Just a hair off the mark.
Actually the contract is for 12 years or until 2031. ESPN made sure of that. That means it runs past all the P5 expiration dates. What this means is UH will be forced to relocate when the next round starts rolling.
ESPN included this āconference composition clauseā because they know full well that there is a high probability that there will be movement out of this conference at some point. The best value for us in this deal is within the next 4-5 years, about the time all those GORs weāve been discussing start coming up. After that, this deal is not good for us.
Looking at the recent the money and effort our admin and donors have been putting in to all athletics and academics, we are definitely not done at this deal by any means. It is a step on a path
Claiming that one of the worst P5 schools is no better than arguably the top G5 program isnāt much of an argument. So you think the MWC and AAC are just as good as the major conferences? None of the RPI services support that proposition. Thereās a reason why the MWC champion plays the PAC 12 #6 or so in a bowl, and why the AACās top bowl is against the SEC #8 or #9. In addition, football is simply bigger and more of a money-maker in P5 conferences than the AAC or MWC. You might have 500k+ people attending a P5 leagueās games on any given weekend while every MWC or AAC game combines to average a little over 100k.
Or it could just be ESPN learning from its Big 12 experience and just making sure itās not on the hook for millions of $ in the event the AAC loses its most valuable programs.
Just a reminder, when the B12 was formed their TV contract called for a pro rata increase for any new programs added. During the a B12 expansion circus ESPN had to basically negotiate to get the B12 not to expand and ended dishing out $30 million a year more, still cheaper than the $50 Million a year (increasing each year, this year it would been $74 million) for each pair of programs added.
I dont think so, I know so!
Given the current landscape, not having that clause would be malpractice. I would even want it with the MAC, and those schools likely arenāt going anywhere.
In what demonstrable way are they the same? The fact that there have been a few upsets? Because thatās all I see. Thereās no way you can realistically argue that the AAC and MWC bring the same TV value.
Yeah we all wanted more money. But the fact is ESPN had us over the barrel then entire time. No one was coming to poach us from them and kick of a bidding war, and everyone knew that. So they offered a fairish pay raise, while not forcing a GOR allowing the top schools to leave for the P5 if the invite comes.
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Guess someone can tell you, you are worth _______ and you believe it because they told you that. Do you honestly think we were worth less than Tech and Baylor invthe SWC??? Was that the reason we were left behind, or something more sinister in play here?
You are welcome to not believe it but if the market tells you youāre worth an amount and not a penny more then youāre either deluding yourself or are really bad at selling and didnāt present a case to show your value.
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Someone should suggest this in the t-shirt thread. That would be a cool shirt to buy, a Mount Rushmore of legendary Coog coaches!
I tried to warn those with high expectations that Iād be surprised if the deal breaks 10 mil without teams agreeing to a buyout clause. ESPN isnāt paying 8 figures to air games like ECU vs Tulane.
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The GOR is the key.
We are certainly āworth moreā than what this contract provides, but not without a GOR.
Hereās a pretty fair UCF-centric breakdown/review of the new TV deal.
Yeah, GOR is just the fancy way of saying, canāt leave without a penalty. Apparently the schools were offered the deal to up the value and they didnāt get a 75% approval. So our fans canāt really complain about the deal because itās pretty certain that Houston was among the schools passing on it to have a cheap exit strategy.
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And in the meantime, we nearly quadruple our payout until the next round of realignment in 3-4 years.
The extra exposure on ESPN during those years will also help separate us/sell us to potential P5 suitors as well.
I would like to think that weāll get a lot more ABC games (than ESPN+) if CDH and CKS keep winning.
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Youāre comparing different things from different eras.
First the entire point of the open market is to determine the worth of your product. So if the best offer, and this probably was the best offer we were going to get overall, then thatās what the conference is worth. Thatās why weāre all trying to leave. Itās also why thereās no GOR in the contract which harms value.
The SWC was different beast back then. It wasnāt all about TV revenue then, though it was starting. But Tech and Baylor got in because of Bob (F that guy) Bullock and politics. So yes it was more sinister than just value, but just sinister politics. Now they still arenāt as valuable as is right now. But they get the benefit of being in the club now. And being in a club is way better than being outside it.
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Almost the exact difference between the football staff last year and this year. I guess Sampsonā pay hike will come from the direct revenue increase in basketball ticket sales.
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I mean, thatās basically the same thing, barring GORs.
I am curious as to how the language written for this clause. Throwing out a far out hypothetical scenario here, but something I thought about this morning. Everyone, including me, is assuming this clause exists if the perceived higher valued schools left the conference, but how about a scenario where the B12 implodes and a couple of those schools are left orphaned, or thereās shuffling in the Pac12, or BYU and Boise St join. Any number of scenarios in realignment where the AAC gains 2 or 4 of these schools and raises its profile. Will that trigger this clause for renegotiation for more money if the conference gains value?
Throwing this out there without getting into the semantics of which school, cause that could be a never ending speculative discussion.
I think the devil is in the details of this clauseā¦possibly
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Doubtful that the Big 12 implodes. More than likely, a few schools leave and the rest āpromoteā others into the conference.
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Right. The Big 12 will become to the AAC what the AAC was to our Conference USA.
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