Wednesday, Jim Phillips addressed the state of the ACC at ACC Football Media Days.
He said a lot of words, but nothing was of any true significance. The 247 Louisville site posted the transcript.
What I was looking for was something about revenue.
There were blurbs about academics, increased viewership, tie-breakers, the playoffs, football wins etc etc. Nothing addressed the elephant in the room, which is the revenue gap between the P2. Hey, even if the chances of closing the gap are virtually non-existant you keep trying.
Yes it was nice that Phillips mentioned a 68% increase in viewership, but if it doesn’t come with added revenue, it means nothing.
Beyond our success in competition in the classroom, our strength is equally reflected in our business portfolio. The ACC is projected to produce more than $900 million in gross revenue in 2025/26. Our seventh consecutive record year.
Over the past five years, conference revenue has grown by more than 56%, and has doubled since 2019, even without a new television deal.
There lies the problem… Every league is generating revenue, but the media deal is where the gap resides. Without a renegotiation, which doesn’t appear to be coming, details on some sponsorship deals, or private equity or something, the ACC is still in the same place.
With realignment possibly not far off, this was Jim Phillip’s comment.
Here is what I would say very directly, and I’ve said this multiple times. I’ve always wanted this conference to be a place where schools want to be, not that they have to be. So I’ll leave it at that.
That was awful. You know Memphis and Tulane probably want to be in the ACC, while any school in the ACC would jump at a chance to be in the P2. You tell me which conference makeup is healthier. Phillips should be guiding the conference to be one that schools want to be in, not setting ultimatums.
Make sure you follow the All Sports Discussion Twitter account at @AllSportsDACC and please like our Facebook Page
Leave a Reply