So the Big Ten is being the Big Tease these days after announcing, this past winter, it's thinking about adding another team to the conference. Note that the conference already has 11 teams which sets off my OCD tendencies a little and, of course, that adding another makes 12. There's a already a Big 12 Conference! Makes me want to grind my teeth.
Anyway, besides the obvious counting issues, there is the issue of which team to extend the invite to. It's pretty much all about money and which team could lead to some nice(r) television contracts. Also there's supposed to be a commitment to strong academics and athletics.
But then the (in)famous Joe Paterno, of Penn State, the 11th Big Ten team added in the early 1990s, said this:
"It's not a question of just bringing somebody in that you're just going to kick around. It's a question of bringing someone in who can handle the academics, the research, AAU schools, people with a commitment to the women's sports, a commitment to all sports programs, a commitment to the ideals of what intercollegiate athletics should be all about." [emphasis mine]
Whoa. Thank goodness for media relations people, eh?
1 comment:
It's not really about the television contracts. They already have the Big 10 Network and pay out the biggest number to each school. The money factor comes in being able to play a championship game. Money is a definite factor, but the others go along with it.
The Pac 10 and Big 10 both look at academics when deciding who to bring on, that's the truth. The schools in which they want/rumored to want in Notre Dame, Missouri, Texas, and Nebraska all fit the bill to be competitive, add a high profile schoool to the mix (for money), and academics.
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