“The rich didn’t just get richer. The richer just got richest, if they weren’t already. … The announcement of the new 24-hour, every-day-of-the-year network that pays Texas $300 million over the next 20 years comes at a steep cost to the rest of the Big 12 Conference. The final score of Wednesday’s historic, ground-breaking news that sets Texas further apart from the huddled masses was thus: Texas 1, Big 12 0.”Kirk Bohls, columnist, Austin American-Statesman
GH: The jaw-dropping news hit this week – and the money was far more than any of us imagined. So what does this mean to the other nine schools in the new Big 12? Read on.
“Texas’ deal with ESPN is longer and more lucrative – 20 years, $300 million – than what I originally heard but it doesn’t change my feeling. Good for the Longhorns…and the Big 12.”
Blair Kerkhoff, columnist, Kansas City Star
GH: I read Kerkhoff’s comments in The Star on Thursday morning and then revisited them Thursday evening. He could not have meant what he wrote, could he? Obviously, Kerkhoff is either delusional or poorly informed – or maybe just Pollyanna. This ain’t gonna work out well for anyone except Texas – and maybe not even the haughty Horns. Read on.
Blair Kerkhoff, columnist, Kansas City Star
GH: I read Kerkhoff’s comments in The Star on Thursday morning and then revisited them Thursday evening. He could not have meant what he wrote, could he? Obviously, Kerkhoff is either delusional or poorly informed – or maybe just Pollyanna. This ain’t gonna work out well for anyone except Texas – and maybe not even the haughty Horns. Read on.
“While this doesn’t suggest Texas is seriously considering striking out on its own as an independent, that may only be semantics. Texas is already operating as an independent to a large degree.”
Kirk Bohls, columnist, Austin American-Statesman
GH: Kansas, Missouri and Kansas State can only be considered healthy Division I schools if they reside in a healthy athletic conference. Anyone who thinks the Big 12 is healthy must be wearing burnt orange and blowing smoke rings from burning Benjamins. The Big 12 is now Texas and the Marionettes, with DeLoss Dodd and the Horns playing the part of the puppet master.
Kirk Bohls, columnist, Austin American-Statesman
GH: Kansas, Missouri and Kansas State can only be considered healthy Division I schools if they reside in a healthy athletic conference. Anyone who thinks the Big 12 is healthy must be wearing burnt orange and blowing smoke rings from burning Benjamins. The Big 12 is now Texas and the Marionettes, with DeLoss Dodd and the Horns playing the part of the puppet master.
“And what other conference now would take in a university (like Texas) with such a deal? If anything, it keeps the Texas in the Big 12. That’s good news for Mizzou, Kansas, K-State, Iowa State and the rest.”
Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star
GH: Did Kerkhoff swallow a Beebe? We are all supposed to feel good about Texas’ $300-million network because it makes Texas so unattractive to other conferences??? So what the hell does that mean to the school who happen to be stuck with Texas?
Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star
GH: Did Kerkhoff swallow a Beebe? We are all supposed to feel good about Texas’ $300-million network because it makes Texas so unattractive to other conferences??? So what the hell does that mean to the school who happen to be stuck with Texas?
"Our commitment to the Big 12 Conference allowed us to pursue this. We want to be as strong as we can be for us and the Big 12."
DeLoss Dodds, Texas AD, Kansas City Star
GH: Sure, Texas is committed to the Big 12. They’re Bill Gates in a world where Apple and Google don’t exist.
DeLoss Dodds, Texas AD, Kansas City Star
GH: Sure, Texas is committed to the Big 12. They’re Bill Gates in a world where Apple and Google don’t exist.
“I said there’s only one way you can fully commit long-term to a conference, and that is you assign the media rights to your athletic contests to the conference for the long-term. And I asked were the members willing to do that? The University of Texas made it clear they were not able to do that.”
Harvey Perlman, NU’s chancellor, back in June following the Big 12 meeting in KC to discuss the threat of conference realignment, Lincoln Journal-Star
GH: Nebraska was willing to stand toe-to-toe against Texas last June and call their bluff. Perlman exposed Texas for what they are – a university looking to do what is best for them. No sin in that except that Dodds and his hats keep trying to sell us that they’re growing their ranch for the good of the Big 12. The word bullshit has never been used in a more appropriate setting.
