Expansion Thread 2023

[bearcatbret]

This may not bode well for the PAC. I saw this in an article. "This past weekend, ESPN became the Worldwide Leader in Employee Layoffs.

Due to budgeting concerns, the sports media company had to cut over 100 employees, including 20 popular on-air commentators. It seems that the company’s love affair with being a megaphone for progressive causes has started to impact its bottom line, and its employees are paying the price.

The list of personalities that were cut mostly included NFL and NBA-related anchors and reporters. The casualties include:".........

[bearcatbret]

Also, Paul Finebaum doubles down on the death of the PAC. Starts around the 18:20 mark. The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast - Episode 94: Guest host Paul Finebaum on ESPN and college sports media (google.com)

[longtimefan]

Seems streaming platforms badly underperformed vs expectations. Not a surprise, the quality of ESPN+ is generally very poor.

[Bearcats1232002]

This may not bode well for the PAC. I saw this in an article. "This past weekend, ESPN became the Worldwide Leader in Employee Layoffs.

Due to budgeting concerns, the sports media company had to cut over 100 employees, including 20 popular on-air commentators. It seems that the company’s love affair with being a megaphone for progressive causes has started to impact its bottom line, and its employees are paying the price.

The list of personalities that were cut mostly included NFL and NBA-related anchors and reporters. The casualties include:".........

Stephen A Smith is claiming he will be one of them. I thought he was nothing but a screaming instigator so good riddance if it turns out to be true.

[bearcatbret]

Stephen A Smith is claiming he will be one of them. I thought he was nothing but a screaming instigator so good riddance if it turns out to be true.

I do not care much for Stephen A Smith on ESPN but the guy can remember every stat about every player from every era. I have heard interviews from him and he does not sound like anything from ESPN. If in fact, that he is one of the layoffs, I hope that he finds a spot that he can actually be himself.

[bearcatbret]

Only one power 5 conference team (from PAC) is rated as the underdog in every game this year. Sadly, UC is not far behind. One Power 5 Football Team Is Projected To Be An Underdog In All Of Their Games Next Season (msn.com)

[Lobot]

You should expect ESPN to be unbundled from Hulu/DIsney+ and sold directly to consumers sometime soon.. There's also rumors in the Mouse House that they may sell it off entirely. It's a money loser until they can fixing the streaming revenue and advertising part of it. They don't get massive carriage fees with streaming like they used to when cable TV was dominate.

[bearcatbret]

Finebaum continued, "If you're a member of the PAC 12, I mean, you're literally going to the dollar store looking for other schools...But why would you want to be in that league if you could get out?"
Paul Finebaum Ranks the Big 12 Ahead of the ACC and Pac-12 (msn.com)

[Lobot]

SDSU is officially in no man’s land and the Big 12 is not interested according to this article

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/san-diego-state-not-part-of-big-12-expansion-plans-as-aztecs-face-uncertain-future-with-mountain-west-pac-12/

[bearcatbret]

There is a whole lot of free comedy in all of this. It is interesting that reports state that the PAC will announce their media rights deal on the opening day of their football media days. The reasoning for this is supposedly to cancel the questions throughout the media days so that it will focus on players, teams, and football. If that were really the case, one would think that the deal would be announced prior to their football media days. There are also crickets surrounding Colorado and Arizona. There are also reports that the PAC may be looking at Fresno State and UNLV. As Paul Finebaum stated, the PAC is shopping at the Dollar General.

[Illuminerdski]

If SDSU does not return to the MW. I wonder if they take BYUs spot in the WCC or land in a similar conference and go the football independent route.

[bearcatbret]

Just curious, did Texas and Oklahoma announce their planned move to the SEC the first day of football media day 2 years ago? Could Colorado and Arizona pull the same stunt next week at the PAC football medai days?

[red_n_black_attack]

Just curious, did Texas and Oklahoma announce their planned move to the SEC the first day of football media day 2 years ago? Could Colorado and Arizona pull the same stunt next week at the PAC football medai days?

The Houston Chronicle broke the story on July 21st and by July 30th it was official. The Big 12 media days in 2021 were a week earlier on July 14th and 15th. Nice speculation, and I believe when the Pac10 media value is announced it will be lower than expected and GK is doing it on purpose during media days to try using hype of the event to soften the blow. The next few days should be quite interesting. I have to believe GK has told the schools already because it would be a PR nightmare should any school balk at the numbers and berate the conference during their hype event.

[Lobot]

Mandel at the Athletic on why we can't quit realignment talk. ($)

https://theathletic.com/4662794/2023/07/12/college-football-conference-realignment/

[bearcatbret]

A power 5 conference signed a TV deal with the CW. A conference got a TV deal from the CW … and it’s not the Pac-12 (yahoo.com)

PAC - "The wait will be worth it" Pac-12 source: delay in media rights deal ‘will be worth the wait’ (yahoo.com)