Clemson has filed against the ACC in Pickens County, South Carolina, a source confirms to ESPN. This is the second lawsuit that the ACC faces, as Florida State and the ACC currently have dueling lawsuits.— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 19, 2024
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They are fundamentally claiming that the ACC has no rights to any of Clemsons games if they leave the conference.
when the laughingstock league gets even sillier...the ACC sucks and I hate it. We should have joined the SEC when we had the chance.
When did we have the chance? Not just wanting to join, or us crashing the party, or overhyped possibility with internet craze about joining, but an actual invitation from them?
Heavily rumored that it was supposed to be Texas A&M and Virginia Tech joining about a decade ago, but we quietly rejected and they went with Mizzou instead
I mean, MIzzou plays in the SEC east... the facts are definitely there to support the narrative.
Guess it was sorta 50/50 and Weaver's driving that steered us away...
https://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2017/june/17/did-virginia-tech-ever-receive-invitation-join-sec
ostensibly, yes. But, take it with a grain of salt. Knowing what I know now, I totally believe that the SEC expressed interest and Jim Weaver was like, "nah" and I hate that we might have had the chance and didn't take it.
Did just a bit of googling. My recollection is that the SEC invite rumors originated in the 2010-2011 time frame. I did locate this article which Weaver is quoted as saying Tech would likely decline an invite if one was extended. I believe this is why Weaver catches heat whenever this subject arises.
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2011/8/12/2359519/virginia-tech-sec-expansion-rumors
As far as an actual invitation being extended, that is unlikely to ever happen until both parties have already discussed and agreed. No one wants to look like they were left standing at the alter. What we don't know conclusively is whether or not feelers were extended to VT and VT shut the process down or not. Just imho.
In his defense, in 2010 we were the kings of the ACC in football and had been for several years. The ACC was a strong conference and getting national attention in football and basketball. This was also four years before the GoR was even drafted.
Hindsight says we should have jumped.
Logic and reason have no place in this discussion. /s
After all the hoops Tech had to jump through just to get an invite to the ACC, it would have looked pretty bad to jump ship 6 years later.
True, but where would a school jump after joining the SEC?
Would have added some additional heat to the hoo-hate weeks and there's no way the ACC's football profile is raised today in comparison without VT.
Plus, as much as I love Frank, jumping to the SEC may have put us in the coaching carousel a year or so early which would have avoided the Fuente Experience.
I mean just get it over with.
I'm tired of this fucking song and dance. Get to the end game already. Fuck Clemson and fuck Florida State for this horse shit. Fuck ESPN and fuck the SEC for creating this situation to begin with.
If we are left out, then get it over with. The sooner I can mentally cut bait with college sports, the better. Even if we make it to one of the big conferences, I'm not sure I'll ever care about it as much as I did a decade ago. The whole fucking thing sucks. The few are killing the majority over a few extra dollars when they already have the lion's share of money. Fuck this greed.
To both of those "schools."
Agreed. That is my standard position on all subjects involving those two schools. 😁
And as long as they get theirs they don't give 2 shits about us. They'll watch us die off while they make more money than god because they don't give 2 fucks about who they have to stab in the back or kill to get what hey want.
I know. I wish someone has the foresight and fortitude to just bifurcate football. And let the basketball tournament figure out how they want to handle things as well. Let them take their ball and go play semi-pro feeder league. meanwhile Virginia Tech and the likes can have true student-athletes forming adults for the real world.
Basketball, they can have the NIT. The rest will take the NCAA. Screw playing them in anything. ANYTHING. Treat all of them like they are ECU.
I think that they'll make more money than god for a while but at the same time they have cast the die that will destroy college sports. I've said it before on here, but my answer to the SEC and BIG murdering the rest of the CFB universe is not going to be to adopt an SEC team and continue to support CFB the way that I have in the past. (And Mrs. Smlltwnlwyr went to Vandy, so at least until they get kicked out I'd have a decent excuse)
For decades I watched basically every CFB game that I could and only my NFL team on Sundays. Last season we picked up Sunday Ticket for the back half when it was on sale, and I think we're probably going to continue to make that transition to the NFL.
