🗺 Potential ACC Expansion & Conference Realignment

[Wahoo-Architect]

I asked this question last year during realignment. I still don’t know the answer…

Here’s what I don’t understand, why is ACC basketball so undervalued? ESPN’s average regular season basketball game had a viewership of 1,376,000. ESPN’s average regular season football game had a viewership of 1,733,000. So, yes, football had a higher viewership per game; however, basketball has almost twice as many games shown per season. As such, shouldn’t basketball be considered just as valuable as football?

[Richan34]

Have to ask someone else but I think the length of game and mix of viewers may have something to do with it.

More ads are sold in a 3 - 4 hour block over a 2 hour block
Premium on young males for ads?

[uvadoc06]

The Big 12 commissioner said something similar. Bball is 25% of the conference’s TV value and they aren’t getting paid properly for it. He’s looking to get that changed going forward (that was one of the reasons they were flirting with UCONN and Gonzaga).

[Hoos5004]

I agree. I am a little concerned about expansion fatigue in the Big 10. There seemed to be some reluctance to add Oregon and Washington, despite their brand profile and fitting the academic profile of the conference. Basically Oregon and Washington gave the Big 10 a deal they couldn’t refuse, but it didn’t seem like the universities were excited about expanding to 18.

[jazznutUVA]

@MaineWahoo

This is a dumb pointless question I’m guessing nobody - except maybe @jazznutUVA - knows the answer to, but do ACC games get broadcast overseas? And where, and are those rights negotiated separately? Was just wondering if you can enjoy a classic Wake Forest-Syracuse ACC football game in Chile or Japan (I’m sure there’s massive interest).

So in Europe there was, and I emphasize was, an ESPNPlayer that was just shut down which had the rights to the ACC Network… it was 80€ a year and I got all the ACC/B1G/other conference feeds along with feeds from other broadcast networks that ESPN owned the rights for in Europe. They shut it down unexpectedly in recently and refunded everyone any credit they had left.

In Germany, they also have DAZN which gets some games from time to time… and when I lived in the UK they had a sports channel called Setanta Sports that was purchased by ESPN and rebranded ESPN UK, so ocassionally there would be a US college basketball game on there.

@MaineWahoo

Somewhat relatedly, @jazznutUVA, do you know if AFN has relationships with any of the conference networks like the BIG10 network or ACC Network? Been a long time since I was regularly watching AFN, so don’t know what their content looks like now, but was curious.

AFN does have a relationship with all of them, but it is really hit or miss when they broadcast it. I actually got rid of my AFN receiver many years ago because I had a SD receiver and you had to buy $400 HD receiver for your feed to keep working. It wasn’t worth it, so I haven’t had AFN for a long time.

@Hooandtrue

I thought you were asking this to inquire about the possibility of adding schools/amateur programs from the other side of the Atlantic ocean.

Schools in Europe do not field teams that anyone cares about like the US. It is very much an American phenomenon to consume and pay for Intercollegiate athletics.

[Hooandtrue]

Sorta related to football revenue and what not, found this interesting. Not even UConn womens bball or LSU gymnastics

Amie Just

separate article but also on Nebraska Volleyball

How Nebraska cultivated a volleyball fan base 90,000 deep

[MaineWahoo]

Thanks man. Interesting info.

Although if you don’t get AFN anymore, where do your kids get critical infomercials about how they should never give full power of attorney to their spouse while deployed overseas? Are they just missing out on these essential life lessons?

[BDragon]

Didnt get to read the article but did it take into account the individual earning power? That could be a major distinction

[Hooandtrue]

Doesnt do much for the school though in terms of revenue unless players are re-investing their earnings into their programs? Which I doubt.

[jazznutUVA]

@MaineWahoo

Although if you don’t get AFN anymore, where do your kids get critical infomercials about how they should never give full power of attorney to their spouse while deployed overseas?

There was one the year before we stopped watching it… the commercial was a dude walking around the basement with a box and the light bulb popped… you then heard him fall down with crashing noises…

The moral of the commerical: don’t move boxes when it is dark… you may get hurt.

My second favorite… if you are deployed, do not take war trophies unless JAG says it is okay… with this dude walking around his house FULL of war trophies. LOL!

[4547Lambeth]

From the first article. “Among volleyball programs, only five teams besides Nebraska lost less than $1 million in 2022 — NC State, Virginia, North Carolina, UConn and Clemson.”

I remember we hired a Nebraska assistant to be our coach a few coaches ago. As he’s not here, that hire didn’t work out so well. After reading these stories, I wonder if our head coaching position (or most any head job) isn’t a bit of a downgrade from being a Nebraska assistant.

[BDragon]

That’s my point a program could be non-profitable but still have million dollar athletes on it. I believe that’s the case with LSU gymnastics and basketball.

[HooDat]

Tangentially related, but while we’re talking LSU women’s sports and money, came across this earlier

Republicans give $101m to sports arena as myriad needs loom over Louisiana

[BDragon]

As someone who works in Louisiana politics I remember when they did this and it’s one of the least surprising things that happens down there.

[lodger96]

People associate “honest graft” with Tammany Hall, but it’s been a time-honored tradition in Louisiana since its purchase in 1803!

[ElliottHoo]

Was he the one who, according to rumor, was overly friendly with the players?

[BDragon]

There’s a reason why Robert Penn Warren has a smash hit with All The King’s Men. It’s a wild incestuous pool of fun down there between EBR and NOLA.

[4547Lambeth]

No, well before him. Looks like he’s an assistant at Colorado now. Funny that his bio doesn’t mention his record here and that his head coach experience is buried in 2 paragraphs, but there’s like 10x as much written about his various assistant stints. Lee Maes - Volleyball Coach - University of Colorado Athletics

[HooDat]

I hear you, have some family in Baton Rouge. One is actually a professor at LSU. Have definitely heard some of the strange stuff that goes on there

[ElliottHoo]

Ah, yeah, the guy I was thinking of was like 2016-2018 or something.

Its kinda wild that the UVA Volleyball Team Record year-by-year page at UVASports.com stops at 2011. I mean… really? I guess someone under Maes was the one who put it together.