In the end, it was money and Texas that saved Big 12 from extinction

[depakid]

A week before his conference stood on the brink of annihilation and two weeks before the 11th-hour gambit that saved it, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe sent an e-mail to the presidents of the league's 12 member schools.

"The attached confidential 'white paper' was distributed to the other governance groups today," Beebe wrote on June 1. "As I was listing the reasons for the Big 12 for myself, I decided it would be appropriate to share my thoughts with the leadership groups of the conference."

The attached white paper, obtained by SI.com through a public records request to the University of Colorado, contains many of the same points Beebe made Monday as he worked with school officials to salvage the conference. In the paper, Beebe predicted that a network would pay more to televise Big 12 football games. Fox promised to do just that. Beebe also predicted that radical realignment could have serious consequences for college sports. Powerful outsiders, concerned that the Pac-10's plan to supersize to 16 by pillaging the Big 12 would set off an unstoppable chain of events, helped broker the deal, which may have saved college sports as currently constituted.

Beebe could not have predicted, however, that the factors everyone always assumed would destroy the Big 12 -- the outsize influence of the University of Texas and the Longhorns' desire to get richer -- would wind up saving it. Because when Texas officials asked Pac-10 officials at the last minute if the Longhorns could retain their local television rights, that's when the Big 12 finally got the upper hand. The Pac-10 wanted to start a cable network similar to the Big Ten's. To do that, it needed to retain its member schools' local TV rights.

More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/06/15/texas.big.12/#ixzz0qtb8Z68o

[SpiralHawk]

1. The Big Tex

is what they oughta call it. Maybe they can get xCommander AWOL Bush to serve as Commissioner. He'd be perfect...

[Condem]

2. Big Tex and the little nine.

Sounds like a show on A&E.

[Capt. America]

3. Maybe the Decider can get TCU and SMU to join, so they can play football for Jeebus and he can

invade the Mountain West because they have imaginary wepons and a lack of "freedom".

[Condem]

4. A truly embarrassing day for the Big 12.

Just pathetic.

[madinmaryland]

5. I thought you loved this kind of thing.

:wtf:

[Redbear]

6. I'm confused. You crowed approx 47 times about how every college

wanted to come to the Big 10 because you guys had so much money. Now when Texas realizes they can make enough money without you or the Pac-10 it is pathetic?

[madinmaryland]

7. He's been all over the map with the realignment thing. If we actually listened to him,

we would have Rutgers, Syracuse, Maryland in the Big Ten.

:wtf:

[lazarus]

8. according to some guy on ESPN radio this morning

ESPN/ABC told the Big 12 they could keep the money from the TV deal even though they were losing two teams and the championship game. That's where the money is coming from.

[Redbear]

10. I wonder if its the same ESPN guy who 28 hours ago reported that the PAC 16

deal was imminent and that there was "zero chance" that the Big 12 was staying together.

[Twillig]

9. And then the Texas fans say what they think about it...

Poll: How-do-you-feel-about-staying-with-the-Big-12
http://www.shaggybevo.com/board/showthread.php/65775-How-do-you-feel-about-staying-with-the-Big-12

One fan: "Where's the option for wanting to beat my dick with a cinder block? "


"...as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened. "

"Worst decision in the entire fucking history of Texas (the state as well as the university)."

etc.

etc., etc.

[FLPanhandle]

11. The Big 12 is still on the endangered species list

I think Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma want a little more time to evaluate their options. I suspect they will now backroom entertain overtures from the SEC, Big Ten, and PAC-10 for the next year or two. Play each one off each other and choose the best offer. I think the Big 12 is mortally wounded unless they can snag an Arkansas and LSU (not likely).

[Elwood P Dowd]

12. The name of the Big 12 has been changed to The LAP 10 - -

Longhorn Athletic Playground.