NY Times: Fox would up TV deal to $600 million for 12 teams

[MarquetteDano]

Only if the FAA eases the restrictions on supersonic flight. Commercial air travel is now maxed out on speed.

Can't we get a little more out of commerical flights without breaking the sound barrier?  I have always wondered about this... seems like cruising speeds are considerably lower than the barrier.

[keefe]

genuine question here.... How would Gonzaga's non-revenue sports cost the conference anything? What do we pay currently to support the UConn women's soccer team?

This is the Chico's "The WCC is Spiteful" theory. It is as yet unproven.

[GGGG]

I thought this was hashed out on these threads and that the FOIA issue is not as big a deal as originally thought. I don't have the link to the thread, but I thought someone had pointed out that this really wouldn't preclude VCU or any other public university from joining the league.

First, you can look up the tax returns of any athletic conference.  They are all non-profit institutions.

Second, just because one of the member institutions are public, that doesn't mean the conference would be open to FOIA.

[GGGG]

If that's really what it comes down to, then it ought to be a pretty easy decision.
St. Louis is the better program in the bigger market without any significant overlap from a fellow conference member.
Plus, another team in the central time zone opens up another team/host for weekday doubleheaders, i.e. 7 p.m. Eastern early game followed by 9 p.m. game in Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis or Omaha.

St. Louis is in the midst of a leadership meltdown and an uncertain basketball future.  I think that is the only thing that is preventing them from being a shoo-in.

[Pakuni]

Yes, it is only correspondence with VCU. Emails, mail, etc... anything sent to VCU for their review, their signature/approval or for their info can be requested via FOIA. So unless VCU wants to be completely in the dark in regards to anything conference related ($$$, new members, tournament location, etc), they won't be invited.

Not entirely true.
Many matters - personnel records, students records, privileged materials, matters related to contract negotiations, health records, etc. - are exempt from FOIA requests in Virginia. So if, for example, Larry Williams and VCU's AD trade emails about ousting the league commissioner or moving the tourney site, those aren't subject to FOIA.

Most of the things that would be subject to FOIA - TV deal figures, athletic department revenues and expenditures, coaching salaries - are already public either through the schools making them public or through Dept. of Education filing requirements.

There's really nothing to be afraid of here. I mean, can anyone think of one instance this has been a big deal since Marquette has been affiliated with public schools in an athletic conference (i.e. the past 20 years)?
Somehow, the Big 10, ACC, SEC, Big 12 and Pac-12 have found a way to manage with public institutions.

[Avenue Commons]

Budgets are already disclosed to US Dept of Ed, but many other critical financial details about a conference's finances are not. FOIA changes that. I can't appropriately say anything other than it is my understanding that FOIA is a non-starter for VCU. I hate to be that vague poster, but just listen to the reports. It'll be Butler, Xavier and Creighton for sure. SLU and most likely UD at 80% likely, only issue now is when.

Things will move quickly after the "official official" split today after the Big East conference call and vote today.

[Pakuni]

Budgets are already disclosed to US Dept of Ed, but many other critical financial details about a conference's finances are not. FOIA changes that. I can't appropriately say anything other than it is my understanding that FOIA is a non-starter for VCU. I hate to be that vague poster, but just listen to the reports. It'll be Butler, Xavier and Creighton for sure. SLU and most likely UD at 80% likely, only issue now is when.

Things will move quickly after the "official official" split today after the Big East conference call and vote today.

I'm not suggesting VCU is or should be in. I'm just suggesting that the FOIA shouldn't be the reason for keeping them out. It's a fairly trivial matter that every other major conference contends with easily. The notion that the financial issues of the Big East somehow require added privacy that doesn't exist for the Big 10 or SEC is silly.

[Litehouse]

People have been using some info requested from South Florida as an example of why FOIA is a problem.  However, I believe Florida's "Sunshine Law" is one of the nation's most open public records law.  Virginia's law may be more restrictive.

[Eldon]

Not entirely true.
Many matters - personnel records, students records, privileged materials, matters related to contract negotiations, health records, etc. - are exempt from FOIA requests in Virginia. So if, for example, Larry Williams and VCU's AD trade emails about ousting the league commissioner or moving the tourney site, those aren't subject to FOIA.

Most of the things that would be subject to FOIA - TV deal figures, athletic department revenues and expenditures, coaching salaries - are already public either through the schools making them public or through Dept. of Education filing requirements.