For a while I thought it would be on a 2035 timeframe. I now think that we should get in all of our bucket list games this year because it may not exist in 2025.
Fuck the SEC, fuck the BIG, fuck the portal, fuck NIL, and the BigXII can eat some strays while we're at it. Also lol Swofford nepotism and die in a fire UNC.
It was a fun ride, but it feels like my saturdays in the fall will be a lot more bikes, brewing, and shooting guns.
Gotta add Larry Scott to the list. If not for his extreme ineptitude, the SEC and B10 have no way of being in such an offensive position
Maybe this is common knowledge, but I only learned last week that Texas, OU, Okla State, and (I think) Texas Tech were minutes away from joining the Pac 12, once upon a time. They had already created the TV graphics for the announcement and Stoops had spent a long time strategizing how they would recruit the west coast. So yea...Larry Scott could not have done any worse.
Yep - it was heavily reported and basically a done deal.
That wasn't even Larry Scott's biggest failure though. He completely botched distribution of content by refusing to work with an existing broadcaster. The result was basically three versions of west coast RayCom sports that only 25% of the country could watch.
If Scott wasn't such a failure, the P12 is still viable today
Wait... are you telling me there is actually someone out there worse than Swofford? I feel like I could do better as a conference commisioner, all I would need to do is pull my head out of my ass to get a breath every now and then and I'd do better than these bozos.
When ACC commissioners get colonoscopies, Doctors have to be really careful the patient doesn't choke.
Yes - Larry Scott was a demonstrably worse commissioner than Swofford.
I mean, at least the ACC still exists (for now).
I finally moved to the east coast after 8 years of texas and the acc collapses before I can take advantage of going to games
You'll still be able to go to ACC/east coast games...they'll just be less exciting as they'll be playing for NCAA Participation trophies and $50 Dick's Sporting Goods gift cards.
If Clemson wants into one of the "Super Leagues" they better get over their issue with the Transfer Portal.
FTFY
We all know the result of this. ACC will hang on until the bitter end to squeeze every last penny out of it before it dies. Terrible leadership creates future problems that don't matter to the people that created them. Viscous cycle.
If nothing else, this will just further damage the perception of the ACC and its members from all angles.
The perception is that the ACC is crumbling and its current members will be stuck in the rubble and left to die. I don't think that's the reality, but that perception will eventually start to hurt the ACC members in obtaining and retaining talent and sponsorships.
And unless the ACC leadership starts to repair its faults and image, VT needs to move into survival mode and figure out what is best for VT.
I'd bet VT is already in that mode. I'd further bet that VT's current opinion on what's best is holding together the ACC to the extent possible. SEC & B1G aren't in the cards, and is the B12 any better than a diminished ACC?
Big 12 is a death sentence
VT has to know, if we don't end up in one of the 2 conferences, its time to seriously consider defunding the athletic department
This feels like a gross overreaction. There's still millions of dollars coming into the AD without being in the P2
That won't be the case in 10 years though. If we get into the B12 or the ACC maintains some kind of cohesive status, we can continue w/ the status quo I think. That is, operate at our current level, look for "deals" on coaches, and make money.
If the ACC falls apart and we don't get into (or don't want to be in) the B12, we won't be pulling in those millions anymore, and it'll be time to seriously consider whether current football and basketball coaches' salaries are justified.
It won't even be the status quo because we'll be making at most 1/3 the revenue streams of what used to be our peers because of the TV deals.
When we have no hope of being able to compete financially, it doesn't make sense to spend the funds to play the game anymore. And if we aren't in the B1G or SEC we will have no hope of being able to either keep up in the facilities arms race or pay enough in NIL to remain competitive.
That's the thing: I think B12 or some kind of decent ACC IS the status quo. I think spending'll be roughly what it is now. The P2 spending (and income) will rocket to stratospheric levels. So I suspect our budget'll be roughly what it is now. Again, assuming we're in the B12 or decent ACC. (I'd rather stop trying than be in the B12 tbh.)
