Why are USC and UCLA leaving the Pac-12? Sports professor blasts Power Five schools for their money-minded attitude
It's no longer news that USC and UCLA will be departing the Pac-12 to realign with the Big Ten in 2024. The reasoning behind the decisions are pretty evident to everyone familiar with the college football world. It's all about the financial gain that comes with it.
College football is currently experiencing a new wave of expansion and realignment. There seems to be a shakeup within the Power Five like never before. As sports at the collegiate level continue to become more lucrative, universities are wasting no time to take advantage of it.
The advent of Name, Images and Likeness in collegiate sports has been a game changer. Many experts in the sports industry have proposed that the implementation of NIL rights has played a significant role in hastening the ongoing realignment.
Big 10 - "Lets go poaching! Come on over UCLA and USC!"
PAC 12 & GK response to Big 10s poaching - "Damn you Big 12"
For being a "smart" institutional conference, they are absolutely stupid.
Experts hit out at Power Five schools
A host of college sports experts and analysts has condemned Power Five programs in the wake of the recent wave of expansion and realignment. The money-minded moves haven't impressed many, and they believe it goes against the culture of collegiate sports.
One of them is Michael Veley, a professor of sport management at Syracuse University. In an interview with Fortune, he denounced the moves, claiming they are spurred by money. Veley is critical of the disappearance of the once-present regional consciousness, which is evident in the realignment of USC and UCLA:
“It’s all about money. The student-athletes and the fan bases are the victims of this takeover. There’s no regional sensibility anymore. … The rich will get richer”
In the same vein, Jim Lackritz, founder and emeritus professor of San Diego State University’s sports MBA program, has condemned the recent realignment moves. He believes the switch, which is motivated by the incentives, will further create disparity in college sports:
“It’s dollars, exposure and opportunities. … The ‘haves’ have decided they want to be able to call the shots, and the ‘have-nots’ are going to be left at the altar.”
It’s the start of the last Pac-12 season for UCLA and USC. pic.twitter.com/6f0mZIpDza
Where do the USC and UCLA exits leave the Pac-12
The exits of USC and UCLA from the Pac-12 haven’t put the conference in a good place. The conference has struggled to seal a new media deal despite months of negotiation. Their exit has made the Pac-12 less attractive to television networks.
While USC and UCLA face a more prosperous future with financial stability in the Big Ten, the Pac-12, on the other hand, faces an existential threat. The conference might be left to dry out after a couple of its programs have begun realignment talks with other conferences.