Memphis Offered The Big 12 $250 MILLION Deal To Join The Conference, Still Got Turned Down

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Per Yahoo Sports...The proposal from Memphis — one of the most aggressive membership propositions in college athletics history — features hundreds of millions of dollars in sponsorship commitments to the Big 12 from UM-affiliated corporate partners, as well as the school eschewing revenue distribution from the league for at least five years.

This particular effort began more than a year ago. Memphis president Bill Hardgrave has spent at least 14 months visiting with the presidents and top athletic administrators of many Big 12 schools in individual, on-campus meetings that have culminated in a membership offer to the league that is expected to be as high as $200 million over the next five years.

“We vetted Memphis when we added the other four [Cincinnati, UCF, Houston and BYU] and chose not to add them,” another Big 12 administrator said. “What’s changed now?”

Memphis’ proposal is described as a “no-risk” concept, according to some in the Big 12, and it also sets a standard, perhaps, of expansion fees to enter a league. The school would: take zero distribution for the final five years of the league’s new television deal with ESPN and Fox; add the sponsorships in excess of $150 million over five years; and subject itself to expulsion after 2030-31 if Big 12 deems it is not adding value.

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