"Rutgers is more of a Big Ten middle man than a member"

[Townie72]

I know there's another long thread on the most recent of Rutger's foibles. But the article by Michael Rosenberg of SI captures the larger point about why the Big Ten offered membership to a program that was kept afloat financially through student fees and sharing of general fund money.


Michael Rosenberg of SI wrote:
“… But Rutgers has been pretending to know how an athletic department operates.

The ruse worked on Big Ten commissioner, Jim Delany, who recently added Rutgers to his collection of television properties. To the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights are just a vehicle to get into the New York television market. The idea is fans in the New York area will clamor for the Big Ten Network in their cable package so that they can watch their favorite team, once Delany informs them their favorite team is Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are being paid to bring in business. Rutgers is more of a Big Ten middle man than a member.”

So while SU is an actual ACC member selected for the successful athletic programs and for the strength that the SU "brand" brings to the ACC "brand", the Big Ten selection of Rutgers is more akin to a developer buying a house because what he really wants is the land on which the house sits.

While the homeowners are thrilled that someone made an offer on the house, the developer is starting up the CAT D-8's to "improve" the property.

It's important to understand that the Big Ten is making a "bet" that the cable companies will be forced to add the BTN because of pressure from sports fans. If that doesn't happen and the B1G is stuck with this long-term dog of a franchise, it will be one of the funniest moments in college sports.

 

[TexanMark]

You nailed it. Well Done!

 

[SUinNYC]

I know there's another long thread on the most recent of Rutger's foibles. But the article by Michael Rosenberg of SI captures the larger point about why the Big Ten offered membership to a program that was kept afloat financially through student fees and sharing of general fund money.


Michael Rosenberg of SI wrote:
“… But Rutgers has been pretending to know how an athletic department operates.

The ruse worked on Big Ten commissioner, Jim Delany, who recently added Rutgers to his collection of television properties. To the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights are just a vehicle to get into the New York television market. The idea is fans in the New York area will clamor for the Big Ten Network in their cable package so that they can watch their favorite team, once Delany informs them their favorite team is Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are being paid to bring in business. Rutgers is more of a Big Ten middle man than a member.”

So while SU is an actual ACC member selected for the successful athletic programs and for the strength that the SU "brand" brings to the ACC "brand", the Big Ten selection of Rutgers is more akin to a developer buying a house because what he really wants is the land on which the house sits.

While the homeowners are thrilled that someone made an offer on the house, the developer is starting up the CAT D-8's to "improve" the property.

It's important to understand that the Big Ten is making a "bet" that the cable companies will be forced to add the BTN because of pressure from sports fans. If that doesn't happen and the B1G is stuck with this long-term dog of a franchise, it will be one of the funniest moments in college sports.

Well said. It's nice to see the national media starting to catch on to what we've been saying on this board for years (or at least I have). Rutgers has a terrible athletics program with no brand, but is lucky to be in a fantastic location.

This article on ESPN must be making Jim Delaney feel proud.

Rutgers back to being a punch line
And so here we are. Rather than putting an ugly chapter to bed, Rutgers keeps authoring new ones.
A school that hasn't done much to earn sports headlines since that first football game against Princeton, the State University of New Jersey, its mere name usually a gift for joke writers, finally found itself invited to the cool kids' table when it was added to the Big Ten.
And now Rutgers is right back where it started -- in the dunce's corner, one punch line after another, a chronic palm to the forehead slap.
Rutgers is just a train wreck.

OUCH! These aren't just anonymous message board trolls trashing a conference rival. These are bylined reporters with a national audience.

 

[SU2NASA]

Some gems from MGoBlog... The schadenfreude is delicious, especially since no one had any respect for Rutgers before this even happened.

