A10 gets a new television contract

[GGGG]

http://www.bigeastcoastbias.com/2012/10/3/3448664/new-atlantic-10-television-contract-shows-big-east-basketball-schools

Yep.  They are getting a whopping $350,000 per school per year.

Where's our friend from Dayton who insisted that no A10 school would leave if offered an invitation from the Big East?  If this article is correct, the BE basketball schools will get more than TEN TIMES the amount the A10 is getting.  Still think we should separate from the football schools?

[bilsu]

Most Big East basketball schools have big television markets. Certain teams moving from Big East to At 10 would add big TV markets and better basketball schools, so I would assume adding 4 or 5 teams from Big East to Atl 10 would result in a new deal. The deal would probably be even better, if the cream of the crop from both leagues formed a new basketball conference eliminating teams like St. Bonaventure from the TV package. I doubt each team would receive $4 million, but I think it would be significantly more than $350,000. The Big East like marriages divorce when both sides can no longer get along and usually no one wins in a divorce.

[Benny B]

"Sources close to the deal say that the 16-school conference will earn $40 million over the eight years, or split $5 million a season. The A-10 currently has TV deals with both ESPN and CBS Sports Network. The NBC Sports Group is a new player in college sports and is actively acquiring new products, including a recent deal with the Colonial Athletic Association."

So if it already has current deals with ESPN and CBSSN, it's not exactly clear whether the $40M is the sum of all three networks or if it's only the NBCS component.  McNamara's story makes reference to "the deal" as being $40M; since ESPN, NBC and CBS all come from different mothers, common sense would suggest that there have to be three separate TV contracts... the question is whether "deal" is being used synonymously with "contract" or if "deal" encompasses all three contracts.

[The Equalizer]

http://www.bigeastcoastbias.com/2012/10/3/3448664/new-atlantic-10-television-contract-shows-big-east-basketball-schools

Yep.  They are getting a whopping $350,000 per school per year.

Where's our friend from Dayton who insisted that no A10 school would leave if offered an invitation from the Big East?  If this article is correct, the BE basketball schools will get more than TEN TIMES the amount the A10 is getting.  Still think we should separate from the football schools?

I'm not sure that's how I read it. 

Here's the link to the original article:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/big-east-football-heading-direction-conference-a-commissioner-backbone-games-national-tv-article-1.1127668

And the quote:

"Sources suggest that if NBC, which is desperate for sports inventory, signs a TV contract with the conference, it would be willing to pay the Big East football teams $10 milllion apiece and throw in an additional $4 million for the 16 basketball schools."

There's a HUGE difference between
"$4 million for the 16 basketball schools"
and
"$4 million APIECE for the 16 basketball schools."

[GGGG]

Hmmmm....that would be depressing...  But I don't think that is what it means.  If so, the editor needs to do a better job.

[Lennys Tap]

So the football part of the package (for really bad football teams) = 9.75 million each while the basketball piece = .25 million per? I know football rules but that can't be right, can it?

[Pakuni]

Hmmmm....that would be depressing...  But I don't think that is what it means.  If so, the editor needs to do a better job.

Yeah, it's a poorly constructed sentence, but if you read the other stories on the subject, it seems clear that that basketball programs would get an additional $4 million a year.

Like here:
"For full members of the conference to end up, after all of the upheaval, with a television deal that pays them $14 million per year would be a tremendous boost to the league."

Seems like:
Football+hoops = $14 million/year
Football only = $10 million/year
Hoops only = $4 million/year

[Lennys Tap]

Yeah, it's a poorly constructed sentence, but if you read the other stories on the subject, it seems clear that that basketball programs would get an additional $4 million a year.

Like here:
"For full members of the conference to end up, after all of the upheaval, with a television deal that pays them $14 million per year would be a tremendous boost to the league."

Seems like:
Football+hoops = $14 million/year
Football only = $10 million/year
Hoops only = $4 million/year

Makes sense. So Dayton (and any other A10 school) would jump at the chance to join the Big East.

[bilsu]

It is poorly written, but since it goes from $10 million a team for football I would assume it is $4 million a team for basketball. Ends up that a school gets either $14 million (both sports), $10 million (football only) or $4 million (basketball only). However, that is what they are paying the confenence so I would assume each school actually receives less than that as the Big East will keep some of the money for its operations. While the Big East teams will receive significantly more money than the Atl 10, I am not sure they are better off. The Big East teams pay their coaches more and spend more on recruiting and facilities. I suspect the $10 million the football teams receive still leaves them with a financial deficit for their football operations. The difference in athletic school budgets is amazing. Two season tickets to MU games with mandatory seat donation cost me $2,200+. Two five game packages to UW Green Bay cost me $208. Last year they threw in the Butler game for free. This year they are throwing in the MU game for free. . My seats for UW Greenbay are better than my seats for MU games and I have good seats for MU.

[Dawson Rental]

All the conference membership stuff is just like deep throat told Woodward and Bernstein, "Follow the money"!

[Pakuni]

I suspect the $10 million the football teams receive still leaves them with a financial deficit for their football operations.

Probably not. Big East football teams get only $3.125 million a year from the current TV contract.
Bearing that in mind, according to Forbes every program other than Rutgers and UConn had revenues in 2010 that exceeded expenses. In UConn's and Rutgers' cases, expenses and revenues were essentially even.
So, if the programs are breaking even or better under the current contract, no reason to believe they wouldn't under a better one.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/sportsmoney/2011/03/23/money-not-as-big-in-big-east-football/

[GGGG]

It is poorly written, but since it goes from $10 million a team for football I would assume it is $4 million a team for basketball. Ends up that a school gets either $14 million (both sports), $10 million (football only) or $4 million (basketball only). However, that is what they are paying the confenence so I would assume each school actually receives less than that as the Big East will keep some of the money for its operations. While the Big East teams will receive significantly more money than the Atl 10, I am not sure they are better off. The Big East teams pay their coaches more and spend more on recruiting and facilities.

And they win more on a higher level.  Isn't that really the point? 

Not to mention what it brings to the school in terms of exposure, etc.

Two season tickets to MU games with mandatory seat donation cost me $2,200+. Two five game packages to UW Green Bay cost me $208. Last year they threw in the Butler game for free. This year they are throwing in the MU game for free. . My seats for UW Greenbay are better than my seats for MU games and I have good seats for MU.

I bet you could get even better and cheaper seats for Division III national champion UW-Whitewater.  But I don't think that's really the point is it?

[Pakuni]

I bet you could get even better and cheaper seats for Division III national champion UW-Whitewater.  But I don't think that's really the point is it?

Here in Chicago, Blackhawks tickets cost way more than those for the AHL's Chicago Wolves.
Weird. I mean, it's the same sport, after all.

[🏀]

Here in Chicago, Blackhawks tickets cost way more than those for the AHL's Chicago Wolves.
Weird. I mean, it's the same sport, after all.

Here in Chicago, Cubs tickets cost way more than those for the White Sox.
Weird. I mean, it's the same sport, after all.

Wait...that didn't work.