Bo and SECPN

[Guy Chamberlin]

If it was your job and your money and you could sign a contract with only one conference, who would you choose?

[Guy Chamberlin]

(just for the record, the Big 10 Network isn't exactly denying its conference is in a slump)

[sd'sker]

http://247sports.com/Bolt/ESPNs-Fowler-responds-to-SEC-bias-criticism-32245907

 

if the question was, "do you hate the SEC?" the results would be nearly identical.

[suh_fan93]

ESPN's Chris Fowler responds to "SEC bias" criticism after recent Pelini comments.

[Redux]

ESPN was brilliant at getting in the sack with SEC. Cant fault em for that.

 

Its just bad for the overall product. If the SEC is already on top and then gets the major boost of recognition and prestige that come with ESPN, it could spell doom for other conferences. Eventually you could see the SEC expand to twice its size and break off into its own tier of college football so on and so forth.

 

Of course the Longhorns tried to do such things solo and failed miserably but if the player paying thing actually happens, look out.

[NUpolo8]

ESPN was brilliant at getting in the sack with SEC. Cant fault em for that.

Its just bad for the overall product. If the SEC is already on top and then gets the major boost of recognition and prestige that come with ESPN, it could spell doom for other conferences. Eventually you could see the SEC expand to twice its size and break off into its own tier of college football so on and so forth.

Of course the Longhorns tried to do such things solo and failed miserably but if the player paying thing actually happens, look out.

You realize the two conferences with the largest tv markets are the Big Ten and PAC 12. Literally all any school from those two conferences has to do is get their sh#t together.

 

The PAC 12's problem is it's good enough to twing their elite teams and their hyped teams in major markets aren't holding up their end.

[Redux]

Yes Im fully aware of that.

 

The Pac12 network and BTN are fueled by the conferences and the investors they sought out.

 

The SEC network was fueled by the success of the SEC and the success of BTN. Plus, having unlimited exposure on multiple ESPN channels kinda makes things pretty sweet for them

[NUpolo8]

Yes Im fully aware of that.

The Pac12 network and BTN are fueled by the conferences and the investors they sought out.

The SEC network was fueled by the success of the SEC and the success of BTN. Plus, having unlimited exposure on multiple ESPN channels kinda makes things pretty sweet for them

Then you're truly mad at nothing. This would be more of a thing if the sec teams in the top five weren't arguably the best teams in college football. And I don't think I anyone wants to argue that.

[VectorVictor]

ESPN was brilliant at getting in the sack with SEC. Cant fault em for that.

 

 

 

Noooooo, ESPN just pulled their head out of their a*s after the BTN debacle is all. If ESPN was brilliant, they would have created the BTN when Delaney approached them about it (instead of laughing him out of the room) and rolling in the money, Indecent Proposal-style.

 

Also, it's not just a coincidence that ESPN keeps harping on the B1G being abysmal (when they're not even the worst of the Big 5--the ACC is) during a contract negotiation period with the B1G. They're wanting to drive home the point to Delaney, et al, that ESPN controls the narrative of college football--if the B1G doesn't sign up with them, they'll be left out of the discussion...or worse, slandered without any chance of response.

 

Frankly, I'd love for Delaney to cut bait with ESPN and move their inventory to Fox Sports (including Fox OTA) and the BTN and leave ESPN high and dry. But until Delaney and Fox Sports figure out how to control the narrative of college football, they're going to throw a bone to ESPN.

[knapplc]

ESPN's pimping of the SEC impacts their target audience. High School recruits just happen to be smack in the middle of their prime demographic. Constantly pimping the SEC to the detriment of other conferences skews recruits to the SEC.

 

This is bad for college football in the same way that Texas paying their student-athletes $10,000 a year is bad for Olympic sports. All top recruits will go to the very few schools that can afford to pay their Olympic athletes.

[BigRedBuster]

No, ESPN would have been brilliant in going to the NCAA and inking a huge deal with them to promote college football nationally. Then, go to each individual conference and set up subnetworks for each conference. They would have the market locked up. There would be no talk of bias (no matter if it is right or wrong) and they would be rolling in even more money than they are now.

[knapplc]

If ESPN was brilliant, they would have created the BTN when Delaney approached them about it (instead of laughing him out of the room) and rolling in the money, Indecent Proposal-style.

