Buzz Williams interview

[stever20]

That amount of worrying that goes on here is ridiculous. Ok, so this is the FIRST year of FS1 and already that have shown: MLB, UFC, NASCAR, PAC-12, Big East and they have a legitimate "SportsCenter" with Fox Sports Live with legitimate analysts.

This isn't CBSSN with an hour of Gottlieb staring into the screen or NBCSN with god knows what.

Can anyone tell me how we could've gotten a better deal? We got a long contract, cash, 0 demands to expand (so far) , every game is nationally televised we are with the only legitimate alternative to ESPN out there.

UFC and Nascar to a lot of people don't help them at all. They see a UFC thing and it's an immediate click. It's not a complimentary thing like what MLB is.

Also, I would say wait until the 2014-15 schedule is released. I wouldn't expect in any fashion as many OOC games televised. None of the McCalister @ Butler type games.

And, I'm sorry, but Fox isn't a guarantee. Everyone brings up Fox broadcast, and Fox News. Broadcast and News are a whole lot easier to get good in than sports. Sports you have to have the live rights. You can have all the great talking heads shows you want, but live events are what drives everything.

[Xudash]

That amount of worrying that goes on here is ridiculous. Ok, so this is the FIRST year of FS1 and already that have shown: MLB, UFC, NASCAR, PAC-12, Big East and they have a legitimate "SportsCenter" with Fox Sports Live with legitimate analysts.

This isn't CBSSN with an hour of Gottlieb staring into the screen or NBCSN with god knows what.

Can anyone tell me how we could've gotten a better deal? We got a long contract, cash, 0 demands to expand (so far) , every game is nationally televised we are with the only legitimate alternative to ESPN out there.

Exactly.

Hoya - - 12 years: http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/Big-East-FOX-Sports-reach-extensive-multi-platform-media-rights-agreement-032013

stever, I normally make it a practice to not respond to you, because you are simply too jaded, but I'll note one thing to you: nothing, NOTHING is certain in life. What is clear at this point is that Fox is a very, very formidable world-class organization with very deep pockets and a strategic view for its media operations. What is very clear at this point is that ESPN is formidable as well, having enjoyed a decades long head start at this sports programming gig. Time will tell. But don't for a second believe that ESPN has an automatic lock on sustaining its success over time.

I once went for a 7% yield on senior GM notes based on GM's market cap and what I thought were signs of improving product design/quality. It seemed obvious at the time. Nothing is a given, except death and taxes.

[SecureDaBall]

Also would have to say, if Adam Silver gets his way, the days of the 1 and done will be over in a year or two. That's going to make a program like a Kentucky that much tougher to deal with quite frankly.

I would think eliminating the ability of recruits to go one-and-done will enable more schools to compete for top recruits. Why would the top PG in the nation go to Kentucky, Duke, or Syracuse to not start if they can go to another program and start? Adam Silver pushing a NCAA baseball-type rule may help BE programs in the long run.

[stever20]

That amount of worrying that goes on here is ridiculous. Ok, so this is the FIRST year of FS1 and already that have shown: MLB, UFC, NASCAR, PAC-12, Big East and they have a legitimate "SportsCenter" with Fox Sports Live with legitimate analysts.

This isn't CBSSN with an hour of Gottlieb staring into the screen or NBCSN with god knows what.

Can anyone tell me how we could've gotten a better deal? We got a long contract, cash, 0 demands to expand (so far) , every game is nationally televised we are with the only legitimate alternative to ESPN out there.

Exactly.

Hoya - - 12 years: http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/Big-East-FOX-Sports-reach-extensive-multi-platform-media-rights-agreement-032013

stever, I normally make it a practice to not respond to you, because you are simply too jaded, but I'll note one thing to you: nothing, NOTHING is certain in life. What is clear at this point is that Fox is a very, very formidable world-class organization with very deep pockets and a strategic view for its media operations. What is very clear at this point is that ESPN is formidable as well, having enjoyed a decades long head start at this sports programming gig. Time will tell. But don't for a second believe that ESPN has an automatic lock on sustaining its success over time.

I once went for a 7% yield on senior GM notes based on GM's market cap and what I thought were signs of improving product design/quality. It seemed obvious at the time. Nothing is a given, except death and taxes.

I agree with you that Fox is formidable. My simple point- folks on here post like it's a given that FS1 will suceed- that there is no danger of them failing. Until Fox gets more properties(particularly in the winter sports period quite frankly), things will be tough for Fox.

ESPN isn't going anywhere. Not with what properties they have. In sports, you are viewed in large part based on what you can air live. That's the difference between fox news and fox sports for example. Fox News can televise any press conference they want to. can't do that with sports. Unless ESPN loses all the properties they have now, they aren't going anywhere....

[stever20]

Also would have to say, if Adam Silver gets his way, the days of the 1 and done will be over in a year or two. That's going to make a program like a Kentucky that much tougher to deal with quite frankly.

I would think eliminating the ability of recruits to go one-and-done will enable more schools to compete for top recruits. Why would the top PG in the nation go to Kentucky, Duke, or Syracuse to not start if they can go to another program and start? Adam Silver pushing a NCAA baseball-type rule may help BE programs in the long run.

It could, but also it would make a program like a Kentucky that much deeper as well. They'll get their 3-4 guys each year and so instead of having 3-4 top 30 recruits, they're going to have 6-7 top 30 recruits. Also, odds are going to be pretty tough that all of Kentucky, Duke, or Syracuse would all not have a PG opening- not to mention schools like UNC, Arizona, Kansas, and the Big Ten schools.

