quote:Are you surprised someone might wear a queer outfit to this event?quote:quote:
"The LHN: If It's Almost a Sport.....We've Got It!"
Holy ****.. I've been thinking the quiditch thing was a joke this whole time..
This **** is real though
Top right... Is he wearing mouse ears?
ESPN cutting more costs with the Longhorn network
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Last: 8 yr ago by aggiehawg
I recall these were redacted because tu argued that the release of this information could possibly harm them/contract by revealing overly sensitive information. I'm thinking it's the term w/ cause parameters that would allow each party to either walk away or modify the agreement. May outline exit exceptions such as "contract can be voided if certain conference realignment events take place...."
Just guessing...no idea really.
Just guessing...no idea really.
I have to say, watching this trainwreck overall has been fascinating and seems like there is more to come.
The info is pretty slow to come to light, even though it's a deal between a division of a publicly traded company and a state university. I can't imagine how ESPN has no out in regards to the contract, or if it does how no one has gotten hold of a complete contract. For ESPN it would have to be one of the worst deals in the history of deals. They are stuck with all the startup & operating costs and risks and even if the network was successful it still doesn't seem like that great of a deal for them.
It will be interesting to see if it draws the ire of shareholders as continuing pressures mount on the broadcasting business. The loss is somewhat of a drop in the bucket, but still how long will Disney pour cash into the money pit and what creative options will they use to stop the bleeding?
The info is pretty slow to come to light, even though it's a deal between a division of a publicly traded company and a state university. I can't imagine how ESPN has no out in regards to the contract, or if it does how no one has gotten hold of a complete contract. For ESPN it would have to be one of the worst deals in the history of deals. They are stuck with all the startup & operating costs and risks and even if the network was successful it still doesn't seem like that great of a deal for them.
It will be interesting to see if it draws the ire of shareholders as continuing pressures mount on the broadcasting business. The loss is somewhat of a drop in the bucket, but still how long will Disney pour cash into the money pit and what creative options will they use to stop the bleeding?
As someone suggested earlier, I think ESPN was looking at two options (and had to take one):
Option A: flush ~$300M down the cow channel toilet, or
Option B: pay >>>>>$300M due to major conference realignment.
They chose option A
Option A: flush ~$300M down the cow channel toilet, or
Option B: pay >>>>>$300M due to major conference realignment.
They chose option A
quote:Within the context of the time the deal was struck, 300 million over 20 years may have seemed like a drop in the bucket in comparison to what ESPN may have faced with Conference Realignment Armageddon.
The info is pretty slow to come to light, even though it's a deal between a division of a publicly traded company and a state university. I can't imagine how ESPN has no out in regards to the contract, or if it does how no one has gotten hold of a complete contract. For ESPN it would have to be one of the worst deals in the history of deals. They are stuck with all the startup & operating costs and risks and even if the network was successful it still doesn't seem like that great of a deal for them.
It will be interesting to see if it draws the ire of shareholders as continuing pressures mount on the broadcasting business. The loss is somewhat of a drop in the bucket, but still how long will Disney pour cash into the money pit and what creative options will they use to stop the bleeding?
If ESPN had been the dominant media partner with the PAC in 2010, as opposed to Fox, moving the sips, tech, sooners and pokes to the PAC might not have been that frightening a prospect to them. Nebraska and Mizzou (or Kansas) to the B1G would smart a bit, but not cause panic. A&M to the SEC was great since ESPN always had the inside track on the SEC Network and adding the state of Texas was a no-brainer for that deal.
Got to give kudos to the Boys in Bristol, though. They honed in on Dodds' Achilles Heel very quickly with tossing his pet project and wet dream the Longhorn Network, into the mix.
quote:Allow me to expand on that for a second. First, remember ABC mostly does regional broadcasts for football games. The Big Kahuna network over ESPN. What was ABC seeing in terms of inventory in the Central Time Zone?
If ESPN had been the dominant media partner with the PAC in 2010, as opposed to Fox, moving the sips, tech, sooners and pokes to the PAC might not have been that frightening a prospect to them. Nebraska and Mizzou (or Kansas) to the B1G would smart a bit, but not cause panic. A&M to the SEC was great since ESPN always had the inside track on the SEC Network and adding the state of Texas was a no-brainer for that deal.
