December 14th, 2022 at 7:27 PM ^
Cool, let the good times roll! That will bring a new dynamic to the Big Ten, looking forward to it.
December 14th, 2022 at 11:04 PM ^
For how long?
December 14th, 2022 at 7:32 PM ^
Seems like something California would come up with.
December 14th, 2022 at 9:08 PM ^
Maybe UCLA can play Cal in a home & home every other year, kick their asses, and use the proceeds from the games as their yearly payment.
What a crock. Is the some kind of alimony payment for leaving?
December 14th, 2022 at 10:01 PM ^
It's alimony! You're right! Brilliant observation.
December 14th, 2022 at 10:22 PM ^
Calimony?
December 14th, 2022 at 10:23 PM ^
It does because it can. Consider if California alone was its own country it would have a top 5 GDP in the world. California is a pain in my ass as an exporter but it does so because it can.
December 15th, 2022 at 6:11 AM ^
Which is going bankrupt. And losing their population. I had a patient in Dayton yesterday who left California because she couldn't afford it. She's a professional who has a good job and couldn't afford to live there any longer.
December 15th, 2022 at 9:14 AM ^
I'm originally from San Diego. We took one of our fighters to LA in 2017 IBJJF Worlds and that was as much of a return to California as I want.
December 15th, 2022 at 9:19 AM ^
I don't think their GDP would remain top 5 if they were their own country. Benefitting from being in the US allows them to be fiscally irresponsible and exceptionally high taxed. As a separate country, their movie industry would fully move to Georgia and possibly Florida. Tech companies have already started locating in Texas and once it became more and more clear that the remaining ones would need a tax haven, as California would keep raising taxes, the rest would start moving to Texas and Tennessee. The state is already losing people in droves, the increase in taxes that California would do to try to maintain its spending would push out that last ones that could leave.
December 15th, 2022 at 10:09 AM ^
Also, because of its population and importance in elections, it receives far more federal money then it puts in. Basically subsidized by the other states. (It's not the only one, of course. NY, Texas, and Florida all receive similar benefits.)
December 14th, 2022 at 7:37 PM ^
CA …. 🤣. I am surprised they didn’t vote for hugs to all the U of CA folks.
December 14th, 2022 at 7:39 PM ^
Just don’t put a Dome over the Rose Bowl
December 14th, 2022 at 7:47 PM ^
Hope whatever greedy ass TV execs and conference commisioners decided we need to eliminate the regional aspects and century old rivalries of college football are haunted this Christmas by three terrifying furry mascots...Big Al from Bama, Oski from Cal, and Purdue Pete.
December 14th, 2022 at 8:37 PM ^
Ok State Cowboy is the one that creeps me out.
December 14th, 2022 at 9:10 PM ^
Stanford’s tree would be creepy; just point at stuff like the ghost of Christmas to come.
December 14th, 2022 at 7:54 PM ^
Vote to "green light" was 11-5. It was not unanimous.
The Berkeley subsidy is ridiculous IMO - if their philosophy is "the well off athletic programs must help subsidize the less well off athletics programs", that's fine, but then shouldn't UC-Davis, UCSB, UC-Riverside etc now also be in line for extra $$$? I guess that's a question for the UC Regents to deal with.
UCLA also has to ensure that their new schedules are "of a comparable burden" in terms of travel, as if they stayed in the Pac-12. I'd presume their future OOC schedules will involve less road games (for football, at least, they already played zero OOC road games in 2022).
December 14th, 2022 at 8:22 PM ^
The reasoning behind the subsidy requirement is that this move will have an adverse financial impact on UC-Berkeley because it hurts the Pac-12, which will diminish the revenue that Cal receives from the Pac-12. The other UCs are not Pac-12 members so UCLA's move has no effect on them.
Having said that, Cal is currently saddled with a massive amount of debt from its financially disastrous stadium renovation (made worse by the fact that UC-Berkeley just plain sucks at managing money for some reason), so UCLA and USC's decision to leave the Pac-12 could not have come at a worse time for Cal. The subsidy is a bailout of sorts.
December 14th, 2022 at 8:41 PM ^
I get it —- the pro Berkeley regents just annoy me. I’ve done my rant here before on them.
December 14th, 2022 at 10:04 PM ^
Cal hasn't always sucked at managing their money.
(Actually, I don't know that for a fact but I did know an earlier UC-Berkeley president so, out of loyalty, I assume he did it well.)
December 17th, 2022 at 3:55 PM ^
UC-Berkeley just plain sucks at managing money for some reason
When have hippies ever been good at managing money?
December 14th, 2022 at 8:42 PM ^
They’re in the same university system, the analogy would be that if UM was somehow in the same conference as UM-Dearborn and left, they’d pay a tax for it, and I understand that. It’s also not unique to California (which has two systems, UC and Cal State), Arizona has the same system (perhaps why ASU or U of A never seem to run roughshod over the over for too long), as does Nevada (which went so far as to split the law school and Med School between the two campuses).
December 14th, 2022 at 11:07 PM ^
Fewer road games.
December 14th, 2022 at 8:01 PM ^
I would welcome Cal, Stanford, Washington, and Oregon to the Big Ten. And maybe one more western team, like Colorado? This would allow Big Ten East, Central, West, with 21 total teams. It would be weird.
December 14th, 2022 at 8:18 PM ^
It will never happen unless the TV money makes sense. Adding all those teams don't make sense from a TV revenue perspective. Essentially would just be recreating the old Big Ten and Pac-10 under one umbrella.
