In the future and after these media rights negotiations are over, we’ll here from the commish a lot more. Everything is close to the best, as it should be right now. He knows what he’s doing.
John, I'm sure you're aware of the numerous Big12 streamers/bloggers that love to share clickbait on their various channels. They love to quote you and Wilner, then argue you both are wrong and are just insiders sharing P12 propaganda. None of them are sourced, and basically they just quote tweets, discuss, and call it news.
Setting that stage, it's fun to point out how they are all starting to slowly change their tune, now that P12 is speaking up and sounding publicly confident. The irony is that a lot of these guys have posted nearly DAILY (since last summer) on the demise of the conference. I've listened and read their nonsense since the news broke of UCLA/USC departures. It's fascinating how they walking back their positions to say they knew all along the PAC would survive, but that it would just be a weak conference.
I'm guessing they are prepping their talking points for when the PAC (allegedly) will have a better media deal than the Big12. It'll likely be the PAC has "too much streaming and their linear deal is better" and "we have better media partners with more brand exposure and more experience and followers". Getting my popcorn ready for the trolls to walk back their comments.
Perhaps the silver lining is that as animosity is building between the two conferences, it might equate to more viewers during matchups between them. The "Holy War" rivalry between Utah and BYU is definitely going to take on a whole new level. There will be others, that much seems certain now.
If the autopsy on this negotiation finds that a take-no-prisoners PR firm hired by the Big 12 was behind it, the disclosure should shape future relations between the conferences. Thing is, the media outside the Pac 12 footprint are in near agreement about how shaky the Pac 12 has become, while the two reporters who actually cover the conference, JC and Wilner, hear nearly the opposite.
It's one thing to promote your conference as an alternative. It's another to buy into a destructive line, you know, like Putin trying to undercut NATO and the West.
If the media rights negotiations yield a final agreement that eclipses the Big 12 annual school payout of $31.6M, the Pac-12 will have the last laugh and will look like the "bigger" and classier conference in a variety of ways. However, it's not just Big 12 people pounding the Pac-12 - the SEC leadership and sportswriters/broadcasters are also saying the Pac-12 is finished. I'm sick of listening to Paul Finebaum regurgitate that garbage.
The good news is this just cannot go on much longer.
It's probably a dream, but I prefer the number 10 for the conference membership. That allows a round robin in football with each team playing every other team every year. I know the other conferences play only eight other conference teams. But more than three out-of=conference games in football leads to at least two and maybe three games that are hardly worth watching.
The league stays together, doesn't expand, and UCLA and USC win a ton of NCAA games in 2023 and 2024, earning the new pac-10 a ton of units and cash the departing schools can't share in.
And the blizzard of the century hits the Midwest in Jan., 2025, while USC and UCLA are on their first basketball trips to the Twin Cities and Iowa, shutting the region down and trapping them on the frozen tundra for a week.
Just wanted to thank you for all your hard work in giving the honest truths about all of this nonsense. The Big 12 writers have been disappointing to say the least. Thanks for your efforts!
At first it was entertaining watching the 12anon freaks come up with outlandish scenarios and stories which no one rational could ever believe outside of their followers, but lately just pure nasty BS - and so stupid it hurts your head to read. Their next act will consist of things like why ESPN+ > Amazon, but also get ready for some really stupid “production costs” arguments! Somehow these newfound contract and media experts are going to explain to us why we must deduct 8m or so from our media rights to cover production costs. That’s a new one! I’m not a media guy, but sure seems to me like having the PAC networks and infrastructure helps our cause here more than one that doesn’t.
Finally, I’m interested if John thinks there may be some blowback coming to the Big 12 for trying to damage the PAC to these extents. Going as far as hiring PR goons seems just so way out of bounds to me, and a horrible road to go down. The set up “sources” and channels they distributed through seem like a new low also. Surely the NCAA can’t tolerate this, can they? If that’s the new norm then it hurts us all.
"What’s the actual harm of the negative noise? "
It only hurts the big12, particularly those pushing the nonsense. It makes them look ignorant, arrogant and petty.
In the future and after these media rights negotiations are over, we’ll here from the commish a lot more. Everything is close to the best, as it should be right now. He knows what he’s doing.
