Could the FCS be breaking off from the NCAA

[VirginiaBison]

"Could the FCS be breaking off from the NCAA, and what could that mean for the teams at the level? Will private equity ruin the last frontier of what makes college football special at the Division 1 level?"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVaptXGY14Y

[reformedUNDfan]

"Could the FCS be breaking off from the NCAA, and what could that mean for the teams at the level? Will private equity ruin the last frontier of what makes college football special at the Division 1 level?"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVaptXGY14Y

Private Equity kills everything it touches

[WhoRepsTheLurker]

No way this happens. These folks will start to dig a bit and realize it's the G6 they actually meant, not FCS, but I still give it zero odds ...

[Professor Chaos]

Private Equity kills everything it touches

Private equity (Learfield) has run NDSU Athletic's media contracts since 2020.

Btw there's plenty of discussion of this at http://www.bisonville.com/forum/show...e-FCS-playoffs

[GreenfieldBison]

Private Equity kills everything it touches

That’s a catchy generalization but like many(most?) of those it fails. I can provide counterexample from personal experience.

[Jim Puetz]

Private Equity kills everything it touches

Try convincing the owners of the successful family business who sold to private equity because the kids didn't want to be in the business. They are thriving because of private equity.

[tony]

Private equity (Learfield) has run NDSU Athletic's media contracts since 2020.

Btw there's plenty of discussion of this at http://www.bisonville.com/forum/show...e-FCS-playoffs

I think that Learfield Sports is a business not an investing firm. You know how I can tell? They aren't buying university athletic departments, bankrupting them, and then asset stripping them.

[Professor Chaos]

I think that Learfield Sports is a business not an investing firm. You know how I can tell? They aren't buying university athletic departments, bankrupting them, and then asset stripping them.

I should've elaborated and dug into it a bit more - Learfield is backed by private equity:

Learfield restructures $1.1 billion in debt, brings in private equity firms

LEARFIELD ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF RECAPITALIZATION TRANSACTION AND EQUITY INVESTMENT, POSITIONING THE COMPANY FOR CONTINUED GROWTH



I posted this in the other thread but a good read from a HERO Sports writer who is involved in conversations like this across college athletics all the time: Private Equity In The FCS Playoffs? An FAQ On How It Could Work

I don't think this is a slam dunk for the FCS conferences but I don't think it should summarily dismissed because assumptions are made that outside money is only put up for nefarious reasons. It's certainly worth exploring IMO.

[GreenfieldBison]

Just as with Hedge Funds the definition of what is a Private Equity fund is pretty loose. There are good operators and bad ones. Those bad ones certainly do deserve their reputations.