There's really nothing to be afraid of here. I mean, can anyone think of one instance this has been a big deal since Marquette has been affiliated with public schools in an athletic conference (i.e. the past 20 years)?
Somehow, the Big 10, ACC, SEC, Big 12 and Pac-12 have found a way to manage with public institutions.

USF

http://collegesportsbusinessnews.com/issue/january-2013/article/big-east-catholic-7-outline-separation-issues

[Pakuni]

People have been using some info requested from South Florida as an example of why FOIA is a problem.  However, I believe Florida's "Sunshine Law" is one of the nation's most open public records law.  Virginia's law may be more restrictive.

Yes, florida probably has the least restrictive FOIA laws in the country.
That said, what did we really learn from the USF FOIAs?
That the two sides were negotiating over the name and how to split exit fees. Was that a revelation to anybody? We all could have guessed that was the case three months ago.

[Pakuni]

USF

http://collegesportsbusinessnews.com/issue/january-2013/article/big-east-catholic-7-outline-separation-issues

As my post above notes, there was nothing in those reports that wasn't a) already obvious and b) confirmed later by the schools.

[Eldon]

Isn't the FOIA federal? 

[Pakuni]

Isn't the FOIA federal? 

Yes and no.
There is a federal Freedom of Information Act that covers access to federal records, and then state acts that apply to state/county/municipal/school, etc. governments.

[keefe]

Can't we get a little more out of commerical flights without breaking the sound barrier?  I have always wondered about this... seems like cruising speeds are considerably lower than the barrier.

There is some incremental speed available but that gets into fuel consumption - the single largest variable expense for the flag carriers. Current fleets can fly faster but with altitude restrictions and load factors it is cost prohibitive. The solution to flying faster is to fly higher and lighter - the FAA controls the first and the shareholders effectively control the second so it won't happen for at least two reasons.

[Avenue Commons]

There is some incremental speed available but that gets into fuel consumption - the single largest variable expense for the flag carriers. Current fleets can fly faster but with altitude restrictions and load factors it is cost prohibitive. The solution to flying faster is to fly higher and lighter - the FAA controls the first and the shareholders effectively control the second so it won't happen for at least two reasons.

Isn't here also an issue of the current jets just being old?

[keefe]

Isn't here also an issue of the current lets just being old?

That's part of it and why I used the caveat "current fleets." The challenge for the commercial carriers is asset utilization, ie keeping iron in the air and off the ramp. Slight increases from current indicated air speeds significantly increase required maintenance which pulls assets out of the air and into the hangar. Power plants would need more frequent pulls and airframes would experience increased fatigue and therefore more frequent inspections.

The older a fleet the more frequent the need for preventative maintenance (PM.) The airlines all use the military aviation PM system which is based on Juran principles of measurement, inspection, and probability. Older airframes and power plants are more prone to failure and therefore require increased PM. Anything that accelerates the need for PM is avoided and that includes flying beyond current IAS.

[Avenue Commons]

That's part of it and why I used the caveat "current fleets." The challenge for the commercial carriers is asset utilization, ie keeping iron in the air and off the ramp. Slight increases from current indicated air speeds significantly increase required maintenance which pulls assets out of the air and into the hangar. Power plants would need more frequent pulls and airframes would experience increased fatigue and therefore more frequent inspections.

The older a fleet the more frequent the need for preventative maintenance (PM.) The airlines all use the military aviation PM system which is based on Juran principles of measurement, inspection, and probability. Older airframes and power plants are more prone to failure and therefore require increased PM. Anything that accelerates the need for PM is avoided and that includes flying beyond current IAS.

You a TQM believer?

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

That's part of it and why I used the caveat "current fleets." The challenge for the commercial carriers is asset utilization, ie keeping iron in the air and off the ramp. Slight increases from current indicated air speeds significantly increase required maintenance which pulls assets out of the air and into the hangar. Power plants would need more frequent pulls and airframes would experience increased fatigue and therefore more frequent inspections.

The older a fleet the more frequent the need for preventative maintenance (PM.) The airlines all use the military aviation PM system which is based on Juran principles of measurement, inspection, and probability. Older airframes and power plants are more prone to failure and therefore require increased PM. Anything that accelerates the need for PM is avoided and that includes flying beyond current IAS.

My company likes when they do PM on airplanes.