Harvey Perlman, NU’s chancellor, back in June following the Big 12 meeting in KC to discuss the threat of conference realignment, Lincoln Journal-Star
GH: Nebraska was willing to stand toe-to-toe against Texas last June and call their bluff. Perlman exposed Texas for what they are – a university looking to do what is best for them. No sin in that except that Dodds and his hats keep trying to sell us that they’re growing their ranch for the good of the Big 12. The word bullshit has never been used in a more appropriate setting.
“When Texas adds a slew of attractive high school football games like Lake Travis-Westlake and others on its network to feed the football-crazy subscribers, Bob Stoops and Mike Sherman will raise a ruckus over the Longhorns’ unfair recruiting edge.”
Kirk Bohls, columnist, Austin American-Statesman
GH: Here is where Texas’ overflowing money purse hurts the Big 12 – the schools like OU and A&M who are big enough and rich enough to leave the conference, eventually do leave the conference. And then what is Mizzou, KSU and KU left with? Bevo and the orphans? This isn’t just speculation. This is why Nebraska took the Big 10 train east.
Kirk Bohls, columnist, Austin American-Statesman
GH: Here is where Texas’ overflowing money purse hurts the Big 12 – the schools like OU and A&M who are big enough and rich enough to leave the conference, eventually do leave the conference. And then what is Mizzou, KSU and KU left with? Bevo and the orphans? This isn’t just speculation. This is why Nebraska took the Big 10 train east.
“How can the rest of the league totally entrust their future to a behemoth like Texas, which has surpassed Notre Dame as the reigning college athletic power everywhere but on the athletic field?”
Kirk Bohls, columnist, Austin American-Statesman
GH: This is from the Austin newspaper columnist. Our guy, Kerkhoff, is telling us to smile and be happy while we watch Texas grow twenty times its present size almost overnight. Kerkhoff called it “good news.” Funny how the Texan go this one right as well.
Kirk Bohls, columnist, Austin American-Statesman
GH: This is from the Austin newspaper columnist. Our guy, Kerkhoff, is telling us to smile and be happy while we watch Texas grow twenty times its present size almost overnight. Kerkhoff called it “good news.” Funny how the Texan go this one right as well.
“The University of the Joneses just moved into a neighborhood with only one house in it. Its house. This is Texas’ world, and everyone else from Oklahoma to Oregon — your move, Phil Knight — is living in it.”
Kirk Bohls, columnist, Austin American-Statesman
GH: Bohls even provided a few ideas for naming the new Texas Network: 1) We Are Texas and You Aren’t 2) What Starts at Texas Changes Our Bank Account 3) The Joneses 4) We’re Texas; Give Us Your Money 5) Our Offensive Line Coach Has His Own Show, Does Yours? 6) Extreme Cross Country
Kirk Bohls, columnist, Austin American-Statesman
GH: Bohls even provided a few ideas for naming the new Texas Network: 1) We Are Texas and You Aren’t 2) What Starts at Texas Changes Our Bank Account 3) The Joneses 4) We’re Texas; Give Us Your Money 5) Our Offensive Line Coach Has His Own Show, Does Yours? 6) Extreme Cross Country
“Believe me, I agonized about those (other schools in the Big 12). I thought, ‘Well, if I could wave a magic wand and raise my hand and fix everything in the Big 12, it might be a little different.’ But we came to the conclusion that this probably wasn’t going to hold together for any great length of time.”
Tom Osborne, NU’s AD, back in June, Lincoln Journal-Star
GH: Missouri, Kansas State and Kansas really have no other options than to sit back and take whatever Texas dishes out. They can hope to beat them on the field or court but not much else. There appears to be no place for them to go. It is not a good thing. It is wrong. It is what makes me think college sports is now merely 30 or so schools that matter and a whole bunch of others who do not. And that number ain’t going up. It’s going down.
Tom Osborne, NU’s AD, back in June, Lincoln Journal-Star
GH: Missouri, Kansas State and Kansas really have no other options than to sit back and take whatever Texas dishes out. They can hope to beat them on the field or court but not much else. There appears to be no place for them to go. It is not a good thing. It is wrong. It is what makes me think college sports is now merely 30 or so schools that matter and a whole bunch of others who do not. And that number ain’t going up. It’s going down.
“This winter is much harsher than I expected. I didn’t expect it to be this cold and this snowy this long.”
