http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2011/...-with-espn.html

 

Strikes me as a gigantic conflict. ESPN being their loudest cheerleader basically guarantees that Texas will remain relevant on a national scale.

ESPN? conflict of interest? Thats unpossible!

ESPN? conflict of interest? Thats unpossible!

Ha, my thoughts exactly.

They already have a deal with the SEC.

 

ESPN is pissed the Big Ten created their own network and doesnt want to compete with a Longhorn network as well. As MLB, NFL, etc create their own channels ESPN becomes less important.

 

I dont even watch ESPN highlights anymore, I only watch for games.

ESPN is doing their best to own college sports.

 

They already have the SEC Network and push that conference in our faces every chance they get.

 

They owned Boise State football for 2010. Something like 9 of their games were shown on ESPN networks. Of course ESPN wanted to hype up that team every week.

 

And now the Longhorn Network.

I dont even watch ESPN highlights anymore, I only watch for games.

 

Same here. I'll probably watch baseball game highlights when the season begins, but I can't even remember the last time I watched Sportscenter even in passing. booyah.

At least it should further stabilize the Big 12.

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2011/...-with-espn.html

 

Strikes me as a gigantic conflict. ESPN being their loudest cheerleader basically guarantees that Texas will remain relevant on a national scale.

 

Gottleib spent a while on his show Wednesday trying to claim that it wasn't. It was a pretty bad argument.

 

He also asserted that this will help all Big 12 schools because a "rising tide lifts all boats," but he never explained how the massive funding advantage for Texas really will benefit others.

Edited January 21, 201115 yr by StrangeSox

Gottleib spent a while on his show Wednesday trying to claim that it wasn't. It was a pretty bad argument.

 

He also asserted that this will help all Big 12 schools because a "rising tide lifts all boats," but he never explained how the massive funding advantage for Texas really will benefit others.

 

This guy brings up concerns I didn't even think of (the coverage of high school sports/recruits)

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writ...s.tv/index.html

I'm waiting for the NBC/Universal sponsored "Irish Sports Network."

Gottleib spent a while on his show Wednesday trying to claim that it wasn't. It was a pretty bad argument.

 

He also asserted that this will help all Big 12 schools because a "rising tide lifts all boats," but he never explained how the massive funding advantage for Texas really will benefit others.

 

It doesn't really hurt the other Big 12 teams in FB and MBB, the only two sports that matter. It does ZERO to devalue the Big 12 TV package.

I think it had been known for a while something like this was coming, it's the only reason Texas stayed in the Big 12 IIRC. The fact is it's a conflict of interests, but ESPN is just one giant conflict of interests anyways. ESPN promotes the NBA ad nauseum because their family of networks has it, and they are trying to completely take over college sports.

 

Even in the case of college sports though, they promote based on league, and how much they cover each league. ESPN is still pissed about the Big Ten Network thing, as Soxbadger pointed out. You'll always notice how much more seriously ESPN covers Monday Night Football than any other game too in terms of the NFL. The network really is laughable, I am like others in that I only watch its game coverage. Other than that, no use watching them.

Edited January 22, 201115 yr by whitesoxfan101

http://frankthetank.wordpress.com/2011/01/...in-it-for-espn/

 

Believe it or not, this deal is what’s going to keep the Big 12 together. UT gets to make more TV money than any other school in the country, play its rivals in all sports and keep the Texas state politicians happy. As a result, UT is in a perfect spot and as long as they want to stay, the Big 12 will live on. Could UT make a few more TV dollars down the road by becoming independent? Sure, but that’s ignoring the fact that UT isn’t in complete control of its affairs in the same way as, say, Notre Dame, who only has to answer to its own alums. UT’s leadership has to deal with state legislators whose loyalties may lie with Texas A&M, Texas Tech or Baylor. Drawing the ire of those politicians that hold much greater purse strings beyond athletics, much less giving up its rivals and relegating its non-football sports to secondary status (noting that UT isn’t a one-trick football pony with across-the-board strong programs in basketball, baseball, softball, track and field, etc.), simply isn’t worth the extra money that might be there for independence. UT has exactly what it wants: a conference that it controls with a TV network that it gets to keep all to itself. It’s the best of both worlds.