The Big Ten is good at making money & baffling PR

It’s easy to bag on the Big Ten. It’s a bureaucracy, and as such it is an easy target for fan ire. Sometimes they don’t deserve our scorn. But other times...other times you find yourself reading that the Big Ten didn’t think very many people would be upset by the conference’s Friday football cash grab (via Land of 10):

“The commissioner [Jim Delany] made the comment that Friday night games have been happening all across the country,” Tenopir, executive director of the Nebraska School Activities Association, told Land of 10 during Day One of the Big Ten Conference Joint Group Meetings.

“They did not expect the blowback that the Big Ten got on Friday nights.”

My feelings on this idea are clear...I really REALLY don’t like the idea. There is only so much transparent cash grabbing I can stand and this is definitely across the line for me. But putting that aside, who in their right mind could think this wouldn’t be a big deal?

High school football is a big deal in the midwest. It’s not a religion across the B1G footprint the way it is in Texas (though Ohio is pretty damn nuts) but that doesn’t mean people are going to shrug when the Big Ten plans to stomp all over the tradition that is high school football Fridays.

I guess I don’t know why I’m shocked. This is the conference that brought us Legends & Leaders, Rutgers, and a hockey leadership that doesn’t know jack about the history of the hockey teams they oversee.

At this point we just need to be honest about what the Big Ten is and is not good at under Jim Delany:

GOOD AT: Making money, pissing off fans, making those pissed off fans forget after a while because of all the money

BAD AT: Public relations, understanding that every single bit of history and tradition in the conference is not for sale

In the end this is better outcome for the Minnesota Gophers than not being in the Big Ten is. I just wish the Big Ten could stop being so darn annoying about it.

Anyway, if you need me I’ll be over here...