Confidence Level w/ Ackerman?

[LeMoyne00]

FS1 is able to get millions to watch NASCAR shows but only 700,000 for the Big East Tournament final. Obviously compelling games ALONE is not going to deliver the audience. It's a double edge sword too, because then the lack of people seeing the games just stymies the ability to spread the word and improve the conference ratings and attendance.

I blame a lack of staff and promoting the Big East tournament to local NY groups and sponsors as a reason the conference couldn't even sell out a single session of the tournament for the first time ever. You can have all the ads on in the Super Bowl that you want, but if people aren't buying the message, it's just money / time wasted. The whole commercial angle of selling the continuation of the history of the Big East isn't working with casual fans - they need a new angle to promote for the future.

[redmen9194]

First of all, if Creighton were playing Providence on ESPN, the ratings would have been the same. Second, there is a difference between a sell out and having the arena full. The old big east would sell out as the schools would buy out their allotments and sales would run through them. With sixteen schools, sell-outs were easy. But not all games had full attendance and that will be the same going forward. Winning cures everything - if we win we will be fine.

[stever20]

First of all, if Creighton were playing Providence on ESPN, the ratings would have been the same. Second, there is a difference between a sell out and having the arena full. The old big east would sell out as the schools would buy out their allotments and sales would run through them. With sixteen schools, sell-outs were easy. But not all games had full attendance and that will be the same going forward. Winning cures everything - if we win we will be fine.

It's highly doubtful your first statement is true. FS1 and ESPN are NOT equal. They just aren't. The Old Big East had a championship game or two that weren't sexy and they never drew a .5. And I would argue, if this game had been on ESPN, with McDermott etc. it would have gotten at least a 1 if not closer to a 1.3 or 1.4.

[NJRedman]

All of you chicken littles have very little idea of what you are talking about. Like someone said earlier, it's been 9 months. A LOT of stuff needed to get done. Office space isn't the top priority when you only have a handful of full time employees. Getting things like a tax ID with the IRS is. When have you seen any other power conference commissioner on TV acting like an idiot talking up their conference? You BARELY see them on TV during the lead up to the Football season. The only time i even remember any on TV is if their conference just added members or LOST members.

Learn what the actual priorities are before saying someone is doing a bad job. Do you think Dave Gavitt had a full office full of full time employees with a studio cranking out promotions non-stop 9 months after the league was founded? Get real.

[Jet915]

First of all, if Creighton were playing Providence on ESPN, the ratings would have been the same. Second, there is a difference between a sell out and having the arena full. The old big east would sell out as the schools would buy out their allotments and sales would run through them. With sixteen schools, sell-outs were easy. But not all games had full attendance and that will be the same going forward. Winning cures everything - if we win we will be fine.

This is so wrong on all levels. ESPN has a built in audience. Creighton vs. Providence would have easily gotten a 1.0 rating or higher on ESPN. The PAC-12 championship game with the NUMBER ONE TEAM in the country and UCLA playing got a worse rating than the Big East on FS1. It wasn't a Big East thing, it's an FS1 thing.

[BillikensWin]

All of you chicken littles have very little idea of what you are talking about. Like someone said earlier, it's been 9 months. A LOT of stuff needed to get done. Office space isn't the top priority when you only have a handful of full time employees. Getting things like a tax ID with the IRS is. When have you seen any other power conference commissioner on TV acting like an idiot talking up their conference? You BARELY see them on TV during the lead up to the Football season. The only time i even remember any on TV is if their conference just added members or LOST members.

Learn what the actual priorities are before saying someone is doing a bad job. Do you think Dave Gavitt had a full office full of full time employees with a studio cranking out promotions non-stop 9 months after the league was founded? Get real.

That's pretty much my thoughts as well. I don't want to hear from a conference commissioner. I just want my leadership to do what's best for the membership...and it seems that Val Ackerman did just that. Bernadette McGlade makes herself far too visible in the A-10, and it's kind of annoying.

She's doing fine with the timetable she was granted. In a year that 2 cornerstone programs stunk, the Big East placed 4 teams in the NCAA tournament. The deal is 10 years for TV...she's got time to get other things in place.

[Randy]

she really only has two jobs that people will judge her on

1) TV Deal. The presidents made this deal, so anything with the Fox deal should not be to her credit or detriment.

2) Adding members. This decision will be on her if/when it is made.

All other aspects of a conference commissioners job may be fun to talk about on message boards, but two above are the only ones that determine whether or not they keep their jobs.

so my thoughts are i have no thoughts yet until a strategic decision to add members is made.

[NJRedman]

she really only has two jobs that people will judge her on

1) TV Deal. The presidents made this deal, so anything with the Fox deal should not be to her credit or detriment.

2) Adding members. This decision will be on her if/when it is made.

All other aspects of a conference commissioners job may be fun to talk about on message boards, but two above are the only ones that determine whether or not they keep their jobs.

so my thoughts are i have no thoughts yet until a strategic decision to add members is made.

Adding members is NOT up to the commissioner, it is a decision made by the presidents. The commish can advise them one way or another, but it lays completely at the feet of the Presidents.

[Randy]

is that the same as the other conferences?

If that is the case, what exactly is her job? Run the conference tournament?

If she is not making those two decisions, frankly, I don't care what she does or doesn't do.

[NJRedman]

is that the same as the other conferences?

If that is the case, what exactly is her job? Run the conference tournament?

If she is not making those two decisions, frankly, I don't care what she does or doesn't do.

Yes, in all conferences the members decide wether to add new members or not.