COLORADO SPRINGS — “Cost containment,” a catchy term used by athletic departments desperately searching for ways to reduce expenses, was on the minds of Big 12 member schools and the league office this week during the conference’s spring meetings at The Broadmoor.
Before the meetings concluded Thursday, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said the conference voted to support NCAA legislation that would eliminate a) NCAA regional track meets, b) printed media guides for all sports, c) games in non-traditional seasons (such as fall baseball) and d) foreign tours in basketball.
“Cost containment strategies are important in today’s economy,” Beebe said. “The conference itself is going to be stable, but we are trying to help schools make up for any losses.”
Existing television contracts with ESPN/ABC and Fox Sports Net make it unlikely the Big 12 would tighten its basketball schedules to a Friday-Saturday or Thursday-Saturday format, Beebe said.
Beebe said Big 12 leaders will study the possibility of increasing the number of conference basketball games from 16 to 18.
“Teams are paying more fees for (nonconference opponents) to come in,” Beebe said. “But in going to 18 conference games, we have to do a careful analysis of what that does to the strength of the conference. You don’t want to just beat up on each other. You may end up costing yourselves more.
“It may be that (going to 18 conference games) could be more appropriate for women’s basketball than for men’s basketball, or vice versa. We have to study that.”
It’s important for the Big 12 to be a leader in the discussion of cost-containment issues so the conference will remain competitive, Colorado athletic director Mike Bohn said.
“Our conference needs to be strategic in finding the right mix of cuts and adjustments,” he said.
Bye, bye Broadmoor? The Big 12’s contract with The Broadmoor has expired, and don’t look for the spring meetings to return to Colorado Springs. Beebe said the league has not discussed where to hold future spring meetings, but he indicated that school presidents and chancellors prefer a later date, and room rates for The Broadmoor typically go up on June 1.
This and that. The league announced a record $130 million will be distributed to conference members for the 2008-09 academic year. Last year’s record was $113.5 million. . . . Although the Big 12 does not sponsor competition in women’s rowing or women’s equestrian because there are not enough member schools participating, the conference voted to allow those sports to crown a “Big 12 champion.” . . . Future championship sites for football and basketball likely won’t be addressed until next spring. The Big 12 football championship game will be held in 2009 and 2010 in the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium. The next two Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are set for Kansas City, Mo.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
