Keep going with this John. I for one find the conference realignment story fascinating. It is the future of college sports. As much as some readers tire of this, I actually want more. Your reporting on this is some of the best that I've read.
There is no bigger story in college sports. The downfall of the Pac-12. The rise of other conferences. The elimination of regional conferences and the rise of national conferences. TV/streaming money. NIL. Player salaries. The rise of the CFP. The fall of the bowl games. All of these threads are not just affecting college sports, but colleges overall.
You are right it is the biggest story and needs to be told. For me I am still more worried about the fate of the PAC2 because I still think there is a good answer out there for them . Everyone thought the Big12 was over when UT/OK bolted but they moved fast and for now have saved their future enough to play a big part of the downfall of the PAC12. The PAC12 not striking to get the Texas market when the Big12 was down maybe an even bigger mistake than not accepting ESPN's $30M offer. Lot's of ways this could have gone, but its not over yet.
I wrote the downfall of the Pac-12, but I really want the Pac to survive. I am rooting for OSU and WSU to find a way, use the assets and the NCAA basketball credits, perhaps team up with the Mountain West, and revive the Pac.
Me too. I think the conference could certainly be the equal to the Big16. It also keeps open the door for regional conferences without football if we get smart again. Good thoughts.
John, great article. Yes, we all may be tired of hearing about the downfall of the Pac 12. But it is very important, for history, and our understanding, as to exactly what happened. I suspect some day that this will be part of a Harvard business school program, which will outline the decisions that were made to cause the Pac 12 to implode.
Please keep up your amazing reporting. We all depend on you for providing the truth.
Talking about Pac 12 presidents covering their behinds, I can’t wait to see what comes out of the OSU/WSU lawsuit in discovery. And this is assuming that they don’t fold, to protect themselves, and come to some settlement.
It is amazing to see these presidents trying to justify their decisions by revising history. These are the leaders of our collegiate institutions? Give me a break!
Paid millions $$ per year to make the tough decisions and take the heat. Just about anyone can do what Cauce is doing and not take any responsibility for their actions.
You are all clueless. Anyone can manage 55,000 employees? Manage an institution that is among the top ten in the US in grant money awarded. And you are attacking a leader respected by faculty, students and legislators??? Keep reading these guys and other "well sourced" folks. I'm sure you will get nothing but facts and truth.
No, it seems you are the one who is clueless. First, no President of a large organization manages 55,000 people. That is a lie right there. She might have 10 or 12 direct reports and manages them. Second, I never mentioned "management". It is more like mismanagement not to take accountability which is Job #1 for any leader. So, if you want to rephrase that and say that Cauce MISMANAGES 55,000 people, we can agree.
How right you are Brian...at my height (retired now), I had over 600 people that I was in charge of and, even at such a low number, I still had quite a few people that reported to me and actually managed and executed the day to day functions of the operation.
All university presidents are is essentially "helmsmen", trying to steer a big ship in one direction, and the face of the organization, although at times they're eclipsed by uber successful football and basketball coaches.
Thanks Miami....its been a while. Yes, I was also in corporate management (sales) much of my career. I had 66 people under me at the peak, but managed through my 12 direct reports. I can say from experience, that is as many as any one person should handle. It requires all the HR details of performance reporting, hiring, firing, team meetings, personal relationships, etc. I enjoyed the people part but not the admin part, which I hate. But no one could ever handle 20 direct, I don't think, at least not effectively. It is called limiting "the span of management"
Absolutely Brian...I'm absolutely certain that a person like Cauce, like most senior leaders in any field in this world, has a number of "gatekeepers" that manage what information gets to her and who has access to her time.
Trying to wash away the collective actions of these leaders as being respected by all and great managers of many is a non-starter. And so is the CYA exercise that started yesterday (formally). There are plenty of people responsible for this fiasco, beginning with the abject weak, incompetent Kliavkoff. He is the one who was charged with giving the academics a reality check. He failed. Completely. You can’t operate as a collegial team when making tough decisions.
