Realigning the college athletic conference is a very wild ride. It's so wild that it's introduced a new term into the college sports lexicon: calimony.
This is actually a maintenance payment, but not for one person. It's for a school.
UCLA and California Berkeley are both part of the University of California school system and are governed by the UC Board of Regents. USC and Stanford, as private institutions, are not subject to the board and its goals or needs. UCLA and Cal are.
When UCLA went to the Big Ten and got its hands on a large amount of new television money, it was clear that the Bruins would have to pay Cal as a penalty or donation (depending on your point of view) for this move, which the Pac-12 and with it Cal destabilized.
In moving to the ACC, the Golden Bears agreed to reduced revenue sharing for the first few years of the conference, freeing up television money for the ACC as part of their deal with ESPN-Disney. Precisely because Cal is giving up part of the revenue, it is of course obvious that UCLA will demand more – not less – money for its “calimony” payment.
Jon Wilner of the Wilner Hotline reports this story. His report states that the Calimony subsidy could range from $2 million to $10 million. Given that Cal is taking the reduced revenue share, expect the number to be much closer to $10 million than $2 million at this point.
Let's gather some more reactions to the crazy, topsy-turvy news that Cal will be joining the ACC, which is really hard to understand:
The path is not taken
What?
Cal. Stanford. SMU.
In the ACC.
The PAC-4 should have stayed together and then merged with the best teams from MWC and AAC.
I'm sure the nerds at Stanford hated that idea. https://t.co/tQVZLuK9DW
— Andrea Katherine (@AndreaKatSTL) August 24, 2023
A home away from home
WHAT'S UP?
OCEANS 17?
It went higher than him
CLEVER!
Great. Cal now has to beat both the Cardinal and the Cardinals.
— Jeremy Dietz (@ratingsjedi) August 23, 2023
DO NOT SHORT MARK MADSEN!
Cal will never win a conference basketball game again.
— Sean Grove (@SFBayDuck) August 23, 2023
CLASSIC!
Cal in the ACC Basketball Tournament sounds good to me.
— Blake Johnson (@johnsonblake013) August 23, 2023
The odometer will work overtime
I can't wait to see Clemson, FSU, VT and Miami at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley and UNC, NC State and Syracuse at Harmon Gym. Pitt and Virginia will also be great games. If Cal can bounce back in the ACC, it will be the beginning of a new era in Cal Athletics!
— Gary Tatum IV (@GaryTatumIV) August 24, 2023
THE PEOPLE HAVE SPEAKED
USC FANS WOULD AGREE
Larry Scott should be arrested on charges of murdering the PAC12.
— Slder78 (@Slder78_2) August 23, 2023
BUT UCLA WILL PAY PART OF THE BILL FOR CAL
Cal and Stanford will be begging to go when they see the first year travel costs
— TD (@pinstripefan1) August 24, 2023
OSKI HAS A HOME!
STANFORD came through
Great respect to Stanford for holding on to our shared traditions and history. That being said…GO BEARS!!
— Diana-Marie George🐻 (@CalAlumni81) August 23
Kalimonia
In December, the regents set a subsidy range of $2 million to $10 million from which they could commit Westwood to support Berkeley.
– Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) September 1, 2023
The story originally appeared on Trojans Wire
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