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Intercollegiate Forum

Top College Sports Execs Not Sure Possible Conference Expansion Is Over

College athletics administrators on the opening panel of the ’16 Learfield Intercollegiate Athletics Forum said they think conference expansion is not over and that the Big 12’s decision against expanding will actually prompt more conferences and schools to consider moving. Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman said, “It’s hard to imagine that this is over, that there won’t be more movements in years ahead. It seems pretty quiet right now. But I would say every conference commissioner worth their salt is constantly monitoring the landscape, trying to keep up with these changes.” Univ. of Houston AD Hunter Yurachek, whose school was considered by the Big 12 as an expansion candidate, said, “The outcome was not positive for us, but the self-evaluation was very positive. As an institution, we discovered a great deal about ourselves, the city of Houston, (and) the state of Texas.” However, he added, “I really don’t know that we know (what conference alignment will look like in 10 years).” Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson had several member schools explore Big 12 expansion. “You understand your members trying to position themselves the best place they can be,” Thompson said. “All we can do as commissioners is make a comfortable home and grow our league as best we can. But it’s always out there.” Richmond AD Keith Gill said, “There are a lot of times where your trustees, your fans, your donors think it’s the institution's fault that they may or may not have been invited to a conference. I think the one thing that the Big 12 scenario showed everyone is institutions don’t have a lot of control. In some ways, by the time those decisions are about to be made, the die has already been cast.” Thompson added of conference expansion, “It’s part evolutionary, it’s part because of television contracts and other issues. But I don’t say in 2016 that it’s definitely over.”

LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP: The panel touched on several topics facing college athletics today, including fan and student attendance figures. “Declining attendance’s big impact is who’s in your conference now,” Yurachek said. “We’ve got a great conference. We’re a very proud member of the American Athletic Conference. But our fans can’t go to Connecticut on a Saturday for a college football game.” He added, “Conferences do not make geographic sense. We talk about the student-athlete experience and we spend so much time on the time expectations, but if you really want to get your arms around the time commitment of the student athletes, take the travel off the table.”

HOT TOPIC: The panelists also discussed the topic of paying student-athletes. David B. Falk Professor of Sport Management and Syracuse Faculty Athletics Representative Rick Burton said, “We sometimes forget how difficult it is to be a student-athlete in that kind of setting where you’re on the road (sometimes) 30 to 40 weekends a year with travel associated with your certain sport.” However, he said, “[Student-athletes are] already being paid. Are they going to be paid more? It’s a shame to believe they’re not getting anything at all.” Gill mentioned the continued expansion of benefits for student-athletes, saying he believes the model in place “is good” as it currently stands. Ackerman added, “It’s going to be in the hands of the court. We don’t know the answer to that question. I think what our student-athletes are getting today is a pretty good exchange. I hope that opportunity continues.”

ABSTRACT POINT: Burton had an interesting look regarding the future of college athletics and how it could relate to e-sports. “I’m going to be kind of abstract and provocative at the same time,” he said, “but if we keep getting it wrong in terms of the distance and time away from the classroom, the e-gaming revolution may actually change the college sports landscape as schools start to get into video gaming and not having to travel to compete,” he said. “It’s a real abstract point, but it’s the kind of thing that if you want to project 20 years from now what things could look like, e-gaming could start to become a lot more relevant on the college sports landscape.”

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