Hypothetical: If UConn MBB was entering the BE as a top team

[SamElliott]

If UCLA was put in the MWC, their men's basketball and football attendance would take a hit, definitely. Now, the MWC fan-base might say otherwise (not unlike the fans of the AAC), but it is just reality. If Nebraska was put in the MAC, if Miami was put in C-USA, if Mississippi State was put in the Sun Belt or if Baylor was put in the American, fan interest would drop because the fan base would recognize that a demotion, relegation, or however you would like to classify it as, has occurred. When UConn "joined" the American (and I realized it did not join anything, it simply stayed with Big East Football, which became the American), it would be incredibly difficult to find a UConn fan/supporter that felt like that they were joining a superior league; however, for schools like Houston, UCF, Memphis, SMU, Tulane, ECU, Tulsa and Temple (and their fan bases), they instantly knew they were joining a better league because 1.) the payouts were better, 2.) the bowl access was superior (the AAC took the BE's AQ spot in '14) and 3.) the exposure on the networks was much more far-reaching. Those programs gained value by associating with UConn; it was definitely not the same case the other way around, and it never could be.

Houston, similarly, was de-regulated from the SWC in 1996 to C-USA. Their attendance definitely got affected going from playing Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor and TCU annually to Southern Mississippi, Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis and Tulane. Unfortunately for Houston, they have now been associated with those programs as long (24 years) as their association within the SWC (25 years). Their "connections' to the power-Texas programs have eroded over time, and are locked-in to the AAC for the foreseeable future. UConn, at least, saw the writing on the wall and decided to pivot away from their membership in the AAC and get back to at least salvaging their Olympic sports with an elite non-football conference. Each passing year for UConn in the AAC was not only a year not in the P5, but also a year removed from their associations with Villanova, Georgetown, St. John's, Seton Hall, Providence and the Big East brand.

That’s quite a comfortable wish.

And....................

If UConn was not coming off 3 losing seasons, attendance concerns may naturally shift outward.

***UCLA losing 3 straight years in this conference would have the same impact.***

Fans don’t often support that kind of performance.

If UConn plays similarly terrible in the NBE in a few years, I will be very surprised if they’re putting butts in seats.

You have more faith than me, and we’ll leave it at that. They need to beat Tulsa.

[SamElliott]

If UCLA was put in the MWC, their men's basketball and football attendance would take a hit, definitely. Now, the MWC fan-base might say otherwise (not unlike the fans of the AAC), but it is just reality. If Nebraska was put in the MAC, if Miami was put in C-USA, if Mississippi State was put in the Sun Belt or if Baylor was put in the American, fan interest would drop because the fan base would recognize that a demotion, relegation, or however you would like to classify it as, has occurred. When UConn "joined" the American (and I realized it did not join anything, it simply stayed with Big East Football, which became the American), it would be incredibly difficult to find a UConn fan/supporter that felt like that they were joining a superior league; however, for schools like Houston, UCF, Memphis, SMU, Tulane, ECU, Tulsa and Temple (and their fan bases), they instantly knew they were joining a better league because 1.) the payouts were better, 2.) the bowl access was superior (the AAC took the BE's AQ spot in '14) and 3.) the exposure on the networks was much more far-reaching. Those programs gained value by associating with UConn; it was definitely not the same case the other way around, and it never could be.

Houston, similarly, was de-regulated from the SWC in 1996 to C-USA. Their attendance definitely got affected going from playing Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor and TCU annually to Southern Mississippi, Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis and Tulane. Unfortunately for Houston, they have now been associated with those programs as long (24 years) as their association within the SWC (25 years). Their "connections' to the power-Texas programs have eroded over time, and are locked-in to the AAC for the foreseeable future. UConn, at least, saw the writing on the wall and decided to pivot away from their membership in the AAC and get back to at least salvaging their Olympic sports with an elite non-football conference. Each passing year for UConn in the AAC was not only a year not in the P5, but also a year removed from their associations with Villanova, Georgetown, St. John's, Seton Hall, Providence and the Big East brand.

That’s quite a comfortable wish.

And....................

If UConn was not coming off 3 losing seasons, attendance concerns may naturally shift outward.

***UCLA losing 3 straight years in this conference would have the same impact.***

Fans don’t often support that kind of performance.

If UConn plays similarly terrible in the NBE in a few years, I will be very surprised if they’re putting butts in seats.