In my eyes CFB is becoming similar to F1. Perform well and you are compensated for it. Perform poorly and you need to get creative with your finances to get back on top. There isn't a single team pulling out of F1 just because Red Bull is dominating and there is no hope to win in the short term. I agree with you that we can absolutely compete in the current B12 or ACC. Yes, we're at a disadvantage, but all hope is not lost. Defunding our athletic department to me is just throwing our hands up in the air and quitting because of this disadvantage. Maybe we'll all need to reset our expectations of our athletics to simply conference championships, but outright pulling funds seems to border on gross incompetence to me.
The current situation isn't sustainable in 10 years. ESPN is hemorrhaging money left and right as people cut cable/dish. The payouts to the SEC aren't going to be safe even if ESPN is trying to get everybody else to agree to $0.30 on the dollar for TV contracts.
Yep - best thing for the ACC is VT and Miami both win 11+ games, get playoff bids, etc, while Clemson and FSU have mediocre seasons.
One can dream I guess
Clemson (and FSU):
Really?
Because it seems to me the building is ALREADY on fire, and they're just looking for a lifeboat for themselves.
ESPN (and other networks, like NBC for Notre Dame) set the building on fire when they chose to pay two conferences (and some teams) significantly more than they paid others.
I think you can legitimately criticize them for going it on their own, but the system is clearly broken already.
No, the building is not on fire. It has mold spreading on the ceiling tiles every time it rains and the walls sway if you step on the wrong floor joist. The quote to fix the roof is more than the cost of the building and we can't afford something comparable. It's in a bad place and everyone wants out, but the issues lack the urgency conveyed by being on fire.
Actually, I don't even need to go outside of the Office Space analogy. The company was crappy, but still technically functioning before Milton burned it down. No one was happy to be there except the brass that benefited no matter how everyone below them felt. And everyone at the bottom of the totem pole wants to leave, but doesn't see how they can. By staying, we face a slow death, not a quick fiery one...that is until someone actually lights the gasoline on fire in the basement.
What I'm saying is that whether you go with the fire or the mold analogy, you can't blame Clemson and Florida State for looking for the best way out for themselves. It's hard to blame them, when Florida State just got robbed of a playoff spot.
I think the fire analogy is better, because things are moving very quickly.
None of this is FSU or Clemson's fault. They just happen to be teams who have had a lot of success, including national championships, who find themselves on the outside, looking in.
And there is merit to their complaints, as ESPN struck a deal with the ACC, and then purposefully put them in a different tier from the SEC and B1G.
So, I guess they figured they could sue the ACC, while the other teams just beat on that printer they don't like.
I know it doesn't matter, but I can't leave it well enough along...
I'm sorry, but you're wrong. It's moving quickly because of Clemson and FSU's actions. Just like everyone had to find a new job because Milton burned down the place. Clemson and FSU are just tired of not getting their slice of cake and pissed that someone walked off with the red swingline.
I don't blame FSU or Clemson. I wish we could get out, too. I'm just saying the ACC is not on fire until they find a way to break the GoR. It is a crappy place to be and will not end well, but it will be a slow death while we get left behind.
As for beating on the printer, if we're those guys, does it also mean we stole gobs of money from the ACC? Cause I'd be down with that, but I think Swofford and his kid get to claim that mantle.
Maybe you're not understanding what I'm saying.
It's moving quickly because of NIL and TV deals. The football landscape is changing faster than you seem to realize. It's not because of Clemson and FSU.
The landscape has significantly changed. We can cry about it, or we can try and make the best of it for VT. Part of it is deciding what IS best for VT? Is VT better off in the long run with an ACC or without it? I'm not even sure.
We can cry about Swofford, but he has long left the building.
It's wrong what has happened. The powers of college football have forever changed the sport. And like others have said, it's a lot less interesting to a lot of people when you exclude a lot of P5 teams. If the P2 wants their own thing, they can have their own thing.
Like others here have said, it will be OK. But you can't blame teams for wanting to get into the P2, when the media companies are supporting the idea that it will be a separate tier in terms of resources.
I understand what you're saying. But maybe, just maybe, your analogy that the ACC is on fire is just a bad fit. Let's get some perspective:
The PAC12: being on fire would be an apt analogy given its destruction
The ACC: maybe incurable cancer?
Both end in death. Neither is a good situation, but one of them has literally come to pieces and is a burnt out husk of its former self. The other has no way to avoid a future death, BUT it is still not literally in the midst of its destruction.
