Sports
Related: About this forumStevens says Big Ten's private equity deal marks 'dangerous expansion' of influence
Reports that the Big Ten Conference could sell a stake of its media rights to a private equity group have led Michigan U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) to send a letter to the conferences commissioner stating her opposition to the deal and requesting additional information.
Publicly reported details show the Big Ten would sell 10% of its media rights to UC Investments, a group affiliated with the University of California system pension fund, for $2.4 billion.
The conference roster includes the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Illinois, Indiana University, The University of Iowa, University of Maryland, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska, Northwestern University, The Ohio State University, The Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, Rutgers University, University of Oregon, University of California Los Angeles, University of Southern California, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin.
In her letter to the conference commissioner Tony Petitti, Stevens warned the deal would be a dangerous expansion of private equity influence over our nations universities, harming the quality of college sports and the integrity of university governance.
https://michiganadvance.com/briefs/stevens-says-big-tens-private-equity-deal-marks-dangerous-expansion-of-influence/
TheFarseer
(9,742 posts)Selling off pieces of yourself?!?! This is so shortsighted. Whatever issues you have that you think you need money for now will be present in the future but you wont have the money then because you sold it off to private equity goons.
RandySF
(80,274 posts)Some of the media rights money is supposed to be distributed among the conference members so they could also be affected.
TheFarseer
(9,742 posts)It will be distributed unequally. Ohio St and Michigan of course get the most. Then USC, Penn St and maybe Oregon (just going from memory). Then a third tier and I suppose Rutgers get about a dollar twenty five. Apparently what Rutgers and the other bottom tier schools get is a long term promise that the conference wont break up or kick them out. Gee, Thanks!