Ackerman - BE - TV Contracts, Expansion, Gonzaga - Oct 2021

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

Dana O'Neil @DanaONeilWriter
Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman told The Athletic that with the FOX deal expiring in 2025, she will ask her presidents to at least examine expansion. "That's in the back of our minds,'' she said. "What school helps with our basketball aspirations?" - 3:33 PM · Oct 13, 2021

Hmmmm... What "school"... Makes you wonder if FOX is pushing a certain addition.

Asked about a certain Catholic school in Spokane... "Geography is not insurmountable"

https://twitter.com/DanaONeilWriter/status/1448372875400859651?s=20

Not insurmountable but "kind of high on the list" was Ackerman's quote. I'd think Zags will at least be considered, but that idea gets tossed very quickly.

It is worth noting that neither the Gonzaga University administration nor Gonzaga’s basketball fans have any interest in joining the Big East – a very significant factor which should not be overlooked in the present discussion.
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[Cheech]

I posted a couple of moths ago that we will expand. That is going to happen and it will be more than 1…..it’s ALL ABOUT MONEY…the schools they are actively talking to are Gonzaga….VCU…SLU and Dayton… all of them are in the mix…forget the Notre Dame etc stuff… it will come from theirs 4 schools… check my old posts and hold on to this one…going to happen and sooner than you think.. As imposter Several Schools are hurting financially and are aggressive with expansion.

[Django]

The more confident an expansion troll is, the more they’re wrong.

[butlerguy03]

I posted a couple of moths ago that we will expand. That is going to happen and it will be more than 1…..it’s ALL ABOUT MONEY…the schools they are actively talking to are Gonzaga….VCU…SLU and Dayton… all of them are in the mix…forget the Notre Dame etc stuff… it will come from theirs 4 schools… check my old posts and hold on to this one…going to happen and sooner than you think.. As imposter Several Schools are hurting financially and are aggressive with expansion.

You’re thinking in 2010 expansion mode where the conference had to get to a minimum number in larger markets to ink the deal with FOX. In 2021, markets and geography no longer matter much, they’ll be looking for streaming impressions. Gonzaga meets that criteria. Dayton and VCU have strengths, but national relevancy is not one of them. SLU is completely out at this point.

If one of Notre Dame, Syracuse, Pitt became available, they would all meet the criteria as well. Same with other pipe dreams discussed on here at length.

[Cheech]

My info is accurate and spot on…. When it happens I will re post.

[MullinMayhem]

Only ones I'd add are programs like Gonzaga, Cuse, Virginia, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, etc. Programs that truly move the needle nationally. The thing about Cuse is they have had lots of tourney success but ho-hum seasons by their standards recently. They used to be a top 10 team every year in the Big East. They have gone from that to rarely even being ranked at all but get hot come March. Their football while enjoying some rare success in isolated years will never be good consistently to move needle. They're getting more $ in ACC but they have fallen competitively as a tradeoff. Once Boeheim is gone, there is no guarantee at all they will be anywhere near as successful. This is kind of the argument I make with Gonzaga (though making way less $)...you have a HOF stud of a coach but what happens when they retire or leave? Texas Tech didn't matter for a long time until Beard came. Now he's gone. Same with Wichita St. If I'm a school like Cuse with bad to just ok football but a very historic hoops program, I'm looking to see if I can get the Big East as a hoops only member. Yes they eat some $ but it could be a sacrifice for the future post Boeheim. Who's to say that in 10 yrs the ACC doesn't say "forget Cuse, their football stinks and they're just another mouth to feed and split $ with"? Or Virginia and the like? Vandy? I doubt it happens but assuming UConn remains successful here, they will be seen as an example of possibly a lesser paycheck, but a much better fit and safe foundation.

Do the F5 conferences ever "trim the fat" of:
Cuse
WF
Virginia
Vandy
Kansas
BC
Duke

No one cares about any of their football programs but in hoops they can or do succeed.

[Bogg]

Nobody from the ACC or Big 12 is coming at this point in time. Notre Dame is a little less preposterous than the others due to their stance on football independence, but it's still not happening. We could grab anyone we really wanted out of CUSA or the MAC, but nobody would make much sense unless you squint really hard at Buffalo. Not happening though. The logical candidates are the top of the A10 or maybe the MVC, with Gonzaga out there waiting for the geography hurdle to be solved.

[adoraz]

Gonzaga, Notre Dame and Kansas. That's the group. Whoever is interested (likely only Gonzaga at this point) should be invited.

[gtmoBlue]

Late Entry

LE: In pondering a bit... Take the Zags now.

The B1G will eventually go to 16-this year or next. In all likelihood ND will go to the B1G, with UVA or UNC.
The loss of Notre Dame and UNC to the B1G is a major blow and will rock the ACC to the core, lessen conference value, and open the door for potentially
more defections (Clemson/FSU to SEC?). Such moves would pose a real threat very similar to what the Big12 recently suffered. Conference value regresses
back to the high teens to low twenties for the ACC. Such turbulence causes insecurities in the remaining schools-as noted in the B12 example. They begin
to think less about conference cohesion and more about the survival of the fittest. In that environment a move by S'cuse and Duke to the Big East is very plausible.
Making $11-12M year in the Big East, along with the stability, marketing potentials in NY, and likeminded schools are worth taking a small hit financially in the
short-term.

We (the BE) should begin backchannel talks (if we haven't already begun so) with S'cuse, Duke, and UVA...just in case for last-second moves prior to our
2024-25 contract negotiatiions. The Zags move the needle, but going to 14 moves it further. Adding Syracuse and Duke in 2024 would push the BE's value into
the $11-12M yr territory. It should be noted that ND is making a killing since the ACC's revenue bump. However, in no way should ND be making $11M year.
ND Hoops is not realistically worth twice what Villanova, UConn, Gtwn, and St Johns make. No way!


https://www.espn.com/college-sports/sto ... 42-million
ACC

The revenue increased more than $42 million over the previous year -- thanks largely to its increased television and postseason bowl revenues. Television revenue increased from $288 million the previous year to $332.8 million, as the ACC Network launched in August 2019.

Postseason bowl revenue totaled $124.9 million, with Clemson making the College Football Playoff and Virginia playing Florida in the Capital One Orange Bowl. The league distributed an average of nearly $32.3 million per school among its 14 full-time members.

For the first time in history, each school's distribution topped $30 million. Clemson, with its CFP appearance that season, received the highest payout at nearly $37 million. Notre Dame, a member in all sports but football, has a different distribution and received $10.8 million for the 2019-20 fiscal year.

Currently ND is raking in $10.8 M yr for hoops from the ACC. With the loss of ND and UVA, or UNC, the ACC's value will plummet. The
more defections, the merrier!

As for the BE dollars in 2025...$7M/yr per school will be another lowball offer. We got lowballed in 2013 (as I have repeatedly stated)
and with or without Gonzaga the BE has shown it is a top conference over the entirety of the reformation period. We will get top
dollar for our content this time around. $9M/yr per school will be an average figure for the new contract...could realistically be in the
$11-12M year range.

gtmo

[ArmyVet]

Follow the money. If FOX wants Gonzaga, the Big East will add them. It'd be a steal from ESPN too for late night, west coast hoops inventory which adds to their value.