The TV deal will persist. The membership will persist. We are all trapped and locked in with no hope in the future, but the issue is we are in a "good deal" for ten years1 ago, but not for today and, certainly, not for tomorrow.
The rest of the world is moving faster and leaving us behind quite quickly, I get that. But that's just it, we're being left behind, not destroyed in a ball of fire. Maybe use the analogy that in a world of horseless carriages, we've hitched our financial future to the zeppelin2.
The only way the fire analogy is appropriate is IF FSU or Clemson manages to break the GoR and the whole ACC blows up. Thus why I chose to say they were like Milton.
So, yes, I totally agree that the writing is on the wall, but we're at the "group of Babylonians wondering what the hell that disembodied hand just wrote on the wall" stage of the story, not the "Belshazzar being killed by the angel of death" stage.
1ten years is completely pulled out of my ass
2I swear to God if you say the ACC is like the Hindenburg...
Yes, you're not understanding what I'm saying, because I'm saying college football is on fire.
The ACC is just likely to be the next casualty.
If the college football wanted the ACC around, maybe they shouldn't have shut FSU out of the playoffs. There is no world in which that's compatible with the long term view that the ACC is being treated with the same level of respect that the SEC and the B1G are receiving.
The media should be working overtime to get the ACC the same compensation as the SEC and the B1G. Their greed may just kill their golden goose.
College football was more interesting with 5 conferences than it will be with 2.
You're right. I did not understand what you were saying. Reading back over the exchange I realize that I left out a key noun that would have cleared that up: I took 3 posts to clarify that I thought FSU/Clemson was setting the ACC on fire and I assumed you were saying it was already on fire because...pronouns (not that kind).
I ACCumed
FTFY. /s
Gross
Can someone explain the finer details of the new CFP/media contract that the ACC willingly signed onto? I've only read a news article or two, but it basically sounds like the new contract is a "what have you done for me lately?" deal where the more frequent you're in the playoff and/or the more frequently you win, the bigger share of the revenue you'll get as a conference.
If that's the case then the runaway train that is heading for a big effing cliff just got a rocket engine attached to it. The currently rich/dominating schools will get even more money while the rest of the conferences will compete for scraps.
Also, if I am interpreting the new CFP media deal correctly, then I understand why Clemson decided to sue the league, but I 100% disagree on what grounds they sued. They, and all other member schools who still truly give a shit about making the CFP, should be suing on the grounds that the league is basically content with staying down on their knees servicing the ESPN/SEC/BIG10 conglomerate. This BS about the exit penalty fee being "unconscionable" and "unenforceable" is actually "laughable", Clemson. You signed, resigned, and resigned the deal. You were the idiot...quit throwing a temper tantrum and deal with it.
My understanding is that at this point, it's going to 14 teams, and all games are with ESPN, but no additional autobids yet for any P2 conference, though all that is still being 'negotiated'
I wasn't referring to the playoff format, but rather the revenue sharing between the conferences. It sounds to me that when the new agreement takes effect (2026, I believe), the BIG10 & SEC will be getting a larger share of the CFP revenue than the ACC or BIG12, even if, say, only 1 BIG10 & 1 SEC team (conference champs) make the CFP. So the longer the ACC keeps only sending 1 team (conference champ) to the CFP, the lower (potentially) the cut of the CFP revenue the ACC will get as the distributions are renegotiated.
This a little bit simply stated. I think there are a lot of good arguments that Clemson (and all other ACC schools) had no other viable choice but to sign, the ACC acted against the interests of its members, and the ACC hide several important details from their members. It is very notable that each member did sign and resigned the contract, which makes it difficult for Clemson.
And secondly, they are dealing with it. That's why they've turned their "temper tantrum" into litigation.
Also there's the argument that there aren't any real economic losses tied to the exit penalty, and it instead serves as disincentive to break the agreement/leave the conference. Add that in with the potential malfeasance of ACC leadership, and that really no guaranteed revenue stream exists beyond 2027 (ESPN has option to renew at that point), and there's enough for this to go somewhere.
