UC Board of Regents met today to consider blocking UCLA BigTent move
Much of the same old discussion, but today's meeting focused on a letter from the Pac 12 commissioner, arguing that UCLA didn't understand how much it would cost, AND that it would hurt student-athletes heads, AND it would hurt the climate.
No firm response from the Board or UCLA, only that they're discussing things again / still.
The article did hint that the board members (and Governor Newsom) are mainly pissed they were kept in the dark, and that they'll ultimately allow UCLA to join the Big Ten but diminish the leeway they'd given chancellors of the various UC campuses.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/22/sports/ncaafootball/ucla-big-ten-uc-regents.html
September 22nd, 2022 at 8:29 PM ^
Beat me by 13 seconds!
September 22nd, 2022 at 8:32 PM ^
You'd probably have had a better title.
September 22nd, 2022 at 8:35 PM ^
I mean, before all is said and done, it's going to be one big tent.
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:03 PM ^
Well considering UCLA can't fill the Rose Bowl, maybe they should strongly consider moving into a Big Tent, probably easier to sell out and better fan experience.
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:06 PM ^
No worries, Big Ten fans in So. Cal will fill the Rose Bowl.
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:17 PM ^
They filled the Staples Center pretty well for the 2018 NCAA West Regional.
September 22nd, 2022 at 8:30 PM ^
Big Ten, obviously, not "Big Tent."
Also, my title suggests that blocking UCLA's move is a distinct possibility but the article hints it's unlikely.
Sorry. Gotta work on my titles. (I see "tit-le" and get excited.)
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:15 PM ^
Did not realize how many of those skits there were.
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:24 PM ^
Thanks. That was fun.
September 22nd, 2022 at 10:33 PM ^
Therapist / the rapist will stay with me as long as my days
September 23rd, 2022 at 6:59 PM ^
I’ll take Le tits now for $600.
September 23rd, 2022 at 5:58 AM ^
That was glorious
September 23rd, 2022 at 6:31 AM ^
Still waiting on that Penis Mightier.
September 23rd, 2022 at 8:34 AM ^
Dolly Parton! Love these. Every single one is gold. Black Jeopardy is also hilarious.
September 23rd, 2022 at 7:14 PM ^
NOT A FAN OF THE LADIES, ARE YA TREBEK
September 23rd, 2022 at 8:05 AM ^
This is the best part of the whole article:
would hurt student-athletes heads, AND it would hurt the climate.
September 23rd, 2022 at 8:33 AM ^
I mean if you have 20 teams, the Big Ten isn't really an appropriate name. Big TENt is actually a pretty cool, more appropriate name with an homage to the Big TEN in it. It's sort of like the political party big tent concept, UCLA, Rutgers and Wisconsin, have about as much in common as disparate political factions that make up the Democratic or Republican parties. (I deleted several really funny jokes here. No politics.)
September 23rd, 2022 at 9:30 AM ^
BIG TwENty
Or
BIG 10*2
September 23rd, 2022 at 10:28 AM ^
A Big Tent is better than a Little Tent.
September 22nd, 2022 at 8:38 PM ^
Obligatory: BigTeeeeent!!!
September 22nd, 2022 at 8:42 PM ^
Yeah! That's it. The title's a Freudian slip. My subconscious INTENDED me to write "Big Tent"!
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:31 PM ^
It's a pretty cool typo. I hope it catches on.
September 22nd, 2022 at 10:43 PM ^
Coast to coast Big Tent baby!
September 22nd, 2022 at 8:46 PM ^
The litigation mentioned in the article, is this specific to UCLA or could the B1G have a claim for a lawsuit if UCLA is prevented from joining up?
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:32 PM ^
The meeting wasn't considering litigation but whether to allow UCLA to proceed.
However, anyone can sue anyone else for any reason. Doesn't mean a suit will prevail, nor that it's a good idea to sue.
In this case, based mostly on the article, my hunches are:
1) the UC Board of Regents will grumble, change some protocols, and okay UCLA's move to the Big Ten; and
2) the Pac 12, having huffed and puffed, and then explained (Pac-splained?) big-time college sports to the Board, will unpuff itself and go looking for new members.
September 23rd, 2022 at 10:33 PM ^
Colorado State, baby! Welcome to the PAC-x!
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:06 PM ^
It would hurt the climate because... Longer air travel, more carbon emissions? I don't get it.
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:20 PM ^
Yes. They will throw that around when it fits their purposes (and ignore it when it doesn't), but in this case they have a point.
