Happy New Year! Hopefully, the first few days of 2022 are treating you well and will continue to do so.
Most likely, only a few graybeards in the readership will recall an old TV show “Bowling for Dollars.” It was a television game show originating in the 1960s that reached its heyday in the 1970s. The show featured people playing the sport of bowling to win cash and sometimes prizes based upon how well they bowled. The show was either taped in local bowling alleys across the country or on a pair of bowling lanes constructed right inside a TV studio.
Since the ‘70s, bowling has experienced a steady decline in popularity, but since 2019 its popularity has been on the upswing. More than 10 million people in the USA classify themselves as frequent bowlers, meaning they go bowling at least 25 times a year. The bowling industry has grown from $4 billion in 2014 to $10 billion in 2019. Today, it is estimated 100 million people of all ages in over 80 countries are bowlers.
While there is no defined bowling season for those frequenting the lanes, this Monday’s televised national college championship will mark the conclusion of a much different kind of bowl season which offered a menu of 45 college bowl games condensed into a four-week made-for-TV menu. My guess is that it would be a pretty safe bet that not many of even the most avid college football fans are aware of many of these non-descript games with names such as the Cure Bowl, the LA Bowl, the Frisco Bowl, or the Quick Lane Bowl.
Truth be told, the advent of the four-team playoff for the national championship has dealt a serious blow to both the relevance and popularity of college bowls. Even as an incentive and reward for college teams to enjoy a bowl experience, the advent of the college transfer portal and the lure of preparing for the NFL draft has seen hundreds of players opt out of ‘giving it the old college try’ by playing one more game.
But even the sight of many of these bowl games being played before more empty seats than fans has not lost its appeal for the collegiate game’s biggest sugar daddy — the TV networks. Even with five of the bowls games being canceled amide the COVID crises (the Arizona, Sun, Military, Fenway, and Hawaii bowls), those bowls played were watched by more than 90 million sets of eyeballs.
Many college conferences divide the money that comes from television rights among the member schools. Some of the conferences are just simply more popular than others and as such get paid much more money from TV rights than others. Just for the record, and to give you knowledgeable bragging rights around the office water cooler, here are the ten biggest college conference television deals. Note — the recent changes to the make-up of various college conferences will vastly affect the values of TV network contracts going forward.
10. Mountain West – ESPN/CBS – $116 million – $18 million per year
Interest in the conference has grown in recent years with the additions of Boise State, Fresno State, and Hawaii.
9. American Athletic Conference – ESPA – $126 million – $18 million per year
The conference features football teams from former Big East schools.
8. Big Ten (Football Championship Game) – Fox – $145 million – $24. 1 million per year
One unusual element of the Big Ten’s TV contracts is that it has a separate deal for its championship game with Fox.
7. Big East – Fox – $500 million – 41.6 million per year
The Big East landed a large twelve-year basketball coverage deal with Fox in 2012. The contract is relatively low because the Big East has no football programs.
6. Big Ten – ESPN -$1 billion – $100 million per year
The contract gives ESPN the first choice of games that it wants to pick for broadcast.
5. SEC – ESPN – $2.25 billion – $150 million per year
The ESPN contract runs through 2024, allowing the network to cover both SEC football and basketball.
4. BIG XII – ESPN/Fox – $2.6 billion – $200 million per year
ESPN and Fox have joined forces to each pay $100 million each year to access Big XII college sporting events. The current contract runs thru 2025. With both Oklahoma and Texas leaving the league for the SEC, changes in the contract will surely take place following 2025.
3. Big Ten – Big Ten Network – $2.8 billion – $112 million per year
BTN is operated for the most part by Fox, with the Big Ten Conference having a 49% share in the network. The network has contract rights until 2032.
2. Pac 12 – ESPN/Fox – $3 billion – $250 million per year
Another instance where ESPN and Fox share the rights costs in a contract that runs until 2024.
1.ACC – ESPN/Raycom – $3.6 billion – $240 million per year
The Atlantic Coast Conference TV deal runs through 2024. It includes full rights to the ACC men’s basketball championship. The value was adjusted from ESPN’s old $100 million-per-year deal thanks in part to Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Syracuse joining the conference, with Notre Dame also joining in for all sports outside of football.
So come Monday night, sit back, relax and enjoy the final bowl being served. You don’t even have to worry about that damn 7/10 split!
