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Sports TwitterBig Ten commish hopes to halt expansion talk
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
CHICAGO — Big Ten Conference commissioner Jim Delany on Tuesday downplayed a report in an Iowa newspaper last week that suggested the conference was considering expansion to support its fledgling television network.
"It's interesting as it gets out there and gets reiterated, you might think that Big Ten was announcing it was going to expand when really that is not the case," Delany said.
Extras
Speaking at the Big Ten football media days, Delany said that while his quotes in the Des Moines Register were accurate, his meaning has been misrepresented. He said the conference considers expanding from its current 11 teams every few years, which is the normal cycle he referenced in a meeting with the Register editorial board.
"(The reporter) asked me the following question, and I gave the following answer," Delany said. "His question was, 'Does your view of expansion change, is the analysis for expansion different with the Big Ten Network?'
"I said, 'That's a good question, it is a little bit different, because when you have a Big Ten Network you have more hours to produce games, you have more room for content and you always a broader, possibly broader base from which to distribute that network.' "
The Big Ten Network has met resistance from major cable providers, most notably Comcast and Time Warner Cable, in negotiations to carry the network. The network launches Aug. 30 but won't be carried to many Big Ten-area homes unless it can reach a deal with the major providers.
The Register noted that Delany and the Big Ten would consider a new member to add a state onto the Big Ten footprint and make the network more marketable. Delany clarified Tuesday that that he feels the network's creation would change how the conference considers new members but won't generate new discussions about membership.
He called expansion a "back-burner" issue.
"It did capture the imagination, I think, of newspaper writers and radio talk-show people," Delany said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com