Gary Lezak, TV 41 meteorologist, who is predicting an inch of snow for Friday and up to another five inches this weekend, 810 AM
GH: Sports guys love to rip on the weather people and hammer when their predictions of storms proves to be false. The truth is thought that the weather wonks are far more accurate in their forecasts than any sports prognosticator. I think Lezak is the best I’ve ever seen. I used to be a big fan of Fox 4’s Mike Thompson (and still like the guy’s TV presence) but he’s not nearly as accurate as Lezak. My wife and sons LOVE Fox 4’s morning guy, Don Harman. They get violent when I try to switch the channel if Harman is on screen. Except for Crazy Katie Horner (who might be the spawn of Beelzebub), the current KC weather folks deserve a nod and high regard alongside KC’s most famous green screeners; Howard Hanks, Dan Henry, Fred Broski, Cheryl Jones and the talented Cynthia Smith.
Gary Lezak, TV 41 meteorologist, who is predicting an inch of snow for Friday and up to another five inches this weekend, 810 AM
GH: Sports guys love to rip on the weather people and hammer when their predictions of storms proves to be false. The truth is thought that the weather wonks are far more accurate in their forecasts than any sports prognosticator. I think Lezak is the best I’ve ever seen. I used to be a big fan of Fox 4’s Mike Thompson (and still like the guy’s TV presence) but he’s not nearly as accurate as Lezak. My wife and sons LOVE Fox 4’s morning guy, Don Harman. They get violent when I try to switch the channel if Harman is on screen. Except for Crazy Katie Horner (who might be the spawn of Beelzebub), the current KC weather folks deserve a nod and high regard alongside KC’s most famous green screeners; Howard Hanks, Dan Henry, Fred Broski, Cheryl Jones and the talented Cynthia Smith.
GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24
Greg’s the only one surprised
I agree this is good for the Big 12, but for different reasons than Kerkhoff.
This is what the other schools get for signing on to keeping in the Big 12. They made their bed, and now they’re sleeping on a thin and uncomfortable matress. Kansas, K-State and Missouri should have been doing anything they could to get on with a different conference, even if it was the Mountain West. Anyone who didn’t see this coming is just a fool, a bigger fool than Dan Beebe for negotiating it and the rest of the Big 12 athletic’s directors for signing on to it.
So yes, the conference is better off because of it. Without Texas and their deal, there is no conference to speak of. Whether the other schools are better off, who knows? Probably not. But they signed the dotted line, knowing this would happen.
People have to stop treating sports like there ought to be a level playing field. Like anything else in life, it’s about the haves and the have-nots. And money separates the two. Sorry KU, KSU and MU. You’re the have-nots. That’s what happens when you’re in states like Kansas and Missouri as opposed to Texas. It’s like growing up on 39th and Prospect and wondering why you don’t have the same opportunities as the youngster growing up on 55th and Ward Parkway. Either you move or you deal with it and compete the best you can.
Nebraska…..
abandoned us!
– KU, KSU, MU, ISU fan
Nebraska…..
abandoned us!
– KU, KSU, MU, ISU fan
MU will eventually have another good option. Too well rounded a school in a populous state not to be attractive to another conference.
to what end?
I still question what Texas is trying to accomplish. Sure, they’ll be the richest school now, but to what end? Money, in and of itself, isn’t the end. money, for what? power? to do what?
I contend the endgame for football programs is to consistently be in the national title hunt, to give fans, alums, potential recruits/students, the nation, something to be pround of in Texas. Win football games, meaningful ones. Money helps in doing this, but killing your competition does not.
If Texas becomes so big that it drives out the OUs and TAMUs of the world, sure, they can beat up on KU, ISU, MU and KSU (well, not so much KSU), but who gets excited for that? In order to be the best, and know you’re the best, you have to beat great teams.
By the way
Didn’t Beebe promise us that there was some huge news after the Big 12 was “saved” that the conference was about to ink a major sweetheart TV deal? Surely this wasn’t what he was referring to, was it? Did the rest of the conference ever get that deal?
Or was the rest of the Big 12 sold a huge bag of goods?
As a Colorado native, good for the Buffaloes to bolt from this conference scam. Too bad Kansas and the rest didn’t play their cards well enough to go somewhere else, too.