John, I'm sure you're aware of the numerous Big12 streamers/bloggers that love to share clickbait on their various channels. They love to quote you and Wilner, then argue you both are wrong and are just insiders sharing P12 propaganda. None of them are sourced, and basically they just quote tweets, discuss, and call it news.
Setting that stage, it's fun to point out how they are all starting to slowly change their tune, now that P12 is speaking up and sounding publicly confident. The irony is that a lot of these guys have posted nearly DAILY (since last summer) on the demise of the conference. I've listened and read their nonsense since the news broke of UCLA/USC departures. It's fascinating how they walking back their positions to say they knew all along the PAC would survive, but that it would just be a weak conference.
I'm guessing they are prepping their talking points for when the PAC (allegedly) will have a better media deal than the Big12. It'll likely be the PAC has "too much streaming and their linear deal is better" and "we have better media partners with more brand exposure and more experience and followers". Getting my popcorn ready for the trolls to walk back their comments.
Perhaps the silver lining is that as animosity is building between the two conferences, it might equate to more viewers during matchups between them. The "Holy War" rivalry between Utah and BYU is definitely going to take on a whole new level. There will be others, that much seems certain now.
Love the moniker of "12Anon." It's about time those jackals in Big-12 land get some shade thrown back at them.
If the autopsy on this negotiation finds that a take-no-prisoners PR firm hired by the Big 12 was behind it, the disclosure should shape future relations between the conferences. Thing is, the media outside the Pac 12 footprint are in near agreement about how shaky the Pac 12 has become, while the two reporters who actually cover the conference, JC and Wilner, hear nearly the opposite.
It's one thing to promote your conference as an alternative. It's another to buy into a destructive line, you know, like Putin trying to undercut NATO and the West.
If the media rights negotiations yield a final agreement that eclipses the Big 12 annual school payout of $31.6M, the Pac-12 will have the last laugh and will look like the "bigger" and classier conference in a variety of ways. However, it's not just Big 12 people pounding the Pac-12 - the SEC leadership and sportswriters/broadcasters are also saying the Pac-12 is finished. I'm sick of listening to Paul Finebaum regurgitate that garbage.
The good news is this just cannot go on much longer.
It's probably a dream, but I prefer the number 10 for the conference membership. That allows a round robin in football with each team playing every other team every year. I know the other conferences play only eight other conference teams. But more than three out-of=conference games in football leads to at least two and maybe three games that are hardly worth watching.
The best scenario:
The league stays together, doesn't expand, and UCLA and USC win a ton of NCAA games in 2023 and 2024, earning the new pac-10 a ton of units and cash the departing schools can't share in.
And the blizzard of the century hits the Midwest in Jan., 2025, while USC and UCLA are on their first basketball trips to the Twin Cities and Iowa, shutting the region down and trapping them on the frozen tundra for a week.
You. Are. Relentless. And I love it.
Thank you.
To paraphrase Django: I’m curious why you so curious
John,
Just wanted to thank you for all your hard work in giving the honest truths about all of this nonsense. The Big 12 writers have been disappointing to say the least. Thanks for your efforts!
John, any word on expanding by adding a school not playing in G5 conference next year?
This is what I am always interested in.
At first it was entertaining watching the 12anon freaks come up with outlandish scenarios and stories which no one rational could ever believe outside of their followers, but lately just pure nasty BS - and so stupid it hurts your head to read. Their next act will consist of things like why ESPN+ > Amazon, but also get ready for some really stupid “production costs” arguments! Somehow these newfound contract and media experts are going to explain to us why we must deduct 8m or so from our media rights to cover production costs. That’s a new one! I’m not a media guy, but sure seems to me like having the PAC networks and infrastructure helps our cause here more than one that doesn’t.
Finally, I’m interested if John thinks there may be some blowback coming to the Big 12 for trying to damage the PAC to these extents. Going as far as hiring PR goons seems just so way out of bounds to me, and a horrible road to go down. The set up “sources” and channels they distributed through seem like a new low also. Surely the NCAA can’t tolerate this, can they? If that’s the new norm then it hurts us all.
I just read all the comments, in addition to John's quality reporting.
"It's Chinatown, Jake."
This is getting old. When it is settled let us know. Get on to something more important and I don't know what that would be. Better anything is better
Where is leadership from George in all of this negotiation noise?