You have more faith than me, and we’ll leave it at that. They need to beat Tulsa.

My last post begs the original question of this thread..

How much different would perception be if UConn was entering as a perennial NCAA team.

I really think it would be viewed different.

No need to worry about the AAC.. they got their TV deal.

[Westbrook#36]

My last post begs the original question of this thread..

How much different would perception be if UConn was entering as a perennial NCAA team.

I really think it would be viewed different.

Well considering the perception is overwhelmingly positive by everyone except aaaaaack fanboys, I beg to differ.

No need to worry about the AAC.. they got their TV deal.

Yeah, a TV deal that is viewed as extremely underwhelming by everyone except total aaaaaack fanboys. Gee, I sense a pattern here, stever is that you?

[scoscox]

If they didn't feel the need to constantly posture against the Big East, AAC fans would be free to admit that their media deal is awful. It's all so tiresome

[Xudash]

TV deal.

TV “deal”!

Anyone who believes that outcome was a positive deal for the AAC is a total moron.

[MullinMayhem]

Calhoun definitely was the one who took them from irrelevant nationally to becoming a blue blood in basketball. Obviously since that era, they have gotten a pretty good smack in the face, but again the last time they won was only 5 years ago. It feels like 20 but it's really just 5 years. Their brand has certainly been tarnished, however they still have some juice left thanks to several rings in a short span. I believe bringing them back to their natural environment in the Big East both traditionally and regionally with natural rivals again, will bring them back to being a top 25 team within the first few years. The way I see it is more juice nationally and now we have another potential top 25 team to topple. Better ratings...imagine #20 UConn vs. #25 G'Town? Any SJ vs. UConn game is a sellout or near sellout. #10 Villanova vs. #20 UConn...I can just see the ads now on FOX. These games will be plastered all over tri-state area bars.

UConn...welcome back. Just please admit that you needed us and not vice versa

[GoldenWarrior11]

I've debated with Stever on the other site about this same topic. To those that want to declare UConn no longer a brand name, or an elite men's basketball program (even to the point where VCU is as good, or even better, men's basketball program), one fact, and this fact only, reveals UConn's true place in college basketball hierarchy:

UConn is the only men's basketball program to have won four national championships in the past 20 seasons, the most of any program in America. That's more than Duke (3), UNC (3), Villanova (2), Florida (2), Kentucky (1), Michigan State (1) or Kansas (1). They are also the only program in the time frame to have won multiple national championships with different head coaches (Calhoun and Ollie).

UConn, like so many of the previous Big East programs before it, was able to rise to the top levels of college basketball because of the deep-rooted rivalries and Northeast-focused center of the conference. Elite-level recruits wanted to stay close to home, battle fellow players that they faced or knew in college, and wanted to do so on the biggest stage. Coming home to the Big East will immensely help UConn's recruiting not in terms of the skill level they have been getting, but rather the type of players they will now be able to attract (not to mention more regional players will have ample opportunity to play close to home).

So, to answer the original Wade Garrett/Virgil Earp/Bobby Maine's question - it really doesn't matter what UConn has done in the past few seasons in the AAC. The Big East is gaining one of the top basketball brands in college athletics, and one that will only further cement the league's footprint in the Northeast, and one that will increase viewership, exposure and on-court success possibilities.

[SamElliott]

Calhoun definitely was the one who took them from irrelevant nationally to becoming a blue blood in basketball. Obviously since that era, they have gotten a pretty good smack in the face, but again the last time they won was only 5 years ago. It feels like 20 but it's really just 5 years. Their brand has certainly been tarnished, however they still have some juice left thanks to several rings in a short span. I believe bringing them back to their natural environment in the Big East both traditionally and regionally with natural rivals again, will bring them back to being a top 25 team within the first few years. The way I see it is more juice nationally and now we have another potential top 25 team to topple. Better ratings...imagine #20 UConn vs. #25 G'Town? Any SJ vs. UConn game is a sellout or near sellout. #10 Villanova vs. #20 UConn...I can just see the ads now on FOX. These games will be plastered all over tri-state area bars.

UConn...welcome back. Just please admit that you needed us and not vice versa

Good post.

We should all be lucky to have even one Jim Calhoun in our program’s history.

Sometimes we forget that brands are really just a reflection of the human beings that don the polo or jersey. I don’t view UConns descent as unnatural. It’s more a testament to just how good that man was.

