The $2.5 Billion dollar shift of the NCAA tectonic plates

Nov 20, 2012, 12:04 AM

(Sorry, this is long and a bit disorganized. Enjoy the opinions, or not)
So, with that much money invested how does ESPN guarantee a return? More importantly, where are the ethical lines drawn in this arrangement? With $2.5 Billion on the line would they take steps to make sure the SEC places a team(s) in the MNC each year? I would. Would they help develop a playoff format to satisfy other conferences that cry foul? Sure, throw em a bone. Everyone deserves a shot at the MNC right? I’m not sure how many teams from a given conference are going to be allowed into the playoff pool and I don’t even want to go “there”. That system is not even in place yet and I’m already suspicious, if for no other reason than the fact that it has ALL begun to smell rancid. So, I have to ask the question, by making a business case to brand an ENTIRE conference over all others would high-level corporate influence try to then steer strong recruits into the SEC? With $2.5 billion invested, I would because now that I have a brand I want to build it to make sure it generates a tidy profit. Would I give a crap that “branding” of one conference over all others is fundamentally friggin’ wrong? Nope. What about the tectonic shifting of conferences around the country as teams scramble to find a better conference to play in? Sorry, it’s every man for himself now. Do you really think that the football gods would approve of this??? We ARE the football gods.

Yes, the landscape has changed and will keep changing. Thanks to ESPN and a #### load of money the SEC has been elevated (artificially according to many) above every other conference in the land. And this means we are supposed to start rooting for our conference instead of our team? Let me answer that by saying I DON’T THINK SO. The only time I ever “cheer” for a particular conference is during bowl play. That’s it. Period. And now that ESPN has laid down the SEC gauntlet they dare any other team outside of that conference to challenge and beat them. Well gentlemen, we have a chance in front of us now to show them that playing within the confines of their precious SEC conference will only protect hem for so long. Eventually they will have to poke their heads out of their comfy little nest and take their “brand” out for a spin. Now is that time. Here is that chance. Let’s get this done to cap an awesome year for Clemson, restore the natural order of our rivalry, expose a coveted SEC team and shove this whole thing up ESPN’s ###. Why? Because we care more about preserving the Clemson legacy than being part of system that has become more polluted than the Mississippi River (trust me, I smell it every day). Peace.

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The $2.5 Billion dollar shift of the NCAA tectonic plates

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