Louisville leaving for ACC

[Litehouse]

BE is every bit as culpable if you go back years ago when they added Miami, Va. Tech, WVU, etc

I thought those three were independents before they joined the Big East?

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Congress needs to stay away.  Not a federal matter in the least.

I'm no fan of congress getting involved in most matters, but it is interesting if you consider that tax dollars are directly or indirectly funding a lot of this movement/buy-out stuff.

I'm sure there is creative accounting to get around it, but if I'm a Maryland tax payer, and I find out they are using my money to buy themselves out of the ACC, I'm going to be pretty pissed and start hammering my congressman.

I know it's a long-shot, but anytime tax dollars and grandstanding are involved, Congress isn't too far off.

[PBRme]

Georgia and UNC to B1G

[wiscwarrior]

Congress needs to stay away.  Not a federal matter in the least.

Anti Trust implications are not a Federal matter?

[Litehouse]

Or the fact that these athletic departments and conferences are really multi-million dollar corporations in partnerships with television networks masquerading as a wing of a tax exempt university.  If all these schools want to say the athletic departments are separate and self-funding and don't use public tax money to support themselves, then let's really treat them as separate and tax them as a separate entity, disallow charitable deductions for athletic donations, and make them pay property taxes on their facilities.

From a state perspective, if the university is able to make all this money through athletics, they should use this money as a profit center to fund the rest of the university and stop asking state tax-payers to support everything else.

[M@RQUETTEW@RRIORS]

Or the fact that these athletic departments and conferences are really multi-million dollar corporations in partnerships with television networks masquerading as a wing of a tax exempt university.  If all these schools want to say the athletic departments are separate and self-funding and don't use public tax money to support themselves, then let's really treat them as separate and tax them as a separate entity, disallow charitable deductions for athletic donations, and make them pay property taxes on their facilities.

From a state perspective, if the university is able to make all this money through athletics, they should use this money as a profit center to fund the rest of the university and stop asking state tax-payers to support everything else.

Especially when you consider the cost of attending these institutions keeps rising at the rate it does.

[jficke13]

Georgia and UNC to B1G

Are you just typing things? Predicting what you think will happen? Or have you read this somewhere like it's actually imminent? Links would be helpful.

[Tommy Brice for Coach]

Are you just typing things? Predicting what you think will happen? Or have you read this somewhere like it's actually imminent? Links would be helpful.

+1

[JTBMU7]

My point was why join that conference when you can just pick off the best pieces and begin anew.

you can't reasonably just "begin anew" when talking about a conference. it's just not realistic. the A10 has good tradition, solid programs, a better fit with the other universitys, east coast exposure, Brooklyn for their tourney... basically we would be moving to stable ground, despite the lower half of the league being weak (though which league doesnt have a weak bottom half?)

[GGGG]

Anti Trust implications are not a Federal matter?

Where is the anti-trust issue here?

[nyg]

Georgia and UNC to B1G

Georgia to leave SEC, I don't think so.  No one leaving SEC, they might raid the ACC though.  

[GGGG]

Or the fact that these athletic departments and conferences are really multi-million dollar corporations in partnerships with television networks masquerading as a wing of a tax exempt university.  If all these schools want to say the athletic departments are separate and self-funding and don't use public tax money to support themselves, then let's really treat them as separate and tax them as a separate entity, disallow charitable deductions for athletic donations, and make them pay property taxes on their facilities.

That's fine.  You can do all of this.  But you realize that is just going to make the grab for money all that more intense right?

[GGGG]

I'm no fan of congress getting involved in most matters, but it is interesting if you consider that tax dollars are directly or indirectly funding a lot of this movement/buy-out stuff.

I'm sure there is creative accounting to get around it, but if I'm a Maryland tax payer, and I find out they are using my money to buy themselves out of the ACC, I'm going to be pretty pissed and start hammering my congressman.

I know it's a long-shot, but anytime tax dollars and grandstanding are involved, Congress isn't too far off.

It would be more useful to hammer your state legislator.  Congress isn't going to get involved in state tax dollars being used for these purposes.  It is a state issue.

