nelsonmuntz
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How long do you think the NBA and NFL are going to let the P2 develop into a competitor to them before the NBA and NFL crush them by forming their own minor league?
There is no equivalent to American college sports anywhere else in the world. In every other country, the minor leagues are just minor leagues, either as standalone franchises or affiliated with an upper tier franchise. America's primary minor league in basketball and football has been sports teams affiliated with colleges. These teams provided a deeper connection to their fan base than a pro team could, because the fans often actually went to the school or at least knew someone who did. Even if a particular fan's team was not competitive in a sport, the linked network of teams and connection with the college experience held fan interest.
Now those connections are fraying. These teams are becoming just glorified minor league teams that happen to have a school name on their jersey. The players are getting paid now, and the top programs are figuring out ways to pay the players even more. Furthermore, two conferences, solely by virtue of contracts with major sports networks, are trying to eliminate all the other schools that play professional sports. What is the end game?
If the P2 are successful in eliminating the other schools from competition for tournament access, broadcasting, and talent, what does the product look like in 10 years, and do fans follow it? If the appeal of college sports was always most fans personal connection to a program, what happens to that connection when the vast majority of colleges are not even allowed to compete? Michigan and Alabama just become two more minor league teams in a crowded entertainment market. And why would the NBA and NFL allow individual university-affiliated sports teams to generate nine figures of revenue leveraging a product that the NBA and NFL are promoting, and control. Why wouldn't they just promote their own minor league?
For the P2 scenario to work, not only does college sports have to somehow buck the trend that has swamped scripted movies and television towards fragmentation, but they need the NBA and NFL to allow them to do it. Good luck with that.
There is no equivalent to American college sports anywhere else in the world. In every other country, the minor leagues are just minor leagues, either as standalone franchises or affiliated with an upper tier franchise. America's primary minor league in basketball and football has been sports teams affiliated with colleges. These teams provided a deeper connection to their fan base than a pro team could, because the fans often actually went to the school or at least knew someone who did. Even if a particular fan's team was not competitive in a sport, the linked network of teams and connection with the college experience held fan interest.
Now those connections are fraying. These teams are becoming just glorified minor league teams that happen to have a school name on their jersey. The players are getting paid now, and the top programs are figuring out ways to pay the players even more. Furthermore, two conferences, solely by virtue of contracts with major sports networks, are trying to eliminate all the other schools that play professional sports. What is the end game?
If the P2 are successful in eliminating the other schools from competition for tournament access, broadcasting, and talent, what does the product look like in 10 years, and do fans follow it? If the appeal of college sports was always most fans personal connection to a program, what happens to that connection when the vast majority of colleges are not even allowed to compete? Michigan and Alabama just become two more minor league teams in a crowded entertainment market. And why would the NBA and NFL allow individual university-affiliated sports teams to generate nine figures of revenue leveraging a product that the NBA and NFL are promoting, and control. Why wouldn't they just promote their own minor league?
For the P2 scenario to work, not only does college sports have to somehow buck the trend that has swamped scripted movies and television towards fragmentation, but they need the NBA and NFL to allow them to do it. Good luck with that.