I don't get this. Not that it is bad ... what can Tagliabue do for the BE?
Thoughts?
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=5122951
Tagliabue hired as special adviser
Faced with a possible upcoming raid by the Big Ten, the Big East has added former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue as a special adviser for strategic planning.
Tagliabue, who was NFL commissioner from 1989 to 2006, will serve in the role as an unpaid consultant. He is currently the chairman of the board of directors at Georgetown.
"Few individuals have had as broad and deep experiences in sports as Paul Tagliabue," Big East commissioner John Marinatto said in a statement. "Paul's understanding of collegiate athletics and academics and his extensive experience and leadership of the NFL for 17 years will certainly be invaluable to the Big East."
Big East officials say Tagliabue will help assess the conference's strengths and weaknesses and explore TV and other media opportunities. The Big East is in the fourth year of its TV deals with ESPN and CBS. The threat of losing teams to the Big Ten, however, looms over all future endeavors for the league.
He will be the guy "driving the bus" to make sure the BE has a series of contingency plans in place in case the conference gets raided. He'll also make sure we maximize our TV revenue opportunities. I think it's great that the conference has someone like PT focusing on this stuff.
An ND friend says their boards are report Tagliabue is GOING TO give ND an ultimatum. Either join the BE for football or you're out of the BE all together. The BE thinks the addition of ND football to the BE could keep the conference intact. Admittedly it is a desperation move but the ND boards think the BE has reached this point.
My ND friend thinks this is bad. He wants ND football to stay independent and he thinks this will force ND to join the Big 10. He doesn't like the idea of ND football in the B10 but feels they may have no choice.
Have not found a link ... thoughts?
Yeah...why would the BE need Tagliabue to do that?
I just bringing him on to be a fresh set of eyes on the entire situation. They aren't paying him at all....can't hurt.
Found a link
http://collegefootball.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=2150&tid=142330271&mid=142330271&sid=1144&style=2
Joe Schad: Big East hires former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue...
... to work with them to find ways to fend off another raid. Schad says one of those strategies includes kicking Notre Dame out of the conference all together, which would force them to join the Big Ten as the 12th team, then cross their fingers that the Big Ten doesn't come after Pitt, Rutgers, and Syracuse. According to him, at this point in the juncture, ND is unlikely to be included in expansion.
he could help the big east keep some of their teams from going to the big ten.
Quote from: AnotherMU84 on April 21, 2010, 05:07:29 PM
An ND friend says their boards are report Tagliabue is GOING TO give ND an ultimatum. Either join the BE for football or you're out of the BE all together. The BE thinks the addition of ND football to the BE could keep the conference intact. Admittedly it is a desperation move but the ND boards think the BE has reached this point.
My ND friend thinks this is bad. He wants ND football to stay independent and he thinks this will force ND to join the Big 10. He doesn't like the idea of ND football in the B10 but feels they may have no choice.
Have not found a link ... thoughts?
Anyone know what the year over year average ratings are for ND football on NBC? If those numbers are going south, ND might be smart to lose the independence.
He is EXTREMELY well respected in our industry (sports industry), unbelievably connected, and he has a great mind. Good businessman, solid lawyer, etc. Good to have him taking a look at things, even if it's window dressing. He has some gravitas that most people in the industry don't, and that can be leveraged if played smartly.
I hope ND leaves to the Big Ten. No skin off my nose. I can't wait to see them get their crap rocked every year by Ohio State and Penn State. I hope Mike Brey takes his stupid t-shirt sport coat look somewhere else.
Perfect choice. No one is better at dealing with multiple factions and the media. Looking at how he handled labor in the NFL and how he grew that league into the country's unquestioned top dog gives me a lot of confidence. If anyone can handle the ND situation and increase the conference's marketability, it's Tags.
Tagliabue's ultimatum could be perfect for the Big East, even if it fails. If the ultimatum pushes ND to join the Big Ten, they might be done poaching from the BEast, and we would only have to bring in one new team (if any) which could be basketball only, like Xavier or Butler
Quote from: ODMU238 on April 21, 2010, 06:37:53 PM
Tagliabue's ultimatum could be perfect for the Big East, even if it fails. If the ultimatum pushes ND to join the Big Ten, they might be done poaching from the BEast, and we would only have to bring in one new team (if any) which could be basketball only, like Xavier or Butler
No, they would bring on a football team like UCF. It helps with the schedule balancing issue that has been brought up here before...now they would get four conference games home and away.
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on April 21, 2010, 05:40:19 PM
He is EXTREMELY well respected in our industry (sports industry), unbelievably connected, and he has a great mind. Good businessman, solid lawyer, etc. Good to have him taking a look at things, even if it's window dressing. He has some gravitas that most people in the industry don't, and that can be leveraged if played smartly.
