Conference Realignment Board

Joined: 12/22/2002 Posts: 8500
Likes: 2169

What's this?

Coversations for sure, but Swoff himself said he and Jordan made the call.

That at least tells you that ESPN was somewhat open to conference networks back then. Why would they not be?

And again, you can't just write off the Longhorn Network thing so easily. It is a difference situation, but ESPN sunk a ton of dough in that venture/gamble. An ACC Network was a relative safe bet at the time from their perspective. If ESPN felt one single school could carry a 24/7 channel, they surely felt an entire league could.

ESPN could have built one central studio, as they did for Texas, and required each ACC school to jump on board. They could have then worked out some sort of agreement to recover their costs and split the rest accordingly.

IN what universe was the LHN a safer bet than an ACCNetwork for ESPN? Please tell me. Swoff of Co have conditioned you guys to think the ACC schools are of little more value than those from the CUSA.

Howabout the ACC do as some in this thread have suggested and grow a set? How about they tell ESPN to take a hike and allow NBC to start broadcasting college sports up and down the East Coast. Howabout they challenge ESPN to provide more compelling matchups than Duke versus UNC when people are snowed in in February? What would ESPN roll out there? A Bama versus UGA bball game? Or would they roll out Texas versus Arkansas? Or would ESPN be forced to fork over another billion dollars to the NBA to show Memphis versus Portland?

The ACC had some leverage, but they failed to capitalize on it. Heck, it's pretty clear to me that ESPN got ACC programming so cheap that it's devalued the product in their eyes. Anyone in the sales game would recognize the reality of such situations. Just watch some ESPN and you will see that the ACC is the red headed step child to them, even when the ACC's on the field performance doesn't deserve it.

aGain, I'm sure the ESPN execs like doing business with swofford and Co and they probably do share cocktails with him at his beach house. But I bet they had to change their shorts after negotiating with guys like Dulaney or Sleve, or guys form the University of Texas for that matter.

(In response to this post by ahokie4u)

Posted: 07/30/2016 at 12:55AM

PREV NEXT REPLY

Insert a Link

Enter the title of the link here:

Enter the full web address of the link here -- include the "http://" part:

Current Thread:

Teel Article about the Stealth lead up to ACC Network. -- HOO86 07/28/2016 9:28PM

Imagine that - football driving a conference network. Not olympic -- Colonel Jessup 07/29/2016 12:52PM

That is absolutely true that FB drives the numbers BUT -- corvt2000 07/29/2016 4:00PM

I really hope b-ball will pull subscribers. Some very good games -- Colonel Jessup 07/30/2016 09:43AM

Olympic sports do nothing but provide filler for the network. -- Atlee Hokie 07/29/2016 4:43PM

So, Teel says that Swofford says that Swofford has been visionary. -- techman 07/29/2016 12:45PM

I think it took too long like everyone else. -- HOO86 07/29/2016 2:20PM

There was a substantial amount -- ren_hoek 07/30/2016 10:46AM

VT and UVa delivered more of that market -- hokieone 07/29/2016 09:42AM

So that's how you nearly end a league? -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 01:17AM

Sorry, Maryland screwed themselves -- VaTechHokiesACC 07/30/2016 05:09AM

What is your assessments of the decisions made since? You seem stuck -- ColumbusHokie 07/29/2016 1:40PM

Better, but nothing to write home about. -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 3:23PM

I agree on UNC. Tell me what would have A's? -- ColumbusHokie 07/29/2016 4:25PM

A few thoughts. -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 7:19PM

So VT et al should pay Md rather than Md taking money from its endowment? -- daveinop 07/30/2016 09:21AM

Yes. VT should be getting fatter checks from this league too. ** -- chuckd4vt 07/30/2016 11:35AM

WVU? That's it? All this negativity and all you can come up with is -- ColumbusHokie 07/29/2016 11:09PM

And BTW, why do ACC apologists feel Maryland's money problems reflect well -- chuckd4vt 07/30/2016 01:21AM

Nice spin..... -- 2hhoop3 08/01/2016 10:56AM

So what did they do so right? -- chuckd4vt 07/30/2016 12:39AM

I've made that very clear. You are unable to see any positive if -- ColumbusHokie 07/31/2016 8:59PM

Just keep giving it ALL to ESPN and be their punching bags every saturday? ** -- chuckd4vt 07/30/2016 12:32AM

Just stop...please. ** -- marcbvtgm 07/29/2016 12:39PM

Re: Just stop...please. -- 33laszlo99 07/29/2016 3:21PM

Re: Just stop...please. -- Maroon Doom 07/29/2016 4:45PM

Do you really think ESPN was going to do the ACC before the SEC??????????? -- Stech 07/29/2016 07:51AM

