Expansion Link Dump - Aug 20th

Heading into the weekend, students are going back to school and administrators are preparing for the next semester. Lot of rumors flying around, but nothing solid:


National


In Big 12 Expansion Battle, Gay Athletes Have Become Afterthought
From run-of-the-mill contract negotiations to placing the Big 12 in the foreground of college athletics and LGBTQ rights
http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/byu-lgbtq-athletes-and-the-big-12-expansion-battle-w435231

By adding BYU to the Big 12, the conference gets a school that routinely outsells its seats, has a healthy endowment, and a solid, and solidly growing, athletic program. Though BYU has offered to join the Big 12 only for football if it were to help grease the wheels, the success of their men’s basketball team, with eight appearances to the Big Dance over the last decade, is a lucrative proposition for a conference looking for ways to earn their own network channel as part of their television rights. Given BYU’s religious exemption from Title IX – even Baylor, until last year, outlawed homosexual behavior on campus – the conference, like the NCAA, can likely withstand any temporary bad press for the far more lucrative windfall taking on BYU might offer.


Big 12 Locale Writer


Ask Kellis: Jesse Ertz, Dalton Risner, Denzel Goolsby, Big 12 expansion and Bill Snyder’s shoes

Let me explain why: if the Big 12 was going to breakup, it would have happened already. During the first and second rounds of conference realignment, all of the Big 12’s major players had opportunities to leave. Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State could have gone West. The Oklahoma schools could have gone East. There was endless talk of the Big 12’s death. But it didn’t happen.


Local Expansion Locale Writers


UH president Renu Khator says school is viable candidate for Big 12 expansion
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“I hope (the Big 12 Board of Directors), when they sit down and consider, they look at everything we have. We have done our part and will continue to do our part.”


BYU’s attendance, national brand separate it from other Big 12 expansion candidates
http://beta.deseretnews.com/article/865660565/BYUs-attendance-national-brand-separate-it-from-other-Big-12-expansion-candidates.html?pg=all

While not a scientific poll, an online survey — the Commoncensus Sports Map Project — reported in 2012 that BYU was the most popular college team in Utah with 28,419 votes. According to the survey, the Cougars were also the No. 2 most popular team in Tempe, Arizona; No. 3 in Tucson, Arizona; No. 3 in the Pacific Northwest; No. 4 in Los Angeles; No. 5 in Dallas-Fort Worth; No. 5 in San Diego; No. 6 in the Bay Area; and No. 9 in Houston.


Report: UConn Receives Directions From Big 12 On How To Officially Apply

But it’s certainly not bad news. UConn remains in the conversation, appears to be among the first to have official contact from the conference, and a formal application will provide a platform for the university and athletic department to highlight what it has to offer.


Big 12 bid would be huge for Memphis Tigers, but not a cure-all

Zimbalist said earning a spot in a Power 5 conference would be beneficial in many ways for a school like Memphis, but not a panacea.

“If you get in, you are likely to be a weak member for quite some time. That’s problem No. 1.

“And problem No. 2? According to the NCAA’s figures, which I think are conservative, of the 65 schools in Power 5 conferences there are only 24 athletic programs that have an operating surplus.”


If Big 12 skips Memphis? It would be dire, but not fatal

I am not writing any of this to brace Memphis for the inevitable disappointment. It’s not inevitable, for one thing. But what happens if the city gets bad news? The same thing that happens whenever the city gets bad news.

Memphis will keep trying. Just as Memphis kept trying when the NFL chose Jacksonville. That renewed effort ultimately begot your beloved Grizzlies. Sometimes, things work out.


Other


Med Center Health, WKU expand affiliation with new sports medicine complex on campus

What will the Med Center Health Sports Medicine Complex contain? The facility will be approximately 140,000 square feet. About 57,000 square feet will be dedicated to support Med Center Health’s sports medicine program, WKU’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program and designated WKU sports programs. An additional 83,000 square feet will be an indoor multipurpose training facility for use by the Physical Therapy program students and WKU Athletics.


Tweets


https://twitter.com/GeorgeSchroeder/status/766660018854699008
https://twitter.com/TheMontyShow/status/766632881640706049
https://twitter.com/TheMontyShow/status/766633489827438595
https://twitter.com/TheMontyShow/status/766634265312239616