Are you going to see Buzz in LA on May 10?
This is all about broadcast revenue and Paul Tagliabue knows broadcast revenue. Superb move by the conference. I can only hope Tags pulls a Peter Finch, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more! [[/font]
Quote from: DawsonCreekFillanderer on April 21, 2010, 07:44:05 PM
This is all about broadcast revenue and Paul Tagliabue knows broadcast revenue. Superb move by the conference.
Yeah, I'm sure he'll do fine, but you can't make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t...and that's the problem with BE football.
Keep in mind that the NFL EXPANDED four times (if my memory serves me correctly) during his tenure. Since the BE is a long ways away from L.A., Pauly Walnuts should be a great resource.
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on April 21, 2010, 05:40:19 PM
He is EXTREMELY well respected in our industry (sports industry), unbelievably connected, and he has a great mind. Good businessman, solid lawyer, etc. Good to have him taking a look at things, even if it's window dressing. He has some gravitas that most people in the industry don't, and that can be leveraged if played smartly.
You forgot to work "synergy" and "value-added" into this post. You've got to upgrade your business buzzwords, brah :P
Quote from: Skatastrophy on April 22, 2010, 08:26:30 AM
You forgot to work "synergy" and "value-added" into this post. You've got to upgrade your business buzzwords, brah :P
It's a "win-win" for Tagliabue and the Big East. Kudos to the Big East brass for "thinking outside the box," though if they behaved like a really modern business, they would have hired as a consultant the most recent guy who successfully ran a cricket league in India.
Quote from: BrewCity on April 21, 2010, 04:54:56 PM
He will be the guy "driving the bus" to make sure the BE has a series of contingency plans in place in case the conference gets raided. He'll also make sure we maximize our TV revenue opportunities. I think it's great that the conference has someone like PT focusing on this stuff.
Forget being raided. He will be the guy who will be "driving the bus" to make sure that the BE will be the dominant conference in the country.
http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/21610/marinatto-time-to-think-outside-the-box
I don't think the Big East is going to be reactive but proactive in protecting their assets. The only thing is that they should have been doing this as early as last year. The good news is that the Big 10 will be taking their time and the Big East has a nice poison pill in place for those wanting to leave.
Does anyone else share my pessimistic apathy?
Everyone's looking to make more money. Big Oil was under siege last year and Wall Street is currently under siege for "making too much money." When that is "fixed" to the satisfaction of those in charge, guess who's going to be the next target -- "Big Education." As the numbers of students who either a) can't afford their education or b) graduate with a strangling amount of student debt increase, you better believe the dollars that flow through these programs (especially athletics) are going to come under increased scrutiny.
Pigs get fat... hogs get slaughtered. If the numbers above are accurate (and I don't believe anything that isn't audited by an independent third party truly is), the Big Ten would serve themselves well to find comfort with their current situation.
Quote from: mufanatic on April 22, 2010, 09:16:12 AM
Forget being raided. He will be the guy who will be "driving the bus" to make sure that the BE will be the dominant conference in the country.
http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/21610/marinatto-time-to-think-outside-the-box
I don't think the Big East is going to be reactive but proactive in protecting their assets. The only thing is that they should have been doing this as early as last year. The good news is that the Big 10 will be taking their time and the Big East has a nice poison pill in place for those wanting to leave.
The poison pill isn't that big of a deal. $5 million? That will be recouped one year in the B10.
I know we want to think that the BE could be dominant, but even Maryland, UCF and BC isn't going to prevent the B10 from getting who it wants...especially if three schools are involved.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on April 22, 2010, 10:33:20 AM
The poison pill isn't that big of a deal. $5 million? That will be recouped one year in the B10.
I know we want to think that the BE could be dominant, but even Maryland, UCF and BC isn't going to prevent the B10 from getting who it wants...especially if three schools are involved.
funny, I thought the Big Ten always wanted ND? How did that work out? Next i hear they wanted Texas. Much like a snowballs chance in hell...
I actually hope they get ND now.
Quote from: M@RQUETTEW@RRIORS on April 22, 2010, 10:37:34 AM
funny, I thought the Big Ten always wanted ND? How did that work out? Next i hear they wanted Texas. Much like a snowballs chance in hell...
I actually hope they get ND now.
I mean, they will get who they want from the BE. You think Rutgers, Syracuse or Pitt would turn them down?
I want ND connected to the big east. I had heard that they helped us get in. Plus, without them, DePaul and MU are dangling on the edge of the conference map (and basketball only schools). If a couple of teams were to get pushed out, without ND in the BE, I wouldn't want to be us or DePaul.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on April 22, 2010, 10:42:54 AM
I mean, they will get who they want from the BE. You think Rutgers, Syracuse or Pitt would turn them down?