Was it against the the interest of its members to have incentive for the league NOT to break up. That is a hard argument. When teams want to leave now it is against their interest, not the leagues.
of course not.
But was it in the interest of the members to self-deal a portion of the TV contract? Was it in the interest of the members to give ESPN a below market deal that spanned 2 decades? Those arguments are being made. Of course, a lot of the arguments are predicated on the fact that the ACC leadership was not fully informing or misleading its members.
Could you expound on this, please? When the GoR were first introduced, what was the alternative option, penalty, etc. for one of the existing member schools to not sign?
For example, would the ACC have left them behind at the end of the previous contract to find a new conference? If so, in my opinion, that is a viable option, just not one beneficial (to the school).
Examples? I'm not really aware of the ACC as an entity that is not comprised of its member representatives. For example, can the ACC unilaterally decide that all football fields should be pink for Breast Cancer Awareness and each school must comply?
The only other option would to not be in the ACC. Which, arguably is a fair option. But, it does not seem there was any bargaining power on behalf of the universities to balance the grant of rights. And they had no control over the TV contract, which established the value of the rights and duration of the grant in the GOR. In theory, if the ACC has full ownership of the rights, that should be a major bargaining chip with ESPN. But the ACC leadership was too enamored with the idea of having ESPN as a partner and having a low-level network within the ESPN framework to bargain for a market appropriate deal.
A lot of details are yet to be made officially, but this is the foundation of the arguments made by FSU and Clemson.
They argue they were left out of the negotiations between ESPN and the ACC, did not have the ability to fully review and bargain for the ACC-ESPN media contract before it being signed. And the self-dealings of Swofford were not known before that deal was made.
And tbf, the GOR gave ACC control to perform those negotiations. But, the ACC still has to act in the best interest of the member schools and I think it's a fairly good argument that they didn't by holding back information, didn't get the members input, and acted in self-dealing.
Ultimately, my guess is the ACC leadership turns out looking like shit but Clemson and FSU will still need to pay exorbitant amount of money to leave the conference.
I just can't believe the ACC is set up that way, that there is a level of autonomy above the member institutions where details can be hidden and decisions made without the members knowing. Maybe I am just naive, but if this is how conferences operate then I find it incredible it has survived this long.
The biggest rumor that has come out is that ESPN can decide to not renew their contract prior to the GoR ending. If this is true then everyone is locked into the ACC potentially without a TV deal lined up. If Swofford and ESPN negotiated this without knowledge of the schools, or if ESPN put this in and Swofford didn't do his due diligence to catch it, then yeah that's a big problem.
Yes but that GoR being in place automatically increases the ACC's value as a TV package partner with another network. Stability is a valuable thing.
Seems like a lot of the same people complaining about the ESPN deal underpaying the ACC are complaining that the ESPN deal can be terminated early. SMH
And it would be great if the ACC could shop around and find a new partner and terminate the deal. But it sounds like only ESPN has the option to terminate. If we sit at the mercy of ESPN then it was a bad deal.
I am not upset about the money we get from ESPN as much as the coverage. Two ranked ACC basketball teams shouldn't be on streaming, it should be the headliner. The Big Ten and SEC don't perform well in March yet they get twice as many spots as the ACC. And it's ESPN promoting those crappy teams the whole way.
I don't think the ACC is getting a better deal. Just looking at the broadcasting industry, seeing what the B12 got, seeing what we have now... ACC is still the third highest paid conference if I recall correctly. If the conference gets an extra $100m, and that's split between just the 14 schools, that's still just $6m extra per school. Right now - again, going off memory here - the SEC is making $30m more per school, and that's expected to increase.
Maybe I'm wrong... I know the ACC basically covers the most valuable east coast markets, but I think that network execs are unsure what the future of cable/streaming is, so they are afraid to spend big on inventory that doesn't have guaranteed viewership.
But, at the same time, the market has been set by ESPN, and it's tough to imagine Fox, NBC, CBS, Apple, etc straying far from that market.
Regardless, I think it's a moot issue.
Agree here. The ACC probably couldn't get much more in terms of total contract value. Maybe a little here and there, but the conference unfortunately has far too many low to no value properties that are a ball and chain to the ones who actually have a brand and viewership in football. Too many mouths to feed that don't bring much revenue. That's what you get when the conferences get too large and the ACC prioritizes basketball when everyone else is moving toward football.
