“Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies violate the antitrust laws. If left unchallenged, Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly.” — Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, March 21, 2024
(Former Washington Coach Chris Petersen) “should be thanking ESPN for actually having a relationship.” – ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit
“Congrats to both sides in getting the deal done.” — ESPN sports analyst Pat McAfee, March 19, 2024
Almost DailyBrett must ask: ‘Who pray tell is the other side of ESPN’s monopoly six-year $7.8 billion deal?’ The College Football Playoff (CFP) Committee?
Isn’t ESPN’s Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Joey Galloway, Jesse Palmer, Greg McElroy — all from SEC or Big Ten schools — the (real) playoff committee?
Isn’t ESPN consummating an agreement to exclusively broadcast its own generative College Football Playoff (CFP) through 2031/2032, even expanding the lucrative list of participants from 12-to-14 schools?
Heck, why not 68 schools? Maybe Oregon State can compete in the “First Four?”
Today the federal Department of Justice and 16 state attorneys general are suing Apple for uncompetitive practices revolving around the company’s incredible popular consumer platforms (e.g., iPhone).
What about Disney’s increasingly arrogant ESPN business unit? Disney boss Robert Iger must be blushing, the axe is coming down on Apple’s Tim Cook.
Isn’t the Sherman Anti-Trust Act (employed today against Apple), the Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890)?
Almost DailyBrett is not an attorney, and will never spend a nanosecond in law school. Your author has been around oodles of attorneys, and knows how they think and speak.
Won’t the ESPN (Disney’s ABC) attorneys contend there is plenty of competition, including Fox Sports, NBC and CBS? Count on it.
Next question your honor: How many of these competitors have or will broadcast even a single nanosecond of CFP playoff games since its inception in 2015, and most likely through 2032 (and conceivably beyond that date)?
Isn’t a monopoly, just that a monopoly? Does Iger have a Mickey Mouse agreement with DOJ?
ESPN’s TV Money Is Destroying College Football
“The old question of: How long would it take TV money to destroy college football? Maybe we’re here. To think even remotely five years ago, the Pac-12 would be in this position, it’s unthinkable to think we’re here today. To think local rivalries are at risk and fans driving four hours to watch their team play in a road game is at risk, to me, is unbelievable. … We’ll look back at college football in 20 years and say, ‘What are we doing?'” — WSU Head Coach Jake Dickert
“I think we could ultimately end up with two conferences: one called ESPN and one called FOX.” — LSU Chancellor Michael Martin, 2011
“I have absolute certainty that they (ESPN) have been involved in manipulating other conferences to go after our members.” — Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby sending a cease-and-desist letter to ESPN after Oklahoma and Texas announced their respective departures for the Southeastern Conference
Growing up in So Cal, Almost DailyBrett used to dream about going to the Rose Bowl as a fan. The first time was roaming the sidelines as a football manager for the USC Trojans against Michigan in the 1977 Rose Bowl. The beauty of the New Year’s Day Tournament of Roses was the annual game between the winner of the (then) Pac-8 Conference vs. the beast from the Big Ten.
There was a beauty to college football (no ESPN, no transfer portals, no multi-million NIL payments, no monopolies).
It’s more than ESPN using its considerable monopoly resources to dominate college football broadcasting and minimalize (if not destroy) competition. The arrogant network is also guilty of manipulating the landscape of college football to ensure only two conferences will ultimately survive (e.g., SEC and Big Ten).
Even Florida State and Clemson are presently suing to secede the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) to join ESPN’s Southeastern Conference.
Count on it: ESPN is already prepared to contend that no harm has been inflicted on student athletes, digging deeper in their wallets fans and its remaining competitors.
Will the DOJ care about potential injury to Fox Sports? Will Garland and blue state attorneys general shed a tear for Rupert Murdoch? They want into his wallet, forget about adding revenues to his largesse.
Maybe ESPN is proving there really is an acceptable monopoly.
https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/espn-college-football-playoff-rights-deal-renewal-2032-1235946237
https://www.npr.org/2024/03/21/1239802162/apple-iphone-doj-monopoly-antitrust-lawsuit
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-apple-monopolizing-smartphone-markets
(Almost) DailyBrett 