Will UConn be a “blue blood” program that can plug and play?

Besides the crucial greatness of a coach, that also depends on resources (money/exposure/etc). When Calhoun was winning big, the Big East was the darling of the biggest sports media machine in history, and it had the added revenue coming in from football (those Miami nattys/WVU/UL/etc). That support was unprecedented for the time.

Nothing against FS1 and the 4 million dollar shares. I think that’s a fair rate for an Olympics only league. The AAC got a fair compensation package as well. What gets lost in this is they more than doubled their linear ESPN MBB windows (and more than tripled their revenue). Perhaps they would’ve done better on the open market but locking up those ESPN linear spots is innately worth more than even doubling the revenue they got without going to the open market. It’s planting a flag in the middle of the sports public sphere. Long-term or short-term deal, it’s a toss up. I think guaranteeing those linear windows through the next media rights garage sale was a sound strategy. They needed to protect the biggest inherent advantage they got in the AAC/NBE divorce, which was the pole position of assuming all those linear spots that were up for grabs when the old Big East collapsed.

I think FS1 does a good job with their production values. They did a good job for the UFC as well before they moved to ESPN. There is a lot more potential that’s at rest with FS1 carving out a greater viewership share. So there is value in knowing there’s nowhere to go but up.

The FS1/NBE media rights revenue is still higher than the MWC/CUSA/Sunbelt. So, UConn should be content here for the long term.

However, it’s hard to ignore it’s not the machine Jim Calhoun had at his disposal. All sports conferences just have a great advantage, and that exists in the other Olympic sports as well.

I really think UConn will improve.

[SamElliott]

I've debated with Stever on the other site about this same topic. To those that want to declare UConn no longer a brand name, or an elite men's basketball program (even to the point where VCU is as good, or even better, men's basketball program), one fact, and this fact only, reveals UConn's true place in college basketball hierarchy:

UConn is the only men's basketball program to have won four national championships in the past 20 seasons, the most of any program in America. That's more than Duke (3), UNC (3), Villanova (2), Florida (2), Kentucky (1), Michigan State (1) or Kansas (1). They are also the only program in the time frame to have won multiple national championships with different head coaches (Calhoun and Ollie).

UConn, like so many of the previous Big East programs before it, was able to rise to the top levels of college basketball because of the deep-rooted rivalries and Northeast-focused center of the conference. Elite-level recruits wanted to stay close to home, battle fellow players that they faced or knew in college, and wanted to do so on the biggest stage. Coming home to the Big East will immensely help UConn's recruiting not in terms of the skill level they have been getting, but rather the type of players they will now be able to attract (not to mention more regional players will have ample opportunity to play close to home).

So, to answer the original Wade Garrett/Virgil Earp/Bobby Maine's question - it really doesn't matter what UConn has done in the past few seasons in the AAC. The Big East is gaining one of the top basketball brands in college athletics, and one that will only further cement the league's footprint in the Northeast, and one that will increase viewership, exposure and on-court success possibilities.

Do you think those AAC fans would trade that absurd exit fee they are collecting (which includes a tighter divide of media revenue shares and windows) to have UConn back?

I think if UConn would’ve been producing like a top dog they wouldn’t think twice about splitting it 12 ways again. But I think there were some benefits the AAC got from this too. UConn leaving probably helps the 3 AAC teams they finished in front of.

[billyjack]

Sam Elliott--
we're being extremely patient with you, and your mustache, and your concern trolling and bad take on UConn.

WTF are "linear spots" and "linear windows"?
[Ok, they're ESPN, ESPN-2, ESPN-U, ESPN-News.]

UConn in the AAC is like the Yankees in the Japanese Central League. And arguing with Sam Elliott is like arguing with a fan of the Hiroshima Carp or Yakult Swallows... Gee, why can't the Yankees sell out games vs the Nippon Ham Fighters? Do you think when the Yanks return to the AL they'll sell out Red Sox games again?

Why won't Aaron Judge re-sign with the Yanks of the Japanese Central? The Japanese Central provides a good baseball product! Plus, Yankee fans can get Japanese Central games on ESPN-3, it's simple... just fire up your 9 inch tablet, spend 5 minutes loading the gsme, keep it tethered to your charger cuz power will run out by the 4th inning. Much easier than hitting two buttons on a TV remote.