Marketing Decisions for a Tired Brand

I make no secret of the fact that I'm not a fan of Notre Dame football, or for that matter, the Notre Dame community (I exempt several alumni from my dislike: my daughter and about five friends/business associates. Bleccchhh to the rest).  I thoroughly enjoyed the reign of Charlie Weis and all the angst that was a product of those years.

The rancor with which I regard the USB clan is rooted in the smugness that they generally display.  It is summed up in this, one of my favorite little taunts: 
     Question: How can you tell if someone went to Notre Dame?
     Answer: Just wait. They'll tell you.

New coach Brian Kelly added ire to my fire when he fairly flew out of Cincinnatti, simply abandoning his team scant days prior to the Sugar Bowl and their defense of their undefeated season, eager as could be to respond to the beck and call of the sanctimonious siren call from South Bend.  Cincinnatti soldiered on and got pounded by Florida while Kelly got a head start on becoming acclimated to winter in South Bend,  a mind numbing series of gray, cold, snowy days interrupted by...nothing.

The recent discussions, speculation and suppositions regarding the potential expansion of the Big 10 and whether those expansion plans might (again) include Notre Dame have been most interesting. Joe Paterno, when asked for his opinion on the prospect of Notre Dame being invited to join the Big 10, responded "They had their chance".

Way to go, Joe.

The loyal followers of Notre Dame tend to reflexively respond to this speculation with "why would we want to join a conference".  The usual company line is that Notre Dame cherishes its "independence", independence being a code word for "we can make more money without a conference".  Historically, they have done so.  History, however, like ND's dreams of football excellence, is not relevant to the future.  The past is not prologue here.

The bedrock for their ersatz independence has been ND's television contract with NBC, a deal that requires sharing money with nobody.  These guys have never embraced the concept of sharing.  The same situation applies to bowl game revenue.  They don't have to share.

The financial equations are changing rapidly, and the aversion to sharing may preclude embracing evolution, which is actually rather consistent with the mission out there.  Notre Dame hasn't been very good for a while.  They love to reminisce, the ND faithful do, but that's a pretty threadbare cupboard of memories they're drawing upon these days.  The Big 10 regularly sends 7 teams to bowl games, and they bring home big checks that they share with the rest of the conference.  If ND doesn't bowl, it doesn't earn. In unity there is strength...and earning power.

 The TV deal with NBC is becoming comparitively less compelling as The Big 10 Network matures and generates profits for the members of the conference.

When all is said and done, I don't think the Big 10 really wants them, and I don't think ND can handle sharing... the money or the spotlight.

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Ducks rap sheet update from Dr. Saturday click here. Pathetic.