The SEC TV deal: Why you should worry
posted by LW, Monday, December 21, 2009
I and others have made a big deal of the SEC's new $100 billion TV deal with ESPN and CBS.
Actually it's $3 billion. But still ... quite a bit of coin.
Mike Fish of ESPN.com does a fantastic job in this piece of explaining what it all means.
Some excerpts:
College football's bragging rights rarely have occasion to pack an overnight bag and travel outside the region. The SEC has won the BCS National Championship Game in each of the past three years, and the oddsmakers -- yet another group profiteering mightily off the business of collegiate athletics -- favor Alabama to keep that streak alive early next month in Pasadena, Calif.
But it goes deeper than titles. SEC faithful filled campus stadiums to 98 percent of capacity this fall, the 12th consecutive season the conference topped the country in football attendance. This season, for the first time ever, every game -- conference and nonconference alike -- involving an SEC team was televised. SEC teams even drew a total of 450,000 fans to their spring games in 2009 -- a remarkable average of better than 37,000. That's more than up-and-comers Boise State and Cincinnati attracted per regular-season game in 2008.
From former Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer:
"The budgets have gone nowhere but up. But there is no question that [the University of] Washington is committed to winning. Southern Cal is committed to winning. There are certainly great programs all over the country -- Texas and Oklahoma and Nebraska -- that are spending the dollars necessary to have a product on the field that competes at the highest level. I just don't see the same commitment from top to bottom that the Southeastern Conference has."
And...
According to federal documents filed last year, the Florida association reported almost $105 million in total revenue. That's more than the Big East Conference's reported revenue; more even than the combined total of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference and the Western Athletic Conference. It paid $24 million in salaries compared with $17.3 million to cover scholarships for 440 University of Florida athletes.
And finally this...
The big-money influence in college football isn't confined to the Deep South, of course, any more than Bear Bryant, Shug Jordan and the early gods of SEC sidelines invented football. In fact, two non-SEC powers -- Texas ($87.6 million) and Ohio State ($68.2 million) -- generated the most football revenue last season, according to survey data that schools are required to file with the federal government. But the SEC is home to six of the top 10 moneymakers in the college game: Florida ($66.2 million), Georgia ($65.2 million), Alabama ($64.6 million), LSU ($61.9 million), Auburn ($58.6 million) and South Carolina ($57.1 million).
I probably don't have to point out that two schools that happen to be major recruiting adversaries for Clemson -- South Carolina and Georgia -- are on this list. I probably also don't have to point out the fact that those revenues are about to go even higher with the money that comes from the mammoth TV deal.
It should be noted that the sky might not be falling. Everyone is limited to 85 scholarships, and as long as that's the case everyone will have a chance.
But you can't tell me this rapidly-widening chasm shouldn't be concerning -- and probably alarming -- to almost everyone outside of the SEC's empire.
Does Clemson have the financial wherewithal to enter into this competition?
Perhaps more important: Does Clemson's administration have the desire to enter into this competition?
I have my doubts.
But I guess if Illinois can win a reported bidding war with Georgia for Vic Koenning, there's some hope.
How about this quote from Koenning about his alma mater:
The KSU alum said on Friday that his decision to go to Illinois after just one season at K-State is a "much-needed change."
"I don't think there were some people that were real happy with me," Koenning said about his decision to leave Manhattan during a press conference. "They'll probably take my pictures off the walls down there."
Hell has frozen over in Knoxville: Average attendance at Neyland Stadium dipped below 100,000 for the first time since 1995.
The SEC's new contract is leading to more night games, which are producing some discomfort among weary fans.
According to this guy, the city that hosts the Brut Bowl ain't so bad after all.
Looks like Morgan Newton will get the start at QB against Clemson in the Music City Bowl.
Don't plan on seeing a lot of passing from the Wildcats.
Kentucky coach Rich Brooks gives his take on the state of the program.
Will this be his last game?
Q: There's been a lot of speculation about your future. Will the Music City Bowl be your last game as the head coach of Kentucky?
A: I'll address that when the time is right.
Tajh Boyd is hoping the bowl practices give him a boost heading into 2010.
Brandon Maye tells Gene Sapakoff he wants to be like Alabama's Rolando McClain.
Looks like some growing pains for Georgia Tech's basketball team. Thirteen of the Jackets' 15 turnovers in yesterday's loss to Florida State were committed by freshmen.
N.C. State missed a bunch of layups in yesterday's loss to Wake Forest.
Good read on Matt Doherty trying to make peace with his alma mater.
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
I and others have made a big deal of the SEC's new $100 billion TV deal with ESPN and CBS.
Actually it's $3 billion. But still ... quite a bit of coin.
