The Pac-12 will be traveling across the Pacific Ocean to play college basketball in China this November (Washington vs. Big 12 member Texas) and once more in 2016. It is part of Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott‘s vision to create a bridge into Asia to expand the Pac-12 brand, something he has spoken about in the past. While this is the start of the Pac-12 brand expansion initiative, football is still not likely to make the flight across the Pacific just yet.
According to Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated, the Pac-12’s two-year commitment to playing college basketball in China was made possible thanks to a financial contribution from a sponsor in China (Alibaba Group). Of course, providing for the travel expenses for a couple of basketball teams is a fraction of what it would cost to transport one football program, never mind two football programs.
The plan to bring the Pac-12 brand to Asia has been discussed since the Pac-10 days and was something at the top of Scott’s to-do list. While other sports within the Pac-12 would make sense to try branching out in Asia, basketball is by far more likely to thrive compared to football. Basketball is played in China by 300 million people, while American football is still a long way from developing. College basketball teams have been making visits to China for offseason tours for years now as well, and the Pac-12 intends to keep that going.
“I definitely see a lot of potential for our activities to grow and the interest to grow,” Scott said to Sports Illustrated. “Exactly where that takes us is really hard to say. There’s a lot of potential to expand in a lot of different ways. There’s a great foundation of interest, bringing the best from America to China.”
But what about football? Don’t count on it happening anytime soon.
“Football is going to be the toughest and is maybe not a high priority because it is not played [over there],” Scott said back in 2012. “We have a lot more immediate focus on sports like basketball, volleyball, golf, tennis, track and field, gymnastics -- all sports where they excel at too. Football really isn’t a high priority and if we were to play a game internationally, I’m not sure China would be the first, most logical place. There are other places where it’s much more indigenous.”
Still far from becoming official, the Melbourne Bowl in Australia seems to be coming together, and the suggestion is the Pac-12 would be a partner conference along with the Mountain West Conference. That would certainly be a more logical place for the Pac-12 to attempt to expand the Pac-12 brand. On the other side of the country and across the Atlantic Ocean, a 2016 game in Ireland was tossed in the trash bin due to economic concerns.