I'm with you Ed S. This is at the commissioners feet. He should have done the homework and the math to explain to the presidents how ludicrous the counter of $50 million was. They weren't educated enough to vote for that counter offer... he should have known that.
Well now that the three stooges have weighed in, I guess everyone else is clueless eh? Not sure if it was Curly, Larry or Moe who brought the 'clueless' insult to this discussion. Whichever of you came up with that and thinks a president manages 55,000 employees is misinformed. I wonder if these presidents ever thought, let's all take this back to our own senior management teams and get their POV before blowing the ESPN deal up.
Well played CM&L; it is a challenging job that demands a lot of different skills. The largest, illustrated by the last question asked during a final interview at a university asked by one regent, father of a friend of mine. "I only have one question, can you raise money?" Just sayin", Charlie
Disagree with the blanket statement. That wasn't the case in my companies I worked with. I spent two decades with a global sports agency. I assure you there were plenty of mavericks and outliers who fought for the best deals and our chairman rewarded them handsomely. I don't think anything comes close to academia for the 'play it safe' approach.
My point was too fuzzy. I was one of those guys you mention. The mutual agreement was between me and the customer. I fought more battles on mahogany row to sneak up on the 50, not drop it in the middle of the table. And once in a while we got to 50. So my point was only to question the commissioners qualifications to handle the negotiations. Thanks for helping me clarify this. Charlie
Also, I spent my career in manufacturing of machinery, and this group is only one step below the general managerial competence of academia. No. 1 in greed, however.
touche' ... yes you right. In private sector are those that come to job to punch the clock (totally needed) and those that are a bit more entrepreneurial (also very much needed). If you don't have both, your business dies. Simply not the same for government or (most) academia
I hope the discovery process associated with legal proceedings brought by the remaining PAC-2 outs the specific person or people who came up with the $50M counter offer number and pushed it hard to the rest of the execs. It could have just been hubris, or it may have been motivated by some other agenda.
All this "cone of silence" lack of ownership and accountability for actions stinks.
I am not tired of hearing about this, John, as I am grateful you are helping keep the issue in the public eye. It would be way too easy for many just to sweep it under the rug and avoid accountability for the debacle they had a part in creating--Just move onto bigger and better things while trying ignore the bodies left bleeding out on the ground in their wake.
“‘After the last 14 months I’m convinced that the world of academia is the absolute last place we should expect to find heroic and courageous leaders..”
It must suck to be the President of a major University with all the accolades and income that comes with that position, be able to sit down with 11 other like-minded and compensated individuals, pledge fealty and allegiance to each other, which is the entire point of organizing as a conference, and then, with the first sign of pressure, bail out of the plane leaving it without a pilot because "oh, I didn't really mean all that loyalty stuff; I am in this for ME"
Ok, it's all about money and the lack of spine in the executive suites of the schools. Phil Knight and Apple (or Disney, pick one) offer to buy the Pac12 Network and blend it into the streaming channel. Then the combination offers $40 (or $50) million to all of the previously Pac12 schools. Maybe extend the offer to San Diego State instead of Colorado. Phase Two involves approaching the NBA owners and making a blank check offer for the Trailblazers and their broadcast rights. Phil might like making a legacy move and he's got the money. He can deal as an equal with ESPN, Apple, Disney, and Amazon.
I entered college in 1966 at UW, it was a well known fact that those who entered the school of education to pursue a teaching career were not the brightest bulbs in the ceiling. Whether that was or is true depends as it should on the individuals involved, but over the years the teachers I have known fit that suit. Most end up in public education and is a reason that we sent our kids to private schools....we wanted them to get a good education from qualified instructors. I had a dim lit bulb of a brother in law who rose to the position of principal at a Pierce County, Wa. School. True story, his wife, my wife's sister, did his work for his masters degree. But he was a nice guy. I'm not surprised by the comments from the Washington head light bulb. And does anybody else see the irony in the Washington State situation? I read and heard from a number of sources that their fearless light bulb was one of the promotors of the $50 mil counter offer.
