All fair points. The point of the column was to note that support is not simply defined as fans paying attention or attending games any longer. Things have changed tremendously in the past 13 months and, like it or not, if you're not at the forefront of NIL, facilities, etc., you're going to get left behind.
KU, which is already in catch-up mode, can't afford to get left behind any further. Support has to come from all areas now. It's not just the fans and it's not just the administration. I think so many people in recent years have wanted to peg better effort by one or the other as the solution. That's not it, though. The game's changed. It's now up to both. And if either side fails to deliver, the program and the university as a whole will suffer. Not might. Not could. Will.
Typo on Gradey Dick's height. He's 6-8. Zuby is listed at 6-9, 230 and MJ is also listed at 6-5, 220. Those are according to the official KU roster.
It can be tricky for freshmen because a lot of the recruiting services have and list different heights and weights. But that's been fixed/updated now and those are the numbers we'll go with on those guys for the upcoming season, again per KU's official roster.
That lineup would be nasty and could be a lot of fun. True big men are tougher to come by these days and, as long as there's no significant size advantage, guys like Jalen and McCullar can definitely hold their own down low.
You're right. Won't be a starting five. But it wouldn't surprise me at all if that group plays together on occasion.
You're right. You can't ignore hoops or any other sport, but I'm not sure the system works if you're grading entire athletic departments.
For instance, does Colorado get a huge bump in its final ranking because of all of those skiing national titles? I suppose it could be weighted in some manner — and maybe that's just by the sports that are consistently on the television broadcasts — but for the sake of a simple explanation, it seemed better to focus just on football. That's where the money is and where everyone's focus and attention are, as well.
You're also right about Texas not getting as much in recent years but I think it's worth looking at the potential to make more. If they know going in that they're going to get the same payout as Kansas even if KU is 1-11 and Texas goes 12-0, that's a little harder to stomach than the idea — again, based on potential — that going 12-0 could lead to as much as $20M extra.
Just a theory/thought. I'm sure there are plenty of holes in it. But I also think we've reached the point where many new models and all possibilities are actually being considered or at least looked at.
No doubt it's different. It's a lot about streaming and the combination of getting Tier 1 money from fox/espn and getting Tier 2 money from the Apple TVs, Paramount+, etc. outlets.
I've read that the streaming Tier 2 money paid to the Big 12 could alone be worth $20-30 million per year to each member. Add to that whatever actual TV contract they have in place and you're looking at $60-70 million annually per school for the third best conference.
No question he'll find a place to play... The Philippines and Australia are two top options, but I haven't been able to find out much yet either.
Checked in with him and his dad the other day but didn't hear back. I'll find something. I'm as interested in that as I am the future of almost any of those guys from last year's squad. Probably mostly because it's such an interesting situation and largely unknown right now.
I'd say early August is a fair timeline. From the sound of it, the Pac-12 is in a 30-day negotiation window with its rights partners. I haven't confirmed that but I've read it elsewhere.
So you can expect the negotiations to take the full amount of time provided because they generally do with most things.
After that, we may — *MAY* — have a better idea of how stable or unstable the Pac-12 actually is and whether or not teams in the Pac-12 will want to look elsewhere. If they do, it seems like the Big 12 would be ready to pounce.
In that context, the Big 12 having extra time to get its ducks in a row isn't the worst thing in the world for KU's current conference either.
In the meantime, you're going to see and read and hear about all kinds of rumors and speculation and discussions and some of it may have merit and some of it may not. I'll do the best I can to stay on top of it but most of what's being talked about on Twitter and places like that has to immediately be taken with some skepticism.
Remember, no one — or at least very few people — ever caught wind of the USC and UCLA move and then, BOOM!, it just dropped.
These things are kept close to the vest and, beyond that, very few people at any of these schools are even remotely in the loop for updates on what's going on.
Might write this out into a separate blog so forgive me if you read a version of it again elsewhere. But thanks for sparking the idea! ;-)
Desktop site
matt_tait (Matt Tait) says...
All fair points. The point of the column was to note that support is not simply defined as fans paying attention or attending games any longer. Things have changed tremendously in the past 13 months and, like it or not, if you're not at the forefront of NIL, facilities, etc., you're going to get left behind.
KU, which is already in catch-up mode, can't afford to get left behind any further. Support has to come from all areas now. It's not just the fans and it's not just the administration. I think so many people in recent years have wanted to peg better effort by one or the other as the solution. That's not it, though. The game's changed. It's now up to both. And if either side fails to deliver, the program and the university as a whole will suffer. Not might. Not could. Will.
On Support for the Kansas football program is about much more than putting fans in the stands these days
Posted 9 August 2022, 1:03 p.m. Suggest removal
matt_tait (Matt Tait) says...
Set your alarm for Nov. 15. Until then, we're going to keep writing about this team and previewing the season.
On KU junior Jalen Wilson says Jayhawks' current freshman class reminds him of the group he came in with in 2019
Posted 8 August 2022, 4:48 p.m. Suggest removal
matt_tait (Matt Tait) says...
Typo on Gradey Dick's height. He's 6-8. Zuby is listed at 6-9, 230 and MJ is also listed at 6-5, 220. Those are according to the official KU roster.
