Poor play and reputation of the Pac-12 is a reflection of bad leadership

As the reputation and product of the Pac-12 Conference continues to struggle, it’s a reflection of the terrible leadership we’ve been relegated to!

Have you ever wondered why the Pac-12 Conference (at least the large, revenue-generating sports) have been getting worse compared to the other, Power Five Conferences?

Well, to me it’s simple, the poor reputation and poor product is a direct reflection of the conferences’ poor leadership and ineptitude.

Arizona Wildcats

I don’t mean to beat a dead horse here, because at this point, it’s getting pretty tiresome to watch the train wreck that is Larry Scott. You want him gone, I want him gone, can’t think of a single Pac-12 fan in the greater area ranging from Salt Lake City to Seattle, that doesn’t want him gone.

It’s no secret that since he took over the conference in 2009, the conference in the large revenue generating sports (Football and Basketball), have been mediocre at best. Since 2009, there have been zero football titles, and zero basketball titles.

Heck there has only been one, Final Four appearance for Basketball. Football has only had two teams in the college football playoff, with Oregon getting trounced by Ohio State in the 2015 National Championship, and Washington getting beat pretty good by Alabama in the 2016 Peach Bowl.

So why the limited appearances and poor performances? Well in short, I chalk that up to revenue distribution.

Boiled down to the many problems of this conference, and it essentially equates money. Compared to the Big 12, the SEC and the Big 10, the Pac-12 doesn’t have it.

“We don’t hire the coaches. We don’t recruit the athletes. We don’t coach them. But sometimes we get blamed for the losses.”

If you listen to Scott, he blames the poor results on the coaching. “We don’t hire the coaches. We don’t recruit the athletes. We don’t coach them. But sometimes we get blamed for the losses” Scott said.

While there are arguments to be made that the Pac-12 doesn’t have great coaching at some of it’s flagship programs (ahem USC), imagine what some of the schools could be able to hire, if they had more money in their pockets to spend on coaching staffs?

Just look at the SEC for instance. One way that conference is able to at least save a little money, is by not having their headquarters located in the most expensive area in the conferences’ region. FYI, SEC headquarters are in Birmingham, AL, compared to the Pac-12, which is in San Francisco, CA.

Additionally, let’s not forget the disaster that is the Pac-12 Network. The conference is essentially being suffocated by a lack of exposure from a Network that isn’t even available in the homes of everyone.

We also can’t forget that Scott is also the highest paid conference commissioner, making nearly $5 million per year. That’s more than any coach in the conference. Talk about being tone deaf!

So how bad is it? Well, compared to the SEC, the Big 10 and the Big 12, the Pac-12 is behind in terms of revenue and revenue share by a lot. Plus, from 2017 to 2018, the conferences’ total revenue fell by $12 million, which equated to less money to their member schools. So again? How is that not a direct reflection of the poor decision making and leadership at the top?

Just imagine what an extra $5-6 million per year could do for a school like Arizona, if the conference were to make more financially sound and appropriate decisions?

So when Larry says it’s the schools and coaches at fault, he’s wrong. He could be doing so much more for his conference, yet he doesn’t.

Anyways, at Zona Zealots, we’re still hopeful things can improve and one day hope the Wildcats can be the beneficiaries of that! As always, Bear Down, Arizona!