Can the B1G retract the invitiation and take someone else instead? Rutgers was a crap choice anyway.​

Nobody cares about them in the NY area, they are turrible at every sport, mediocre at best in football.​

Any know if there is any way the invitation to Rutgers could be revoked?​

I'm so glad Rutgers is in the conference! Yeah!​

Jim Delany: ''Oh hey Big East, uhhh so yeah I think I changed my mind about Rutgers. No give backs!''​

I will certainly tell any Rutger's "fan" (if I can find one) the Big East still has a spot open for them and Big Ten fans are urging Rutgers to jump. ​

They obviously aren't prepared to handle a real athletic conference... ​

maybe Rutgers should get its together so it isn't even easier to mock. ​

Adding Rutgers was a horrible, horrible HORRIBLE idea even before they showed themselves to be the keystone cops of Athletic Departments. Now it is beginning to look like the most ridiculously bad move in history. At this point, would the MAC even take Rutgers? ​

Is the ink dry on the Big Ten contract? Any way to get out of it?​

​

It is amazing how incompetent this athletic department has shown themselves to be over the past 6 months. I was pissed they were being added to the Big Ten before all of this. The Big Ten and all of the member institutions will be laughed at for bringing Rutgers in to the conference. I do not appreciate the negative publicity this will bring to the conference and the lack of national or even regional significance Rutgers brings to athletics. Terrible decision by the Big 10.​

 

[TexanMark]

Where is that Rutgers fan who always comes on the board to defend all that is Scarlet?

After reading "The Scarlet Letter" in high school I didn't realize the scarlet letter was a "Block R".

 

[HtownOrange]

Some gems from MGoBlog... The schadenfreude is delicious, especially since no one had any respect for Rutgers before this even happened.

The B1G should have included a "Morals" clause wherein the invite would be revoked for this kindof behavior. Perhaps they included a probationary or trial period. For their sakes I hope so. And to think, had Delaney and crew simply read this blog (orany other Big East blog), they could have avoided the embarassment commony referred to as Rutgers.

But let's not forget the ESB was lit up in red, so they got that going for them.

 

[All4SU]

That's "Bag Man."

 

[SUFaninNJ]

Hell, even the Big East got rid of Temple (for awhile). Perhaps one day the Big Google will do the same to Rutgers.

 

[Resonator]

And yet, it was just a few short months ago that B10 fans were talking about Rutgers getting better after an infusion of BTN cash. Now, it'll just make for a better Keystone Cops production.

I am SO glad that Swofford passed on that trainwreck.

 

[jgeorge322]

honestly, the thing for me is rutgers is so ty athletic wise, that this raises their profile almost. there really is no bad publicity when you aren't known for anything else. don't think it really benefits them in the long run but i don't think it hurts either, so while we can point and laugh all we want, ill take more enjoyment in them getting dulldozed in the big 10 every week and their fanbase going silent.

 

[Madbiker]

If that's the B1G strategy it's going to be an epic failure. I suppose there will be households in NJ that will want the BTN to follow RU or watch Penn St. games. But nobody in the 5 boroughs of NYC or Long Island or Westchester has any interest in Rutgers athletics.

 

[rosconey]

to me its this -
the kid who is picked last for dodgeball has a hot sister who bakes cupcakes and is kinda loose-
she says if you pick my little brother before the last pick ill be nice to you-
you get all hot and bothered with delusional ideas about what might happen:E

in the end you just wasted a pick and now have blue balls

 

[Tom Frey]

so in 10 years when I can select my cable channels on my tv thru "apps" and I don't need a cable box, where will Rutgers be then? Your school will be judged by how many "apps" you can sell to tv's and phones, and since people from Rutgers can't afford tv's or phones then I bet they get dropped

 

[dollarbill44]

If that's the B1G strategy it's going to be an epic failure. I suppose there will be households in NJ that will want the BTN to follow RU or watch Penn St. games. But nobody in the 5 boroughs of NYC or Long Island or Westchester has any interest in Rutgers athletics.

Well, a good bit of NJ already gets the BTN as part of the basic sports package. I had it when I had Cablevision and I have it with Fios.

