OT: Fred Smith May be on the Hook for a Ton of Money
So, back in June it was reported that FedEx CEO Fred Smith was offering $10M annually to the BCS conference that would take Memphis into their fold.
Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio just tweeted that the Big East has taken him up on the offer.
@KySportsRadio: Rumor to file away in case it happens: reliable source tells me Memphis will join the B-East Tues.
If this is accurate (and we all know how accurate similar rumors were this spring), what effect, if any, would this have on the Big Ten's calculus vis-a-vis Big East expansion targets?
In any case, this is something to watch for.
August 1st, 2010 at 10:33 PM ^
this had something to do with the Sparty Fred Smith accepting money. Surely I wasn't the only one that thought this?
August 1st, 2010 at 10:38 PM ^
I, too, was thinking the exact same thing.
August 1st, 2010 at 10:47 PM ^
So was I.
August 1st, 2010 at 10:41 PM ^
....10 million won't alter his living arrangements.
August 1st, 2010 at 10:51 PM ^
August 1st, 2010 at 10:58 PM ^
...correct.
...his Memphis-based company could provide millions of dollars -- perhaps as much as $10 million annually...
The article goes on to say that when contacted, FedEx spokespersons would not confirm the offer.
In spite of my OP's title, the FedEx/Fred Smith angle is really a sideshow. I'm really interested in how, if at all, this would effect Big Ten expansion, especially given the start of the Big Ten meetings and the likelihood that there will be expansion news and rumors that come out of Chicago.
August 1st, 2010 at 11:07 PM ^
August 1st, 2010 at 11:37 PM ^
The plan is for FedEx to redirect their sponsorship money from the Orange Bowl (which FedEx pulled out of recently) to the Big East.
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:49 AM ^
How would this benefit the shareholders of FedEx? At least sponsoring a bowl game could be thought of as advertising. What, is the Big East going to change it's name to "The Big East presented by FedEx?"
IME, sponsoring a bowl means nothing anymore. Anyone can sponsor a bowl (see San Diego County Credit Union Poinsetta Bowl). Now there is a story line behind the advertising money being spent, and it makes people talk. Look at what we are doing now.
The Big East will be come the Big Package conference it's tag line will be "We deliver sports to you."
August 1st, 2010 at 10:49 PM ^
August 1st, 2010 at 11:12 PM ^
If I remember correctly from the book The Blind Side, his son dated Collins Tuohy, Michael Oher's sister. Yeah that's all I had to say about that, nothing more. No "Bruce Willis is really dead" moment here.
Wouldn't the Big East adding another team make their other sports (i.e. basketball) scheduling and such more difficult. Could this be som sort of ultimatum to ND to be "all in" or get out? I'm not sure if they have any sort of divisional alignment, but 17 teams is not so much a conference as it is a smallish league.
realizes that just being IN the conference doesn't get them to a bowl game.