposure, and yes, lessons learned with Penn State. This is not a slow assimilation; it's a marketing blitz.

Ron, the office is like a giant networking billboard, and place to hang out with friends. It is a smart move, it is something I would have done.
The SEC pays $1 a year for their HQ space in Birmingham. The deal is with the city I think.
Midtown is very expensive, but this office is small.

(04-11-2014 02:24 PM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  It doesn't matter what gadget we come up with next, face to face will always be the way to do business, especially for first impressions.

Precisely ... and the first impression of having a permanent office in the city (even a small one) is substantially more solid than the first impression of using a hotel meeting room on a temporary basis.

The NYC office is likely more important for the Big Ten as a sports conference with substantial media revenues, the DC office more important for the Big Ten as a collection of academic institutions attracting large sums of Federally funded research grants and other academic/educational funding.

From Day 1 of expansion & realignment, it was clear that getting into NYC was the major goal of the Big Ten. That's what all of the efforts to add Notre Dame were about. Obviously that didn't work and they eventually settled for Rutgers. Opening a NY office is a clear message. "We're here to stay and we intend to make the most of it."

Oh, yeah. One more thing. They now have an office just to line up those big ad firms in NY to sell them air time.

(04-11-2014 11:09 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  From Day 1 of expansion & realignment, it was clear that getting into NYC was the major goal of the Big Ten. That's what all of the efforts to add Notre Dame were about. Obviously that didn't work and they eventually settled for Rutgers. Opening a NY office is a clear message. "We're here to stay and we intend to make the most of it."

Oh, yeah. One more thing. They now have an office just to line up those big ad firms in NY to sell them air time.

If the NY office is there to negotiate with ad firms, maybe the DC office is the venue for lobbying congress in anticipation that major college sports will draw more legislative attention as a result of all the current and future lawsuits flying around. Congress may well be a major battleground in the future.

New York City is the economic and media/news capital of the world... having office space close to corporate and media partners is ideal in reaching out to them. It also gives members staff the ability to have space close for their own internal needs. Schools can have sponsorship and partners within their own athletic departments separate of the conference for facilities and events, etc. Opening this office is BIG for them, the office in DC will allow a home base for discussions with and lobbying of government too.

(04-11-2014 02:42 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(04-11-2014 02:24 PM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  It doesn't matter what gadget we come up with next, face to face will always be the way to do business, especially for first impressions.

Precisely ... and the first impression of having a permanent office in the city (even a small one) is substantially more solid than the first impression of using a hotel meeting room on a temporary basis.

The NYC office is likely more important for the Big Ten as a sports conference with substantial media revenues, the DC office more important for the Big Ten as a collection of academic institutions attracting large sums of Federally funded research grants and other academic/educational funding.

This is the only reason that makes sense to me... but still.... if you're meeting a big shot in NYC, why can't you just meet in their office? I doubt the office is big enough to meet with a lot of groups at once.

It's probably not motivated so that other people can stop by at any time. The staffers that work there won't be very integrated with the rest of the Big 10 people. The power brokers will still be in Chicago; I'm guessing the NYC and DC employees will be receptionists. That's why this seems like a classier alternative to a hotel room when the big wigs are in town.

(04-12-2014 05:07 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  This is the only reason that makes sense to me... but still.... if you're meeting a big shot in NYC, why can't you just meet in their office?

Even if you are meeting in their office, its preferable to have the advance work and the prep done by staff on site who can bring the Big Ten big wigs up to speed before heading over to the NYC big wig's office. And the power position ideal is rather to have that prep work done when the Big Ten big wigs touch down and then have a series of meetings on the home turf of the Big Ten big wigs.