 

[Townie72]

And yet, it was just a few short months ago that B10 fans were talking about Rutgers getting better after an infusion of BTN cash. Now, it'll just make for a better Keystone Cops production.

I am SO glad that Swofford passed on that trainwreck.

I have seen this written too about an "infusion of cash". I wonder what "infusion of cash" they are talking about.

They are running significantly "in the red" --- even after dropping a bunch of sports --- so much of this "infusion of cash" ought to go into balancing their books which right now is being done on the backs of the students and taxpayers.

Right now, Rutgers athletics runs a huge deficit ($26M per year). They get this from holding up the students by charging them a fee (while most don't care about RU athletics) and by holding up the students again by transferring money from the University General Fund (which is illegal in some states like Maryland). In my experience, most of the Rutgers student population is there --- at least in part --- because it is cheaper than where they really wanted to go. So I suspect that if given the choice, many would prefer to see their tuition and fees reduced.

This seems to me to be similar to a married couple whose monthly bills significantly exceed their monthly income because they have been overspending. One of them (unexpectedly) gets a better job and starts making enough money to balance their books. What do they do? Go on a spending spree?

Is part of the Rutgers Big Ten deal that they add back the sports they dropped and that they even add more sports?

If the B1G is hoping that the additional money means that RU will significantly upgrade their programs and facilities, I'd say they are in for a (another) disappointment.

If the B1G thinks that RU playing in the B1G is going to mean even more local interest in RU and more competitive teams, I'd suggest they look hard at the RU Basketball experience in the Big East. The Big East was arguably the best basketball conference. RU sits in the middle of the Boston to DC mega-opolis. There is no shortage of interest in basketball, of potential fans or of players. Not only did Rutgers fail to be competitive in the Big East, recently they have been regularly losing to small, local schools that most sports fans don't even know exist.

Mulcahy's grand plan and great gamble (with other people's money) was that he and a few others could build a program equaling what other State schools enjoyed. He was able to get the football program up to mediocre and draw some fans. But for the most part the athletic program is still pretty bad.

 

[omniorange]

Well, a good bit of NJ already gets the BTN as part of the basic sports package. I had it when I had Cablevision and I have it with Fios.

I believe you are getting that as part of the iO TV Sports Pak for about $6.00 or $7 extra a month for all of the sports channels included in that package.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[FAL]

so in 10 years when I can select my cable channels on my tv thru "apps" and I don't need a cable box, where will Rutgers be then? Your school will be judged by how many "apps" you can sell to tv's and phones, and since people from Rutgers can't afford tv's or phones then I bet they get dropped

Hey Tom--it's gonna happen long before 10 years from now. Sooner than we all think.

 

[jgeorge322]

Well, a good bit of NJ already gets the BTN as part of the basic sports package. I had it when I had Cablevision and I have it with Fios.

comcasts sports package in boston included btn as well. you get it along w nfl network and sny, which i had to have. never watched btn at all, however. nothing ever good was on it, and thats not meant as a shot at the league. it is just i never wanted to watch tier 3 big10 games just like i wouldnt care to see ole miss v vanderbuilt in the sec.

 

[TexanMark]

If that's the B1G strategy it's going to be an epic failure. I suppose there will be households in NJ that will want the BTN to follow RU or watch Penn St. games. But nobody in the 5 boroughs of NYC or Long Island or Westchester has any interest in Rutgers athletics.

The only interest will be alumni from fellow B1G schools and the few Block R fans in NYC/LI/Upstate. Keeping Hermann will be humorous as the dynamics in the Ath Dept will be delicously dysfunctional for years.

BTW, I have BTN on my cable in TX...I've only watched it when Cuse was on and maybe a total of 60 extra minutes watching a replay of an old game. B1G sports are sooooooooooo boring. So happy to be in the ACC.

