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We Span the College World: Let's catch up on this and that

By rvc73
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

What's in a name?

We had written about the need for corporate involvement in new construction at Rutgers, and we specifically talked about naming rights. Well, our in-state neighbors in West Long Branch had the same idea, and this notice went out from their president to staff:

I am pleased to announce a new partnership with OceanFirst Bank to rename the Multipurpose Activity Center as the OceanFirst Bank Center, effective July 1, 2016.

Our $4 million agreement, which continues through 2036, includes official naming rights and other partnership benefits. In the coming weeks, new signage will be displayed both inside and outside of our premiere athletics venue which has become the envy of our fellow MAAC schools.

A twenty year contract, for roughly $200,000 a year.  In the MAAC.  What would the RAC be worth....in the Big Ten?

From the "What Just Happened" file.....

Back in March, Louisville announced a major expansion of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Bringing back a slightly tarnished Bobby Petrino certainly didn't hurt fund-raising in northern Kentucky.  But, meanwhile, in the state capitol....

Apparently having a successful athletic program didn't stop the Board of Regents to be "dysfunctional" enough to cause the Governor to dump the whole lot.  Word to the wise.

From the NFL....

Giants?  Jets?  Anyone?

And as a follow up?

O-h...i-o.  It's not just for Buckeye fans.

Can you say, state pride?

Well, somebody cares....

I look at the Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings and bemoan the fact that Rutgers hasn't done well. Others just yawn and say they don't care about all that.  Football and basketball maketh the athletic department.  Well, not so fast, my friend.

And if we had it, we'd be doing the same thing that this "football factory" is doing....promoting the hell out of it!

'Crootin', as some would say.....

Are recruiting class rankings important in the summer....eight months before NLI Day?  Maybe, maybe not.  When you haven't been able to boast about recruiting for almost half a decade, you take what you can get.  But as was noted, we're ranked pretty high mostly on quantity.  How important is that?

Future of TV and money

The Big Ten has just finished negotiating a whopper of a TV deal with Fox and ESPN.  And it doesn't even count any of the monies taken in by BTN, probably the most successful of the conference networks.  But what's the future worth for these networks?  Fox is a part owner of BTN with the conference, and network ownership is the genesis of an interesting podcast from D1 Ticker.  Worth a few minutes of your time.

So, is there any money left?

The Big Ten negotiation was pretty much the last major TV deal on the table.  There won't be any major sports deals negotiated for a while, not until 2020.  What's left, and what will the next round bring out?

Interested in summer college baseball?

There are some, including those in the coaching ranks, who don't think it's a bad idea.  Others, though, aren't too sure. Again, a short but interesting podcast,

Marketing is everything

Sorry, cult fans, you are not unrivaled.  If you were, then the Pitt game would not be the hottest ticket on the PSU schedule this fall.  And former players do refer to it as a "rivalry".

Jerome Bettis (Notre Dame non-graduate) called the Pitt-PSU rivalry "very important," even though he said he "hates" both teams. "For a guy who hates both teams, but has lived in Pittsburgh for 10-plus years, I think it's a very important rivalry," Bettis told the Post-Gazette.

But for those who can't get enough blue in their life, there is this:

Moment of Zen

The Brexit vote on Thursday was a major political and economic story.  Donald Trump happened to be in Scotland (which voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU) touring one of his golf courses.  And this relates to Rutgers and/or the Big Ten, how?  For our friends in cheese country....