"It is all about money": Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick exposes the real reason for conference realignment
Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick has bluntly addressed the ongoing waves of conference expansion and realignment in college sports.
On "The Dan Patrick Show” on Wednesday, Swarbrick said conference realignment is spurred by financial incentives. While this is common knowledge, it's notable to hear one of the landscape's decision-makers say so.
“They’re certainly based on money, there’s no question,” Swarbrick said. “Some of that is the demands that have arisen over time to find more revenue to meet this requirement or this requirement, so I’m not terribly comfortable with the description of it as greed. But it is all about money.”
Jack Swarbrick calls the landscape a complete disaster
Jack Swarbrick criticized everyone responsible for decision-making within the college sports landscape, including himself, for allowing conference realignment to reach a seemingly irreversible stage. The need to expand and realign has become more ruthless.
“(It’s a) complete disaster," Swarbrick said. "I wish I knew. Everybody in the industry has to take responsibility here. I’m not excluding myself from that. I think the decision-making has lost its way in terms of the focus on the student-athlete and what’s primarily best for them. But we are where we are. We have to try and make it work.”
Conference expansion and realignment have undoubtedly brought a range of negative effects to college sports. It has led to the disruption of traditional rivalries and storied matchups, eroding the cultural and emotional fabric of college athletics.
Notre Dame is lobbying to see Cal and Stanford join the ACC
Cal and Stanford, two of the four remaining teams in the Pac-12, have been in the mix of realigning with the Atlantic Coast Conference in the last few weeks. However, the two schools have not been able to get enough support needed for admission into the league.
Jack Swarbrick expressed that Notre Dame is advocating for Stanford and Cal to be granted ACC membership. Recent reports are suggesting the move could become a reality soon.
“You can’t have two of the great academic institutions in the world not have a place to play,” Swarbrick said.
This further suggests the Pac-12 is nearing its end in the realm of college sports. Jack Swarbrick also concurred with the evaluation that the future of the Pac-12 appears to be in jeopardy with Oregon State and Washington State the only members left without a Power Five option.