 

[SU2NASA]

More MGoBlog gems in response to this article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/s...on8.nytimes.com/pages/sports/index.jsonp&_r=0

Sorry, i laughed at "Major Rutgers donors".​

I'm sure Calista Flockhart and James Gandolfini throw some money around too.​

Now that all this has come out, are you really sure you'd rather have rutgers than Cincy or Uconn?​

I'm not sure many of us wanted them to join the conference in the first place. Cincinnati and UConn are arguably better than Rutgers in football and (especially) basketball. Delaney just wanted the market not necessarily the school which was the biggest mistake.​

I'd rather not have the turd, kick to the balls, or the smelly diaper, thanks.​

even if NYC market is the major concern. NOBODY cares abut rutgers. ​

I am from New York. I live in suburbia on Long Island, and work in NYC. If Delany thinks that adding Rutgers is going to get him a single east coast tv view, then he didn't do his market research. Nobody in NY gives a single about Rutgers.​

Did the B1G keep the reciept for the Rutgers deal? ​

and the icing of your schadenfreude cake:

If I'm the B1G (and as an alum of a B1G school), I'm wondering just who the hell I've gotten into bed with... ​

I'm thinking herpes, genital warts, crabs, and the clap for starters.​

 

[Moontan]

More MGoBlog gems in response to this article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/s...on8.nytimes.com/pages/sports/index.jsonp&_r=0

And from the article's own comments section:

Laxer Ma
my daughter recently left Louisville lacrosse because of unethical behavior from the head coach...I and my daughter had many conversations and emails with Julie hermann. ...she asking my daughter to stay because the coach would be fired. She made promises of no restrictions on my daughters future schools. They were all lies and I believe she was covering for kellie young and they were in cahoots together. Julie hermann is a liar and fraud.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

I'm in Jersey and I have it on DirecTv. Only watched it when Cuse played and when my nephew was on when they had a feature on the Illinois student section.

 

[SWC75]

They had to go for Rutgers when the Giants turned them down. (He's never heard of the Jets.)

That Maryland-Rutgers rivalry should really be something.

 

[otisco]

I know there's another long thread on the most recent of Rutger's foibles. But the article by Michael Rosenberg of SI captures the larger point about why the Big Ten offered membership to a program that was kept afloat financially through student fees and sharing of general fund money.


Michael Rosenberg of SI wrote:
“… But Rutgers has been pretending to know how an athletic department operates.

The ruse worked on Big Ten commissioner, Jim Delany, who recently added Rutgers to his collection of television properties. To the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights are just a vehicle to get into the New York television market. The idea is fans in the New York area will clamor for the Big Ten Network in their cable package so that they can watch their favorite team, once Delany informs them their favorite team is Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are being paid to bring in business. Rutgers is more of a Big Ten middle man than a member.”

So while SU is an actual ACC member selected for the successful athletic programs and for the strength that the SU "brand" brings to the ACC "brand", the Big Ten selection of Rutgers is more akin to a developer buying a house because what he really wants is the land on which the house sits.

While the homeowners are thrilled that someone made an offer on the house, the developer is starting up the CAT D-8's to "improve" the property.

It's important to understand that the Big Ten is making a "bet" that the cable companies will be forced to add the BTN because of pressure from sports fans. If that doesn't happen and the B1G is stuck with this long-term dog of a franchise, it will be one of the funniest moments in college sports.

Bang. Nicely said, Swearengen.

I believe Ellis Albert once said something like, "Announcing your plan is a fine way to hear God laugh". Seems apropos in this context.

 

[HtownOrange]

They had to go for Rutgers when the Giants turned them down. (He's never heard of the Jets.)

That Maryland-Rutgers rivalry should really be something.

Indiana fans will be interested. They will want to see their competition in action. I believe Indiana will improve in appearance with Rutgers and Maryland in their division.


With all three Rutgers fans watching, about 10 Maryland fans, and another 5 Indiana fans, I estimate about a 35% increase in the Rutgers-Maryland viewership.