As we wait anxiously to hear whether the Big 12 will choose to expand past its current 10 full members, consider the opinion of one of the conference’s television partners, Fox Sports.
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Shanks essentially warned that any expansion could wind up being a fatal decision for the conference.
Shanks: “We don’t think expansion in the Big 12 is a good idea for the conference. We think it will be dilutive to the product in the short term. In the long term, it’s probably harmful to the future of the conference. Who knows where expansion is going to go. Reading the smoke signals, [expansion talk has] cooled off. I don’t know why. We’re still in discussions with them. We still have a long way to go in the deal. We’ll work through it the best way that we can.”
Ourand points out that the Big 12 adding two or four teams would trigger a contract clause forcing Fox and ESPN to pay a higher rights fee, and it makes sense that the networks would oppose paying more money for games between less notable teams. It’s unclear if Shanks’ objections to expansion go deeper than that.
Big 12 presidents will meet Monday afternoon, with commissioner Bob Bowlsby and Oklahoma president David Boren holding a press conference at 6:30 p.m. ET to announce what they have decided.
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