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Conference Expansion: Stanford, California and SMU Join the ACC

redwing42 said:
It is a contract, like any other contract. It should be binding, since neither party was under duress. That said, this is a lawsuit like most other lawsuits, where the goal isn't to win, but to settle at some lesser number without actually following through on the case.
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why should the ACC settle, just because it's the nice thing to do?
 
Those return trips in the fall to NJ, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa sound lovely.
 
Now that Clemson has joined FSU in effectively announcing its desire to leave the ACC (who's next?), I wonder whether John Currie will finally address the elephant in the room. All that he has said publicly so far (in December) is that everything is fine and there is no cause for concern.

He made similar comments in a December article in the Winston-Salem Journal. With this announcement by Clemson, now is a good time for him to say more about the future of the ACC and Wake Forest sports.

godeacs.com

From the Quad - Wake Forest University Athletics

December 22, 2023.
godeacs.com godeacs.com

...We are not surprised by the comments from this morning's FSU Board of Trustees meeting indicating their dissatisfaction with the ACC which mirrored their complaints from their August board meeting. And, as I shared in From the Quad earlier this week, we understand and share their disappointment in not being selected for the College Football Playoff.

Regardless of how FSU feels, the ACC's status as the top academic and athletic conference in the country, our long standing partnership with ESPN, the growth of the ACC Network, our grant-of-rights through 2036, and our 18 leading institutions in the nation's most dynamic states and markets give us tremendous strength as a league. We are excited about Stanford, Cal, and SMU joining as full members next summer as well as the adoption of the innovative success-initiative revenue distribution model that will provide significant opportunities for institutions who have invested in, and achieved, competitive success.

As articulated in the Strategic Framework, Wake Forest is committed to meaningful, mutual partnerships. Indeed, as a charter member of the ACC, the conference represents one of Wake Forest's oldest and most strategic partnerships.

The ACC office was prepared for this action and has already taken proactive legal steps in anticipation of this FSU action. I am confident in the leadership of the ACC Board of Directors and Executive Committee, including our President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D., and Commissioner Jim Phillips, in protecting and enhancing our league amidst a time of unprecedented evolution in college sports.

At Wake Forest, we are uncompromised on our commitment to compete at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics while delivering a World Class Student-Athlete Experience. With our 2.7 million Demon Deacons fans ranking as the fastest growing fanbase in America since 2019, 10 NCAA championships, elite athletics facilities, and a dynamic home city in the heart of North Carolina, we will continue to deliver value to the ACC.

Student-athletes choose Wake Forest because of the opportunity to obtain an elite and distinctive education while competing with the best and against the best on the country's biggest stages. While today's announcement from Florida State may create anxiety for some, and will surely provide plenty of content for radio talk shows, rest assured that Wake Forest is in a strong position. Our focus continues towards our vision of being A Model Intercollegiate Athletics Program centered on our five core goals led by providing a World Class Student-Athlete Experience...
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My biggest (and really only) concern is staying in a relevant conference for basketball. One that is getting enough (TV and other) resources to be competitive for coaching hires and such - and ideally be a 5+ bid league. The only scenario where it would really suck is if we can't stay at some form of adult table and the football situation spills over into impacting other sports.

Being with the remainder of the ACC with Duke/State/VT/GT/Stanford/etc is fine. Something more like the Magnolia conference (with Rice, Richmon, Davidson, etc) is not.
 
redwing42 said:
If there is any doubt in the contract, $400 million is better than nothing. Also, Jim Phillips sucks, and would probably let the Big 10 take teams for free.
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The ACC's position is about as strong as it gets. Nothing is certain in the legal world - especially if any state politicians get involved - but, if I was the ACC I wouldn't settle. Let FSU and Clemson spend $$ on legal fees and twist in the wind while we drag the process and the fight out as long as possible. Settling signals weakness and would increase the chances that other teams also make the move.
If Clemson and FSU want to leave anyway we will gladly take the money from their media rights and split the conference proceeds across fewer members.
 
spritethr said:
I'll be upset if this is how all this ends, but whatever man. Call it cope but I'll take regional games that have soul against Duke or App or VT over some midwest B12 team that I really couldn't care much about.
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I don't mind playing regional games, but my concern is the overall weakening of Wake sports because of this. Being at the Big Boy table (even if the ACC was at the ass end of it) was a big deal for all Wake sports, not just football/basketball. Overall resources could potentially go way down across the board if the ACC is forced to fight for crumbs with the other mid majors.
 
BarcaDeac said:
if the GOR inhibits their ability to explore other options or whatever, why the fuck did they sign it
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Because it was a good deal for them when they signed it - or at least they believed it was - BOTH times they signed it (2013 and 2016). It ensured stability for the conference and allowed favorable group negotiations with ESPN and others because the conference could represent that they could offer the media rights to all conference members without the threat of one of the schools immediately pulling out. They have benefited from that agreement for a decade, to the tune of many millions of dollars.
 
redwing42 said:
It is a contract, like any other contract. It should be binding, since neither party was under duress. That said, this is a lawsuit like most other lawsuits, where the goal isn't to win, but to settle at some lesser number without actually following through on the case.
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Setting aside the exit fee, the issue in this action (as opposed to the FSU suit), isn’t whether the GOR is binding, it is a question of what the GOR actually covers. The GOR says each member grants to the ACC "all rights ... necessary for the Conference to perform the contractual obligations of the Conference expressly set forth in the ESPN Agreement, regardless of whether such Member Institution remains a member of the Conference during the entirety of the Term."

Clemson's argument is that rights to games played when a school is no longer a member of the ACC are not "necessary for the Conference to perform" its obligations under the ESPN agreement. Obviously, the "regardless of whether such member remains a member during the entirety of the term" seems to indicate that there must be at least some rights that are necessary for the ACC to meet its obligations under the ESPN agreement, but since the ESPN agreement isn't public and Clemson's filing is heavily redacted, I would be cautious of anyone weighing in on the strength or weakness of that argument. I thought (and continue to think) that FSU's arguments are bad to laughably bad, and my gut says that Clemson's aren't strong either, but without the ESPN agreement, I don't think anyone can say that with any certainty.
 
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Deacfreak07 said:
If you can’t get tickets, you have to subscribe to Peacock+ Premium 2 to watch it too.
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I missed like 3 Wake games this year because I don’t have UPN or the WB or whatever the hell that channel is, whatever channel with The Flash tv show that Ph thinks everyone has.
 
CaptRenault said:
Now that Clemson has joined FSU in effectively announcing its desire to leave the ACC (who's next?), I wonder whether John Currie will finally address the elephant in the room. All that he has said publicly so far (in December) is that everything is fine and there is no cause for concern.

He made similar comments in a December article in the Winston-Salem Journal. With this announcement by Clemson, now is a good time for him to say more about the future of the ACC and Wake Forest sports.

godeacs.com

From the Quad - Wake Forest University Athletics

December 22, 2023.
godeacs.com godeacs.com
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what do you want him to say?

the ACC is falling apart and we're fucked?
 
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