Neill Woelk - Camera Sports Writer
Posted: 06/16/2010 12:04:04 AM MDT
Four months ago, when a Colorado move to the Pac-10 first became a serious possibility, I thought it was a great idea.
The only thing that`s changed today is that I`m even more convinced that CU made the right decision. Anyone who sees what kind of strong-arm job Texas pulled on the rest of the Big 12 in order to keep the league intact has to agree.
The Pac-10 is an outstanding conference, full of schools with whom CU is a good match academically and athletically, and a culture that promotes many of the ideals that Colorado embraces.
Put integrity high on that list -- then ask yourself if the Big 12 can still count that quality as part of its conference fabric.
Will the move mean less potential revenue for the Buffs? Of course. A 16-team conference that included Texas and all of its little brothers would have no doubt been a bigger lure in television contract negotiations.
But the Buffs will still make more money in the Pac-10 than they made last year, and will almost certainly match -- or exceed -- what they would have made had they stayed in the Big 12. Meanwhile, they will not have to watch a couple of schools dictate the direction of an entire conference. They will not have to compromise their ideals just to stay afloat.
But let`s all give Big 12 commish Dan Beebe a nice round of applause today. He salvaged a league that had been given up for dead just a few days ago (and savaged a handful of schools in the process).
To "save" the league, Beebe had to sell out the majority of the conference members and convince them to give Texas everything it wanted. The man in charge with looking out for the best interests of every school looked out for a select few -- and kept his job in the process.
Did the Big 12`s "other schools" sell their souls? Of course they did -- but there was only one bidder, and with their survival on the line, they clearly believed that selling out their fans, their student athletes and their schools was better than the alternative.
Read more: Woelk: CU`s move still right after Texas strong-arm - Boulder Daily Camera http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_15306434?source=most_viewed#ixzz0r2ABkEBE
DailyCamera.com
Posted: 06/16/2010 12:04:04 AM MDT
Four months ago, when a Colorado move to the Pac-10 first became a serious possibility, I thought it was a great idea.
The only thing that`s changed today is that I`m even more convinced that CU made the right decision. Anyone who sees what kind of strong-arm job Texas pulled on the rest of the Big 12 in order to keep the league intact has to agree.
The Pac-10 is an outstanding conference, full of schools with whom CU is a good match academically and athletically, and a culture that promotes many of the ideals that Colorado embraces.
Put integrity high on that list -- then ask yourself if the Big 12 can still count that quality as part of its conference fabric.
Will the move mean less potential revenue for the Buffs? Of course. A 16-team conference that included Texas and all of its little brothers would have no doubt been a bigger lure in television contract negotiations.
But the Buffs will still make more money in the Pac-10 than they made last year, and will almost certainly match -- or exceed -- what they would have made had they stayed in the Big 12. Meanwhile, they will not have to watch a couple of schools dictate the direction of an entire conference. They will not have to compromise their ideals just to stay afloat.
But let`s all give Big 12 commish Dan Beebe a nice round of applause today. He salvaged a league that had been given up for dead just a few days ago (and savaged a handful of schools in the process).
To "save" the league, Beebe had to sell out the majority of the conference members and convince them to give Texas everything it wanted. The man in charge with looking out for the best interests of every school looked out for a select few -- and kept his job in the process.
Did the Big 12`s "other schools" sell their souls? Of course they did -- but there was only one bidder, and with their survival on the line, they clearly believed that selling out their fans, their student athletes and their schools was better than the alternative.
Read more: Woelk: CU`s move still right after Texas strong-arm - Boulder Daily Camera http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_15306434?source=most_viewed#ixzz0r2ABkEBE
DailyCamera.com