In some backroom in Bristol, Connecticut the cigar-smoking executives of the ESPN “syndicate” must be celebrating. They just struck a huge blow to their major competition, FOX Sports, in the business that peddles television sports like drug dealers pandering to an insatiable public appetite.
This week Texas A&M wants to jump ship to the Southeastern Conference because the dysfunction caused entirely by their arch-rival Texas’ addiction to money is too much to stand.
And behind it all is ESPN, which this summer agreed to pay the Longhorns $300 million over 20 years to broadcast the Longhorn Network — an obvious advantage for the University of Texas athletics over the remaining nine Big 12 members, including Texas A&M, who threatened to walk a year ago because of Texas wanting to control the conference.
Mike’s Blog
The Aggies are getting out of a house that only Dr. Drew could deal with — one that has become polluted by a conference member who is capitalizing on its stature at the detriment of the other family members.
And, Texas A&M, like the insecure little brother, has had enough.
(Meanwhile, Oklahoma stands as the sibling unaffected by such insecurities –“Guys, can’t we just play football?”).
Earlier, FOX Sports signed a 13-year deal with the Big 12 conference which provided for members sharing (although not evenly) the revenue. It was good for most, but Texas was not satisfied. They decided to form their own television network with ESPN and pocket all the revenue to the exclusion of the remainder of the Big 12. The plan drew immediate rebuke from other schools when Texas officials said they planned on televising the high school games of football recruits (a plan nixed first by the Big 12, and later by the NCAA as violating of recruiting rules).
And so that brings us to this week, when the A&M board of regents are likely to vote to walk away from the Big 12 and join the SEC, the most competitive of college sports conferences in the country.
After years of being disrespected in leagues shared with the University of Texas (first the Southwest and now the Big 12), the Aggies are about to join a group that will bash their heads in in almost every sport. It is true that A&M has been competitive, and even became co-conference champ in baseball. But, for the most part, Texas A&M, has been an “also ran” in the Big 12 and will be a mid-level player in the SEC (think South Carolina).
Does any of this make sense?
Only if the almighty dollar is the cocaine of college sports. And, it is.
A&M will make good money in the SEC and it won’t be disrespected when the equal paychecks are doled out.
A&M’s departure may lead to the SEC to steal another Big 12 team from the group. The conference may collapse. At that point the Pac-12 will come raiding and Oklahoma will be in the conference with California and USC (a truly “Western” athletic conference).
College football fans are likely to lose in all this because a good conference is teetering on collapse. Traditional match-ups (think Oklahoma vs. Kansas — a game that his been played for 108 years) may be lost.
And FOX Sports may lose out on broadcasting a major college football conference — causing those ESPN mob bosses to be very happy.
And, just like addiction eventually catches up with the users, this situation is likely to turn bad for even those who seemingly are in the cat-bird seat.
Those bright minds in Austin know the Pac-12 schools will not accept Texas’ shenanigans any more than Texas A&M has. If the Big 12 collapses there will be no invitation from the Pac 12 so long as the Longhorns have a $300 million nest egg to dominate whatever conference they are in. So, Texas is scrambling to keep the Big 12 alive in some form or another (expect Texas political and legal attempts to stop the A&M board of regents from carrying out their exit plan).
And, just like any addictive personality the Longhorns won’t give it up. As a result, Texas without a Big 12 could become an independent. And THAT, my friends, would be a fitting comeuppence to the program whose genius is greatest in its own mind.
Imagine, the Texas Longhorns. As relevant on the college football landscape as….Notre Dame.
-Mike
—-
Latest News:
The Southeastern Conference is not extending an invitation to Texas A&M to become its 13th member, but isn’t ruling out adding the Aggies in the future. University of Florida president Dr. Bernie Machen said the conference’s presidents and chancellors met on Sunday and “reaffirmed our satisfaction with the present 12 institutional alignment.”
The Big 12 issued a press statement Saturday after a conference call between commissioner Dan Beebe and school athletic directors, stating:
“The Board strongly conveyed to Texas A&M its unanimous desire that it remain a Big 12 member, and acknowledged its value to the Conference. The Board noted that Texas A&M expressed concerns about institutional networks and that the athletics directors worked together and took actions, which the Board has approved, to adequately address those concerns.”
Follow