Mike Fish of ESPN.com does a fantastic job in this piece of explaining what it all means.
Some excerpts:
College football's bragging rights rarely have occasion to pack an overnight bag and travel outside the region. The SEC has won the BCS National Championship Game in each of the past three years, and the oddsmakers -- yet another group profiteering mightily off the business of collegiate athletics -- favor Alabama to keep that streak alive early next month in Pasadena, Calif.
But it goes deeper than titles. SEC faithful filled campus stadiums to 98 percent of capacity this fall, the 12th consecutive season the conference topped the country in football attendance. This season, for the first time ever, every game -- conference and nonconference alike -- involving an SEC team was televised. SEC teams even drew a total of 450,000 fans to their spring games in 2009 -- a remarkable average of better than 37,000. That's more than up-and-comers Boise State and Cincinnati attracted per regular-season game in 2008.
From former Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer:
"The budgets have gone nowhere but up. But there is no question that [the University of] Washington is committed to winning. Southern Cal is committed to winning. There are certainly great programs all over the country -- Texas and Oklahoma and Nebraska -- that are spending the dollars necessary to have a product on the field that competes at the highest level. I just don't see the same commitment from top to bottom that the Southeastern Conference has."
And...
According to federal documents filed last year, the Florida association reported almost $105 million in total revenue. That's more than the Big East Conference's reported revenue; more even than the combined total of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference and the Western Athletic Conference. It paid $24 million in salaries compared with $17.3 million to cover scholarships for 440 University of Florida athletes.
And finally this...
The big-money influence in college football isn't confined to the Deep South, of course, any more than Bear Bryant, Shug Jordan and the early gods of SEC sidelines invented football. In fact, two non-SEC powers -- Texas ($87.6 million) and Ohio State ($68.2 million) -- generated the most football revenue last season, according to survey data that schools are required to file with the federal government. But the SEC is home to six of the top 10 moneymakers in the college game: Florida ($66.2 million), Georgia ($65.2 million), Alabama ($64.6 million), LSU ($61.9 million), Auburn ($58.6 million) and South Carolina ($57.1 million).
I probably don't have to point out that two schools that happen to be major recruiting adversaries for Clemson -- South Carolina and Georgia -- are on this list. I probably also don't have to point out the fact that those revenues are about to go even higher with the money that comes from the mammoth TV deal.
It should be noted that the sky might not be falling. Everyone is limited to 85 scholarships, and as long as that's the case everyone will have a chance.
But you can't tell me this rapidly-widening chasm shouldn't be concerning -- and probably alarming -- to almost everyone outside of the SEC's empire.
Does Clemson have the financial wherewithal to enter into this competition?
Perhaps more important: Does Clemson's administration have the desire to enter into this competition?
I have my doubts.
But I guess if Illinois can win a reported bidding war with Georgia for Vic Koenning, there's some hope.
How about this quote from Koenning about his alma mater:
The KSU alum said on Friday that his decision to go to Illinois after just one season at K-State is a "much-needed change."
"I don't think there were some people that were real happy with me," Koenning said about his decision to leave Manhattan during a press conference. "They'll probably take my pictures off the walls down there."
Hell has frozen over in Knoxville: Average attendance at Neyland Stadium dipped below 100,000 for the first time since 1995.
The SEC's new contract is leading to more night games, which are producing some discomfort among weary fans.
According to this guy, the city that hosts the Brut Bowl ain't so bad after all.
Looks like Morgan Newton will get the start at QB against Clemson in the Music City Bowl.
Don't plan on seeing a lot of passing from the Wildcats.
Kentucky coach Rich Brooks gives his take on the state of the program.
Will this be his last game?
Q: There's been a lot of speculation about your future. Will the Music City Bowl be your last game as the head coach of Kentucky?
A: I'll address that when the time is right.
Tajh Boyd is hoping the bowl practices give him a boost heading into 2010.
Brandon Maye tells Gene Sapakoff he wants to be like Alabama's Rolando McClain.
Looks like some growing pains for Georgia Tech's basketball team. Thirteen of the Jackets' 15 turnovers in yesterday's loss to Florida State were committed by freshmen.
N.C. State missed a bunch of layups in yesterday's loss to Wake Forest.
Good read on Matt Doherty trying to make peace with his alma mater.
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Donnie Patterson. Donnie Patterson is the founder of Patterson Tax Service, located in Easley, S.C. He has been active in tax preparation since 1970, and offers a full range of tax and bookkeeping services.
Larry Williams. Larry has covered the daily beat at Clemson since 2004. Williams, who worked for the Charleston Post & Courier from 2004-08, joined Tigerillustrated.com in November of 2008. He may be reached by email at ldubya08(at)gmail.com. Replace (at) with @.