10-18-2010, 08:33 PM
I think Larry Scott and all the conference-builders have it wrong. They are selling out everything for the TV money. 16-team conferences, big TV markets (like Boulder and Salt Lake City, I guess), conference championship games, and on and on. Everything is primed to get big bucks from TV. Fans, alumni, and students are just window-dressing for the TV cameras and the luxury suites where the real money is to be made. Geographic or traditional rivalries? Give \'em up if it means you can slide into the right conference with the right geographies and demographics so you can haul in the big bucks.
The problem is this whole arrangement in a very short time is going to change. I\'m already watching a lot of Stanford games on the Internet. I don\'t need ESPN with their blowhard analysts and satellite dishes. It\'s already possible for somebody in the stands to stream a game from their iPhone. What if BYU or Boise State were to go independent and decide they are going to stream all their games on the internet for a fraction of what it costs ESPN to do it. They can sell some advertising, establish a nationwide fan base, and bring their product directly to their "consumers" while eliminating the middleman.
They won\'t do it right away, of course, because they get too much money from the TV networks. But the technology exists today and it\'s only a matter of time until someone exploits it. It won\'t be the big boys - ND or USC or Texas, they make way too much money today. It\'ll be someone like Boise State. And eventually the whole house of cards will come crashing down.
The problem is this whole arrangement in a very short time is going to change. I\'m already watching a lot of Stanford games on the Internet. I don\'t need ESPN with their blowhard analysts and satellite dishes. It\'s already possible for somebody in the stands to stream a game from their iPhone. What if BYU or Boise State were to go independent and decide they are going to stream all their games on the internet for a fraction of what it costs ESPN to do it. They can sell some advertising, establish a nationwide fan base, and bring their product directly to their "consumers" while eliminating the middleman.
They won\'t do it right away, of course, because they get too much money from the TV networks. But the technology exists today and it\'s only a matter of time until someone exploits it. It won\'t be the big boys - ND or USC or Texas, they make way too much money today. It\'ll be someone like Boise State. And eventually the whole house of cards will come crashing down.