Conference realignment "Rumors" "tweets" "etc"

[Who'sYourData?]

As for IBM, they used to be number one by miles and miles and miles.   Microsoft was a flea on a mole on IBM's armpit.  Google wasn't even imagined yet.  Now neither one gives a hoot what IBM is doing, because they aren't worried about IBM in the least.

 

Things change, my friends.

[JTrue]

Again, Fox was competing in a free market.

The people who are controlling the BCS and conference realignment and the bowl system are more akin to a government regulated utility. That's the point you are not understanding.

If a school or conference were more like an organization like IBM operating in a free market, then yes, you could somehow go ahead and raise all the money needed for the best facilities, best coaches, win and go to BCS bowl games.

Under the new system beginning in 2014 you can do all the fund raising and spending on top notch facilities you want. Let's say we go undefeated, but our strength of schedule is not deemed strong enough because of the conference we are in or for whatever reason we are not the top ranked G5 team, we are locked out of the access bowl. It is a system designed to be controlled by a limited few number of people. The new system for football is rigged for the traditional power conferences. When it takes effect. Clearly, if the power broker don't want you in, they will not let you in.

The scenario that allows the little guy to become a bigger guy is the NCAA tournament. There it is decided on the court.

Fox was competing in a free market?

I'll forgive you, because you probably weren't old enough then to realize what was going on. CBS, ABC and NBC had an oligopoly on US television. They were completely dominant, had the entire US. No one signed a contract with Fox if they could get a Sunday at midnight spot with one of the major networks. Actually, the NBA playoffs used to be shown that late at night because the networks had other, more important programming. It was cable TV that gave ESPN and Fox any opportunity at all. ESPN used to show scads of Austrailian Rules Football.

The big networks ignored Fox and ESPN. And we see what happened.

History repeats itself. The mighty fall a long ways and others take their place. Especially in a capitalistic economy.

ABC would argue they haven't fallen terribly far.

[GaUSFBull]

I think actually NBC has fallen the farthest out of the original big 3 networks.

[JTrue]

And they still made a couple billion last year. Life is hard.

[usfgrad84]

Again, Fox was competing in a free market.

The people who are controlling the BCS and conference realignment and the bowl system are more akin to a government regulated utility. That's the point you are not understanding.

If a school or conference were more like an organization like IBM operating in a free market, then yes, you could somehow go ahead and raise all the money needed for the best facilities, best coaches, win and go to BCS bowl games.

Under the new system beginning in 2014 you can do all the fund raising and spending on top notch facilities you want. Let's say we go undefeated, but our strength of schedule is not deemed strong enough because of the conference we are in or for whatever reason we are not the top ranked G5 team, we are locked out of the access bowl. It is a system designed to be controlled by a limited few number of people. The new system for football is rigged for the traditional power conferences. When it takes effect. Clearly, if the power broker don't want you in, they will not let you in.

The scenario that allows the little guy to become a bigger guy is the NCAA tournament. There it is decided on the court.

Fox was competing in a free market?

I'll forgive you, because you probably weren't old enough then to realize what was going on. CBS, ABC and NBC had an oligopoly on US television. They were completely dominant, had the entire US. No one signed a contract with Fox if they could get a Sunday at midnight spot with one of the major networks. Actually, the NBA playoffs used to be shown that late at night because the networks had other, more important programming. It was cable TV that gave ESPN and Fox any opportunity at all. ESPN used to show scads of Austrailian Rules Football.

The big networks ignored Fox and ESPN. And we see what happened.

History repeats itself. The mighty fall a long ways and others take their place. Especially in a capitalistic economy.

ABC would argue they haven't fallen terribly far.

I question your facts about the growth and decline of the sports networks.

First of all, ESPN and ABC sports are now the same family.

NBC is still a major player. They still have a presence with the NFL, Olympics, Triple Crown Coverage, Notre Dame football, NHL coverage and they own the Golf Channel. Hardly a failing enterprise.

CBS is also still very strong with everything they do.

You think that Fox Sports' growth into a major player was a little guy growing into a major player? That is where you need to go back and check your history. Fox Sports came about from a joint venture between two of the largest media companies and 2 of the most powerful media guys in the world that went on a buying spree over a period of time.

Fox Sports started out as a joint venture between Rupert Murdoch (Newscorp) and John Malone (TCU/Liberty Media) that started buying up the regional sports networks. Then, they had enough money and broadcast power to negotiate and beat out the over the air broadcast networks for some of the more important assets when they came available.

By the way, it's not like ESPN was a stand alone entity that just happened to grow to a giant either. ESPN, the original company, built a nice foundation, but it really took off when it was bought by Disney in the mid '90s or so. It is Disney that grew ESPN into the monster it has become.

Anyway, the sports broadcast landscape has grown and there has been more room for everyone to grab a bigger slice of a much larger pie. I don't see where any of the players lost. The top may have shifted, but none has actually fallen completely from grace.

With all this said, I still don't see how a smaller conference that is being blocked, by design, will break into the next P5 unless an entirely new system comes into play when the current contracts run out.

[JTrue]

So ABC is a P5 conference and we're ESPN waiting to get scooped up? I like it!

[BDYZR]

So, as I see it, TIME is the only constant in this equation.

[Sellular1]

So, as I see it, TIME is the only constant in this equation.

Didnt AOL buy TIME Warner for $165 billion? What a joke

[charsibb]

[Bull-by-Marriage]

Being 44, I remember when Tampa had 5 channels, WEDU, NBC, ABC, CBS, AND WTOG. We got excited when channel 28 opened off of I-4. So I remember well before Fox came on the scene. It didn't hurt that they had BUTTLOADS of money. They threw ridiculous amounts of money at the NFL. We don't have ridiculous amounts of money. You are right that things change, but as Wooly put it, some of our times are shorter than others.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Broadcasting_Company

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_on_Fox#Fox_outbids_CBS_for_the_NFC_package