To say the state of college athletics is in flux would be a gross understatement. But how did this all come about? “The frenetic pace of conference defections over the past few weeks has been inspired in large part by the success of the Big Ten Network,” said legal analyst Gary Chester, who has covered legal and business issues for more than 25 years and has written for several sports publications. “The BTN gave the Big Ten schools additional media revenue and a recruiting tool that is on the air 24/7.”
With the additions of Syracuse and Pittsburgh, the ACC now can cash in on the fact that the conference has schools in nearly every major media market on the East Coast.
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But moving to super conferences may have legal ramifications from outsiders.
“The NCAA is a monopoly, and the Department of Justice might look at the effect that super conferences will have on smaller conferences and schools and threaten antitrust action to block or limit super conferences,” Chester said.
– Jim Williams
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!, on washingtonexaminer.com.
