To those of you who haven’t read an article in the Skiff, watched the local news, been on Facebook, read any newspaper, read your text messages or spoken to another human being in the last three days, allow me to fill you in on some big (or, now, rather old) news.
On Monday, TCU officially joined the Big 12 Conference.
Now, as I stated in last week’s column, there are no landings on the stairway to success. However, I will admit that joining the Big 12 is a big step on that staircase. Though not inclusive, I offer three reasons for why this deal is great for TCU.
1. The University of Texas- Frankly, I don’t think Frog fans dislike UT, OU or Tech any more than they like TCU (And I don’t think Frogs have an exceptional patriotism towards their school). The most valuable asset that the Big 12 Conference provides to TCU is the University of Texas.
DeLoss Dodds, athletic director of UT, has been a leader among collegiate athletic directors for as long as anyone can remember. His leadership and innovation are why the SportsBusiness Journal named him Athletic Director of the Year this summer. Being in the same conference as a leader of his stature will allow Athletic Director Chris Del Conte and our other leaders to take an integral role in leading the evolution of collegiate athletics.
2. Natural rivalries— Not that these rivalries will make games more exciting or interesting but because Big 12 fans are capable of filling the seats that TCU fans simply won’t. The number of tickets sold will go up and likely so will prices. Rest assured that more renovations to Amon Carter Stadium will be announced soon, and I would expect capacity to be at least 60,000 within the next 5 years. New revenue from those 20,000 new seats could be close to $5 million per year. Say ‘bye-bye’ to Colby Hall and ‘hello’ to new parking lots, Horned Frogs!
3. Reason number three is one I would like to announce to the world of college athletics particularly The Ohio State University President Gordon Gee. Finally, after 10 years of recruiting, development and winning, TCU will not be playing the Little Sisters of the Poor. Horned Frogs, you’ve earned your place on the proving grounds, so now is your chance to earn your place in history.
