Now down to business.
Last Wednesday, an article appeared in the Houston Chronicle by Scott Hairline stating that Dawson High School in Pearland ISD had been contacted by ESPN and the Longhorn Network, showing interest in televising one of Dawson's football games this upcoming season.
First, let us point out that Pearland Dawson High School is the home to offensive lineman and 2012 verbal class commit to the University of Texas Kennedy Estelle.Dawson and the Pearland ISD are in contact the Longhorn Network about the Eagles being a part of the ESPN-owned network's 2011 high school lineup, but for now, broadcast discussions continue at various levels, including within the NCAA."We received an e-mail that (the Longhorn Network) might be interested in one of our games, and we gave them our schedule to see if any of their open dates match up," Dawson coach Eric Wells said. "They're trying to work out all the details just to get the high school games on the air, and if it happens, we expect to hear from them."
Second, it has caught our attention that ESPN and the Longhorn Network emailed Dawson High School about televising one of their football games, but didn't have a specific game in mind. Instead, Dawson had to send the network their schedule.
Congrats ESPN and Longhorn Network, you've been caught red-handed yet again.
This isn't about showcasing a particular high school program that has recent success and just won a state championship in their division. If that was the case, ESPN would be emailing defending Class 5A Division 1 State Champions Pearland High School right down the road (and in the same school district), not Dawson. And it is not about televising a particular game that has been highlighted as a possible "Game of the Week" by the likes of a Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine or else ESPN would have specifically asked about Dawson's Week 5 matchup with Friendswood (which is in fact DCTF's Class 4A "Game of the Week" in Week 5), and the school wouldn't have had to send a schedule back to the network. This is ONLY about showcasing one specific high school athlete: 2012 Longhorn Football commit Kennedy Estelle. No Mack Brown, this isn't "all about the kids"; it is about showing specialized treatment for ONE kid, who just so happens to be the top offensive lineman in the state and committed to your football program.
And what may be even more stunning is ESPN and the network's continued pursuit of high school content programming, just a week after Big XII Conference Commission Dan Beebe put a moratorium on all such activities in a released statement.
The Conference members are committed to working together to address issues in a manner that benefits all members. There are elements of our new television agreement, which take effect in 2012, that need clarification and the members will be working together to develop a process that will work to the benefit of the entire Conference. Until the members have a chance to consider all the issues and come to conclusion about how the Conference will manage the interplay between the Conference television package and institutional networks, no more than one live football game will be televised on any institutional network and no high school content will be televised on a branded member’s network.Conference members have begun clarification of these issues beginning this morning. All Big XII Conference Athletic Directors are meeting today in Dallas on the very subject of the Longhorn Network, it's impact on the conference itself, and under what regulations it should be managed under. Thanks to an article released by Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com, we now know how Texas A&M and Athletic Director Bill Byrne is fighting the issue in the conference and with the NCAA.
CBSSports.com obtained documents that show A&M wants TLN classified as an "institutional publication", per bylaw 11.2.3.4, which would make it an "athletics representative of the institution." The 1994 interpretation dealt most mostly with what was, at the time, an explosion among specialty print publications. Several newsletters, magazines and weeklies sprung up in the 1990s that covered individual schools' sports. Several of those publications reported recruiting news in varying degrees as part of their coverage.The article also goes on to state the importance of today's meetings:
They were, in essence, what could interpreted as print versions of what the TLN is attempting to become in 2011. A&M is asking that the NCAA apply that Nov. 1994 ruling -- regarding those print publications -- to video-based publications.
If not, the school said, "the NCAA, in allowing institutions to create video-based publication agreements without any restriction on content, is opening Pandora's box."
All of it means that Monday's Big 12 AD meetings in Dallas to discuss "institutional networks" could be the most significant for the conference in more than a year. During the 2010 spring meetings in Kansas City, the seeds were planted for Nebraska and Colorado to leave the conference. During those meetings, Texas reaffirmed its desire to start a network.Let us make this clear. Today marks a very important day for Texas A&M and the rest of the Big XII if the conference intends on sticking together. Depending on what is said and how specific questions are answered, athletic directors could leave today with a clear picture of either the conference continuing into the future or a dead man walking. Actions today will affect what takes place in the future months ahead with ultimately conference realignment within the Big XII as a possible end result. However we shouldn't expect to hear any announcements made today or learn exactly what went on; we shall find out the production of today's meeting months down the road.
"Our goal is to keep this together," A&M AD Bill Byrne said. "I don't see anything contentious about it."
And we also shouldn't specifically be blaming the University of Texas for this mess that has been created over the last couple of months. They saw an opportunity to better their school and athletic program and they took it. Every single school around the country would have taken the same deal if capable and offered. But in doing so they now are represented by a partner in ESPN that doesn't care if they play by the rules and in the end break up a conference. ESPN isn't worried about how their actions might harm member institutions, but instead how their actions will return a profit to the money they invested in the university and their network. Texas is quickly learning they can't control ESPN, and neither can the Big XII conference or the NCAA.
The University of Texas is like a household that lives in a neighborhood with nine other neighbors that make up the Big XII conference. They are the ones with dog that gets out of the backyard and terrorizes others pets and tears up the neighbor's flowerbeds. Texas can't help it; the dog gets out and causes damage on it's own. But at the same time the neighbors have to take action, and it is the owner that is ultimately responsible for the dog and must pay the price for it's behavior. There are only three things that can happen in the end: 1) the dog learns and doesn't cause damage anymore 2) The owner get's rid of the dog or 3) either the neighbors or the owner moves out of the neighborhood because it is too attached to the dog. Texas and the rest of the Big XII is staring down the 3rd option right now.
In the end, actions speak louder than words and a lot of words have been thrown around by conference members and the Big XII conference. It is the actions by the Longhorn Network and ESPN that are the most telling about the future at this point.
--------------------------------------------------
If you have a story or discussion idea in the upcoming weeks regarding Aggie Football as they prepare for the 2011 season, send them to our email at themidnightyell@gmaill.com or send us a tweet at @TheMidnightYell!