Topic: Major new ESPN deal for the AAC through 2032

[gochneaur645]

$7 million per year per school for 12 years. $1 billion total. 4x what they were making previously.

Massive win for them. We continue to fly thousands of miles to play on Facebook.

https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Closing-Bell/2019/03/19/AAC.aspx

[parshall2marshall]

Marshall steadily been makin' those "steps to the basement" ( As one poster responded to me years ago ). But for a really nice house.

"It's all about perception." - Dan Shoemaker

[Buffalo Bop]

A game changer for that conference.

[whf]

They made a decision to invest in promote a position with their supporters and the general public; it worked.  Congratulations to them and kudos to their leadership and execution.

Now for C-USA, when you're in a hole, stop digging.  So much for the future of sports watching. We'll be the least recognized league within 5 years, if we aren't already.

[herd2win]

Fire the commissioner today...this puts them closer to the P5 then to the G5...our commissioner should be let go immediately.

[HaveUherd]

The powers that be will make it the P6 and add them.

[herdorbust]

The AAC has earned it. They are light years better than CUSA in football and basketball. They are becoming a Power conference because they are earning it.

[breckjimison]

The AAC has earned it. They are light years better than CUSA in football and basketball. They are becoming a Power conference because they are earning it.

Sad but unfortunately true. They have excelled as a conference since their inception and we have regressed as a conference.

[breckjimison]

Sad but unfortunately true. They have excelled as a conference since their inception and we have regressed as a conference.

And you can even truly argue that they raped our conference twice but it still doesn’t matter.
It appears that we have one shot left at being relevant in D-1 football and the next round of realignment when the current contracts end will decide that.

[elginherd]

They made a decision to invest in promote a position with their supporters and the general public; it worked.  Congratulations to them and kudos to their leadership and execution.

Now for C-USA, when you're in a hole, stop digging.  So much for the future of sports watching. We'll be the least recognized league within 5 years, if we aren't already.

This MBB season, the CUSA is perceived as being barely above the MEAC & SWAC.

[goherd24]

Hahahahaha. Where are all the "wait til the aac renews! Its not just cusa, ESPN and sports interest are collapsing!".

Lol. I just crack up. I said long before our tv deal renewed that it wod be a disaster. I could have never guessed how bad it is, but i argued tooth and nail with the "media markets matter" people. These execs aren't stupid. They know FIU may be in miami, but 90% of miami doesn't know who FIU/FAU/UNCC/etc is, and the 10% thats left doesn't care. If we stay in this conference, we will continue to free fall. We need to put 100% effort into breaking jnto the AAC at our earliest opportunity. Or if not, there remains no reason not, to go back to the MAC for what is now better revenue, exposure, and honestly, better competition. Tuesday nights are the same as thursday nights, and worse than saturday days on facebook

[herdorbust]

And you can even truly argue that they raped our conference twice but it still doesn’t matter.
It appears that we have one shot left at being relevant in D-1 football and the next round of realignment when the current contracts end will decide that.

This conference has no chance at becoming relevant. Sad but true. Who are they going to get? A sunbelt team? That wont make them relevant. There are more teams with past success in basketball in this conference than football. Charlotte used to have some really good teams. Utep has been really good at times and are going to be really good again with their new coach. Uab has had some really nice teams as far back as genebartow. Mtsu has had really good teams. Western kentucky has had a really good program thru the years. Lt and the mailman has always had a solid program. The football side they went with odu and charlotte the just started programs a few years ago. Fiu and fau has never done well and are barely making small strides. Utsa is bad. NT has gotten a little better but has no history. Rice is always bad. S miss and marshall are and maybe lt are the only teams with any real history and they arent setting the world on fire. The AAC has went light years ahead of this conference. CUSA, Sunbelt an the MAC got left behind.

[herdorbust]

Hahahahaha. Where are all the "wait til the aac renews! Its not just cusa, ESPN and sports interest are collapsing!".

Lol. I just crack up. I said long before our tv deal renewed that it wod be a disaster. I could have never guessed how bad it is, but i argued tooth and nail with the "media markets matter" people. These execs aren't stupid. They know FIU may be in miami, but 90% of miami doesn't know who FIU/FAU/UNCC/etc is, and the 10% thats left doesn't care. If we stay in this conference, we will continue to free fall. We need to put 100% effort into breaking jnto the AAC at our earliest opportunity. Or if not, there remains no reason not, to go back to the MAC for what is now better revenue, exposure, and honestly, better competition. Tuesday nights are the same as thursday nights, and worse than saturday days on facebook

Ourbest bet is to just dominate this conference in football and basketball. Hopefully someday it will get more regional with the sunbelt somehow. But we will never get in the AAC. It is what it is. Just win!!!!

[coalherd]

Hahahahaha. Where are all the "wait til the aac renews! Its not just cusa, ESPN and sports interest are collapsing!".

