The Dance = Cha-Ching $$$

[Benny B]

NCAA and NIT tournament teams are compensated each year based upon the number of games (shares) they've played over the past six years.  Next year's (2011-2012) payout will reflect six full years since the expansion, and each NCAA share will earn the Big East one "money unit" of an estimated $240,000 (NIT money units are an estimated $15,000).  As a matter of comparison, I looked to see how each BE team's performance over the past six years will affect the payout for this year.  For the purposes of 2011, only 1 share for each "lock" is factored in below... obviously, as teams win tourney games this year, their contribution to next year's payout will increase by approx. $240k.

School         Tourney Contribution 
Villanova     3,840,000
Pittsburgh     3,360,000
West Virginia 2,955,000
Georgetown    2,895,000
Louisville     2,700,000
Connecticut  2,670,000
Syracuse     2,010,000
Marquette     1,920,000
Notre Dame     1,290,000
Cincinnati     315,000
St. John's     255,000
Seton Hall     255,000
DePaul        45,000
Rutgers       30,000
South Florida 15,000
Providence     15,000


The total payout to the Big East Conference will be a minimum $24.5 million; if it were divided equally amongst 16 schools, that's about $1.5M each.  So any team that is "contributing" more than $1.5M (roughly equivalent to playing in an average of 1 NCAA tournament game per year) is pulling their weight, the others are receiving "post-season welfare" (I'm looking at you, Mr. Independent Football school).

A single NCAA tournament appearance this year will be worth at least $1.4M over 6 years (since the "money unit" increases each year).  A Final Four run is worth over $7M and a championship game appearance is worth nearly $9M.  (There is no additional payout for winning the championship, i.e. the Horizon league would still receive the same amount over the next six years even if Butler had won last year.)

If the Big East gets two teams into the Final Four this year, that's about $20M for the conference by itself... more than a BCS bowl game appearance.  Even getting 5 of 11 teams into the Sweet Sixteen is worth over $30M.

Evidently a 16 (17) team conference isn't all that bad an idea if you can get up to 11 teams into the dance and hopefully make a FF run once in a while.

[Coleman]

Interesting post. I bet Notre Dame will reach the threshold of paying their weight after this tournament. Just one win should do it, and they'll be a 1 or 2 seed.

Also nice to see we are the #2 CUSA transfer, and #3 non-football member. Its good to see Marquette's value to the conference in tangible terms.

[Coleman]

Wanted to bump this. Benny, how do the revised standings look?

[Benny B]

Next year's (2011-2012) payout updated as of 3/21

School         Tourney Contribution 
Villanova     3,840,000
Pittsburgh     3,600,000  (+240,000)
West Virginia 3,195,000 (+240,000)
Connecticut  3,150,000 (+480,000)*
Georgetown    2,895,000
Louisville     2,700,000
Marquette     2,400,000 (+480,000)*
Syracuse     2,250,000 (+240,000)
Notre Dame     1,530,000 (+240,000)
Cincinnati     555,000 (+240,000)
St. John's     255,000
Seton Hall     255,000
DePaul        45,000
Rutgers       30,000
South Florida 15,000
Providence     15,000

* Each additional appearance after regional semis worth add'l $240,000

Total Payout to Big East = $26,730,000

[Coleman]

Thanks, I just realized I could have done the math myself. Oops

[rocky_warrior]

Bump, for those interested in the NCAA $$ question...

[Benny B]

The estimated, minimum payout over next 6 years for this year's NCAA Tourney (does not include NIT payouts):

Total / Per School

*Big East (22 games) - $31,680,000 / $1,980,000
Big Ten (14) - $20,160,000 / $1,832,727
*SEC (12) - $17,280,000 / $1,440,000
ACC (12) - $17,280,000 / $1,440,000
Big 12 (10) - $14,400,000 / $1,200,000
*Colonial (9) - $12,960,000 / $1,080,000
Pac 10 (9) - $12,960,000 / $1,296,000
Mountain West (7) - $10,080,000 / $1,120,000
A-10 (6) - $8,640,000 / $617,143
*Horizon (5) - $7,200,000 / $720,000
Big South (2) - $2,880,000 / $288,000
C-USA (2) - $2,880,000 / $240,000
OVC (2) - $2,880,000 / $288,000
Southland (2) - $2,880,000 / $240,000
WCC (2) - $2,880,000 / $360,000
All Others (1) - $1,440,000 / varies: $120,000-$180,000

*Add $1,440,000 to the two conferences whose participant advances to the final round.

Note 1: The above is a bare minimum estimate -- it is based on this year's payout of $240,000; however, this was under the old contract from which the NCAA opted-out.  The share amount is likely to increase over the next 6 years under the new contract, but I haven't been able to find those numbers yet.  When I get the contract figures, I will update.

Note 2: Money isn't actually distributed to schools.  Conferences determine how money is allocated, and rules may vary.

Note 3: Money does not follow the teams, it stays with the conference; i.e. if Nebraska were in the tourney this year, that money would still go to the B12 for the next six years, not the Big Ten, and the Big 12 may keep it or distribute it to the remaining B12 members.  However, if Nebraska participates next year, that money would go to the Big Ten.

[Knight Commission]

(Re: Note 2) Do we know how the Big East ditributes the money? I thought it was equally divided.

[Stuckin1977]

I would hope not.  Then the cellar-dwellers of the BE would be getting welfare payments, as was noted earlier in this thread.

[Benny B]

According to The Business of Sports (Rosner, Shropshire - 2004):

"The Big East has initiated a new policy since 1991.  A Big East team has received $120,000 for every round in which it has competed... after disbursing this money to members that qualify for the tournament, the remainder of the NCAA disbursement has been divided equally among the 10 conference members."

Of course, this was before the expansion to 16.

From the Big East Policy Manual:

"NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament: Revenue awarded The BIG EAST Conference from the NCAA for participation in the men's basketball championship is part of the Conference general revenue pool, except for that portion distributed directly to teams participating in the NCAA Tournament."

So it appears that the participants are still given something "off the top," and the remainder is split amongst all 16 teams.  I'm not sure what the numbers are, but $120,000 back in 2004 was well over half of what the BE received from the NCAA.

[bilsu]

The league needs celler dwellers to pump up the other teams won-loss records so that they qualify for the tournament. Throw out the four least productive teams and another team ends up being the celler dweller.