The Longhorn Network Prohibited From Broadcasting High School games

The University of Texas and ESPN has come together to form the Longhorn Network. This network has already caused quite a controversy for members of the Big Twelve Conference. Not only will the network be an additional source of revenue for the university, the deal with ESPN worth $300 million over the span of twenty years, but also the network will try to push the broadcasting of high school football games. The other members of the conference feel that this will give the University of Texas an unfair recruiting advantage. While this may not be a big deal to some, the nine other members of the conference will beg to disagree.  In a statement released by the Big Twelve it says, “The ADs recognize that this issue is complex, and involves a detailed analysis of the recruiting model in many areas, including existing NCAA legislation related to the publicity of prospective student-athletes and the rapidly evolving world of technology. This process will take an extended period of analysis.” At the beginning of August, the Big Twelve Athletic directors met and voted to prohibit the broadcast of high school sporting events.

With a one-year moratorium instituted unanimously by the athletic directors, the Big Twelve will continue to forbid the content to be broadcast until the NCAA rules that it to be permissible. The athletic directors from each member of the conference also suggested that the board of directors of each university should encourage the NCAA to do the same nationwide. Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis had this to say, "I think that all the NCAA recruiting rules are really directed toward unfair advantage, and I think being able to broadcast high school games on my branded network probably creates an advantage for me over others." To go along with the controversy that the network has created, Texas A&M University and the University of Oklahoma have been rumored to be looking to move to the Southeastern Conference. While the Oklahoma rumor has yet to be confirmed by a legitimate source, Texas A&M has already requested information from the conference on how to proceed forward in the event that they were to change conferences.

References:

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/08/02/business-broadcasting-amp-entertainment-fbc-big-12-longhorn-network_8596608.html

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2011/aug/02/controversy-tabled/

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/sports/ncaafootball/texas-am-begins-process-moving-to-sec.html