2018 Intercollegiate Athletics Forum: Good Vibrations

By Abe Madkour and Ross Nethery

College sports is in a good place. Unlike some of the negative narrative last year around an FBI investigation and upcoming trial that threatened to expose the nasty underbelly of college basketball, the vibe during day one of the 2018 Learfield Intercollegiate Athletics Forum was far more positive, almost serene. There was the sense the worst is behind us and there is opportunity ahead. Changes to college basketball? Check. Even *some* discussion of being open to expanding the CFP? Check. Waiting out the possible impact of esports and legalized gambling on campuses? Check. A remarkable group of six decorated student athletes talking about the overwhelming benefit of the college/athletic experience? Check. 

To be sure, there is still the potential for plenty of upheaval ahead. New media deals. Conference realignment. And who knows what will happen when the judgment is rendered in the Alston v. NCAA case. But isn’t that what appeals are for? Overall, the tone in college sports seem to be: Let the good times roll.

DAY ONE WRAPUP: We had about 400 people at the Crowne Plaza Times Square for the first day of this year’s Forum. ADs and other college execs like to get moving early, so more than 35 of them joined us for a 7 a.m. private breakfast hosted by SBJ and conference title sponsor Learfield. Then we launched into one of our most ambitious agendas ever, including panel discussions, the annual interview with NCAA president Mark Emmert and appearances by four of the five Power 5 conference commissioners. (The fifth, SEC’s Greg Sankey, will appear today.)

CFP CHANGES COMING?: The CFP was one of the most talked-about topics of the day. With American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco on the opening panel, it was a natural starting point for moderator John Ourand. Aresco, talking about undefeated UCF: “A big concern is they weren’t really seriously considered for this. It doesn’t appear they were. And that’s the problem.” He asked: “Is half of college football precluded from playing in this playoff?” Aresco believes playoff expansion “would make the regular season far more exciting.” Aresco: “I’m not necessarily saying that it’s going to happen or I’m going to push really hard for it. I think I’ll probably end up being a proponent of it.” Texas AD Chris Del Conte also pointed to expansion of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament throughout the years. He said of CFP expansion, “It’s not if, it’s when.”

(BTW, Aresco’s remarks about the CFP were the most-watched yesterday among the video clips we put out from the conference, with more than 13,000 views on Twitter at last count. You can see the video here.)

But making changes to the CFP format is by no means a slam dunk. Here’s Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby: “The playoff receives 80-plus percent approval from the public. Would they like it better if more teams were involved? Maybe they would, but we need to be true to the promises that we made initially, and also to be slow to change something that’s pretty good.” Let’s see what Sankey has to say this morning.

PLACE YOUR BETS: Another big topic: Gambling. Emmert addressed it during his annual one-on-one with SBJ's Abe Madkour. Emmert: “We’re not looking at it like, ‘How are we going to monetize this great opportunity?’ For us, it’s about maintaining the integrity of the game. How do you work with media partners? … So, we’ve been working with Congress, working with professional leagues, on how to create a national set of guidelines, guardrails if you will, so we don’t have 50 different guidelines across the country on inappropriate betting, variables on prop bets, and other inappropriate behavior.”

Ole Miss AD Ross Bjork said the legalization of sports betting in Mississippi “kind of snuck up on us.” He said the school has adopted “the UNLV model” with its student athletes and staff, prohibiting them from going into sports books. Bjork said a point of emphasis in talks with the Mississippi Gaming Commission was making sure individual performance bets were not allowed. You want to bet that the opening kickoff will go out of bounds? Sorry, no dice. West Coast Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said her biggest concerns are the integrity of the game and monetizing betting. Nevarez: “The question of monetization is whether and how and is there a way to do that that aligns with our culture and values.”

SETTING THE TONE: Learfield Sports President and CEO Greg Brown welcomed attendees to the conference and he opened by reflecting on the impact of the late President George H.W. Bush, noting the accomplished baseball player at Yale was a student-athlete, but that Bush will be remembered more for his military service, a lifetime of public service to our country and “his decency and humility and respect he showed for his fellow man.” He also talked about how Bush “treated others, particularly those he disagreed with.” Brown noted the busy time for college sports in NYC this week, including the Jimmy V Classic, the National Football Foundation Dinner, the Heisman Trophy presentation and the two-day conference. Brown: “If you are involved in college sports, how can you not be here?” He concluded by touting what separates college sports and “makes it so unique and special: the important role academics and education plays in the overall health of college sports.”

SEEN AND HEARD: Pac 12's Larry Scott, sporting crutches after recent meniscus surgery on his knee…A busy week for former ESPN head George Bodenheimer, who Monday night had the V Foundation For Cancer Research’s second annual event benefitting the Robin Roberts Cancer Survivorship Fund at Blue Smoke Flatiron, and Tuesday night took in both games at the “Jimmy V Classic” at MSG before appearing at the conference on Wednesday …. Notre Dame men’s BB coach Mike Brey chatting with Emmert about Tuesday night’s loss to Oklahoma at MSG.  Despite the loss, Brey was in good spirits and said his young team gained a lot of experience playing in New York City. He told his interviewer, sports media veteran Pat Forde, that he can stay relatively relaxed because he’s got a good contract.

