(03-22-2023 02:24 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  Um, at that time, the only ESPN contract CUSA had was for the conference championship game. C-USA broke away from ESPN in 2010, lost a lawsuit and ESPN got the CCG.

Plenty of "get the markets" thinking and chattering was going on. I just don't know if it's fair to blame ESPN for it.

(03-22-2023 02:32 PM)Yosef181 Wrote:  That's wrong. Conference USA left ESPN in 2011. The two were not partners when Conference USA added the SBC schools you mentioned.

Your response makes it seem like dumb luck the the SBC passed CUSA, but that was the conference strategy, starting with App and GaSo: add schools with large fanbases who actually win on the field. TV markets don't matter to the SBC, and they haven't mattered since App and GaSo were added.

Sigh. I know these things. You're missing the point. Many conferences are making decisions in an effort to CHASE TV dollars -- which we can just say "ESPN dollars" because the other networks barely participate. It doesn't matter if the conferences actually get the contract or not.


I've been saying it up and down this board: Conference are "auditioning for ESPN investment." We're so accustomed to assigning value to conferences based on TV contracts that we THINK "however good the conference is, that's how many TV dollars they get."

Which totally isn't true. ESPN is manipulating the market to serve their own needs. Their investment dollars go to where they get THE MOST RETURN. They're insider trading because they ALSO create the narrative around college sports, as recruits watch SportsCenter.

ESPN invested in SBC because the league plays good football, has good fans, and ESPN got far more value from that then paying for big markets with not good football.

I don't think the SBC "lucked" into their membership. The SBC built the best conference they could be and did a great job.

MAC and Sun Belt likely end up with very similar deals. They have a basketball schedule deal. They played each other in bowl games. ESPN/Disney needs to cut costs. They are paying the power five massive amounts. MAC/CUSA and Sun Belt fill the weeknights at a low cost. That is what ESPN needs. ESPN is paying for Tuesday night and Wednesday nite football. AAC/ACC got Thursday Friday Nights and the Power Five is Saturdays. MWC/PAC12 gives them the late night Saturday slots. MAC and Sun Belt should consider 9 am kickoffs on Saturdays for kickoffs to get more TV games. It is like NFL games in Europe. That might be worth a few bucks to fill early Saturday morning slots. Early games also mean early games gamblers can bet, so that gets a few eyeballs on the games. Sun Belt and MAC need to think outside the box to increase there TV deals.

(03-22-2023 11:54 PM)OhioBobcatJohn Wrote:  MAC and Sun Belt likely end up with very similar deals. They have a basketball schedule deal. They played each other in bowl games. ESPN/Disney needs to cut costs. They are paying the power five massive amounts. MAC/CUSA and Sun Belt fill the weeknights at a low cost. That is what ESPN needs. ESPN is paying for Tuesday night and Wednesday nite football. AAC/ACC got Thursday Friday Nights and the Power Five is Saturdays. MWC/PAC12 gives them the late night Saturday slots. MAC and Sun Belt should consider 9 am kickoffs on Saturdays for kickoffs to get more TV games. It is like NFL games in Europe. That might be worth a few bucks to fill early Saturday morning slots. Early games also mean early games gamblers can bet, so that gets a few eyeballs on the games. Sun Belt and MAC need to think outside the box to increase there TV deals.

no thanks ever to 9AM games. maybe if its 1x a year and ESPN pays $1MM/team. SBC sold out for tuesday/wednesday games, but has gotten it down to 2X/year. Thats plenty. I understand why MACTION works for the mac schools, especially in November, but I want to have a more regular model for the SBC of 90% Saturday games with mostly Thursdays/Fridays mixed in with 1-2 Tues/Wed games thrown in.

(03-23-2023 07:22 AM)ballantyneapp Wrote:  

(03-22-2023 11:54 PM)OhioBobcatJohn Wrote:  MAC and Sun Belt likely end up with very similar deals. They have a basketball schedule deal. They played each other in bowl games. ESPN/Disney needs to cut costs. They are paying the power five massive amounts. MAC/CUSA and Sun Belt fill the weeknights at a low cost. That is what ESPN needs. ESPN is paying for Tuesday night and Wednesday nite football. AAC/ACC got Thursday Friday Nights and the Power Five is Saturdays. MWC/PAC12 gives them the late night Saturday slots. MAC and Sun Belt should consider 9 am kickoffs on Saturdays for kickoffs to get more TV games. It is like NFL games in Europe. That might be worth a few bucks to fill early Saturday morning slots. Early games also mean early games gamblers can bet, so that gets a few eyeballs on the games. Sun Belt and MAC need to think outside the box to increase there TV deals.

no thanks ever to 9AM games. maybe if its 1x a year and ESPN pays $1MM/team. SBC sold out for tuesday/wednesday games, but has gotten it down to 2X/year. Thats plenty. I understand why MACTION works for the mac schools, especially in November, but I want to have a more regular model for the SBC of 90% Saturday games with mostly Thursdays/Fridays mixed in with 1-2 Tues/Wed games thrown in.

I can't imagine there's a whole lot of demand for a 9am EST kickoff. But yeah, that'd suck.

(03-22-2023 11:54 PM)OhioBobcatJohn Wrote:  MAC and Sun Belt likely end up with very similar deals. They have a basketball schedule deal. They played each other in bowl games.

ESPN/Disney needs to cut costs. They are paying the power five massive amounts. MAC/CUSA and Sun Belt fill the weeknights at a low cost.

This. People understand the concept when it comes to like, baseball free agents, but don't grasp that ESPN is operating like a GM trying to build a roster that gets the "most bang for the buck."

The elite is worth ridiculous money. But the value to ESPN isn't linear all the way down to replacement level.

If a very good player wants 2/3rds of elite money, teams walk away and just replace them with someone who's dirt cheap yet provides adequate value. I think the MWC, C-USA and now Pac-12 are like those kind of free agents; and the SBC was a steal.


I also strongly suspect that with all of TV/streaming media in a period of transition and facing revenue uncertainty... you're going to see a big, big, big push from the "networks" on women's sports.