I spent my career in university business management. the incompetence, venality, are astounding, million dollar slush funds for presidents and Chancellors, serial sexual harassment cover ups..
“Like a bunch of squirrels thrown into rush hour traffic”. What a visual. But accurate. And yes, this mess is tiresome and difficult. But you are doing a solid for all of us by staying on top of the story. It’s still developing, and it’s a big story. I do not want the sole reporters to be national sources who don’t have the energy or support to stick to the facts. Thanks, John.
I worked in higher ed for a single handful of years in the earls 90s and had adjunct professorship status at OSU during that time. Your assessment of the people and this whole story is on target.
Like many, I am also tired of this story, but there is so much at stake for the Pac-2 schools. We all want to hear everyone come clean, though I have serious doubts they ever will. I am razor focused on how things unfold despite my level of frustrations.
In yesterday's testimony, I caught myself grinding my teeth while listening to John Scholz describe his school's position on Aug 1. Something felt off. On the other hand, I was impressed how eloquently Dr. Murthy spoke to the issues and still drove home a point. In her short time at OSU, she appears as a power to be reckoned with.
In all, I am hopeful that more will come out as to what REALLY happened, though I am not making any wagers.
Divorces are ugly too. And that's exactly what this is. When the PAC started, football was something students participated in. Now? Well, it's the JV NFL at the highest level. I hate it, but it's time to let it go. Too much money involved and every other conference is already shuffling the chairs on the titanic. Watch games. Ignore the commerce as much as possible.......as with every single other thing in life.
Hi JC, hope it’s okay to drop Christian Caple’s Sep 3 interview of UW’s Cauce here for readers. In it she gave this quote:
“The biggest thing — I just don’t know where this comes from, and it makes us look really stupid, because if this had really happened, we would have been really stupid — is the idea that we expected a media deal that would bring $50 million to all the schools, and that’s why we rejected the $30 million (offer) from ESPN. I don’t know where that came from. I can tell you that within the first couple of weeks — I have notes as to this — we were told by George, who I think had a consultant he was working with, that our media value had gone down by 30 percent when USC and UCLA walked out”
1. $32.5 million - $7 million (in increased expenses) = $25.5 million. There is no academic elite explanation of math that doesn't come out this way. None. 2. Yes, those who want to run stuff learn early never appear to be totally out-of-step with others or the others will never let you run stuff. 3. There is always a choice. Claiming about the road-not-taken that there was no choice at the last fork in the road is cowardly.
Well, the obvious explanation is that at a relatively short term point in the future that $32.5 will increase significantly, while if they stayed where they were, it would not increase significantly.
Dead on analysis. Thank you. The absence of bold leadership is often combined with a certainty that they know best. The rise of the administrative class on campuses over the last quarter century has diminished the role of academic inquiry at the highest levels of college offices. You or I or many professors might have sought outside expertise before turning down $30M. Why didn’t they?
As for the UW president’s weak tea explanation, JC you might reprise her obsequious note to the chancellor of UCLA (a former mentor) after he explained why he had blindsided the conference by bolting to Big 10 without any warning.
It’s likely impossible but if the Pac 12 is reborn with OSU and Wazzou at the core, it needs to adopt a different governance structure. No more leadership by the folks who gave us and then kept Larry Scott.
Keep going with this John. I for one find the conference realignment story fascinating. It is the future of college sports. As much as some readers tire of this, I actually want more. Your reporting on this is some of the best that I've read.
There is no bigger story in college sports. The downfall of the Pac-12. The rise of other conferences. The elimination of regional conferences and the rise of national conferences. TV/streaming money. NIL. Player salaries. The rise of the CFP. The fall of the bowl games. All of these threads are not just affecting college sports, but colleges overall.