If no one can jump to a P2, the next best option to me would be for the most valuable brands to leave and form their own league. It wouldn't be as much as the P2 brings in (primarily because even the top ACC brands are still somewhat regional - even Clemson and FSU to a large degree aren't quite Michigan, OSU, Bama, etc.), but there would be more money to go around to fewer teams, better scheduling and potentially better contracts over time. If not P2, I say just cut the fat.
Precisely where I am. Give me NCSU, GT, VT, WVU, Duke, Miami (maybe?) as a core and I'll happily take that. Maybe even preferred to NFL-lite P2 life.
100% agree. Would watch a 10-team league like that with WVU added. Would be great football and basketball.
Oh I don't think we're getting a better deal, but who knows, what if fox wants to make a bigger push. I don't care about the money as much as swofford left everything in ESPNs hands and gave the conference no outs. It was a one sided deal that didn't last the entire length of the GoR which now leaves the ACC with an uncertain future which is the opposite of the point of the GoR.
My interpretation was that if ESPN doesn't reup for the rest of the GOR, then the ACC can shop the rights to FOX, Apple, CNN, whoever as a package deal. ESPN has first rights and that is it. The rights are still bundled and protected by the GoR.
Yes if ESPN says they don't want to pay $35 mil then they can opt out. At this point the ACC can shop around but if no one wants to pay $35 mil then the ACC members can't shop around. We are stuck and if the ACC pulls a shit deal and get $20 mil like the Pac12 then we are stuck.
If the viewership picks up and the ACC is worth $60 mil, ESPN can hold us to $35. But if we drop then ESPN can drop us.
The ACC schools went into the GoR for stability and with ESPN deal we do not get stability. Thus the ACC didn't negotiate the way the schools thought they would.
Contract was supposed to be renewed in 2021 for 27-35 but Phillips agreed to allow ESPN to delay committing until summer of 2025.
This *gestures at the ACC* is what happens when you just throw together schools. These 14-15 schools don't have anything in common; 5 privates, 10 publics. A third are football schools, a third are basketball schools, and a third are just along for the ride. A third are southern schools, a third are Appalachian, and a third are northern. Half are nerd schools, and half are Land Grants.
And I haven't even gotten to the westward schools.
When there's no(t enough) shared values/goals between all of the schools, each school is going to lobby leadership for their individual interest.
As I understand the accusations, it is (or was?) this way, but should not be; hence the lawsuits.
I wouldn't call the ACC 'surviving' - it's like a marriage between partners who have different values, morals, etc, but they can't afford to or is too scared to get a divorce.
to continue the unhappy marriage analogy - the ACC is like a couple who want to get divorced but they have to be physically separated for a full year before they can even file for divorce. Problem is, they're actually handcuffed together and someone threw away the key so they can't actually physically separate so getting a divorce is just a far off, unattainable, fantasy.
I wish someone would have just grouped schools together regionally, then at least you would have something in common. Virginia (2), North Carolina (4), South Carolina (2), and Georgia (2). Sprinkle in a few others here and there within those states to get to 12 or 16 and off you go. (Maybe grab Maryland for the Southern Conference connection, and then Marshall/WVU.) Bus to Olympic sports, regional battles for football and basketball, and tv streaming for those outside the direct coverage area. I mean Texas threatened to do their own conference at one point, which honestly wasn't a terrible idea.
This is the playbook...there is no rational argument to dissolve the GoR but the schools that want to leave can just bleed the league out with legal fees....one $275 five-minute phone conversation at a time.
This was always what NIL and the Portal were going to lead to without any regulations or rules. A few programs get to dominate and squash the rest.
I'm largely in the same place that some of those above are...rapidily losing interest in College Sports as a whole.
Yes, the ACC sucks and has proven to be utterly inept..but guess what sucks more..?
14 team CFB playoffs where the B1G and SEC get a disproportionate distribution of the money and extra bids "just fucking because."
A 96 team NCAA tourney so we can see 6-10 SEC teams matchup against the 11th best B1G team that lost to NW Nowhere St. during the regular season.