Well, that depends. If a BC is added or similar school(s) and there is a big $ espn contract for the BE, do you think they want to be in the midwest or east?
Quote from: GOO on April 22, 2010, 10:43:13 AM
I want ND connected to the big east. I had heard that they helped us get in. Plus, without them, DePaul and MU are dangling on the edge of the conference map (and basketball only schools). If a couple of teams were to get pushed out, without ND in the BE, I wouldn't want to be us or DePaul.
Im saying that because ND isnt helping the BE in football and thats where it counts most. If they pre-empt the Big Ten and give them ND maybe that will stop the bleeding at 1 team. Maybe the Big East will expand on its own to protect itself. But If ND were to leave the BE is not losing a football team anyway and could actually stand pat and not really lose anything.
My guess is that if ND leaves, you will see a push by BE schools to add other football teams. With that, DePaul and us are the teams most likely to be given the boot. Plus, if ND joins the big 10, I get they only do it if some east coast teams are added to the big 10 (e.g. Rutgers, UConn). This would be the worst, as we would be out of the BE, but the other basketball teams are still in the BE.
Quote from: GOO on April 22, 2010, 10:44:42 AM
Well, that depends. If a BC is added or similar school(s) and there is a big $ espn contract for the BE, do you think they want to be in the midwest or east?
I think they would rather be in the east...but the "big $ espn contract" is quite the qualifier. It won't be able to match what the B10 can offer.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on April 22, 2010, 10:33:20 AM
The poison pill isn't that big of a deal. $5 million? That will be recouped one year in the B10.
I know we want to think that the BE could be dominant, but even Maryland, UCF and BC isn't going to prevent the B10 from getting who it wants...especially if three schools are involved.
I was thinking more along the lines of time than money. I thought I read something the other day that there is a 24 or 27 month waiting period before a university could leave the Big East.
Quote from: mufanatic on April 22, 2010, 11:30:41 AM
I was thinking more along the lines of time than money. I thought I read something the other day that there is a 24 or 27 month waiting period before a university could leave the Big East.
That's true, but also irrelevant. The Big 10 has an even longer waiting period once a team is invited to join. So even after the Big East's 27 month waiting period, any team would still have to wait 9 more months under the Big 10's 36 month acceptance period.
Quote from: GOO on April 22, 2010, 10:50:40 AM
My guess is that if ND leaves, you will see a push by BE schools to add other football teams. With that, DePaul and us are the teams most likely to be given the boot. Plus, if ND joins the big 10, I get they only do it if some east coast teams are added to the big 10 (e.g. Rutgers, UConn). This would be the worst, as we would be out of the BE, but the other basketball teams are still in the BE.
Huh? How do you figure? In that scenario I would see Gtown and nova reaching out to MU to be in the same BBall only conference while adding teams like Xavier and butler etc
Quote from: M@RQUETTEW@RRIORS on April 22, 2010, 11:42:22 AM
Huh? How do you figure? In that scenario I would see Gtown and nova reaching out to MU to be in the same BBall only conference while adding teams like Xavier and butler etc
The original Big East basketball only schools like Gtown and Nova aren't going to leave the Big East for some smaller lesser conference. They'll simply boot out the other basketball only schools and become the only basketball only schools in the conference.
Quote from: bma725 on April 22, 2010, 12:23:38 PM
The original Big East basketball only schools like Gtown and Nova aren't going to leave the Big East for some smaller lesser conference. They'll simply boot out the other basketball only schools and become the only basketball only schools in the conference.
I agree, they will stay in the BE along with MU...
How do they "kick" MU out and why? Seems counterproductive. also, with the scenario drawn up above. There would only be 5 football schools left, hardly workable...
Quote from: M@RQUETTEW@RRIORS on April 22, 2010, 12:38:38 PM
I agree, they will stay in the BE along with MU...
How do they "kick" MU out and why? Seems counterproductive.
Because in order to save the conference they need to become more football centric. Hard to do that when there are so many basketball only teams, and the long time basketball only schools in the conference aren't going to give up their seats willingly. As the new kids on the block we would have no choice.
So if this scenario were to happen where they have to add so many teams, the thinking is that they would likely look to add enough teams to where they have a championship game and aren't under constant threat of being poached.
There's only a few ways to do that.....expand to be a 20 team conference or get the non football schools to start D1-A football teams or kick out some of the basketball only teams and replace them with football schools.
Quote from: bma725 on April 22, 2010, 01:06:57 PM
Because in order to save the conference they need to become more football centric. Hard to do that when there are so many basketball only teams, and the long time basketball only schools in the conference aren't going to give up their seats willingly. As the new kids on the block we would have no choice.