I think where having the rule helping BE would be quite frankly if it was the NCAA baseball rule requiring 3 years. That would be the game changer to me. I think 2 and done probably does nothing but help the bigger schools out. Just looking at last years NBA draft- 8 freshmen were taken. Only Ricky Ledo from PC was a Big East player(well, at least in theory). 6 were in P5 conferences. 2 years ago- 9 freshmen got drafted. All but 2 were in the P5, and the other 2 was 1 UConn player and Harkless. So in 2 years, 17 freshman got drafted, and only 2 were in our new BE. So the guys leaving early are almost entirely P5 guys. Those teams would start being more and more experienced.

[hoyahooligan]

1) How long is our contract with Fox? I think people are too concerned with the health of Fox. Honestly we just need them to do ok. We don't need them to take down ESPN or even come close, we just need them to continue until our contract runs out. If they're in a good enough position we may continue on with them, or we'll be attractive enough and Fox enough of a threat that ESPN will try and buy us back either way it's win win.

2) Most Athletic Departments lose money despite BCS money. I don't think BCS money really helps or influences basketball programs. Georgetown and Marquette spend as much or more than any programs in the nation. All the BCS money gets poured back into the football programs to keep those monsters afloat. You're just showing correlation which is not causation.

11 more years for fox. I think even the most ardent folks for Fox would disagree with you about how FS1 just needs to stay afloat. If FS1 was like this 10 years from now, with limited ratings and not much programming, the Big East won't be where it is now- and ESPN may get us back, but at a much reduced price.

I would say 56/64 final 4 teams being from BCS conferences is pretty close to causation. I look at Big Ten for example. in the 16 years before the BCS they had 7 final 4 trips. Now, in the BCS era, they've had 14 trips in the same number of years. Not saying it's all BCS- but it's a factor for sure.

fox sports 1 being the same as it is now is not staying a float or as I said doing ok. In my mind doing ok is just being seen as a legit channel, but not being neck and neck with ESPN. If they're in the same place as they are now in 5 years they won't make it to 10 years.

And you clearly do not understand causation. It could be 64/64 and it wouldn't prove causation. If being in a BCS conference caused basketball success then putting say DePaul in the B10 would turn them into a basketball power house with in a few years and that if you took Kentucky out of the SEC their basketball program would collapse.

There are plenty of BCS programs that are terrible at basketball and there are clealry tons of non BCS programs who are very good at basketball.

The BCS makes up the majority of the legit D1 schools. It's like taking a group of 50 people and 45 of them are tall and 5 of them are short and then complaining that 56/64 of the times they choose a president of the group it's a tall person. Just by pure numbers you'd expect the BCS to have more final 4 representatives since there are more of them than non BCS programs that actually have high major teams.

[DudeAnon]

stever20, you got a chronic case of negativity. Simply put, things are going pretty good right now (things can always change, but who knows the future?) for the Big East. Would you rather we be the AAC, because that was the alternative?

I get its the internet and negativity is a way of life out here, but I just can't get on board. I can think of many ways things could be worse for the Big East. In my mind, things are looking pretty good.

[stever20]

I agree with you on FS1- if they're in same place in 5 years- they won't make it to 10 years....

I guess I would have thought that in terms of BCS teams/non BCS teams- that in 16 years we would have had more than 8 teams make the final 4 not in BCS conferences. Also would note one of the 8 was Louisville in 2005, and they're now in the ACC. I would note about DePaul as well- they were in a BCS like conference from 2005-2013 and did nothing.

Also just looking even more...
In BCS Era-
going down to teams that lost in the elite 8.
48 of 64 teams were football teams in the BCS. 4 more are non fb teams from the BE, a BCS conference in football. So 52/64 teams were in BCS conferences. Adding the final 4 teams- that means 108/128 teams were in BCS conferences. 84%.

And, last 8 years have been even more pronounced. Final 4 teams- 27/32. Elite 8 teams- 28/32. So 55/64 or 86%. So it's getting more pronounced rather than less pronounced.

Just to put it in perspective- in the 4 years before the BCS- there were 10 teams that made the elite 8 that were not in BCS conferences. 22/32 were from BCS conferences. That's only 69%.

[stever20]

stever20, you got a chronic case of negativity. Simply put, things are going pretty good right now (things can always change, but who knows the future?) for the Big East. Would you rather we be the AAC, because that was the alternative?

I get its the internet and negativity is a way of life out here, but I just can't get on board. I can think of many ways things could be worse for the Big East. In my mind, things are looking pretty good.

If we hadn't split, we would be in a conference right now with UConn, Cincy, Memphis, and yes, SMU. And before you say ECU- they were going to be football only. We would have been a top 2-3 conference with no questions asked. And yes, we would have been on ESPN. I think that's a much better place than we are right now.

I think the course we took was and is a major gamble. High Risk/high reward. Very on both sides of that. Also, not being with football- who knows what that's going to look like in 10 years.

Also, to me, it's tough to say something's looking pretty good when we struggled to put 4 teams in the tournament. Our 3rd place team was the next to last team in the tournament. Our 4th place team had to win the BET to make the tournament. That's not pretty good to me by any stretch. That's what we're fighting.

[DudeAnon]

LOL, u think we would be better off in the AAC with only the top teams having a few games on ESPNU. I give up man.