GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Friday morning that it has voted to accept two schools from California and one from Texas: Cal, Stanford and SMU.
The Dramatic Shift: ACC’s Change in Voting Pattern
The 15 ACC school presidents voted this morning and the measure passed with a vote of 12-3. The addition of the three new schools brings the ACC membership to 18 institutions, including Notre Dame which participates in the ACC in all sports except for football (Notre Dame football plays as an independent).
A month ago, ACC presidents held a straw poll vote and the vote failed with a vote of 11-4. Per the ACC bylaws, 75% of the membership must vote in favor of adding new schools. The four nay votes came from Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina and NC State.
So what changed between last month and now?
Well, for starters, NC State changed its vote. But why? It is probable that the structure of the deal helped sway the Wolfpacks’ vote.
The Financial Stakes: Revenue Shares and Winning Incentives
Cal, Stanford and SMU will not receive full ACC shares. In fact, SMU will not receive any broadcast media revenue for its first nine years of ACC membership. Cal and Stanford will receive a 30% share for the first seven years, 70% in year eight, 75% in year nine and a full share in year 10.
The extra revenue from these lesser shares will be redistributed to the other 15 schools. There will also be a sizable portion held aside to reward programs that win; the amounts and definitions of “winning” have yet to be determined, but the idea of the extra revenue and winning incentives apparently were enough to maintain the 11 original votes and sway NC State.
A Lifeline with Strings: The Consequences for Cal and Stanford Athletics
For Cal and Stanford, the ACC was perhaps its last lifeline to remain in a “Power 5” conference. But the fractional ACC shares both schools had to accept may have devastating impacts on the programs. Cal operates 27 varsity sports; Stanford has 36 varsity sports supporting over 900 student-athletes. While receiving 30% of a full ACC media share, how will Cal and Stanford afford to operate all of its sports which now require cross-country travel and additional nights on the road? The onus may fall to wealthy Cal and Stanford donors and benefactors to support successful Olympic sports until the programs get to collect their full ACC shares in year 10 of the deal.
Or these sports may disappear forever.