Big East finds sticking together really pays off

[TyBull]

Big East finds sticking together really pays off

After its very existence was at risk just years ago, the conference signs lucrative TV deals for basketball and football with CBS and ESPN.

01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, May 31, 2006

BY KEVIN McNAMARA

Journal Sports Writer

Providence College's Tim Welsh and the other men's basketball coaches and athletic directors in the Big East gathered last week for league meetings in Ponte Vedra, Fla., where everyone was greeted by glowing news from league officials on pending TV deals with CBS and ESPN.

While the deals aren't completed, sources said the Big East will break all records for money and appearances with its ESPN basketball pact. The equally good news is that the TV deal for Big East football will increase over the present contract.

The Big East football schools shared approximately $15 million annually, while the basketball schools received $10 in the previous deal.

The new agreement will be the direct opposite of what was predicted by many naysayers when Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech left for the ACC. The word then was that Big East football was all but dead and that a split of the football/basketball factions within the conference was inevitable.

"The spirit was very upbeat," Welsh said. "The last few years we had teams leaving and others coming in, and we didn't really know where we were heading but now everyone's excited. I don't think there's any more talk about splitting up after five years or anything like that."

Last year, Providence was the lone Big East school not to play a basketball game on either ESPN or ESPN2. The new contract would guarantee multiple appearances for all 16 schools.

"The (TV) deal will be great for all of us, both in exposure and financially," said Welsh. "As someone said, it will separate us from everyone else and give us more coverage than anyone except Duke. They seem to have their own network."

Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said the TV deals could be announced in the next month. He's consistently told football schools like Pittsburgh and Syracuse that they're better off staying with Catholic school brothers Georgetown and Villanova and the TV money is backing up those claims.

"People are optimistic and feel good about where we are," Tranghese said. "There's more focus on where we're going and the fact that, you know what, this thing may work now. The thing that I've learned is that the collective strength of this group is greater than what either side could command individually. In the midst of negotiating, I can assure you that that is the case."

http://www.projo.com/pc/content/projo_20060531_31bigeast.17be9fc4.html

[Joe]

Good contract and I'm glad we got away from the cluster that is ABC's college football coverage, they were regionalizing everything.

This will sting some people, but most of CBS's Big East games will be 12 noon and 3:30.

Here's the other problem. If USF is on TV on CBS and Florida is playing at the same time who gets priority in the Tampa Bay area?

[USFan]

If USF is on TV on CBS and Florida is playing at the same time who gets priority in the Tampa Bay area?

USF

[Mission9]

If the above is true, and all of the stars and planets are aligned just right so they actually would put USF on, l cannot wait to hear what some would say.

[Joe]

Won't matter, apparently the SEC is in talks with Fox, so we could have a network to ourselves.

[USFan]

Won't matter, apparently the SEC is in talks with Fox, so we could have a network to ourselves.

Awesome if it happens.

[bulls96go]

well WVU came through at the perfect time in football