The endless, unapologetic greed will collapse the whole system before long when even the fans of the Blue Bloods become apathetic and bored and tune out.
I am 90% positive the ACC is going to turn around and bill FSU and Clemson for their legal bills or withhold the money from their shares. So all FSU and Clemson are going to do is further dilute their earnings.
Not going to lie, if that happens a part of me will laugh maniacally at FSU and Clemson in schadenfreude.
But another part of me will be sad that they failed to break the doors open for us to exit.
What makes you think they won't withhold the legal costs even if they break free at a lower cost?
You can't just say "I shouldn't have signed that" when you realize you signed a bad deal. Otherwise the acc would do that with ESPN.
I'm also not fully sold on these tv deals. ESPN has been laying off a ton of people and fox hasn't expanded or hired new talent because they're both losing money. The cfp will bring in more money but I just don't see it being THAT much more.
The acc schools should be bringing lawsuits against espn to get out of this crap contract. Get a deal with apple, Amazon, or Google for the next contract because streaming is where it's at.
The problem is Apple offered less than ESPN to the PAC12. Hence it imploded. Sadly, they probably offered a real value, the SEC and B!G contracts have everybody thinking they are undervalued, when in reality those are massively overvalued.
Apple offered a base rate that was less than ESPN offered, but would scale up based on subscriptions to an Apple-provided Pac-12 Network-like streaming service. Something that down the road (when everything is unbundled) may look attractive, but we're just not there yet.
Nitpicking, but the P10/Apple deal was less guaranteed than espn was offering, but had potential for a high upside with enough subscribers. 1.7m subscribers would have them in the same ballpark as the B12. 5m subscribers would have put them close to the SEC. P10 presidents and ADs weren't willing to work with a variable budget.
It will probably triple or quadruple the money of the 4 team CFP.
Streaming is really good for capturing your hardcore fans. It's not good for capturing casual fans. The cable bundle was so effective because it created a way for casual fans to subsidize the viewing habits of hardcore fans.
The streaming for a specific service to watch ACCN games is essentially paywallimg ypur league. Fans would have to have regular cable to see some games and then pay for additional services to see the rest. It would be a horrible way to just rip off your fans. I am a die hard VT fan and I would be pissed if they said I needed an additional $50/month service to watch games
It's the norm everywhere
I'm a season ticket holder for the Carolina Hurricanes and Bally Sports wants $25/m for me to watch their games. It sucks and as such I don't see the team unless I'm at the game
And the kicker is, I pay for ESPN+, so if I lived about an hour north I could watch the games there, instead.
That truly is a money grab. You'd think they'd include something with season tix so you could watch, but nope.
Like you, I pay for ESPN+ and if you told me for $25 a month I could get all Hokie basketball and football games I would be sold. Now the issue is would I continue to pay for tickets to those games as well...
But it's not all Hokie basketball and football games for $25 a month. It's a handful of them that are not on a different package you are already paying $50-70 a month for.
Would a VPN solve that issue...potentially...?
There are some technical issues that have to be resolved, but can confirm, it sure would.
Article Here
Looks like UNC will be the next to file based on some of the comments from their BoT chairman. Pretty comical that they think this highly of themselves when it comes down to football driving the money. Especially after they no showed the bowl game in their own backyard.
So, is all this lawfare a planned effort that the schools are coordinating on to overwhelm the ACC with legal costs and force them to relent? Or is this three schools working in their own best interests? LOL!
Best interests will be determined on
1. If either of P2 wat them
2. What % share they offer if they do.
Big 10 is only giving partial shares to the PAC schools.
If ACC countersues for legal fees that could backfire...
Looks like the cases will be heard in North Carolina courts based on this ACC post
Queueing FSU Appeal in ...
Yea. This would be expected.
Also of note that silly breach of fiduciary duty by suing the ACC was dismissed, because that was dumb.
I imagine that the ACC will also request joinder such that they can defend against Clemson and FSU in a single lawsuit.
"protect and advance"
how exactly do they plan to advance the league?
As far as I understand it, this is a twitter post and not a legal requirement.
Missed opportunity for "survive and advance". Would've been more accurate.