Big 12, Pac-10 look at alliance
By BLAIR KERKHOFF
The Kansas City Star
Big 12 Conference athletic directors met with their Pacific-10 counterparts in Phoenix on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss collaborating in a future sports landscape and possibly working together on television contracts, a source told The Kansas City Star.
Contacted Thursday, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe confirmed the meetings but did not offer specifics. He called the exchange “very positive.”
“It was an informal gathering,” Beebe said. “We talked about how we might cooperate going forward.”
The meeting could be seen as preparation for possible Big Ten expansion. The Big Ten announced last December that it was exploring adding members, and among those swirling in the speculation are Big 12 members Missouri and Nebraska.
An alliance between the Big 12 and Pac-10 could strengthen their position in television negotiations. As the two major conferences west of the Mississippi River, their schools are located in or near six of the nation’s top 13 media markets — Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, Houston, Seattle and Phoenix.
The Big 12 has football television contracts with ABC/ESPN that go through 2016 and with Fox Sports Net through 2012. The league begins negotiations with Fox starting next spring.
The Pac-10 also has deals with ABC/ESPN and Fox through 2012 and is expected to begin negotiating new deals this year.
According to the source, a negotiating point for new deals could involve games between the Pac-10 and Big 12.
The conferences already partner in men’s basketball. Last week, the leagues announced the matchups for the fourth Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.
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