Anyways, Chip Brown from Orangebloods.com reports OU may apply to the Pac-12 by the end of the month.
Oklahoma will apply for membership to the Pac-12 before the end of the month, and Oklahoma State is expected to follow suit, a source close to OU's administration told Orangebloods.com.
Even though Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said Friday the Pac-12 was not interested in expansion at this time, OU's board of regents is fed up with the instability in the Big 12, the source said.
The OU board of regents will meet within two weeks to formalize plans to apply for membership to the Pac-12, the source said.
Messages left Sunday night with OU athletic director Joe Castiglione and Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder were not immediately returned.
If OU follows through with what appears to be a unanimous sentiment on the seven-member Oklahoma board of regents to leave the Big 12, realignment in college athletics could be heating back up. OU's application would be matched by an application from Oklahoma State, the source said, even though OSU president Burns Hargis and mega-booster Boone Pickens both voiced their support for the Big 12 last Thursday.
There is differing sentiment about if the Pac-12 presidents and chancellors are ready to expand again after bringing in Colorado and Utah last year and landing $3 billion TV contracts from Fox and ESPN. Colorado president Bruce Benson told reporters last week CU would be opposed to any expansion that might bring about east and west divisions in the Pac-12.
Currently, there are north and south divisions in the Pac-12. If OU and OSU were to join, Larry Scott would have to get creative.
Scott's orginal plan last summer was to bring in Colorado, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and put them in an eastern division with Arizona and Arizona State. The old Pac-8 schools (USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State) were to be in the west division.
Colorado made the move in June 2010, but when Texas A&M was not on board to go west, the Big 12 came back together with the help of its television partners (ABC/ESPN and Fox).
If Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were accepted into the Pac-12, there would undoubtedly be a hope by Larry Scott that Texas would join the league. But Texas sources have indicated UT is determined to hang onto the Longhorn Network, which would not be permissible in the Pac-12 in its current form.
Texas sources continue to indicate to Orangebloods.com that if the Big 12 falls apart, the Longhorns would consider "all options."
Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe held an emergency conference call 10 days ago with league presidents excluding Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M and asked the other league presidents to "work on Texas" because Beebe didn't think the Pac-12 would take Oklahoma without Texas.
Now, it appears OU is willing to take its chances with the Pac-12 with or without Texas.
There seemed to be a temporary pause in any possible shifting of the college athletics' landscape when Baylor led a charge to tie up Texas A&M's move to the Southeastern Conference in legal red tape. BU refused to waive its right to sue the SEC over A&M's departure from the Big 12, and the SEC said it would not admit Texas A&M until it had been cleared of any potential lawsuits.
Baylor, Kansas and Iowa State have indicated they will not waive their right to sue the SEC.
It's unclear if an application by OU to the Pac-12 would draw the same threats of litigation against the Pac-12 from those Big 12 schools.
Originally Posted by Rams Fan:
I have no problem with sitting and watching a MLB game in person.
On TV, I’m disinterested
162 Games .....it's easy to stop paying attention, especially if your team is out of the playoff picture. It's just too many games to have many of them fall under the category of "must see TV". [Reply]
Originally Posted by Bearcat:
And providers were already losing viewers by the droves pre-Covid and obviously the past year just escalated that.... and so casual fans are driven away because of overall cost and going to cheaper alternatives that mostly don't involve sports.... and for good measure, alienate your hard core fans with add in-game commercials, pre/post games that are mostly commercials, almost no content/build up to the actual games, constant disputes and channels disappearing (thanks, Dish :-) ), etc.
I wonder how much of the sports audience drop is <30 age.
When I was in HS and college, I couldn’t stop watching espn. Even liked the nba back then :-)
But I didn’t have 8,000 cable channels and online stuff and internet porn and etc etc. possible that young folks just aren’t into a QB sack or a buzzer beater like I was [Reply]
Sports leagues/teams used to squeeze fans that went to the games until they got too expensive for a lot of people, now they are squeezing them for staying home and watching on TV.