Lol. I just crack up. I said long before our tv deal renewed that it wod be a disaster. I could have never guessed how bad it is, but i argued tooth and nail with the "media markets matter" people. These execs aren't stupid. They know FIU may be in miami, but 90% of miami doesn't know who FIU/FAU/UNCC/etc is, and the 10% thats left doesn't care. If we stay in this conference, we will continue to free fall. We need to put 100% effort into breaking jnto the AAC at our earliest opportunity. Or if not, there remains no reason not, to go back to the MAC for what is now better revenue, exposure, and honestly, better competition. Tuesday nights are the same as thursday nights, and worse than saturday days on facebook

Not politically correct, 24, but you can bet that a large portion of that 10% in and around Miami are too busy trying to avoid/stay one step ahead of INS agents to care!!  ;)

[HoPPy785]

I get the impression that our conference commissioner isn't great, but at the same time our ADs aren't pushing her out the door so who knows what goes on behind closed doors and the perception they have of her.

[elginherd]

Sad but unfortunately true. They have excelled as a conference since their inception and we have regressed as a conference.

Present tense correction: "are regressing"

[MUsince96]

I get the impression that our conference commissioner isn't great, but at the same time our ADs aren't pushing her out the door so who knows what goes on behind closed doors and the perception they have of her.

Everyone in charge is asleep at the wheel and fans are in the backseat wondering if they'll wake up.

[svherd]

This conference has no chance at becoming relevant. Sad but true. Who are they going to get? A sunbelt team? That wont make them relevant. There are more teams with past success in basketball in this conference than football. Charlotte used to have some really good teams. Utep has been really good at times and are going to be really good again with their new coach. Uab has had some really nice teams as far back as genebartow. Mtsu has had really good teams. Western kentucky has had a really good program thru the years. Lt and the mailman has always had a solid program. The football side they went with odu and charlotte the just started programs a few years ago. Fiu and fau has never done well and are barely making small strides. Utsa is bad. NT has gotten a little better but has no history. Rice is always bad. S miss and marshall are and maybe lt are the only teams with any real history and they arent setting the world on fire. The AAC has went light years ahead of this conference. CUSA, Sunbelt an the MAC got left behind.

Sadly, our exposure has basically maxed out. The only thing that would save us is if we brought back THN and did it on our own, and I don't see that happening - just too costly.

[MUsince96]

Sadly, our exposure has basically maxed out. The only thing that would save us is if we brought back THN and did it on our own, and I don't see that happening - just too costly.

I still think working out a deal for ESPN+ and CUSATV games to air on AT&T Sports Pittsburgh is something the AD should be working on.

Other conferences get streaming games on local/regional TV.

[BHFIOHIO]

Its great for them..much better than the rest of G5 but still one fourth of ACC money and one eigth of Big money. Look at it however you wish. I would say UCF(who prob is not hurting financially) doesnt figure their 15% of what Auburn gets is that great a deal. Cincy will have better BB and FB than lots of P5 this yr...ditto!

[Rockin Herd Fan]

I live in the Cincinnati area and they were talking about the new AAC television deal on the radio yesterday.  They said the $7 million a year that the schools will receive from the new television deal puts them back to the level they were at with the last Big East football contract.  He said the new contract allows the AAC schools to keep their heads barely above water when compared to what P5 schools are making from their TV contracts.  Of course, C-USA would love to make the $2 million a year the AAC schools are making now. 

[herdfan129]

Hahahahaha. Where are all the "wait til the aac renews! Its not just cusa, ESPN and sports interest are collapsing!".

Lol. I just crack up. I said long before our tv deal renewed that it wod be a disaster. I could have never guessed how bad it is, but i argued tooth and nail with the "media markets matter" people. These execs aren't stupid. They know FIU may be in miami, but 90% of miami doesn't know who FIU/FAU/UNCC/etc is, and the 10% thats left doesn't care. If we stay in this conference, we will continue to free fall. We need to put 100% effort into breaking jnto the AAC at our earliest opportunity. Or if not, there remains no reason not, to go back to the MAC for what is now better revenue, exposure, and honestly, better competition. Tuesday nights are the same as thursday nights, and worse than saturday days on facebook

This is something we 100% agree on. This conference is a JOKE and the markets theory has now been proven to be 100% wrong.

[Scottyo614]

Hahahahaha. Where are all the "wait til the aac renews! Its not just cusa, ESPN and sports interest are collapsing!".

Sports interests are collapsing, but it looks like ESPN and Disney’s approach based off the UFC deal is spend their way out of this hole to make people watch. Only problem is you can’t spend your way out of debt. Disney has mountains of money to throw until they stop. This is what caused the first issue in the last couple years with rights fees and people quitting tv. It’ll only get worse for a company losing 1-2 million homes a year.

[MUsince96]

Sports interests are collapsing, but it looks like ESPN and Disney’s approach based off the UFC deal is spend their way out of this hole to make people watch. Only problem is you can’t spend your way out of debt. Disney has mountains of money to throw until they stop. This is what caused the first issue in the last couple years with rights fees and people quitting tv. It’ll only get worse for a company losing 1-2 million homes a year.

That's why they have the strategy of putting content that used to be on cable on ESPN+ for $4.99 a month. They're now targeting cord cutters to make up what was lost.

[goherd14562]

I sure hope we have tried our absolute hardest trying to get into the AAC. If not, then that is a disgrace because we may never recover from this crap conference.