Texas A&M is hellbent on making sure that the Longhorn Network is unable to broadcast high school sporting events.
And now they’re going to the NCAA to make sure they shut the book on it for good.
According to documents obtained by CBSSports.com, A&M is citing a nearly 20-year-old bylaw, that when interpreted to modern day, could prevent the LHN from airing its 18 high school events a year — or, a single one for that matter.
The rule is bylaw 11.2.3.4, which prevents programs from releasing “institutional publication[s]” as an “athletics representative of the institution”. The rule was enacted back in the 1990′s to stop newsletters, magazines and the like from publishing content related to specific university-sponsored sports and recruiting.
For 2011, A&M wants the LHN to be classified as such.
“The NCAA, in allowing institutions to create video-based publication agreements without any restriction on content, is opening Pandora’s box,” A&M’s request states.
As you’ll recall from our initial post on the matter, Texas and ESPN’s biggest issue was ensuring they were completely compliant with NCAA bylaws in their desire to broadcast high school games. However, observing even minor NCAA mishaps has already proven to be a challenge and Texas/ESPN subsequently put the idea on hold.
Outside of the Lone Star state, the Pac-12 and Big Ten are awaiting the NCAA’s response with bated breath. Their own decision to broadcast high school games will be conditioned on the NCAA’s ruling.
But what the NCAA will decide could alter the face of revenue-producing college athletics as we know it — more so than any conference realignment ever could.
I’ve always felt the supposed magnificent recruiting advantage Texas would receive via such broadcasts was overblown; the NCAA issues were not.
With a handful of very powerful conference commissioners advocating the streamlining of the NCAA’s rulebook, an open world of high school broadcasts would be nothing short of counterproductive to those efforts. Getting rid of agents and runners would be impossible.
The Big 12′s athletic directors are set to meet tomorrow (Monday) to discuss “institutional networks”. What is said in that meeting could have a lasting effect on the sport (impressive for a conference on reportedly shaky ground).
So could Mike Slive. The SEC does not have its own conference network and will undoubtedly push for the ban of airing high school sports.
And Slive’s word carries some weight.
But it ultimately comes down to whether the NCAA agrees with A&M, even if it’s on a principle other than bylaw 11.2.3.4. If they do, there will be no high school games and the business will evolve in other ways.
If they rule in favor of Texas/ESPN, well, a book will be shut alright.
But it will be the NCAA rulebook, no longer deemed applicable.
(Big thanks to John Taylor, who contributed mightily to this piece)
As you can tell from my name, I’m a Texas fan, but I’m with A&M on this one. Unless everybody has their own network, or everyone has a school they share a network with, like the Pac-12 soon will, then airing high school games just seems kind of wrong. But ESPN is powerful, so who knows what will happen?
On the other hand, the way A&M has handled this seems incredibly confrontational and hickish. So I’m at odds with them on that.
How about Texas A&M worry about winning a conference title first?
Who has control of the LHN programming decisions? Texas or ESPN? Does anyone know?
WingT, ESPN does. We’re at their mercy.
I’ve posted it here before nd I’ll post it again….Do we really need to see high school football on TV on a regular basis? I understand the state championships, but week three games? What do you learn by watching some five star recruit playing against guys who couldn’t start for some junior varsity squads? If you’re that interested, plunk down the seven bucks and sit in the stands on Friday night.
High school football in Texas is its own religion. Every week there’s a very high quality matchup somewhere in the state. Sorry ‘gorilladunk’ but even in week three, there is a game worth watching. I’m not so sure you won’t see ESPN and its extremely deep pockets litigate this if the NCAA tries to stop them from doing whatever they decide they want to do.
As for A&M, I don’t agree with them, but I understand what they’re afraid of. TLN give UT an upper hand on recruiting ALL of the 4- and 5-star players in the state. Their program takes a serious hit if these games get aired.
The SEC has pretty sweet deals deals with CBS and ESPN also, and don’t think for a minute they wouldn’t launch their own network if ESPN says to. They may have to wait for their CBS deal to run its course though. Slive better be careful what he publicly states on the matter.
an open world of high school broadcasts would be nothing short of counterproductive to those efforts. Getting rid of agents and runners would be impossible.
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What do street agents and runners have to do with broadcasting high school games?
Also, the agriculturals are shooting themselves in the foot here. If the ban were to happen, which I doubt, then Texas would get to tell recruits that the ags are the reason why their high school games were never televised. They might further point to the fact that Bill Byrne has been extremely effective at making sure as few aggie games as possible are broadcast, even regionally.
Texas needs to just go independent and join notre dame as the other big pansy off the NCAA. Texas is overrated big time, the way they talk and walk you would think they are in the bcs championship every year. Nope that would be an sec team. If Texas was in the sec they would be a 2-5 loss team every year.
@florida727…Since I live in Texas and have sons who played, I don’t need to be lectured about the importance of HS football in the state. In fact, there ARE NOT great games every week. There are games every week that feature great players (HS players, that is) but not necessarily great games. Those happen in late Nov and early Dec when the playoffs get going. Like I said, seeing Malcolm Brown run against a team that is going to finish 3-7 doesn’t really tell me much as it relates to his potential in college. Televising weekly HS games will only add to the “self-impotrtant, me first” attitude that is overwhelming sports. Playoff games, okay, but I don’t need to see it every week.
I’d argue the great games every week debate, but the one thing I won’t argue is the point made about the self-important, me-first attitude that a lot of these high school kids already have… let alone give them a TV platform to pound their chest on. My point is, A&M is scared. They don’t have their own network, nor could they likely garner enough support for one from the likes of ESPN. It would give UT a huge recruiting edge in the state, and that would translate to the degrading of the A&M program. Like it or not, fan of theirs or not, Texas dominates football in that state. And the creation of their own network only assures the status quo for many, many years to come.
the longhorn network is counterproductive to a sucessful big 12 conference. the lhn serves texas and only texas not the big 12. the big 12 conference will implode should texas be allowed to air hs games.
patbocam, it’d be interesting if you had anything other than SEC myopia that agreed with your statement that Texas would be a losing team in that conference. The SEC echo chamber is ridiculous.
I’m as much an SEC fan as anyone, but to suggest UT would be a 2-5 loss team every year is absurd. Obviously it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever find out, so everyone can trump out an opinion, but seriously, look at who they recruit, who they actually get, and tell me they can’t compete with anyone in America, any year. They’re one of the iconic programs in the nation. At least respect them for what they’ve earned, even if you’re rooting for someone else. To say they’d be a second-tier SEC team every year borders on idiotic.
Texas has always owned the recruits in the state of Texas – they have always gotten almost every guy that they have wanted. They have an enormous fan base and loyal following – that will not change. They are one of the very few college teams that can support a full time network devoted to them – congrats Texas, I don’t blame you for maximizing your value.
Fact is, Texas usually has their recruiting class set before the start of HS football season anyway. Yes, the ESPN netwok decision to air some HS games will tend to favor the Longhorns in terms of recruiting. But it will have minimal effect.
This can also backfire on Texas too in terms of recruiting players.
Plenty of talent in Texas to go around and the Longhorns can only sign up to 25 of the 300+ recruits that sign Div 1 scholarships each year.
Coach ‘em up A&M and beat Texas on the field – that would be a helluva lot stronger message to send recruits in the state of Texas
roll tide