You are right it is the biggest story and needs to be told. For me I am still more worried about the fate of the PAC2 because I still think there is a good answer out there for them . Everyone thought the Big12 was over when UT/OK bolted but they moved fast and for now have saved their future enough to play a big part of the downfall of the PAC12. The PAC12 not striking to get the Texas market when the Big12 was down maybe an even bigger mistake than not accepting ESPN's $30M offer. Lot's of ways this could have gone, but its not over yet.
I wrote the downfall of the Pac-12, but I really want the Pac to survive. I am rooting for OSU and WSU to find a way, use the assets and the NCAA basketball credits, perhaps team up with the Mountain West, and revive the Pac.
Me too. I think the conference could certainly be the equal to the Big16. It also keeps open the door for regional conferences without football if we get smart again. Good thoughts.
John, great article. Yes, we all may be tired of hearing about the downfall of the Pac 12. But it is very important, for history, and our understanding, as to exactly what happened. I suspect some day that this will be part of a Harvard business school program, which will outline the decisions that were made to cause the Pac 12 to implode.
Please keep up your amazing reporting. We all depend on you for providing the truth.
Talking about Pac 12 presidents covering their behinds, I can’t wait to see what comes out of the OSU/WSU lawsuit in discovery. And this is assuming that they don’t fold, to protect themselves, and come to some settlement.
It is amazing to see these presidents trying to justify their decisions by revising history. These are the leaders of our collegiate institutions? Give me a break!
Paid millions $$ per year to make the tough decisions and take the heat. Just about anyone can do what Cauce is doing and not take any responsibility for their actions.
You are all clueless. Anyone can manage 55,000 employees? Manage an institution that is among the top ten in the US in grant money awarded. And you are attacking a leader respected by faculty, students and legislators??? Keep reading these guys and other "well sourced" folks. I'm sure you will get nothing but facts and truth.
No, it seems you are the one who is clueless. First, no President of a large organization manages 55,000 people. That is a lie right there. She might have 10 or 12 direct reports and manages them. Second, I never mentioned "management". It is more like mismanagement not to take accountability which is Job #1 for any leader. So, if you want to rephrase that and say that Cauce MISMANAGES 55,000 people, we can agree.
How right you are Brian...at my height (retired now), I had over 600 people that I was in charge of and, even at such a low number, I still had quite a few people that reported to me and actually managed and executed the day to day functions of the operation.
All university presidents are is essentially "helmsmen", trying to steer a big ship in one direction, and the face of the organization, although at times they're eclipsed by uber successful football and basketball coaches.
Thanks Miami....its been a while. Yes, I was also in corporate management (sales) much of my career. I had 66 people under me at the peak, but managed through my 12 direct reports. I can say from experience, that is as many as any one person should handle. It requires all the HR details of performance reporting, hiring, firing, team meetings, personal relationships, etc. I enjoyed the people part but not the admin part, which I hate. But no one could ever handle 20 direct, I don't think, at least not effectively. It is called limiting "the span of management"
Absolutely Brian...I'm absolutely certain that a person like Cauce, like most senior leaders in any field in this world, has a number of "gatekeepers" that manage what information gets to her and who has access to her time.
Trying to wash away the collective actions of these leaders as being respected by all and great managers of many is a non-starter. And so is the CYA exercise that started yesterday (formally). There are plenty of people responsible for this fiasco, beginning with the abject weak, incompetent Kliavkoff. He is the one who was charged with giving the academics a reality check. He failed. Completely. You can’t operate as a collegial team when making tough decisions.
I'm with you Ed S. This is at the commissioners feet. He should have done the homework and the math to explain to the presidents how ludicrous the counter of $50 million was. They weren't educated enough to vote for that counter offer... he should have known that.
Well now that the three stooges have weighed in, I guess everyone else is clueless eh? Not sure if it was Curly, Larry or Moe who brought the 'clueless' insult to this discussion. Whichever of you came up with that and thinks a president manages 55,000 employees is misinformed. I wonder if these presidents ever thought, let's all take this back to our own senior management teams and get their POV before blowing the ESPN deal up.