[Dawson Rental]

I'm no fan of congress getting involved in most matters, but it is interesting if you consider that tax dollars are directly or indirectly funding a lot of this movement/buy-out stuff.

I'm sure there is creative accounting to get around it, but if I'm a Maryland tax payer, and I find out they are using my money to buy themselves out of the ACC, I'm going to be pretty pissed and start hammering my congressman.

I know it's a long-shot, but anytime tax dollars and grandstanding are involved, Congress isn't too far off.

Why should Congress get involved with how the State of Maryland spends its tax dollars?  If they did get involved which side do you think the members of Congress from Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc will be on?

[PBRme]

Georgia to leave SEC, I don't think so.  No one leaving SEC, they might raid the ACC though.  

I think Georgia is looking for more Academic prestige.  They already view themselves as Vandy like in their student population.  Virginia is out because it would need to be a VaTech package deal.  The B1G is a lot more money and would be even more with the Atlanta market.  The next logical choices are Mizzou, Fla State, and Miami.

[Dawson Rental]

That's fine.  You can do all of this.  But you realize that is just going to make the grab for money all that more intense right?

I get your point.  But, can the money grab really get any more intense?

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

It would be more useful to hammer your state legislator.  Congress isn't going to get involved in state tax dollars being used for these purposes.  It is a state issue.

Yea, you're right, to start.

I'm not saying congress should get involved, but anytime there are millions of tax dollars and an opportunity to grandstand, you can bet somebody in the federal government is going to take some action.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Why should Congress get involved with how the State of Maryland spends its tax dollars?  If they did get involved which side do you think the members of Congress from Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc will be on?

It's certainly a state issue to start. I'm not an expert of federal finance protocol, so maybe it would never reach the fed. level.

I'm just assuming with this volume of $ moving around, and this amount of publicity, somebody at the Fed. level will eventually want to get involved.

[T-Bone]

Why should Congress get involved with how the State of Maryland spends its tax dollars?  If they did get involved which side do you think the members of Congress from Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc will be on?

There are substantial federal dollars that go to funding education (along with state taxes).

University of Illinois 15.3% of their funding comes from "US Grants and Contracts/Federal Appropriations"  (18.3 from state)
Wisconsin System is about 26% coming from Federal Grants and Contracts.  ($871 million -- $397 comes from state) 

(Look up any school + annual report to get data)

[GGGG]

I get your point.  But, can the money grab really get any more intense?

Sure.  You ramp up the costs even more, which is what taxation will do, and schools are going to get more desperate.

[GGGG]

There are substantial federal dollars that go to funding education (along with state taxes).

University of Illinois 15.3% of their funding comes from "US Grants and Contracts/Federal Appropriations"
Wisconsin System is about 26% coming from Federal Grants and Contracts.  ($871 million)

(Look up any school + annual report to get data)

But that money is used for research, student financial aid, etc.  It isn't used for athletics.

[Litehouse]

I don't see any way an SEC team leaves for the Big Ten, the money isn't that much different.  They have such a good thing going right now and the quality of football still matters to their fans, no way they give that up to play in the Big Ten and watch their attendance decrease.  Maybe Missouri, but they just got there and I doubt they feel like paying another exit fee this soon.

[Tums Festival]

Georgia (or any other school) is not leaving the SEC. I agree with some of the posts here that the ACC could be ripe for picking by both the SEC and B1G.

[Dawson Rental]

I don't see any way an SEC team leaves for the Big Ten, the money isn't that much different.  They have such a good thing going right now and the quality of football still matters to their fans, no way they give that up to play in the Big Ten and watch their attendance decrease.  Maybe Missouri, but they just got there and I doubt they feel like paying another exit fee this soon.

The SEC exit fee is zero.  They know where they sit in this game.

[Groin_pull]

Georgia (or any other school) is not leaving the SEC. I agree with some of the posts here that the ACC could be ripe for picking by both the SEC and B1G.

How about we just have a 40-team Big 10 and be done with all this crap?