CT Post article on BE Breakup

[USFDan]

Interesting article on the breakup of the BE.

http://m.ctpost.com/connpost/db_14741/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=Pq98hnrR

Chris Elsberry: Greed tore Big East apart 04/13/2013 11:35 AM

It was the spring of 2011. Sitting on the table in front of the 16 presidents of the Big East was a new television deal from ESPN. A nine-year deal worth an estimated $1.3 billion, or $130 million a year. It was a deal that would have guaranteed the eight football members around $14 million a year and the non-football schools around $6 million annually.

According to various published reports, the Big East presidents approved the ESPN deal by a 12-4 vote.

All was right with the world.

But ¦ while the conference presidents were poring over the fine print, ESPN and Fox Sports announced a deal with the Pac-10, a mega-deal that was going to pay the conference an estimated $250 million a year. Guess what happened? The greedy Big East presidents suddenly had second thoughts about their meager $130-million-a-year deal and re-voted on the contract, thinking they could strong-arm a lot more money from the networks.

The vote was 16-0 ¦ against the ESPN deal.

So, instead of having a nine-year, $1.3 billion agreement, the Big East had nothing.

And because of that, just a few months later, the football teams started deserting like rats leaving a sinking ship. West Virginia left for the Big 12. Pitt and Syracuse bolted for the ACC. Then Louisville (ACC), Rutgers (Big 10) followed. Worst of all, the seven non-football schools -- Georgetown, St. John's. Marquette, Providence, Villanova, DePaul and Seton Hall -- also left, taking the Big East name with them.

Just like that, perhaps the most powerful overall conference in college sports was destroyed.

And in the era of fellowship and handing out blame where it's due, these are the names of the presidents that ruined the once-proud Big East: Dr Gregory Williams (Cincinnati), Phillip E. Austin, Ph.D (UConn), Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., Ed. D (DePaul), John J. DeGioia, Ph. D (Georgetown), Dr. James Ramsey (Louisville), Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J. (Marquette), Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. (Notre Dame), Mark Nordberg, JD (Pittsburgh), Rev. Brian J. Shanley O.P. (Providence), Dr. Richard L. McCormick (Rutgers), Rev. Donald J. Harrington C.M. (St. John's), A. Gabriel Esteban, Ph. D (Seton Hall), Dr. Judy Genshaft (South Florida), Dr. Nancy Canton (Syracuse), Rev. Peter M. Donahue O.S.A. (Villanova) and James P. Clements Ph. D (West Virginia).

And as the Big East took its last dying breath this past week with Louisville winning the men's NCAA title and UConn taking the NCAA women's crown, leave it to Husky coach Geno Auriemma to put what happened to the Big East in stark perspective.

"We have three Big East (women's teams) in the Final Four, and we have two on the men's side," Auriemma said before the Final Four. "So we've got five of the eight Big East teams, five of the eight national championship contenders are Big East schools. So I guess the shout-out should go out to all the presidents for having the foresight to tear apart the greatest basketball conference that's ever existed."

All because of money.

"It just seems like loyalty, integrity and congeniality are gone," former commissioner Mike Tranghese said earlier this year when asked about the demise of the Big East. "College football has taken control of everything that's going on. All of these moves are about football and money and greed. I'm embarrassed about the whole thing."

A lot of people are. And they're upset too.

"I think the way the Big East has changed, it's not the great conference it was. It's completely different now," Syracuse men's coach Jim Boeheim said at the Final Four. "I love the Big East, but if the Big East was the same as it was, or even remotely the same, I would quit because I wouldn't be happy. I should be happy because I've always thought that the two best leagues in the country were the ACC and the Big East over the last 34 years. But the Big East is not the same. In fact, there's more Big East teams in the ACC than there are Big East teams in whatever the conference is now, American whatever."

And this from Louisville's Rick Pitino:

"For me personally, leaving the Big East, it's very, very difficult," he said. "We love Dave Gavitt, we love the fact that he put something special together, and for me personally growing up on 26th Street on the East side of Manhattan, being a New York Knicks assistant and head coach, leave the Garden, is a big loss personally for all the great memories we've had."

Just two years ago, the Big East was on the verge of signing a billion-dollar deal that would have carried the league into the 2020's. Today, everything that Dave Gavitt built is gone.

Thanks to 16 greedy presidents that tore apart the greatest basketball conference ever.

celsberry@ctpost.com http://Twitter@elsctpost (30)

[BullFan98]

The truth hurts.

[charsibb]

Mark Nordberg, JD (Pittsburgh) deserves the lion's share of the blame.

 

He was torpedoing the deal AT THE SAME TIME he was negotiating with the ACC.

 

Talk about conflict of interest.

[Mission9]

You are right charsibb. Nordberg is devoid of any personal integrity. I wonder how active he was in getting everyone to reconsider. They are all still at fault for not taking the money on the table but it does bother me what happened as far as Pitt is concerned. I still wonder though how many were going to bolt anyway since ESPN is working toward getting their 4 16 team power conferences and shutting everyone else out.

[BDYZR]

We gambled and lost. I don't remember to many on here that thought going to negotiations with the tv contract was a bad idea, myself included. We had the only contract up for the next five years...

Hindsight being what it is, it's easy to point fingers and blame the presidents.

I think we were naïve enough to think that the $1.3 BILLION was the opening bid and the only way to go was up...Lesson learned, I hope.

 

GO BULLS!

Good Luck AAC!

[Rizman]

Judy did not think her vote through because she did not know that Pitt was negotiating behind the scenes.  This is information that if other Presidents had, they probably would have voted differently as well.  

[charsibb]

Judy did not think her vote through because she did not know that Pitt was negotiating behind the scenes.  This is information that if other Presidents had, they probably would have voted differently as well.  

 

Totally agree.

 

Which is why we should have sued, to get disclosure of who was talking to whom and when.

 

Oh well, water under the bridge now I guess.

 

Time to make the best of a bad situation.

 

Just win, baby!

[Jihme]

nothing but truth.  sad.  he forgot to mention our new large tv deal!  so much money!!!  *vomit*

[smazza]

greed

 

the remaining members should have sued

the members leaving the conference

and other conferences

 

the other conferences and ncaa would have included new big east in new deal

 

it is shocking how dumb our conference presidents are

Edited April 15, 2013 by smazza

[smazza]

Judy did not think her vote through because she did not know that Pitt was negotiating behind the scenes.  This is information that if other Presidents had, they probably would have voted differently as well.  

 

 

i blame her for not knowing