UNI - Split from the Evansville Thread

[jayball]

Doc

I don't know how those revenue streams are split up, but I would be interested to know. I would assume that the regional Fox Sports package is evenly split.

If you dont' want any revenue sharing that you should probably become an independent b/c I assume every conference has some sort of arrangement to share revenue from TV and postseason. Do you know how other conferences do it? During the summer shakeup...I remember hearig that the Big 10 did an even split for all teams from the Big 10 Network $$. Big 12 talked about more money being given for UT, OU, and A&M and UT doing its own network in addition to any B12 network.

I question if any of our MVC teams or matchups really move the needle as far as national or even regional ratings....my guess is probably not unless someone is ranked. This year WSU vs MSU probably won't pull in significantly more viewers than UE vs InSt, at least not enough to make a big difference for regional TV money. To me it seems fair that the conference package would be split evenly. Conference ESPN games should probably be evenly split also. I would say any OOC conference televised games should go to the participating school. And postseason money should be split but participaing teams should get a higher percentage.

I realize that WSU and CU invest a lot more in their programs than some other schools in the MVC, but I question if they have produced signifcantly more revenue for the leauge with ESPN games or postseason appearances. You could make an argument for MVC tourney money being generated by teams with larger fanbases, but I'm struggling to understand how you are allowing the "sisters of the poor in line ahead of you."

[Ace Dad]

My yearly package to athletics is north of $20k.

And that, my friend, is what is wrong with college basketball.

[unipanther99]

My yearly package to athletics is north of $20k.

And that, my friend, is what is wrong with college basketball.

I don't understand your point Ace Dad. Certainly there is nothing wrong with giving back to your school... and this is not new. What is new is all of the mega-money from TV contracts the big boys get. That is really what is separating the the BCS level schools from the rest of us.

What I think is wrong with basketball is the rise of all of the AAU teams, giving those coaches more power and putting less emphasis on the high school teams and coaches. Combined with the increase in all of these prep-school basketball factories, leading to the demise of the high quality Junior College teams.

[iSASO]

Where are the folks who posted a few years ago that all Valley teams are the same and that ANYONE can lead the Valley back to national prominence?

The recent shakeup due to football had nothing to do with eyeballs on TV's, did it? If so, why is anyone concerned that UNI, Evansville, Drake or Indiana State might be the flagship program for the conference?
The national media are certainly as excited about talking about one team as another, aren't they? They all have a history of producing 1st and 2nd Team All-Americans, highly-ranked teams and NBA players so why does it matter who is the flagship?

[unipanther99]

Where are the folks who posted a few years ago that all Valley teams are the same and that ANYONE can lead the Valley back to national prominence?

The recent shakeup due to football had nothing to do with eyeballs on TV's, did it? If so, why is anyone concerned that UNI, Evansville, Drake or Indiana State might be the flagship program for the conference?
The national media are certainly as excited about talking about one team as another, aren't they? They all have a history of producing 1st and 2nd Team All-Americans, highly-ranked teams and NBA players so why does it matter who is the flagship?

I'm usually pretty good at figuring out what you mean through the sarcasm, but you've pretty much lost me here. Do you think the average national TV viewer is more likely to tune in to watch WSU vs. Bradley than it would be UNI vs. Indiana State because some of them might remember the great Shockers and Braves of the past? I suppose there are a few out there who would think like that but would it really be significantly more than those who remember UNI's game over Kansas or even Indiana State's run with Larry Legend?

Keep in mind the demographic age group that TV ad executives are going after... Most in that age bracket either aren't old enough to remember the 80's or the few that do were probably too high on coke to remember any of it clearly.

[Ace Dad]

My yearly package to athletics is north of $20k.

And that, my friend, is what is wrong with college basketball.

I don't understand your point Ace Dad. Certainly there is nothing wrong with giving back to your school... and this is not new. What is new is all of the mega-money from TV contracts the big boys get. That is really what is separating the the BCS level schools from the rest of us.

What I think is wrong with basketball is the rise of all of the AAU teams, giving those coaches more power and putting less emphasis on the high school teams and coaches. Combined with the increase in all of these prep-school basketball factories, leading to the demise of the high quality Junior College teams.

Money is a fact of life. None of my whining will change anything. There is too much money in college basketball. College basketball is like the nuclear arms race" bigger, better; mo' bigger, mo' better; and, much mo' bigger, much mo' better. How big must an arena be? How much money must a basketball coach make? How big should the travel budget be? Does having the biggest arena, best coach, and deepest pocket for recruit travel result in raising more revenue for the college and improve the college's D1 basketball experience? Or, does the competition breed one upsmanship and everybody keeps buying nuclear missiles until the have more missiles than they need. How much is enough?

Giving back to your school is good. My son received a "free" education thanks to the generosity of Evansville donors. The giving is good as long as there is no expectation. I.E. "I give to Timbuctu University and by golly they better go to the big dance or off with the coach's head."

[jayball]

Where are the folks who posted a few years ago that all Valley teams are the same and that ANYONE can lead the Valley back to national prominence?

The recent shakeup due to football had nothing to do with eyeballs on TV's, did it? If so, why is anyone concerned that UNI, Evansville, Drake or Indiana State might be the flagship program for the conference?
The national media are certainly as excited about talking about one team as another, aren't they? They all have a history of producing 1st and 2nd Team All-Americans, highly-ranked teams and NBA players so why does it matter who is the flagship?

I don't think anyone will lead the MVC back to national prominence without a sustained run of postseason success. If we have one bid and different representatives each year no one can build a lasting national brand. SIU was probably the closest thing in recent times to a sustained run of success, but the attention generated was farily minimal and didn't last long when they slipped back. Also see George Mason and Bradley/WSU in 2007. There is always another cinderella waiting or another midlevel team building a contender. I think you have to get multiple S16s and leverage that to higher profile ESPN games (and win those) and become a repeat presence in the Top 25....ala Gonzaga.

Isaso, what other school would you point out as an example of what you expect/hope for out of the Valley flaships or WSU in particular? That might help me understand what you are getting at.

I think there is something to the idea that a financially stable and well supported school should be one of the flagships....but think some of the idea that CU/WSU/BU would be monumentally better for the league is a little overblown. It would be monumentally better for me if CU were the perennial flagship and a national darling. I can see how it might help with attendance at tournemanets/postseason games. There could be more historical facts to use for broadcasts but I just dont' see national ratings being affected radically for a UNI game vs a WSU game. I have a hard time believing the our best games and teams register anywhere outside of the local markets unless they are ranked or maybe if they have scored a high profile upset. Is there something other than national TV ratings that matters?

I don't think anyone has a reputation that is currently being hurt because of the MVC. Any member of the leauge would need 2-3 years of high level success and top 25 appearances to come close to what i think you are talking about. And even then none of us have a big enough TV market to demand big money. I think the Valley would need multiple Top 25 type teams for a few years to have a shot at driving up the TV revenue.