BE hires Tagliabue as a "special adviser"

[Tugg Speedman]

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.

[BrewCity83]

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.

[Tugg Speedman]

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?

[GGGG]

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.

[Tugg Speedman]

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.

[wadefan#1]

he could help the big east keep some of their teams from going to the big ten.

[Brewtown Andy]

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.

[ChicosBailBonds]

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.

[mikem91288]

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.

[brewcity77]

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.

[SaveOD238]

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

[GGGG]

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.

[79Warrior]

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?

[DawsonCreekFillanderer]

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]

[GGGG]

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.

[goodgreatgrand]

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.

[Skatastrophy]

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

[CTWarrior]

You forgot to work "synergy" and "value-added" into this post.  You've got to upgrade your business buzzwords, brah

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.

[Big Papi]

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.

[Benny B]

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.

[GGGG]

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.

[M@RQUETTEW@RRIORS]

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.

[GGGG]

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?

[GOO]

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.

[GOO]

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?