According to a well-placed source I work with at ABC/ESPN in NY...

The networks not only were not going to cough up any more money to the SEC when we joined (ESPN/ABC, CBS, Jefferson Pilot), they were also ready to draw swords with the Big XII schools that were leaving to recover ALL lost revenue from the conference break up...They specifically were going to target Texas and OU - the two biggest draws for TV.

A&M might have been spared some because they were going to an ESPN conference, but it would not have been easy...

Orangebloods make it seem like the "we don't want to be the bad guys" issue was a big one for Texas. It was a consideration, but a minor one...

Texas also realized that moving from a conference that is centered in the Central Time Zone to one that is centered in the Pacific Time Zone also presents problems in terms of marketing and numbers of TV households (90% of TV households versus 35% of TV households)...

Bottom Line:

This was TV driven...Not due to any altruistic feelings from Texas. The Horns got more money, avoided an all-out "range war" with ESPN/ABC and got conference permission to start their own network...Pretty decent win for them...

Now that the dye (sp?) has been cast, look for ESPN/ABC to start thinking in terms of an expanded SEC and the eventual demise of the Big Whatever Conference we're in now...

Bottom Line: Texas A&M will be in the SEC someday...We need to get our football program to a better place, both geographically and recruiting-wise...That's the SEC...

I can believe that. Follow the money.

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they were also ready to draw swords with the Big XII schools that were leaving to recover ALL lost revenue from the conference break up

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Hmm, I am hazy about the dates, but didn't the ABC/ESPN contract only run for another 2 years? If so, I'm not sure they really have any standing to sue if the timing was to have been for 2 years hence anyway.

Would love to hear more details if you get them.

You'd have to see the TV contracts to be sure. Was there a dissolve or realignment clause?

I agree with Alex, I think its BS. The networks had to be aware of the bylaws that allow the conference to voluntarily disband. In addition, what are they truly losing out on? Its not as if they pay us any money upfront for a service to be provided in subsequent years. We get paid each year for that year. They would have a very grey case in justifying how much they were harmed by the termination of the agreement as while they lose revenue, they also save on extensive amounts of expenses. Not to mention, where would this case be tried? In some Big XII state that's going to laugh at tax dollars going to mega-corporate television execs? Good luck on that.

Sounds right to me



Minor point: "the die is cast" is attributed by Suetonius to Julius Caesar before Caesar marched his army down the Italian peninsula, which no Roman leader had done

Caesar had thrown his die (pl. = "dice" and was ready to face the consequences

so do the networks have contracts directly with each university or with the conference only? I would think the network has a deal with the conference and not each individual institution...

Since the conference appears to have a clear LD clause ($10MM, 80% of revenue or whatever it actually is), I would think that is all the universities are in for if they leave...

I thought the ESPN/ABC deal ends around 2015 or 2016.

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DeRuyter described his ideal defense: “We want to have guys that are chomping at the bit to go rip someone's head off.”

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Yep, 2016.

maroonthrunthru, whats your last name?

According to IRS tax records examined by The Associated Press, the Big 12 paid out between $8.7 million to $15.4 million per school in 2008-09, with Kansas State getting the smallest payout and Oklahoma the biggest. The Big 12's television deal with Fox expires in 2012 and a more lucrative contract with ESPN runs through the 2015-2016 academic year.

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said no new TV deals have been struck, but he has "extremely strong verification, based on our analysis with our consultants and others, and media companies themselves, that we are in a tremendous position to execute future agreements that will put our member institutions on par with any in the country." He did not provide any numbers during a conference call with reporters.

"The Big 12 approached us asking if we would maintain our current agreement through its term of 2015-16 and we agreed," said Josh Krulewitz, vice president for communications for ESPN.

A Fox Sports Net spokesman said that no new deal had been reached but there would be ongoing discussions.

This is from the front page story:
Promise of bigger TV dollars drove Big 12 survival

[This message has been edited by Great2BeAnAGGIE (edited 6/16/2010 1:41p).]

What in the hell does "draw swords" even mean?

