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POLL: How do you feel about Maryland and Rutgers joining the Big Ten?
Unlike in real life, you have lots of choices
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POLL: How do you feel about Maryland and Rutgers joining the Big Ten?
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This is easy: the business side of college athletics dictates the financial opportunities of its programs. This move, and with Rutgers, is 100% financial. The ONLY redeeming stretch of realism to this move academic is that Maryland and Rutgers both happen to be AAU schools; however, we all probably know that in the end that was only 2% as important as the number of TV sets on the East Coast.
As superconferences are created, there are 3 paths to adhere to: lead, follow or get out of the way. The only way to control your destiny is to lead, and that’s what Delany and the B1G has done from Day 1. I’m not thrilled with the move but certainly understand it and resign myself to fact that it’s better than playing catch-up all the time – ala the Big Least and possibly the ACC in the next 2 years.
I also would like to add “Big 12″ to that last list of failing conferences, because if Texas starts sniffing around again for a better deal then that conference WILL fold this time because no TV network is going to pay major rights fees for ISU, Kansas, TCU, Texas Tech, etc. Period. If Texas leaves, the league will absolutely fold and schools will scurry around like mice when the light comes on in the pantry…
Why the BigXII concern?
Where the UI now resides, focus on what can be controlled. From the university president on down, the entire organization in Iowa City needs serious review/revamping.
An opinion piece that nails the big picture:
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8654190/on-urban-meyer-ohio-state-wisconsin-big-ten-expanding-include-maryland-rutgers
Next up, Louisville and Virginia Tech.
L’ville and VaTech,………don’t need any more Ambien.
This is Jim Delaney doing his best Al Davis impersonation. TV markets are now the most important issue confronting the B16. Not crappy athletics.
More TV’s and less relevance. Is that progress?
My questions have always been when will it end and will it ever be enough? The projections are that each Big Ten school could get 40 million in TV money by 2017. But how soon before that’s not enough? Then what? Will some of the “lightweight” schools be asked (or told) to leave, so they can be replaced with schools in bigger TV markets? On the bright side, they added two schools that Iowa should be able to beat in FB most years.