So if this scenario were to happen where they have to add so many teams, the thinking is that they would likely look to add enough teams to where they have a championship game and aren't under constant threat of being poached.
There's only a few ways to do that.....expand to be a 20 team conference or get the non football schools to start D1-A football teams or kick out some of the basketball only teams and replace them with football schools.
Agreed. Basketball is great, but look at where it got us? I find it amusing that people suggest the BE should add the likes of Memphis, East Carolina etc etc. Sounds like the last expansion...except worse. And where did that get us? Yup, right back to being poached and in jeopardy of existing. I have a bad feeling that if the BE could somehow adds several more fball/bball schools than it loses, then DePaul and us could get "templed." Having an +18 team bball league would require the conference to change its name to the Very Big East. And Im sure a couple of years down the road, they will look at bball and say, "yeah, it's watered down. This conference needs to be football-centric."
Quote from: goodgreatgrand on April 22, 2010, 01:22:35 PM
Agreed. Basketball is great, but look at where it got us? I find it amusing that people suggest the BE should add the likes of Memphis, East Carolina etc etc. Sounds like the last expansion...except worse. And where did that get us? Yup, right back to being poached and in jeopardy of existing. I have a bad feeling that if the BE could somehow adds several more fball/bball schools than it loses, then DePaul and us could get "templed." Having an +18 team bball league would require the conference to change its name to the Very Big East. And Im sure a couple of years down the road, they will look at bball and say, "yeah, it's watered down. This conference needs to be football-centric."
You guys may be right and that could be the way the BE goes. But in the best case football scenario. They will be an afterthought. Nothing more.
Quote from: bma725 on April 22, 2010, 01:06:57 PM
There's only a few ways to do that.....expand to be a 20 team conference or get the non football schools to start D1-A football teams or kick out some of the basketball only teams and replace them with football schools.
Sounds like we can finally start a legitimate discussion about bringing football back to Marquette.
Quote from: Benny B on April 22, 2010, 03:20:15 PM
Sounds like we can finally start a legitimate discussion about bringing football back to Marquette.
Unless you have lots of money and lots of downtown land to gift to Marquette that discussion will stop as soon as it started.
Quote from: Benny B on April 22, 2010, 03:20:15 PM
Sounds like we can finally start a legitimate discussion about bringing football back to Marquette.
Actually, I have never been in favor of re-starting a football team...
but, looking into the future of college athletics, MU might have to start one just to stay in "D1" athletics.
Quote from: Benny B on April 22, 2010, 03:20:15 PM
Sounds like we can finally start a legitimate discussion about bringing football back to Marquette.
Thanks to title IX, you'd also have to either start more women sports that total 95 schollies or cut just about every non-basketball men's program to make room.
This will never happen ... an asteriod will hit McCormick before we restart football.
Quote from: bma725 on April 22, 2010, 01:06:57 PM
Because in order to save the conference they need to become more football centric. Hard to do that when there are so many basketball only teams, and the long time basketball only schools in the conference aren't going to give up their seats willingly. As the new kids on the block we would have no choice.
Essentially, the BE would end up merging with the eastern schools of CUSA. (Memphis, East Carolina, Marshall, etc.)
Quote from: AnotherMU84 on April 22, 2010, 04:51:47 PM
This will never happen ... an asteriod will hit McCormick before we restart football.
I'd be ok with that...
Quote from: Benny B on April 22, 2010, 03:20:15 PM
Sounds like we can finally start a legitimate discussion about bringing football back to Marquette.
Plenty of reasons above as to why this is nowhere close to reality, but we would be better suited to first focus on becoming a I-AA if we were looking in that direction. I imagine Uihlein Field would be big enough to get things started, but fiscally, you'd be talking about around $100 million to really get rolling.
We could probably save some money if we could play at Miller Park, and it would probably not be that hard of a sell for the Brewers, since it would provide a consistent source of income in what is mostly the team's off-season.
But what is most worrying about it isn't the startup, or even how long it would take, it's what would happen once we got the program going. Roughly 66% of all universities with Division-I football programs report a loss, and the average loss annually is $8 million. I would guess it's offset by excited boosters and increased enrollment in the early years, but once you get to years 5-6 and the results on the field don't match what people were hoping for, then the losses start pouring in. Can we as a university support a program that will cost so much, and likely lose a lot of money until (or rather if ever) we are fortunate enough to get a slice of the big money from bowl berths and TV contracts?
Listen, if I won a $200 million lottery today, I'd happily donate $40-50 million to MU to get the ball rolling if I thought that the school would be able to create a viable program. But of course, I don't have that kind of money, and even if I did, I'm not sure it'd be a worthwhile investment.
Without question, this is the most, if not the only, positive news that has come out since the Big Ten decided to get the conference realignment follies restarted.