Had conference realignment played out the way it looked it might in early June 2010, ABC would have lost first shots at airing Nebraska, OU, OSU, horns, A&M and probably Missouri. They had an existing deal with the B1G to air their games, of course, but that would leave a big swath of Central Time Zone states with teams of interest airing on a Fox station.
How many people would watch Ohio State versus Purdue in Texas and Oklahoma? Northwestern versus Minnesota? They needed the Big XII for regional content for ABC, too.
I still think ESPN is going to get paid when sip is almost dead and rotting in the BDF has to go B1G, ACC or PAC. I don't think this was their endgame when the deal materialized, but they knew it was a golden parachute if **** went another direction.
I still believe the LHN was a poison pill to keep most of the BDF in the firm grip of ESPN's **** skinners....and the $15 million per year or whatever to avoid a realignment contract shakedown looks cheap to me. I can understand ESPN cutting back expenses by getting rid of a few things but my opinion is the sips want out of the deal worse than ESPN.....I know I would.
I still believe the LHN was a poison pill to keep most of the BDF in the firm grip of ESPN's **** skinners....and the $15 million per year or whatever to avoid a realignment contract shakedown looks cheap to me. I can understand ESPN cutting back expenses by getting rid of a few things but my opinion is the sips want out of the deal worse than ESPN.....I know I would.
quote:They didn't view it as the gilded cage it is...until this week. Because of the LHN, (and prior to that, Dodds' vitriolic opposition) the Big XII missed the window on developing a conference network. Sips didn't much care because they were making bank and had no reason nor motivation to move to another conference where they wouldn't be in control. Masters of their fiefdom.
I still believe the LHN was a poison pill to keep most of the BDF in the firm grip of ESPN's **** skinners....and the $15 million per year or whatever to avoid a realignment contract shakedown looks cheap to me. I can understand ESPN cutting back expenses by getting rid of a few things but my opinion is the sips want out of the deal worse than ESPN.....I know I would.
Now, the LHN is losing too much money for ESPN and their Disney overlords to stomach and routes to the Exit signs are being mapped out.
The SEC and the B1G have monetized their conference networks and have revenue growth potential. The Big XII has no revenue growth potential. And their current TV contracts for Tier One and Two content will likely be negotiated down due to the poor ratings of the Big XII content.
If the ACC with its huge footprint and population doesn't warrant a conference network because the subscription model has been supplanted by events, the Big XII certainly doesn't with mostly small population states.
Wake up and smell the coffee, sips. You are in a bigger world of hurt than you ever anticipated.
How many parallels are there here to the Astros/Rockets/Comcast network? In the end the Astros and Rockets had to settle for root sports which has almost no locally developed content other than the pre and post game discussions. However, at least root sports has more than two games of interest per year. Otherwise all you get is poker.
So will the LHN morph into root sports Austin? ESPN could likely find a buyer at the right price.
So will the LHN morph into root sports Austin? ESPN could likely find a buyer at the right price.
The glorious thing is, their hubris won't let them.
quote:No. Let's spend that $15 to buy the best coaches and better all facilities and just kick their ass old school.
Would it be worth $15M per year for a group of A&M/BDF boosters to purchase the LHN from ESPN just to shut it down and prevent broadcast of the ship's non-conference home games?
quote:Although, this would demonstrate our dominance.quote:No. Let's spend that $15 to buy the best coaches and better all facilities and just kick their ass old school.
Would it be worth $15M per year for a group of A&M/BDF boosters to purchase the LHN from ESPN just to shut it down and prevent broadcast of the ship's non-conference home games?
Here's to hoping that Dodds enjoys the good health necessary to live long enough to see the failure of the LHN to it's completion and that he's still sharp enough to fully understand how bad he's screwed them over
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
quote:He'll blame Patterson and the firing of Mack Brown. Dodds fell on his sword to protect Mack and Powers. Mack got the ax anyway. Then Powers was forced out.
Here's to hoping that Dodds enjoys the good health necessary to live long enough to see the failure of the LHN to it's completion and that he's still sharp enough to fully understand how bad he's screwed them over
Dodds will never admit that the LHN that he negotiated in 2010 failed. It was the LHN after the NCAA and the Big XII gutted it that failed. To him it will always be a brilliant idea but failure of execution.
Yes, he's that nuts.