This makes zero sense. What possible legal right would ESPN/ABC have to recover anything in the event of a conference breakup. Even if there was some clause in the TV Agreement, do you really think Texas and every other school didn't know about it?

I have zero doubt Texas did its diligence and knew exactly where it stood from a contract/liability stand point months ago.

We just need the networks to give their blessing to the pac10 for tu and us for the SEC.

Hopefully we will both give up this necessary notion of having to be in the same conference to compete.

We both just ran into a perfect storm of network issues, NCAA issues and the little schools banding together to stop it.

At least we go paid (hopefully).

I hope your well placed source hasn't been in the media business long. Jefferson Pilot isn't even in existence any more (JP assets have been bought and sold 2x since 2001; once to Lincoln and then a second time to Raycom, who currently has some ACC rights but no SEC rights since 2008).

oh yeah. the rest of his account is off as well.

I believe big hair perry had more to do with it than anyone thinks. He risked his reelection bid if A&M went east.

Guess what. Had we gone to the SEC now we could have blocked the sips coming to the SEC. Just another reason this deal falling through is the lowest point in the history of A&M athletics.

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they were also ready to draw swords with the Big XII schools that were leaving to recover ALL lost revenue from the conference break up

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Yeah, this doesn't really make a whole lot of sense unless the members somehow guaranteed performance of the conferences' obligations, which would be strange to me.

So, the SEC = ESPN conference because they have some games on ESPN, but not the big ones, but the Pac 10 is not an ESPN conference even though the big game every weekend is on ABC/ESPN?

To me the biggest downside of this whole deal is that no the orange menace knows we weren't going to follow along. They're arragont for sure, but they're not simpletons and when they plan their next conference busting realignment play you can be damn sure they'll take full advantage of the knowledge they've gained.

I personally have mixed feelings about our immediate ability to compete in football in the SEC and the implications that may have had on us trying to build the program back up, but you can't find a better scenario for us going to the SEC than to be the only Texas or Oklahoma school heading east while the rest of the merry band of whorn followers headed west.

I believe we will continue to be attractive to the SEC, but I'm not sure we'll have the same set of conditions that would facilitate us going to the SEC alone again.

And I thought 'the di was cast' referred to Princess Di being hurled from her car.

How could you have blocked the SEC from expanding with us in the future with a single vote?

Drawing swords, moran - what do you think it means?

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He risked his reelection bid if A&M went east.

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No way. He is in dead girl/live boy territory in regards to the race.

Now if he did it to shore up political favors in the future (presidential run), I could believe that.

[This message has been edited by Bilbo Aggins (edited 6/16/2010 4:09p).]

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How could you have blocked the SEC from expanding with us in the future with a single vote?

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ironically, UT would be in the SEC right now had A&M and the Texas legislature not blocked them in the late 80's.

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You'd have to see the TV contracts to be sure. Was there a dissolve or realignment clause?

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Absolutely. The OP is a joke. Whomever your source is doesn't know what tf they're talking about.

There is actually a clause in the SEC's contract that they must renegotiate if the tv footprint expands or contracts. ESPN had no choice but to go back to the negotiating table. And if they didn't want to pony up more, the SEC could have shopped it. Considering market price has appeared to increase from last year when the deal was signed in the first place, there was no chance they would not fork over more money. ESPN got fleeced in the ACC deal a few months back, which it had initially thought it could get for $120MM (based on footprint comparisons used in the sec deal a year earlier) and ultimately paid $155MM per year. The reason? Fox made a big push and ESPN paid $35MM more. Not only that, with the recent NBC-Comcast merger, there is a lot of talk about the company jumping head first into college football (comcast owned versus has already dabbled). The SEC would have been paid handsomely.

And ESPN would likely have absolutely no legal recourse to come after Texas and OU. First, this assumes there is no clause discussing what happens in the event of a conference collapse, despite these being standard in these contracts. Then what? A tortious interference claim? Absurd.

OP's theory is complete and total nonsensical bullsh**.

good post by calvinmurphy.

[This message has been edited by carter4133 (edited 6/16/2010 5:21p).]