The NCAA is seeking input as it prepares to negotiate a new rights deal for the lion’s share of its championships. Plus: news on NBA CBA negotiations, a potential new FBS conference, and more.
NCAA looks forward to new media rights negotiation
The NCAA is seeking media consultants to assist with negotiations for rights to the bulk of its championships, which are expected to pick up later next year, Sports Business Journal reported this week. Included in the package — set to expire in 2024 — are the championships of women’s basketball, softball and baseball, as well the men’s NIT and international rights for the men’s basketball tournament. ESPN currently holds the rights to the package for just $40 million per year in a deal signed in 2011.
Whichever consultant the NCAA selects will help decide whether the NCAA will again bundle those championships in a single package or whether to sell some rights separately. It is expected that the women’s basketball tournament alone would generate more in annual revenue than the current package. (Sports Business Journal 12.6 via Awful Announcing 12.7)
NBA and NBAPA to extend CBA deadline
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have agreed to an extension of the deadline by which either side must opt-out of the current collective bargaining agreement, it was reported Friday. The deadline was originally December 15 and has now been pushed back into February.
The NBA is making a renewed attempt to implement hard cap (termed an “upper spending limit”) during talks, but the expected strong resistance from the union. The current seven-year CBA expires after the 2023-24 season, but should either side choose to opt out, a lockout could begin as soon as July 1 of next year. (Wojnarowski 12.9)
A-SUN and WAC football members to join forces, join FBS
Current FCS football schools in the Atlantic Sun and the WAC conferences have agreed to form a new, ten-team football-only FBS conference, according to ESPN. The new conference would consist of Stephen F. Austin, Abilene Christian, Utah Tech, Southern Utah, Tarleton State, Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas, North Alabama, and UT Rio Grande Valley, whose football program is set to launch in 2025.
Though play is proposed to start in 2024, there is some uncertainty due to an NCAA moratorium on new one sport conferences and the fact that there is “not a known mechanism in place for the NCAA to approve or deny a new FBS league.”
The last new FBS league added was the Mountain West in 1999. (ESPN 12.9)
Dan Dakich contests reporting of radio show exit
Former ESPN college basketball analyst Dan Dakich is denying that he was fired from his position as radio host at Indianapolis-based 107.5 The Fan, saying instead that he chose to leave. Indianapolis Star reporter Gregg Doyel reported flatly last week that Dakich was fired. Doyel: “Dakich was fired. This was no resignation. … This has been in the works, though Dan only found out after the show.”
Dakich said he chose to leave in order to prioritize his Outkick the Coverage radio show, saying on said show: “I made the choice, the choice was Outkick.” He also shared a screenshot of an Indianapolis Star push notification in which the paper backtracked on Doyel’s report by saying that the reason for his departure was not specified.
Dakich’s departure comes a little more than a year after he departed ESPN. (Doyel/Twitter 12.8; Dakich quote from Awful Announcing 12.9)