Fair point. He probably never was "sharp enough" to get past the ego force-field that he surrounds himself with. Guess I'll have to console myself with the knowledge that everybody but Dodds will know & understand the damage he did.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
quote:Oh history won't be very kind to Dodds. Had he retired after the national championship in 2005, he would have his own statue and some other buildings named for him already.
Fair point. He probably never was "sharp enough" to get past the ego force-field that he surrounds himself with. Guess I'll have to console myself with the knowledge that everybody but Dodds will know & understand the damage he did.
As it is, he hung around a bit too long and completely botched realignment in 2010-2011. For that alone he'll be reviled for destroying not only the SWC, but the Big XII.
That smug pic of him and the other two on the stage tells all you need to know about that clown. Arrogant piece of work he was.
quote:And this is the truth of the matter " pride goes before a fall." And oh how the once perceived mighty have fallen. They still need to be utterly crushed until they cant even think straight. And we dont need to throw them a lifeline anytime soon. After two of the crappiest seasons in their history, they still are just as arrogant as they have ever been. They still havent learned anything. Until the lesson is learned they will stay where they are.
I think of it more as a "pride goeth before destruction" kind of warning
quote:quote:He'll blame Patterson and the firing of Mack Brown. Dodds fell on his sword to protect Mack and Powers. Mack got the ax anyway. Then Powers was forced out.
Here's to hoping that Dodds enjoys the good health necessary to live long enough to see the failure of the LHN to it's completion and that he's still sharp enough to fully understand how bad he's screwed them over
Dodds will never admit that the LHN that he negotiated in 2010 failed. It was the LHN after the NCAA and the Big XII gutted it that failed. To him it will always be a brilliant idea but failure of execution.
Yes, he's that nuts.
Once your name has been "JONES" it can never be "Smith again; "jones" in small caps., maybe.
quote:what I never figured out, but have laughed at since the 90's, is that the sips allowed allowed a retired track star from Kansas to take over.quote:Oh history won't be very kind to Dodds. Had he retired after the national championship in 2005, he would have his own statue and some other buildings named for him already.
Fair point. He probably never was "sharp enough" to get past the ego force-field that he surrounds himself with. Guess I'll have to console myself with the knowledge that everybody but Dodds will know & understand the damage he did.
As it is, he hung around a bit too long and completely botched realignment in 2010-2011. For that alone he'll be reviled for destroying not only the SWC, but the Big XII.
Hell, he may not been a track star, but he's Kansas.
Clint Eastwood in The Outlaw Josey Wales ~ "well, Mr. Carpetbagger, we have something called a Missouri boat ride".
Long live the LHN in whatever form it devolves into. It is the glue that holds tu firmly to the toilet seat that is the big12. It keeps the uncertainty of realignment from rearing it's ugly head. 16 team conferences with 4 team pods are too unwieldy and would greatly detract from the college game. Let's not even go there. Equitable scheduling would be a nightmare.
Everyone else seems to be happy in college football except a couple of malcontents in the big12. The fact that they got left in the shade in the last realignment is nobody's fault but their own. The rest of college football should not feel any obligation to accommodate them.
Everyone else seems to be happy in college football except a couple of malcontents in the big12. The fact that they got left in the shade in the last realignment is nobody's fault but their own. The rest of college football should not feel any obligation to accommodate them.
quote:quote:what I never figured out, but have laughed at since the 90's, is that the sips allowed allowed a retired track star from Kansas to take over.quote:Oh history won't be very kind to Dodds. Had he retired after the national championship in 2005, he would have his own statue and some other buildings named for him already.
Fair point. He probably never was "sharp enough" to get past the ego force-field that he surrounds himself with. Guess I'll have to console myself with the knowledge that everybody but Dodds will know & understand the damage he did.
As it is, he hung around a bit too long and completely botched realignment in 2010-2011. For that alone he'll be reviled for destroying not only the SWC, but the Big XII.
Hell, he may not been a track star, but he's Kansas.
Clint Eastwood in The Outlaw Josey Wales ~ "well, Mr. Carpetbagger, we have something called a Missouri boat ride".
Don't laugh. We let a former ticket taker run our athletic department for nine years before he resigned.
quote:FIFYquote:quote:what I never figured out, but have laughed at since the 90's, is that the sips allowed allowed a retired track star from Kansas to take over.quote:Oh history won't be very kind to Dodds. Had he retired after the national championship in 2005, he would have his own statue and some other buildings named for him already.
