Big East Business and Storytelling Bounce Back: “Requiem” Not Needed…

There is more uncertainty about what will become of the business known as college athletics today than there has ever been. Just on Thursday at the SportsPro New York conference talk of a promotion and relegation system, collective bargaining, a creation of just a “Super League,’ requirements for transfer, requirements to actually maintain a certain level of academic standing before getting NIL money, adding of new sports, creating a system of club sports under athletics, brining in a college sports czar or two or three, all came up.

With no answers.

However, there are pieces of answers, or ways things could fit together than can be glimpsed. Ways to listen, to work together with schools that have some semblance of commonality, ways to better use media and grow and embrace a changing marketplace, that do exist.

We thought about a lot of that change adjustment on Thursday late in the day and into the night at The Big East tournament, because that league of schools that have a pretty clear core of commonality (one school plays high level football…UConn…and all except the Huskies are private institutions whose value proposition lies more in the sport of basketball than anything else) and it was a league that was written off for dead in the massive wave of schools jumping conferences…and is as strong as maybe it ever was…today. You look at the brands engaged both around the court and in the arena, the media deals that have positioned the league, the work being done to expand the storytelling for consumers of all ages, the quality of play and the way the fan bases have embraced and grown with the changes of major college basketball and what you see is upside and continued potential growth through a pivot, even in uncertain times.

While talking with folks in the media room and around the court…ranging from the ones who are Big East “lifers” to young content creators as enthusiastic and engaged and even more knowledgeable than the die hard veterans, you see how the conference under Val Ackerman has been able to accept, answer questions, listen and think bigger while many other of what “Mid majors” were considered are struggling through lots of inertia.

Talking to staffers, in an age where we live digital first, the conference probably has more “photographers” credentialed and working this year than ever before. I sat courtside with several on Thursday and observed their diligence in capturing moments for schools, for engaged brands, and for athletes and then getting that story out in real time, while just a few feet away you had traditional outlets…Philadelphia Inquirer, NY Post, ESPN.com…doing their thing to their audience. It was a great blend of acceptance that The Big East has rightfully embraced and worked into their media storytelling and becomes an asset to the path ahead.

Now where all this goes in the future is still guesswork. Mergers, super leagues, post season tournaments that are incentive based for athletes, a squeeze by the football conferences to extinguish the value and the money for men’s and women’s basketball first institutions, is anyone’s guess.

However if you look at the ways The Big East has set itself up for inclusion, not the least of which is filling “The Mecca” every year and bringing value to the big time sports mix, you have hope that a successful past, a rebound from the abyss, a pivot to today and a smart future, becomes a unique model of massive inclusion for these schools, these students, these alumni, these brands, these media partners and these athletes and coaches.

There are many bumps in the road ahead, but again this March, the Big East is a beacon of possibility through change, and that’s what smart businesses do.

One last thought from Thursday. A longtime friend and staffer and I were talking about how amazing this renaissance for the conference is, and he pointed out the great ESPN “30 For 30” that was done in 2013 when it looked like most was lost. “Requiem For The Big East” remains a great watch for any hoops fan, but, he rightfully pointed out, it should be updated to be inclusive of the latest chapter of success, maybe a rebound.

On Thursday there was a line mentioned at SportsPro which I think fits what Ackerman and her team have done to date with the conference.

  “If you are an owner you want a Commissioner who is a great CEO who will also listen to you. That’s why we are in a golden era of team leadership in the US.” Dave Checketts

Requiem is not needed  when much is righted.