Johnny
Johnny Utah,
It actually IS about the money. For the select few who are going to get it. That’s why it cracks me up that Missouri fans were thumping their chest when they were drinking the Kietzman Kool-Aid about going to the Big 10. They kept saying all that extra money was going to be an awesome thing. But they never seemed to consider who it was going to be an awesome thing FOR.
More money only makes athletics directors and coaches rich. It’s not like any benefits get passed on to the fan. Do you think Missouri’s ticket prices would go down as a result of having more money? Hardly. They’ll keep going up no matter what. In fact, the only way they go down is if the athletics department at MU has hardly ANY money.
There’s no benefit for an athletics department to have a ton of money, except it makes a few rich people even richer off the work that unpaid athletes do. Sure, they can get gleaming new sports facilities while academic buildings on campus go to shit after years and years of deferred maintenance like they do at KU, but you don’t need badass facilities to compete. If you ever saw the weight room KU used up until about five years ago, you’d know horrid facilities didn’t keep KU basketball out of the NCAA tournament.
It’s all a scam, and the punch line are the fans who think these financial arrangements are a good thing.
Texas
As for what Texas is trying to do? They know there’s no consequence if Oklahoma and Texas A&M bolt for better conferences. If that happens, they’re not going to stick around and beat up on KU and Iowa State in some diminutive conference. They’ll just go independent and make even more money and exert more control. Right now, they’re just doing the other Big 12 schools a huge favor by allowing them to stay relevant in the Big 12. Once it crumbles, and it WILL crumble, they’ll go do something else and be just fine. That’s what this television contract allows them to do.
Texas self serves
It does appear that the (unending) attitude in Texas “If it is good for us it is good for everybody” seems to be prevailing. It smacks of Steinbrenner/Yanks and baseball. Of course, noboday cares when Yanks beat up on Royals, Indians, etc. Johnny Utah makes an excellent point that the goal is to win meaningful games. (see TCU, see Boise St and then look at NFL) Texas already bankrupted the SWC. We may watch them pull the same BigXII stunt in the name of greed. That said, Notre Dame was going to rule the roost after NBC contract. Bob Frederick, KU AD, made a stand and cancelled bball series while everyone yawned. NotreDame experienced a few good years followed by two decades of relative mediocrity. Texas will likely do the same.
Settle down …
Texas has always had all the money and they’ve alway had their pick of the best athletes. How does this change that? The same dire predictions for college football were being made back when ND signed with NBC. Take a deep breath. It’s going to be OK.
BTW, is Adrian Hilburn a household name yet? Didn’t think so. Another silly prediction.
Sour Grapes
Sorry GH, but this just comes across like a bunch of Husker Red sour grapes.
Texas was richer before this deal than any of the other schools. They’re more rich now AND, whenever a school in the Big 12 plays Texas, it’s a guaranteed national TV game. What’s bad about that? The Texas network will also drive up the cost of the new contract for the entire conference because the asking price for a league with Texas in it just went up. Nebraskafan liked to spit-out that they had to take the Big Televen deal for the good of Nebraska. Why then would they expect Texas to not do the same?
Nebraska is gulping because they allowed their over-inflated ego and self-worth overlook their pragmatism. They simply couldn’t stomach not being the flagship school for the conference – that was always their stumbling block. Perlman and Osborne knew Texas wouldn’t give up their rights to start their own TV network. It is laughable that Nebraska would step up and “offer” to give up TV rights when no TV network would ever offer them such a thing.
Kirkoff is right — this IS good for the Conference. If some other conference steps up and lures away Oklahoma or A&M, it will be because a better deal exists elsewhere…1 of 10 splitting $100 million or 1 of 20 splitting $100 million — let me see, which one to choose?
GH: “The truth is I thought that the weather wonks are far more accurate in their forecasts than any sports prognosticator.”
– with notable exceptions – perhaps. I still recall October 13, 1967 – a Friday – KMBC TV-9 weatherman Fred Broski forecast both the weather & game Chiefs vs Chargers, in San Diego. “It will be partly cloudy and a bit cool in San Diego this weekend, but, the Chiefs will go out there and push up the temperature a little bit.”
As defending AFL Champs, the Chiefs were favored to win, handily. Game day arrived, and then the Chargers… KC never did.
Apparently the Chiefs were fans of KCMO TV-5’s Johnny Yates: under sunny & clear 68
F*CK TEXAS!
God i hope KU just beats the crap out of them today.
