Boston College Influenced By ESPN in Making Conference Expansion Decisions

by

Oct 11, 2011

In the fallout of the announcement that Pittsburgh and Syracuse will be making the move to the Atlantic Coast Conference, there is a lot of speculation as to why the ACC decided to expand.

While some are claiming it is to increase its strength in basketball, others insist it is because of television revenue.

The Boston Globe's Mark Blaudschun summarized the possible reasons for expansion, including comments from Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo, who was part of the 12-member ACC expansion committee.

"We always keep our television partners close to us," DeFilippo said. "You don't get extra money for basketball. It's 85 percent football money. TV — ESPN — is the one who told us what to do. This was football; it had nothing to do with basketball."

DeFilippo's comments prove once again that it is the television networks who hold all the power when it comes to conference realignment.

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