Well played CM&L; it is a challenging job that demands a lot of different skills. The largest, illustrated by the last question asked during a final interview at a university asked by one regent, father of a friend of mine. "I only have one question, can you raise money?" Just sayin", Charlie
Great comment. At HBS THIS should be right up there with 2 Harvard dropouts almost taking down IBM.
I have a family member who has spent most of his career in academia and you are spot on with your assessment.
It’s the same way for most government jobs too
Actually, Matt, in most jobs anywhere.
Disagree with the blanket statement. That wasn't the case in my companies I worked with. I spent two decades with a global sports agency. I assure you there were plenty of mavericks and outliers who fought for the best deals and our chairman rewarded them handsomely. I don't think anything comes close to academia for the 'play it safe' approach.
My point was too fuzzy. I was one of those guys you mention. The mutual agreement was between me and the customer. I fought more battles on mahogany row to sneak up on the 50, not drop it in the middle of the table. And once in a while we got to 50. So my point was only to question the commissioners qualifications to handle the negotiations. Thanks for helping me clarify this. Charlie
I get you now. I also learned something... never heard the term mahogany row before. I like it!
Also, I spent my career in manufacturing of machinery, and this group is only one step below the general managerial competence of academia. No. 1 in greed, however.
touche' ... yes you right. In private sector are those that come to job to punch the clock (totally needed) and those that are a bit more entrepreneurial (also very much needed). If you don't have both, your business dies. Simply not the same for government or (most) academia
I agree, Right on!
I hope the discovery process associated with legal proceedings brought by the remaining PAC-2 outs the specific person or people who came up with the $50M counter offer number and pushed it hard to the rest of the execs. It could have just been hubris, or it may have been motivated by some other agenda.
All this "cone of silence" lack of ownership and accountability for actions stinks.
The person or persons who wanted $50M had already decided they wanted out and this was an easy way to make it h.appen
Or who didn't want to pay 30.
I am not tired of hearing about this, John, as I am grateful you are helping keep the issue in the public eye. It would be way too easy for many just to sweep it under the rug and avoid accountability for the debacle they had a part in creating--Just move onto bigger and better things while trying ignore the bodies left bleeding out on the ground in their wake.
“‘After the last 14 months I’m convinced that the world of academia is the absolute last place we should expect to find heroic and courageous leaders..”
Truth
GO DAWGS
It must suck to be the President of a major University with all the accolades and income that comes with that position, be able to sit down with 11 other like-minded and compensated individuals, pledge fealty and allegiance to each other, which is the entire point of organizing as a conference, and then, with the first sign of pressure, bail out of the plane leaving it without a pilot because "oh, I didn't really mean all that loyalty stuff; I am in this for ME"
I’m trying not to overdo the likes here, Brian, given your earlier posts—but you are on a solid roll again today.
Ok, it's all about money and the lack of spine in the executive suites of the schools. Phil Knight and Apple (or Disney, pick one) offer to buy the Pac12 Network and blend it into the streaming channel. Then the combination offers $40 (or $50) million to all of the previously Pac12 schools. Maybe extend the offer to San Diego State instead of Colorado. Phase Two involves approaching the NBA owners and making a blank check offer for the Trailblazers and their broadcast rights. Phil might like making a legacy move and he's got the money. He can deal as an equal with ESPN, Apple, Disney, and Amazon.
Uncle Phil must love how we spend his money.
I entered college in 1966 at UW, it was a well known fact that those who entered the school of education to pursue a teaching career were not the brightest bulbs in the ceiling. Whether that was or is true depends as it should on the individuals involved, but over the years the teachers I have known fit that suit. Most end up in public education and is a reason that we sent our kids to private schools....we wanted them to get a good education from qualified instructors. I had a dim lit bulb of a brother in law who rose to the position of principal at a Pierce County, Wa. School. True story, his wife, my wife's sister, did his work for his masters degree. But he was a nice guy. I'm not surprised by the comments from the Washington head light bulb. And does anybody else see the irony in the Washington State situation? I read and heard from a number of sources that their fearless light bulb was one of the promotors of the $50 mil counter offer.
