ESPN and FOX Do Not Want The Big 12 To Expand

The Big 12 is trying to expand. None of the expansion options make the Big 12 a more compelling football conference. Sports Business Daily is reporting the network’s TV partners ESPN and Fox Sports don’t want Big 12 expansion and believe it will “water down the Big 12 and make it less valuable.”

Essentially, the conference is locked into its TV deal through 2024-25. There’s no market for a Big 12 network. The only way for schools to expand revenue in the short to intermediate term is to expand.

If there is a pro rata clause as reported, Expansion would net the conference an additional $20 million per team. The Big 12 could delay new members receiving a full share. Existing members could pocket the rest.

It’s not clear how much the networks can push back against this. Neither ESPN nor Fox Sports would comment on the Big 12 contractual details.

Short-term, that money would be attractive. Long-term it could be a disaster. It would water down the Big 12. It would make the Big 12 less flexible heading into a potential realignment. It may increase the chance Texas leaves and the conference explodes.

That said, 2024-25 is a long way away. The cable model may have exploded by then anyway. With the turnover in college athletics, potential ramifications likely will be someone else’s problem.

Of course, there’s also the chance the Big 12 members think threatening expansion could force ESPN and Fox Sports to pay them off to not do so.