March Madness begins next week, bringing with it a ton of money along with the excitement of a uniquely American spring.
Its basic structure is simple.
*Teams earn their way into the bracket by winning their conference's automatic bid (one per conference) or by winning a general invitation extended by the selection committee.
*Teams are seeded in their field after input from the same selection committee.
*Each team in the field will receive one “share” of conference revenue, which will be distributed as the conference sees fit. Every time you win and advance to the next round, you earn more shares. (This is a little more complicated because the stocks span multiple years, but it's essentially the same thing).
it works. Opportunities, benefits, and profits are all up for grabs. This tournament is more than just a popular TV show, it's a cultural phenomenon. In the end, the big schools usually win, but everyone has a chance to win on the floor and in the banks.
This appears to be the exact opposite of how negotiations over the future of the College Football Playoff are proceeding. Based on a series of recent proposals, the Big Ten and SEC appear to be interested in securing rather than simply winning advantages, capturing and codifying them.
They seem more focused on siphoning every last dollar they can, rather than thinking about what's best for the sport as a whole, including its future.
College football has no central authority. The NCAA will not run a postseason that includes his 12 (or more) playoffs in the future. As such, the Big Ten and SEC are free to take strong measures to achieve the best deal they see fit.
As such, they have made the following proposals in recent weeks:
* The Big Ten and SEC will each receive up to four automatic bids to the 14-team expansion playoffs (ACC and Big 12 will receive only two). An additional split of 3-3-2-2-1 is also being discussed, but it will always be more than that for the Big Ten and SEC.
* Guaranteed No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the field (who will earn a competitively valuable first-round bye), even if a team in another league has a better season. Awarded only to Big Ten and SEC champions. .
*Revenue is divided not by performance, i.e. how many teams play and win games, but by a predetermined split that heavily favors…you guessed it…the Big Ten and SEC. Those leagues would get a combined 58 percent of the revenue, the ACC 17 percent, the Big 12 14.5 percent, and so on. Basically, the rich will get more money in the future because they are the richest now.
Politicians in Washington staged another hearing Tuesday in a long and alarming series of hearings that will no doubt continue to generate headlines and distract fans, but this one is about college athletics. It is the most pressing threat to the sporting world.
Even if you're concerned about the NIL and player employment, it's understandable that the threat to the structure and future of college athletics is far more at stake with the football playoff debate. The sentiment the Big Ten and SEC are promoting is one that will turn major college sports into his 40s team games, impacting not just football, but March Madness, Olympic sports, Division III, and more. .
If the Big Ten and SEC were able to set up a playoff that is the exact opposite of how college sports have traditionally been run, there would be guaranteed access, guaranteed on-field competitive advantage (including byes), and guaranteed prize money. can be made more clear. In that case, the operation may be possible. We are passing the point of no return.
This isn't just a power hoarding problem, though that is part of it. It is intended to prevent other teams and leagues from competing on the field, thereby further destabilizing other conferences. We just watched the over-a-century-old Pac-12 disappear for no particularly good reason. The ACC and Big 12 could be next.
“The automatic first-round byes in the Big Ten and SEC are like the NFL saying, [Dallas] The Cowboys will receive a bye in the first round due to the large number of fans. [Cincinnati] Bengals,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes noted. “How ridiculous is that?”
It's so ridiculous that the ruthless, bottomless, every-nickle-chasing NFL wouldn't even try. Dykes' point also extends to uneven revenue distribution and multiple automated bids.
This is especially ridiculous because based on the competitiveness and historic success of Big Ten and SEC teams, they are likely to earn bids, byes, and even prize money through competition. If so, good for them.
But by documenting this, it becomes a play to dismantle other conferences and pluck out a few more of the most valuable brands.
This is a step toward the AFC (Big Ten) and NFC (SEC) of college athletics, and to the outside eye there are many other proud and competitive schools that don't serve large markets or large states. It means something (and is looking for funds to keep the athletic department going).
And if you're a fan of a mid-to-lower Big Ten/SEC team and think this is great, it could be replaced at an adult table if maximizing revenue is what you're all about. Please understand that it may be replaced. At some point, Ohio State and Alabama will realize they don't need you either.
This is what Congress should focus on, not whether the players these days only care about money. Maybe so. If so, they learned some of that from ADs and commissioners willing to move their entire athletic departments to portals after another league was tampered with and offered a better NIL package via ESPN or Fox .
For years, the people who run college sports have refrained from becoming complete robber barons. There was always some discussion, mostly conference realignment, but there are enough coaches left who care about all things college sports and understand what's good about Baylor, Utah, West Virginia, and Florida State. was. It is a national sport, and part of its popularity is driven by rivalries, regionalism, quirks, and culture.
These days, the guardianship job has gone to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, especially since many of his colleagues have arrived as short-term hires from professional sports and television.
Well, who knows? In response to the SEC's addition of Oklahoma State and Texas (a deal that any conference would have jumped at), the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 formed an “alliance” to block a lucrative playoff deal in 2022. Mr. Sankey was understandably dissatisfied when it was formed. Original sin here. So how much punishment is too much?
Sankey is a very smart man. He understands history. He has always acted in a reasonable manner despite unfair criticism, and has been a great leader in college sports, coaching in ways fans don't see.
If you follow this path, everything will disappear. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti is new to the college ranks, but he may not mind being seen as the guy who blew up college athletics. Probably Sankey too.
It's not too late to rescind these lopsided playoff proposals. It's not too late to remember that just because you can claim more territory doesn't mean you should. Whether it's the Big Ten or the SEC, it's not too late to realize that sports contracts impact revenue.