I spent my career in university business management. the incompetence, venality, are astounding, million dollar slush funds for presidents and Chancellors, serial sexual harassment cover ups..
“Like a bunch of squirrels thrown into rush hour traffic”. What a visual. But accurate. And yes, this mess is tiresome and difficult. But you are doing a solid for all of us by staying on top of the story. It’s still developing, and it’s a big story. I do not want the sole reporters to be national sources who don’t have the energy or support to stick to the facts. Thanks, John.
The only correction: "nut-less squirrels" (on so many levels).
Bullseye, John! You nailed it.
I worked in higher ed for a single handful of years in the earls 90s and had adjunct professorship status at OSU during that time. Your assessment of the people and this whole story is on target.
Like many, I am also tired of this story, but there is so much at stake for the Pac-2 schools. We all want to hear everyone come clean, though I have serious doubts they ever will. I am razor focused on how things unfold despite my level of frustrations.
In yesterday's testimony, I caught myself grinding my teeth while listening to John Scholz describe his school's position on Aug 1. Something felt off. On the other hand, I was impressed how eloquently Dr. Murthy spoke to the issues and still drove home a point. In her short time at OSU, she appears as a power to be reckoned with.
In all, I am hopeful that more will come out as to what REALLY happened, though I am not making any wagers.
Big Dr. Murthy fan, and yes, she is an engineer! Just sayin', Charlie
Divorces are ugly too. And that's exactly what this is. When the PAC started, football was something students participated in. Now? Well, it's the JV NFL at the highest level. I hate it, but it's time to let it go. Too much money involved and every other conference is already shuffling the chairs on the titanic. Watch games. Ignore the commerce as much as possible.......as with every single other thing in life.
Ivy League Left Coast it is!
Hi JC, hope it’s okay to drop Christian Caple’s Sep 3 interview of UW’s Cauce here for readers. In it she gave this quote:
“The biggest thing — I just don’t know where this comes from, and it makes us look really stupid, because if this had really happened, we would have been really stupid — is the idea that we expected a media deal that would bring $50 million to all the schools, and that’s why we rejected the $30 million (offer) from ESPN. I don’t know where that came from. I can tell you that within the first couple of weeks — I have notes as to this — we were told by George, who I think had a consultant he was working with, that our media value had gone down by 30 percent when USC and UCLA walked out”
https://www.onmontlake.com/p/a-conversation-with-washington-president?r=1dig2i&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
1. $32.5 million - $7 million (in increased expenses) = $25.5 million. There is no academic elite explanation of math that doesn't come out this way. None. 2. Yes, those who want to run stuff learn early never appear to be totally out-of-step with others or the others will never let you run stuff. 3. There is always a choice. Claiming about the road-not-taken that there was no choice at the last fork in the road is cowardly.
Well, the obvious explanation is that at a relatively short term point in the future that $32.5 will increase significantly, while if they stayed where they were, it would not increase significantly.
Dead on analysis. Thank you. The absence of bold leadership is often combined with a certainty that they know best. The rise of the administrative class on campuses over the last quarter century has diminished the role of academic inquiry at the highest levels of college offices. You or I or many professors might have sought outside expertise before turning down $30M. Why didn’t they?
As for the UW president’s weak tea explanation, JC you might reprise her obsequious note to the chancellor of UCLA (a former mentor) after he explained why he had blindsided the conference by bolting to Big 10 without any warning.
It’s likely impossible but if the Pac 12 is reborn with OSU and Wazzou at the core, it needs to adopt a different governance structure. No more leadership by the folks who gave us and then kept Larry Scott.