It can be tricky for freshmen because a lot of the recruiting services have and list different heights and weights. But that's been fixed/updated now and those are the numbers we'll go with on those guys for the upcoming season, again per KU's official roster.
On KU junior Jalen Wilson says Jayhawks' current freshman class reminds him of the group he came in with in 2019
Posted 8 August 2022, 4:47 p.m. Suggest removal
matt_tait (Matt Tait) says...
That lineup would be nasty and could be a lot of fun. True big men are tougher to come by these days and, as long as there's no significant size advantage, guys like Jalen and McCullar can definitely hold their own down low.
You're right. Won't be a starting five. But it wouldn't surprise me at all if that group plays together on occasion.
On Three strengths and a couple questions for Kansas basketball at the end of summer workouts
Posted 31 July 2022, 10:53 p.m. Suggest removal
matt_tait (Matt Tait) says...
You're right. You can't ignore hoops or any other sport, but I'm not sure the system works if you're grading entire athletic departments.
For instance, does Colorado get a huge bump in its final ranking because of all of those skiing national titles? I suppose it could be weighted in some manner — and maybe that's just by the sports that are consistently on the television broadcasts — but for the sake of a simple explanation, it seemed better to focus just on football. That's where the money is and where everyone's focus and attention are, as well.
You're also right about Texas not getting as much in recent years but I think it's worth looking at the potential to make more. If they know going in that they're going to get the same payout as Kansas even if KU is 1-11 and Texas goes 12-0, that's a little harder to stomach than the idea — again, based on potential — that going 12-0 could lead to as much as $20M extra.
Just a theory/thought. I'm sure there are plenty of holes in it. But I also think we've reached the point where many new models and all possibilities are actually being considered or at least looked at.
On Could an unequal revenue sharing model calm the conference realignment waters or is it too late for that line of thinking?
Posted 20 July 2022, 8:44 a.m. Suggest removal
matt_tait (Matt Tait) says...
No doubt it's different. It's a lot about streaming and the combination of getting Tier 1 money from fox/espn and getting Tier 2 money from the Apple TVs, Paramount+, etc. outlets.
I've read that the streaming Tier 2 money paid to the Big 12 could alone be worth $20-30 million per year to each member. Add to that whatever actual TV contract they have in place and you're looking at $60-70 million annually per school for the third best conference.
Not too shabby.
On During Big 12 introduction, new commissioner Brett Yormark illustrates why he was the right hire at the right time
Posted 14 July 2022, 12:36 p.m. Suggest removal
matt_tait (Matt Tait) says...
No question he'll find a place to play... The Philippines and Australia are two top options, but I haven't been able to find out much yet either.
Checked in with him and his dad the other day but didn't hear back. I'll find something. I'm as interested in that as I am the future of almost any of those guys from last year's squad. Probably mostly because it's such an interesting situation and largely unknown right now.
On Kansas point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. not planning to alter approach even if his role in KU's offense increases
Posted 12 July 2022, 9:37 p.m. Suggest removal
matt_tait (Matt Tait) says...
I'd say early August is a fair timeline. From the sound of it, the Pac-12 is in a 30-day negotiation window with its rights partners. I haven't confirmed that but I've read it elsewhere.
So you can expect the negotiations to take the full amount of time provided because they generally do with most things.
After that, we may — *MAY* — have a better idea of how stable or unstable the Pac-12 actually is and whether or not teams in the Pac-12 will want to look elsewhere. If they do, it seems like the Big 12 would be ready to pounce.
In that context, the Big 12 having extra time to get its ducks in a row isn't the worst thing in the world for KU's current conference either.
In the meantime, you're going to see and read and hear about all kinds of rumors and speculation and discussions and some of it may have merit and some of it may not. I'll do the best I can to stay on top of it but most of what's being talked about on Twitter and places like that has to immediately be taken with some skepticism.
Remember, no one — or at least very few people — ever caught wind of the USC and UCLA move and then, BOOM!, it just dropped.
These things are kept close to the vest and, beyond that, very few people at any of these schools are even remotely in the loop for updates on what's going on.
Might write this out into a separate blog so forgive me if you read a version of it again elsewhere. But thanks for sparking the idea! ;-)
On What to make of the rumored Pac-12-ACC alliance
Posted 7 July 2022, 2 p.m. Suggest removal
matt_tait (Matt Tait) says...
You're correct. Tier 1 and 2 only. Tier 3 rights belong with the individual schools, hence The Longhorn Network.
On Why KU is in better shape during this round of conference realignment than in years past
Posted 6 July 2022, 10:43 a.m. Suggest removal
matt_tait (Matt Tait) says...
Kevin is a senior & does still have the COVID year available, should he elect to use it.
2018-19: Redshirted at Texas Tech
2019-20: RS-freshman season at Texas Tech
2020-21: RS-sophomore season at Texas Tech
2021-22: RS-junior season at Texas Tech
2022-23: RS-senior season at Kansas
2023-24: TBD
On Kansas basketball coach Bill Self calls newcomer Kevin McCullar Jr. 'the perfect fit' for Jayhawks
Posted 15 June 2022, 12:35 a.m. Suggest removal