Jsnhbe1Birds wrote:ptownbraves wrote:Aside from scheduling which has already been discussed, negotiating a better TV deal that would give some national exposure to the conference and put more money in schools' pockets to reinvest in their programs. I'm sure easier said than done, but you see the TV revenue these bigger conferences are bringing in and it's a huge advantage.
100% correct. A TV would be huge for the MVC. But, why would anyone give a good TV deal to the MVC? You have to better the conference all the way around. How do you suppose we go about playing games people want to see? The conference has to do something o better itself first. We're at one and everyone wants to go directly to 10 (or stay at 1 in some cases). The MVC will have to take some uncomfortable steps up the ladder before they get to 10 and will have to make sacrifices.
There's a big push eastward with the A10, AAC, Big East poaching the best mid-major schools from the Midwest. If MVC schools are serious about competing with these conferences in basketball they need to pony up the money to invest in their programs. I just don't see this happening to the extent it needs to anytime soon. When you're dealing with cash-strapped states and dwindling budgets, athletics can seem like a luxury. It's why Creighton left. It's why Wichita left. They stood to gain more from leaving because the MVC failed to make it worth their while by staying. If you replace Wichita with a school like Murray State, Valpo, Belmont, we're treading water as a conference in my opinion. We really need some structural changes if we're going to get better.