December 14th, 2022 at 8:31 PM ^
I would love that, but it ain't gonna happen. The B1G wants USC and UCLA for one reason and one reason only: the Los Angeles TV market, which is the second-largest TV market in the country. That's why they're willing to look past the geographic absurdity of this move. None of the other Pac-12 schools really move the needle in that regard. You could make a case for Washington and Washington State based on the Seattle market, but they're not nearly as big of a draw as USC and UCLA. Ditto for Arizona and Arizona State as well as Colorado and Utah. Forget about Oregon and Oregon State, Nike money notwithstanding. And no one in the Bay Area gives a shit about Cal or Stanford. Even back when Stanford was winning the Pac-12 and playing in BCS bowls, no one here even seemed to notice, let alone care. I can't even find their games on TV half the time.
December 14th, 2022 at 10:41 PM ^
Agree with everything here except I don't think you know where Washington State's campus is located.
December 14th, 2022 at 11:46 PM ^
I know that Pullman is very far from Seattle, but they have plenty of fans and alumni in Seattle.
December 15th, 2022 at 9:26 AM ^
Why would anyone want Cal? They are a second tier at best brand and Stanford is already in the area so there isn't a reason to take a second team from there that doesn't offer anything. It would be like bringing in Rutgers without the New York TV market.
December 14th, 2022 at 8:05 PM ^
How long before $2-5 million becomes $10 million? That seems like an absurd stipulation, but I’m not surprised
December 14th, 2022 at 8:07 PM ^
The UC regents are Berkeley-centric (and California politics is NorCal-centric). Until that changes, further upping this subsidy will be on the table.
December 14th, 2022 at 8:11 PM ^
Here's a linked story:
https://www.si.com/college/2022/12/15/ucla-move-big-ten-approved-university-california-regents
...stating the payment to Cal will range from $2 million to potentially as much as $10 million.
December 14th, 2022 at 10:42 PM ^
I imagine UCLA will sue before the first payment is made. Good lawyer subsidies there
December 14th, 2022 at 8:29 PM ^
So - I guess this means the Big 10 will have sixteen teams beginning in 2024. Correct?
What other desirable media markets have AAU academic institutions near them?
This isn’t over. There may be a lull.. But, it will only be a lull…
December 14th, 2022 at 9:52 PM ^
Don’t know if Boston College is part of AAU but I want Boston College for selfish reasons. I would love a Michigan/Red Sox weekend or a Michigan/Red Wings weekend.
December 14th, 2022 at 10:21 PM ^
GBGW,
Unfortunately, Boston College is not one of the many fine universities in the greater Boston area who are AAU members. AAU members in the greater Boston area include Harvard, MIT, Tufts, and Boston University.
My “better half” is a BC alum.
December 15th, 2022 at 12:56 AM ^
Seattle is a rather large TV market not in the Big Ten footprint. UW/Oregon would be a nice package deal.
I really don't know why Stanford and Cal aren't already in discussions either.
December 14th, 2022 at 8:32 PM ^
It sounded like the Regents of the UC system might riot for a time, but if this is the case, then I suppose, to quote Emperor Joseph in "Amadeus" - "Well, there it is then."
December 14th, 2022 at 10:15 PM ^
+1 Not enough (any?) Emperor Joseph quotes around here. My personal favorite is “too many notes” used in my family for any chaotic or complicated situation.
December 14th, 2022 at 10:23 PM ^
Indy, ah yes… too many notes. Which ones are superfluous?
December 14th, 2022 at 9:23 PM ^
I like this precedent. Michigan State should have to pay us $2 million to $10 million a year. Just because.
December 14th, 2022 at 9:41 PM ^
First we have to get them to leave the league to join a conference who is not part of the Blue wall, then we steal all the new MAC money they will have coming in! I like it too
December 14th, 2022 at 9:43 PM ^
I’m thinking more like 5-7 million
December 14th, 2022 at 9:35 PM ^
So, will this payment be spilt among the 37 fans who usually attend sporting events at Berkeley?
December 14th, 2022 at 11:14 PM ^
Amazinblu, it sounds like you aren't a water polo fan.
December 15th, 2022 at 7:37 AM ^
Xoda, You would be correct. It’s not that I dislike water polo - I actually participated in water polo intramurals when I was at Michigan. I do not follow it closely today.
I hope Cal has a great WP program - which, inferring from your comment, it does. Hopefully, with a solid, loyal fan base. I recall Missy Franklin being a swimmer (not WP) at Cal.
I like Cal. And, would have no problem with Cal, Stanford, Oregon, and Washington being offered a spot in the B1G. This being said, certain PAC-12 schools have a bit of a challenge filing their stadiums for football games. IIRC, Cal fits that description - as does UCLA and USC.
December 14th, 2022 at 9:51 PM ^
Lmao and as expected, it was just a shakedown of UCLA by UC Berkeley.
December 14th, 2022 at 10:00 PM ^
The campaign to stop it continued to the end.
A headline I saw yesterday indicated that only 35% of UCLA athletes were in favor the move, which meant
• that 65% disapproved.
• OR that the survey was all UCLA athletes, while football & basketball players favored it more,
• OR that the survey was a determined part of the campaign, and skewed to get the answer opponents of the move wanted.
December 14th, 2022 at 11:41 PM ^
To be fair, I could understand why Bruin student athletes, especially at non-revenue sports (and UCLA's non-football/basketball teams are generally pretty good IIRC), might not be crazy about going to the Big Ten because it necessarily involves travel halfway across the country and with probably less cushy accommodations than football/basketball as opposed the playing vs the former Pac-12, which probably includes many of their friends.
December 15th, 2022 at 12:54 AM ^
IDK, there aren't many bus trips in the current Pac 12, there's a lot of flying around already out there.