Fair point. He probably never was "sharp enough" to get past the ego force-field that he surrounds himself with. Guess I'll have to console myself with the knowledge that everybody but Dodds will know & understand the damage he did.
As it is, he hung around a bit too long and completely botched realignment in 2010-2011. For that alone he'll be reviled for destroying not only the SWC, but the Big XII.
Hell, he may not been a track star, but he's Kansas.
Clint Eastwood in The Outlaw Josey Wales ~ "well, Mr. Carpetbagger, we have something called a Missouri boat ride".
Don't laugh. We let a former ticket taker at a drive-in porno theater run our athletic department for nine years before he resigned.
quote:That's where Wally came from? LOL. Never did figure out how that happened.
Don't laugh. We let a former ticket taker run our athletic department for nine years before he resigned.
What I don't know if he was one of these that was promoted because he was doing a good job or promoted because no one wanted to deal with him.
quote:
Would it be worth $15M per year for a group of A&M/BDF boosters to purchase the LHN from ESPN just to shut it down and prevent broadcast of the ship's non-conference home games?
Or, staff it with Ag announcers and crew and bash them all game long. Kind of one of those, "So close, yet so far away," things. You can watch and all of your **** is televised, but it's been perverted by Aggies and you'll have to hear all about it in order to do it.
quote:Yeah. We all joke about it but Wally was also the CFO for athletics as well before becoming AD. He did work his way up on the business side.quote:That's where Wally came from? LOL. Never did figure out how that happened.
Don't laugh. We let a former ticket taker run our athletic department for nine years before he resigned.
Not like we haven't had our fair share of less that stellar ADs. Back when a football coach could be the AD because it wasn't a big job and you could pay him a second salary. Or when a former mayor could be your AD (here's looking at your Marvin Tate)
I had always assumed no one else really wanted the job and Wally drew the short straw. j/k, sort of.
I think it was RC that was instrumental in getting Wally the job.
Groff gets a lot of grief, but he was basically there to get and keep the books straight, wasn't he?
If the Longhorns had had Wally Groff instead of Steve Patterson, they'd feel a lot better.
If the Longhorns had had Wally Groff instead of Steve Patterson, they'd feel a lot better.
quote:Yes and yes. And he did it well.
Goff gets a lot of grief, but he was basically there to get and keep the books straight, wasn't he?
He was my Little League baseball coach way back in the day, when you didn't need to have a kid on the team to be able to coach. I'm thinking he was a grad student or recently graduated around this time. Really good guy.
I remember him speaking at the Bryan Rotary Club back in the mid 80s, and I want to say I remember him mentioning his budget was around $11 million. He was a bean counter, conservative, and mainly concerned with the expense side. I don't think he had much vision for growing the revenue side. I bet he can't believe we pushed the $200 MM envelope last year, that has to be mind blowing for him. And for me too, when I step back and look at history.
quote:Eventually you wind up believing your own propaganda.
Fair point. He probably never was "sharp enough" to get past the ego force-field that he surrounds himself with.
If the mouse is dictating those kind of cost cutting orders to the LHN they might as well just repossess the damn thing and sell it to the ACC for a hundred million or so. That way they recoup some of their losses on a bad investment and the ACC gets their conference channel. I would hope that the nogginheads that came up with this hairbrained scheme in the first place have long been let go at Bristol..
They definitely need to send a moving van to Austin to pick up their furniture and equipment.
They definitely need to send a moving van to Austin to pick up their furniture and equipment.
quote:Lest we forget their greatest football coach was an Okie.....DKR was a Sooner that sat on his burnt orange laurels all of his retirement life. Remember how his career ended?quote:what I never figured out, but have laughed at since the 90's, is that the sips allowed allowed a retired track star from Kansas to take over.quote:Oh history won't be very kind to Dodds. Had he retired after the national championship in 2005, he would have his own statue and some other buildings named for him already.
Fair point. He probably never was "sharp enough" to get past the ego force-field that he surrounds himself with. Guess I'll have to console myself with the knowledge that everybody but Dodds will know & understand the damage he did.
As it is, he hung around a bit too long and completely botched realignment in 2010-2011. For that alone he'll be reviled for destroying not only the SWC, but the Big XII.
Hell, he may not been a track star, but he's Kansas.
Clint Eastwood in The Outlaw Josey Wales ~ "well, Mr. Carpetbagger, we have something called a Missouri boat ride".
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