Pernetti's Conference Alignment

College Athletics Are Changing Quickly, and Some of the Biggest Names Weigh In

December 17, 2024

Tim Pernetti Discusses Changes in College Athletics and Conference Alignment on On the Fly Podcast
 Tim Pernetti, Commissioner of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) on the On The Fly Podcast by Playfly Sports: "When I was a young TV executive, collegiate athletics felt like an enterprise that was in lockstep working together to move the enterprise forward. Now, I think at times people wonder, is that still happening? Or are some trying to move their enterprise forward at the cost of others? So it's really important to create alignment, but it starts with your own conference. And what I explained to our conference is, we're going to spend all our time on trying to establish a new reputation, which in five years, I'd like us to be known as the most innovative conference in collegiate athletics." Listen to the full podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
^{Spotify and Apple}

‘An Unprecedented Road Trip’: Coaches, Players Address NBA Cup Format Ahead of Bucks-Thunder Final
“We’re basically on a six-day West Coast road trip right now, and our next game coming out of this is three time zones away, four-hour flight to Orlando and then a back-to-back against Miami — which if you look that as a road trip, is an unprecedented road trip,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “The NBA would never schedule that. They would never put a team a on six-day West Coast road trip, and then fly them east for a back-to-back.”
^{The Athletic}

How an Insurance Company is Helping Top Athletes Prepare for Life After Soccer
Deseret’s Krysyan Edler writes, “Whether because of injuries or Father Time, no professional athlete can play forever. That’s one reason why the National Women’s Soccer League and the insurance company Nationwide are working together to help NWSL players prepare for the day they have to hang up their cleats for good.

“‘Experience Nationwide’ is a two-week immersion program at the company’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, that gives athletes a taste of corporate life and the post-playing career options available to them.”
^Deseret

Unrivaled Raises $28M in Series A Funding Round
Unrivaled, the new women's 3-on-3 women's basketball league, announced the closure of Series A investment round, led by the Berman Family. The group secured $28M in funding, receiving investments from Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo, Fenway Sports Group partner Linda Henry, Avenue Sports Fund CEO Marc Lasry, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley and USC G JuJu Watkins, among others.

Sportico did a feature on Giannis’s investments. Barry M. Bloom writes, “Giannis noted that ‘60% of young athletes just blow through their money.’ He said he tapped the knowledge of people who taught him the investment business and how to protect himself. Now he’s intent on sharing that knowledge.”
^{Sports Business Journal and Sportico}

U.S. Ryder Cup Players Will Be Paid $500,000 by PGA of America
Each member of the U.S. team will get $500,000, with $300,000 earmarked for charity, the organization announced in a statement. The players will get the remaining $200,0000 as a stipend.
^{Sports Illustrated}

NASCAR to Center Marketing Around Drivers in 2025
This week, four people familiar with the matter told SBJ that the system will be based around a proprietary digital app that NASCAR is setting up with assistance from athlete brand building software company INFLCR. The app will only be accessible to those involved in the program and display opportunities for drivers such as media appearances, podcast interviews or other promotional opportunities, particularly non-traditional media opportunities.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson Steps Down as Football Coach After 11 Seasons
AP News’ Aaron Beard writes, “His [Clawson’s] tenure included guiding Wake Forest to 11 wins and a trip to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game in 2021, as well as cracking the top 10 of the AP poll in 2021 and 2022 amid a run of six straight bowl appearances. But the Demon Deacons had gone just 4-8 in the past two seasons as the formula that had helped them sustain success became trickier to manage in today’s era of free player movement through the transfer portal and players being able to cash in on their athletic fame through name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities.
^{AP News}

Norfolk State Interviews Michael Vick to Be its Football Coach, According to Report
The Virginian-Pilot reported via the AP that Vick, 44, who served 18 months in prison for dog fighting while in the prime of his career, told the newspaper he has spoken with university president Javaune Adams-Gaston and athletic director Melody Webb about the position and expects resolution “soon.”
^{AP News}

FAU Set to Approve $22.5 Million Naming Rights Deal for On-Campus Football Stadium
AP News’ Tim Reynolds reports: “Florida Atlantic’s board of trustees is expected to approve a $22.5 million, 15-year deal that would give Flagler Credit Union the naming rights to the school’s football stadium. The deal — both in terms of total and average value — would be the biggest publicly known naming rights agreement for any school in the American Athletic Conference currently with an on-campus stadium.”
^{AP News}

NASCAR Debates Rotating Championship Race
Fans have been calling for a shakeup of the championship race and it appears like NASCAR is taking heed by considering it. COO Steve O’Donnell said last week that Phoenix has been an “incredible host city for the championship” with how the market embraces the sport, produces sellouts, and provides strong competition on the track. “So it’s going to be hard to replicate, if we were to move,” he said, adding that discussions are ongoing.
^{Sports Business Journal}

West Virginia Sets Aside $7.5M for Assistant Coaches, Support Staff as Part of Rich Rodriguez Pact
AP News’ John Raby writes, “Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia 17 years ago in part because he was frustrated over the school’s refusal to give him more money for his assistant coaches. He’ll have plenty for them this time around.

“Rodriguez signed a five-year agreement and will be paid $3.5 million in his first season. Rodriguez also will have a $5 million pool annually for his on-field assistant coaches along with $2.5 million for his football support staff, according to the agreement.”
^{AP News}

Clemson’s Swinney Can’t Wait For Belichick’s Positive Impact on the Atlantic Coast Conference
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney thinks Belichick will make a quick, positive impact on North Carolina, saying, “I mean, it’s great for college football. There are a lot of great coaches in this league. And again, for him to want to come into that, I think, says a lot.”

For his part, Belichick said players are approaching him right and left, telling Yahoo Sports, “We've been talking to a number of players and we have more coming in this week as part of the [transfer] portal. We have guys coming in pretty much every day this week.”
^{AP News and Yahoo! Sports}

Colorado State, Utah State Suing Mountain West Conference Over Exit Fees
Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reports: “Colorado State and Utah State filed a legal complaint on Monday in Colorado District Court in Denver over millions in exit fees that the Mountain West believes the schools owe. CSU and USU are two of five schools that announced in September their plans to leave the Mountain West for the Pac-12 starting in July of 2026. Boise State, San Diego State and Fresno State are the other three. The Mountain West is requesting an exit fee of $19-38 million per school, according to the complaint.”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Franklin Lobbies for Transfer Portal Changes as Penn State Loses Pribula During Playoff Run
“We’ve got problems in college football,” Franklin said Monday. “He [Penn State backup quarterback Beau Pribula] did not want to leave our program until the end of the season, but the way the portal is, and the timing of it, when you play the position of quarterback and there’s only one spot and those spots are filling up, he felt like he was put in a no-win situation. And I agree with him.”
^{AP News}

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