It is also a huge waste of financial resources if it stays the way it is with USC and UCLA being the only West Coast / Pacific Time zone programs in the Midwest / East Coast Big Ten.
September 23rd, 2022 at 12:08 AM ^
Waste of financial resources? Um, the whole reason for the move was to get part of BigTen $$$$ so they could compete.
September 22nd, 2022 at 10:35 PM ^
A pac-12 beat reporter (John Canzano) said earlier this week the conference was in touch with a C-USA school as regards expansion.
The only C-USA school that makes any sort of sense for that would be Rice.
And oh yeah - Seattle to Houston is 125 miles longer a trip than LAX to O’Hare!
So that climate change argument he was making ……. uh huh. Totally ridiculous.
September 23rd, 2022 at 7:45 AM ^
Air travel is incredibly dirty as far as climate-unfriendly gassy emissions go. But it still doesn't hold a candle to car/truck travel. So I say UCLA be forced to travel on sail planes!
September 23rd, 2022 at 8:36 AM ^
THIS is what the Panama Canal was made for. Just sail right around. No problem.
September 23rd, 2022 at 12:10 PM ^
From the looks of your picture, you were there when it was built.
September 23rd, 2022 at 2:35 PM ^
Electric cars...a Tesla for you and a Tesla for you and a Tesla for you.
September 24th, 2022 at 9:25 AM ^
Anyone from the pac ten side arguing about emissions is ignoring the fact that as it's currently assembled, the pac ten already has probably the most air travel miles of any conference. So while the big ten's air travel emissions will increase with this change, the pac ten has spent the entirety of the history of air travel pumping out far more CO2 than the big ten. Who is criticizing them for that?
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:07 PM ^
But how do they feel about an RV move?
/DadJoke
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:33 PM ^
Parking for free in Utah.
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:14 PM ^
It is a moot point because it is insane and unsustainable to have 2 programs - USC and UCLA - on a West Coast Pacific Time Zone island all by themselves within the Midwest / East Coast Big Ten. Especially for sports that play multiple times per week.
The Big Ten knows this and will very likely add other West Coast teams - Oregon, Washington, Stanford, Cal - so that USC and UCLA will have some playmates in their own neighborhood.
Consider it part of the price necessary to add USC and UCLA to the Big Ten.
September 23rd, 2022 at 11:21 AM ^
If they add Cal I'm sure the UC board of regents will stop caring immediately.
If they block UCLA I'm pretty sure that Stanford will get the call very shortly afterwards.
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:19 PM ^
The regents are trying to keep them from running away and joining … the circus?
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:34 PM ^
NTTAWWT
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:22 PM ^
This may be as much about getting Cal into the Big Ten as it is about keeping UCLA out of the Big Ten.
September 22nd, 2022 at 9:37 PM ^
Ooh, good point.
Though the article led with the Pac 12 commissioner's letter, and didn't mention Berkeley, I bet you're right, that there's LOTS of politicking behind the scenes to get UCB included.
("You march right back and tell your friend that you can't come UNLESS your older brother gets invited too.")
September 23rd, 2022 at 1:56 AM ^
Cal needs to stay with WSU, OSU, UA, ASU, and Utah. The second fiddle of the PAC 12.
September 23rd, 2022 at 8:40 AM ^
They're too closely tied to UCLA to let them leave without making a stink about it, regardless of how second fiddle they are. It's similar to if Michigan and Ohio State left the B1G for some reason. State isn't going to be happy about it.
September 23rd, 2022 at 9:06 AM ^
Nobody wants Cal. They are a drag on any conference and provide nothing in return. This might be a smart move for the Pac12 to unload some dead weight if they can.
September 23rd, 2022 at 9:21 AM ^
Nobody wants Cal. They are a drag on any conference and provide nothing in return. This might be a smart move for the Pac12 to unload some dead weight if they can.
September 23rd, 2022 at 6:59 PM ^
Nobody wants Cal. They are a drag on any conference and provide nothing in return.
This is false. They bring the northern CA television and recruiting market (as well as a lot of current B1G alumni as potential spectators), and academically Cal brings as much to the table as Michigan.
They don't have the marquee of a 1960-90s Nebraska program, but I would argue Cal would be a much better addition to the conference.
September 23rd, 2022 at 11:22 AM ^
Not really UCLA-USC is much more of a parallel than Michigan-Ohio St. It's more like Tennessee leaving without Vanderbilt. Sure there's some ties, but the only people who would really be upset would be Vanderbilt and even they may not mind that much,