‘We’re firmly committed to the Big 12 … 10, whatever’
If the whole ongoing musical chairs game of conference realignment doesn’t have you already shaking your head, then the public comments by college presidents and league commissioners ought to.
After all, here is a group of people clearly adept at seemingly saying one thing and then turning around and doing quite another.
Call it the duplicity of dialogue, a language unto themselves.
So, as an aid to better understanding of what is meant to be opaque, we offer a realignment decoder.
What they say: "We’re looking for schools that are a cultural fit."
What they mean: "But if you bring enough TV households with you, we can overlook the academic penalties the NCAA is hitting you with."
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What they say: "The conference is significantly under-leveraged."
What they mean: "Time to raid the Big 12."
What they say: "We’re concerned about the amount of time our student-athletes will be away from class."
What they mean: "But adding another time zone to the conference travel brings us more money."
What they say: "There are things that various member institutions have done to create revenue for the conference to share that did not involve the investment of another institution."
What they mean: "We’re outta here pronto unless we get a bigger piece of the pie."
What they say: "We found some of them had talked not only to one other conference or two but even three, and those were the same ones urging us to stay."
What they mean: "Good thing we ditched them before they ditched us."
What they say: "We’re a proud member of the Big 12."
What they mean: "Until the Big Ten calls."
What they say: "We have a long-standing bond of trust among our conference members."
What they mean: "But, just to be on the safe side during conference meetings, no more than two presidents will be allowed to go to the bathroom at the same time."
What they say: "The Big Ten offered stability, the Big 12 could not."
What they meant: "The moolah from the Big Ten TV package dwarfs that of the Big 12."
What they say: "We’re examining our options."
What they mean: "When is the damn phone gonna ring?"