Emmert, who arrived in town Monday night and leaves this morning, met with USOC’s Sarah Hirshland for breakfast earlier this week. It was their first meeting….Cool to see longtime buddies Bodenheimer and ACC Commissioner John Swofford, whose friendship goes back more than 30 years, meet in the speaker room before their respective sessions. They weren’t expecting to see each other and the mutual fondness was evident. They laughed over old times, including Bodenheimer talking about when Apple’s Eddy Cue first showed him an iPad. Bodenheimer told Madkour on stage: “It was great to see John, and we do go back a few decades now, about three of them. We have a great relationship. I’m proud of those relationships.” ... A boisterous crowd of about 40 people filled a private room at Amali restaurant on East 60th St., where AJ Maestas’ Navigate Research entertained clients and friends of the agency who were in NYC for the conference. Attendees included A-BI’s Nick Kelly, American Athletic Conference’s Tom Odjakjian, Advantage’s Tom Haidinger, Paciolan’s Kim Damron, and Heritage Werks’ Charlie Turano.

ON TAP FOR TODAY: We’ll get started at 8 a.m. with what is sure to be an inspirational presentation from Chris Norton, a former college football defensive back who was paralyzed while playing the game. The title of his session: “Power to Stand.” We’ll follow that with Sankey being interviewed by ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, then have a discussion on the big issues facing college basketball, led by The Athletic’s Dana O’Neil. We’ll round out the day with panels on the role of the deputy athletic director, increasing diversity and inclusion, and looking at what’s ahead for college sports media.

QUICK HITS FROM DAY ONE:

“I wear ties to funerals and my players’ weddings.” — Brey, who is well known for his casual dress on the sideline.

“I do know my next college job will be at an orphanage.” — Brey, on dealing with the parents of college athletes.

“I really underestimated the experience and opportunities that being a student athlete afforded me.” — Kansas State right tackle Dalton Risner, an ’18 NFF Scholar-Athlete and Campbell Trophy finalist, on his four-year experience on campus.

“I do not.” — Scott, asked if he sensed a change in sentiment among college leaders about expanding the CFP. 

“Well, the commissioner is happier.” — Big 12’s Bowlsby, on whether the Big 12 is “happier” with a resurgent Texas football program and Okahoma in the CFP.

“It has all the best parts of college athletics and all the worse parts of college athletics.” — Bowlsby, on college basketball today.

“There have been people on my staff who have given me hand gestures, but it’s not Horns Down.” — Learfield’s Brown, having a little fun with the recent Horns Down controversy.

“Never thought I’d have to worry about the Gaming Commission and having the Gaming Commissioner’s cell phone number, but I have it. He’s got mine.” — Bjork, on the legalization of sports betting in Mississippi:

“We are that last time slot on the West Coast. If you’re an avid gambler and you’ve had a tough day, that’s your one last chance to maybe make it back at the end of the day.” — Nevarez, on how sports betting could help the conference’s basketball TV ratings.

SOCIAL ANIMALS: Thanks to everyone who helped keep the conversation going today. The hashtag #sbjiaf had about a hundred mentions and more than 500,000 impressions. Special thanks to frequent tweeters @ASUSportsLawBiz, @Sportsdigita, @NFFNetwork and @brenden3lee.

Among the tweets that caught our eye:
@cmansfield27: I grab a picture anytime I see this superstar @noahxknight! Great job by all panelists speaking on the student-athlete experience.

@ennnerz: Thank you to the @American_Conf & @sbjsbd for inviting me to speak on behalf of my wonderful experience as a student-athlete & the great work that the NCAA is doing. Best way to start transitioning into a world after sport.

@GeorgeSchroeder: Enjoyed the opportunity to interview @Big12Conference commissioner Bob Bowlsby this morning at the @Learfield @sbjsbd Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.

@Blake_Lawrence: I grew up reading @YahooForde’s ‘Forde-Yard Dash’ so seeing him speak got me geeked. Love this industry.

@TomMcMillen611: Terrific conference by @learfield and @sbjsbd. Good to spend time with @NCAA prez Mark Emmert. New York City is the place to be this week.

@RHiggins_TBSC: Great opening panel for @sbjsbd Intercollegiate Athletic Forum. Looking forward to a great couple of days featuring some of college #sportsbiz’s best & brightest!

Follow all of our social media posts from the conference today from our Twitter handle, @SBJSBD, and using the hashtag #sbjiaf.

LET’S GO TO THE VIDEO: We partnered with Grabyo this week to provide video content from the conference that we posted on our social media channels and in Sports Business Daily. You can check out all of the videos by visiting our SBJ YouTube page. Grabyo provides technology that allows us to quickly clip small segments from a panel or presentation and easily post those videos to a variety of channels. You can find out more about Grabyo by clicking here.

Here were our most-watched videos on Twitter:

.@American_Conf Commissioner Mike Aresco discusses undefeated @UCF_Football missing the College Football Playoff two years in a row.

.@UHouston President Dr. Renu Khator (@UHpres) explains why she believes the #CFBPlayoff should be expanded to eight teams.

.@pac12 Commissioner Larry Scott discusses maintaining credibility during controversy.

YOUR THOUGHTS MATTER: If you’re in the room today, we hope you’ll contribute to the conversation. You can send questions to our session moderators by using the IAF app or by texting SBJSBD to 22-333.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: All the information you need about the conference — agenda, speakers, venue, etc. — can be found in the conference app.