BTW, Swofford said he and Jordan decided the network was a no-go. -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 1:12PM

Ask yourself WHY ESPN did that deal -- ahokie4u 07/29/2016 8:28PM

And the ACC isn't a valuable property? -- chuckd4vt 07/30/2016 01:09AM

Classic... -- daveinop 07/30/2016 10:11AM

So you feel an ACCNetwork was a bigger gamble than the LHN? Why? ** -- chuckd4vt 07/30/2016 11:38AM

Nope. I said "The two are not analogous",i.e.,they were a different gamble -- daveinop 07/30/2016 4:08PM

ESPN waited to see where the SEC signed before moving forward. -- chuckd4vt 07/30/2016 4:36PM

I think that applies today's knowledge to yesterday's challenges -- daveinop 07/30/2016 6:04PM

All I can tell ya is majority of this board recognized its importance. -- chuckd4vt 07/30/2016 8:27PM

Hell, Swofford identified the need in 2009. The three conferences with -- daveinop 07/30/2016 9:25PM

You guys are right. Nothing coulda been done. We're in good hands. -- chuckd4vt 07/30/2016 10:06PM

Swoff also coulda linked the ACCN to Raycom forever. think about that ** -- daveinop 07/31/2016 12:39PM

The ACC wasn't married to ESPN back then. The SEC was stuck in a contract. -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 11:58AM

Wrong again...and again. Chuck saying it is so does not make it so. -- daveinop 07/29/2016 12:51PM

Notice how Swofford indicated he and Jordan decided ACC wasn't ready in 09? -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 1:08PM

Do you really believe there was not conversations -- ahokie4u 07/29/2016 8:55PM

Coversations for sure, but Swoff himself said he and Jordan made the call. -- chuckd4vt 07/30/2016 12:55AM

So you think the ACC and Wasserman never checked with ESPN? -- ColumbusHokie 07/29/2016 1:45PM

You're right. ACC's been run well then. -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 3:19PM

It would have been smart for ESPN to do the ACC before the SEC? -- Stech 07/29/2016 12:31PM

Would have been smart for ACC to not include content in ESPN deal. -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 12:56PM

The LHN was a politically driven move -- Red Hokie 07/29/2016 2:17PM

It tells us all we need to know about ESPN's willingness to do a network. -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 3:21PM

The landscape was much different for the long horn network -- ahokie4u 07/29/2016 9:10PM

ESPN offered the network for leverage, not profit IMO. -- Red Hokie 07/29/2016 3:51PM

ESPN should've felt the pressure to keep the ACC under its umbrella too. -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 7:25PM

Doubling down -- daveinop 07/29/2016 07:20AM

Not really. It nearly happened. -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 11:54AM

This is neither horseshoes nor hand grenades. you were wrong ** -- daveinop 07/29/2016 12:22PM

Um. OK. ** -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 12:26PM

Poaching was impossible after the GOR -- ren_hoek 07/29/2016 12:18PM

We heard the same about the $50 million buyout. Did we not? ** -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 12:27PM

Hilarious how you assert that -- ren_hoek 07/29/2016 06:49AM

You lose credibility by suggesting this league's been run well. ** -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 10:53AM

You lose credibility by not understanding context. -- ColumbusHokie 07/29/2016 2:04PM

Louisville replacing MDU is a huge gain athletically -- EDGEMAN 07/29/2016 06:17AM

There's a reason why the B1G fought for Maryland instead of UofL. -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 10:52AM

Yes, because they wanted into the south via the ACC. They failed. ** -- ColumbusHokie 07/29/2016 11:12PM

Wanted into Jersey and DC too. All reports indicate it was a HUGE score. ** -- chuckd4vt 07/30/2016 12:20PM

Agree 100% ** -- Lakeridgehokie 07/29/2016 09:15AM

Chuck, I'd never expect you to be happy. -- HOO86 07/29/2016 01:45AM

Agree, you can only play the hand you have been dealt -- Vippie1 07/29/2016 12:16PM

The next guy/gal should in no way be associated w/ UNC. -- chuckd4vt 07/29/2016 10:49AM

I think Swofford will be here through launch in 2019. -- HOO86 07/29/2016 3:02PM

Syracuse may have just hired that guy. ** -- crabcake77 07/31/2016 11:39AM

What does "delivering a market" even mean? -- Tercules 07/28/2016 11:18PM

Easy fits va tech plans -- Mercury 07/29/2016 12:48AM

Coversations for sure, but Swoff himself said he and Jordan made the call.

Insert a Link

Tech Sideline is Presented By:

Our Sponsors