Look at the Royals, they got the most money by going to Bally Sports, now a big chunk of the fans can't even watch without switching to a certain cable provider.
If it costs extra money or takes extra steps to watch a sport/team, casual fans will start to say F this. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
I wonder how much of the sports audience drop is <30 age.
When I was in HS and college, I couldn’t stop watching espn. Even liked the nba back then :-)
But I didn’t have 8,000 cable channels and online stuff and internet porn and etc etc. possible that young folks just aren’t into a QB sack or a buzzer beater like I was
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
People are “sports’d out”. Too many games too many teams via expansion. Being on TV back in the 80s or 90s was a big deal.
Also people prob worn out by Covid. Realizing sports isn’t that crucial. The blatant money grabs are a turnoff. Also, when lockdowns started people realized they could live without sports anyway.
Unfortunately every generation cares less and less about sports. They all gravitate more to video games, pop culture, and music/art. Generation Z really, really does not give a shit about sports compared to my generation. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BWillie:
Unfortunately every generation cares less and less about sports. They all gravitate more to video games, pop culture, and music/art. Generation Z really, really does not give a shit about sports compared to my generation.
Yeah, I’m under 30 but a good amount of my buddies love sports as much as I do.
Where I really see the drop off is when I talk sports with my students. Some like it, but most have only a casual interest or are just completely ambivalent about it. Baseball is due for a massive crash. Only 2 of my students can even watch the Rockies (we live in CO) and it’s because their parents are fans. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chiefspants:
Yeah, I’m under 30 but a good amount of my buddies love sports as much as I do.
Where I really see the drop off is when I talk sports with my students. Some like it, but most have only a casual interest or are just completely ambivalent about it. Baseball is due for a massive crash. Only 2 of my students can even watch the Rockies (we live in CO) and it’s because their parents are fans.
Have you seen car companies offer “new grad discounts”? Studies show people become brand loyal by age 35. Making cars a bit cheaper helps your future sales.
I’ve often thought sports teams should offer Gen Z/Milennials preferred pricing. It’s their future customer base for the premium seating.
Automakers know this. Sports teams are run by myopic idiots desperate for the next dollar. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Have you seen car companies offer “new grad discounts”? Studies show people become brand loyal by age 35. Making cars a bit cheaper helps your future sales.
I’ve often thought sports teams should offer Gen Z/Milennials preferred pricing. It’s their future customer base for the premium seating.
Automakers know this. Sports teams are run by myopic idiots desperate for the next dollar.
Actually baseball teams are marketing towards the younger with some of the new seating options at games. All inclusive areas that you can move around during the game and have outdoor games etc. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Have you seen car companies offer “new grad discounts”? Studies show people become brand loyal by age 35. Making cars a bit cheaper helps your future sales.
I’ve often thought sports teams should offer Gen Z/Milennials preferred pricing. It’s their future customer base for the premium seating.
Automakers know this. Sports teams are run by myopic idiots desperate for the next dollar.
The MLB blackout policy is perhaps the worst long term idea I can think of that a major corporate entity is running with today. Hardly any young people can watch the game, I'll never understand how detached the owners must be to roll with that. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chiefspants:
The MLB blackout policy is perhaps the worst long term idea I can think of that a major corporate entity is running with today. Hardly any young people can watch the game, I'll never understand how detached the owners must be to roll with that.
What's the average age of an MLB owner? 73? [Reply]
Originally Posted by sedated:
Sports leagues/teams used to squeeze fans that went to the games until they got too expensive for a lot of people, now they are squeezing them for staying home and watching on TV.
Look at the Royals, they got the most money by going to Bally Sports, now a big chunk of the fans can't even watch without switching to a certain cable provider.
If it costs extra money or takes extra steps to watch a sport/team, casual fans will start to say F this.
You don't want to pay $350/per for upper level tickets and $50 parking to the Chiefs opener in a few weeks?!? [Reply]