That would have been a good business move for ESPN, but bad for college football in the same way their alliance with the SEC is bad. The best thing for the health of this sport is LESS money, not more. ESPN/FOX taking a 10,000-foot overview, not getting into bed with any one conference.

 

I know that's naive thinking and the money isn't ever going to leave the sport. But it's eventually going to ruin the sport.

[VectorVictor]

No, ESPN would have been brilliant in going to the NCAA and inking a huge deal with them to promote college football nationally. Then, go to each individual conference and set up subnetworks for each conference. They would have the market locked up. There would be no talk of bias (no matter if it is right or wrong) and they would be rolling in even more money than they are now.

 

Except that Oklahoma ruined this for everyone years ago by suing the NCAA for their own TV rights. F*****g hillbillies.

 

 

 

If ESPN was brilliant, they would have created the BTN when Delaney approached them about it (instead of laughing him out of the room) and rolling in the money, Indecent Proposal-style.

That would have been a good business move for ESPN, but bad for college football in the same way their alliance with the SEC is bad. The best thing for the health of this sport is LESS money, not more. ESPN/FOX taking a 10,000-foot overview, not getting into bed with any one conference.

 

I know that's naive thinking and the money isn't ever going to leave the sport. But it's eventually going to ruin the sport.

 

 

Right...but that ship has sailed, so best to address the reality (read: ESPN is slandering/devaluing the B1G to gain leverage in TV negotiations) than to look at what could have been, and affect the sport in other positive manners...like working with the Pac-12 (and hopefully a majority of the ACC) to enforce graduation rates and GPA monitoring of athletes.

 

But it's foolish to ignore what ESPN is doing currently--again, ESPN's narrative is driven by their ongoing negotiations with the B1G re: television rights, and not because the B1G is the worst power conference (because it isn't--the ACC is...but you'll never hear that, since ESPN also has a deal with the ACC for their network...)

[NUpolo8]

Olympic sports are on the docket to get immolated by that because the schools that will want to keep up with joneses in football and basketball will just cut the programs. That's a little more extreme than getting what perceived to be lesser recruits.

 

And this whole premise of the tv exposure is a little overblown. If Nebraska wins out, wins the conference and gets into a big bowl, Espn coverage will fire right back up. It's not like the team was never in Espn back in the salad days. Hell, I could see a "This is Sportscenter" happening with Bo and a cat (and wouldn't that be a jump the shark moment).

 

What I know wouldn't happen is us being ignored. Espn literally could not wait for an la team to make a runs this year. UCLA didn't hold up their end.

[NUpolo8]

 

No, ESPN would have been brilliant in going to the NCAA and inking a huge deal with them to promote college football nationally. Then, go to each individual conference and set up subnetworks for each conference. They would have the market locked up. There would be no talk of bias (no matter if it is right or wrong) and they would be rolling in even more money than they are now.

 

Except that Oklahoma ruined this for everyone years ago by suing the NCAA for their own TV rights. F*****g hillbillies.

 

 

 

If ESPN was brilliant, they would have created the BTN when Delaney approached them about it (instead of laughing him out of the room) and rolling in the money, Indecent Proposal-style.

 

That would have been a good business move for ESPN, but bad for college football in the same way their alliance with the SEC is bad. The best thing for the health of this sport is LESS money, not more. ESPN/FOX taking a 10,000-foot overview, not getting into bed with any one conference.

I know that's naive thinking and the money isn't ever going to leave the sport. But it's eventually going to ruin the sport.

Right...but that ship has sailed, so best to address the reality (read: ESPN is slandering/devaluing the B1G to gain leverage in TV negotiations) than to look at what could have been, and affect the sport in other positive manners...like working with the Pac-12 (and hopefully a majority of the ACC) to enforce graduation rates and GPA monitoring of athletes.

 

But it's foolish to ignore what ESPN is doing currently--again, ESPN's narrative is driven by their ongoing negotiations with the B1G re: television rights, and not because the B1G is the worst power conference (because it isn't--the ACC is...but you'll never hear that, since ESPN also has a deal with the ACC for their network...)

You're going to have a hard time convincing anyone that the worst conference is the one with the reigning national champion in it.