I am so sick of these people. Their governor wants to succeed from the u.s. but knows that
texas gets $1.35 back from the government for every dollar they send in fed taxes.
closed down those worthless air bases…and while the dumbshit screams about washington
spending he was in line to get stimulus money from the feds.
Ohhh…and don’t forget texas is 25 billions dollars in the hole.
So what does the big 12 do?
You screw them texans.
1. This contract opens up some big holes to fill. If texas can do it…so can any other school. If i was
time warner and charter and the other cable systems in the midwest i’d put together my own package.
I think a special channel for ku/mu/kstate might generate 150,000 subscribers at $10 per month…
brings in 18 million a year plus ad revenues…nice money to bring into those schools. Maybe an
extra 3-4 million dollars in revenue.
2. Invade the alamo! Every school set up shop in texas. recruit and recruit 24/7 and eat into their
recruiting. Will it have an effect. You bet. MU with their success in texas has been based on getting
2 and 3 star recruits. Go after the texans in their home territory with a full court recruiting press.
3. Pay to play: As an independent contract that is not shared the rest of the big 12 flat out
refuses to play on the texas network without being compensated. I don’t know the contract but
without being compensated they just don’t show. Imagine a network without games. Tell the
longhorns to pay to play. The longhorns are not wanted in any other conference. They can’t
go anywhere. SEC wouldnt be good forthem…they’d lose 4 or 5 games in that conference.
PAC 10 would be a mess for them. Big 10 won’t take them because they’ve got a tv deal already
and texas has their own deal. Whats left? Independent? I don’t think so. They d only have
about 3 or 4 games per year that would be attractive for espn. The other conferences have
their own conference games set up already.. In baskeetball that would be idfferenet but who
cares about bball in texas? Its all football. Take a forfeit of one game by each team…
tell the longhorns to go screw themselves. ESPN can’t afford to have this thing break up.
With 15 million a year they need audiences. And advertisers. ESPN/ABC is trying to control the
college football telecasts. If texas doesn’t pay…..we don’t play! One year and this falls apart.
Do they have the balls to do this? Probably not. But texas is in a corner and this opens up
potential for other schools also. The other remaining texas schools and oklahoma should get together for
their own network…..it would probably surpass texas. Remember…the ncaa really has no control
over this whole thing. They are made up of the schools that they regulate.
3. OPEN THE FLOODGATES: if in was mu or ku or kstate…i go nascar.
Go for the money guys. Tuitions at mu/ku/kstate are going up. The schools need money.
sell space on the jerseys….sell the stadium sponsors “BUDWEISER STADIUM”…..”T MOBILE
STADIUM”…those names rights ae worth millions of dollars. Sell space on the field….
if texas says its all about the money….then go get the money.
4. NCAA…go screw yourself. Shut it down. Those worthless money grubbing cranks want it all
for themselves. Cut off all money. Remember….there’s anti trust laws at work here…and once
the first domino falls the ncaa becomes obsolete and out of business.
I know these sound crazy but its time we started standing up for whats good for each
university…..
5. MU goes to big 10. It may happen sooner than even I expected. MU gets invite if big 10 adds
another school..lbut as i’ve said its evenetually going to happen. When kroenke and laurie start
talking its going to happen.
Thats right Kerowhackoff, the Chargers went on to win the
Superbowl that year. Oh…, wait, thats right, the Chargers have NEVER won a Superbowl, In 1995 they played in one, it was a close game, it went right down to the wire. 49 to 26. Yep, a close one. 49 to 26, and the Chargers had junk time touchdowns to make it even THAT close.
That, is the HIGH WATER mark for the STDiego Chokers.
Just covered themselves in glory that day.
Memories.
$ shot
I think Cliffy pretty much sums it up…. follow the money.
The big cigars have taken over NCAA sports for the last 30 years.
8 TV time outs in hoops…4 hour spectacles for College Football 7 days a week.
It really is a corrupt system that I’m hopelessly addicted to.
I say just call it what it is—-open the thing up…who are we kidding anyway. Let the Ohio St.’s –USC’s –SEC’s– compete on a capitalistic basis and yes pay the students or whatever the Hell we consider or call them now.
NE you want Bubba Starling….put an offer on the table. All this 1 n done shit is a big circle jerk. It fosters and produces scams and cheating like KU’s ticket fiasco. Fuck Tostitos