Of the Big 12's two big ideas, the name change for cash is a no-brainer

Two of the Big 12’s big ideas got loaded into trial balloons and floated Thursday afternoon. 

The less consequential idea got more attention because it’s easy to poke fun at on social media. (Even though it’s not a bad idea at all.) The more wide-reaching, potentially dangerous idea flew under the radar in terms of attention. And maybe that’s why both of these got floated at once. 

“The Big 12 might sell its naming rights to Allstate” is the type of headline that launches 100 memes. And it did.

“The Big 12 might sell a 15- to 20-percent stake to a private equity firm for a big cash infusion” requires more than 240 characters — or a beloved Star Wars meme — to unpack. This is because it raises all manner of questions.

• If you sell 20 percent of the league to get $1 billion, how much is the PE firm expecting in return over the ensuing years?

• Can a not-for-profit that essentially acts as a revenue passthrough for 16 universities (13 of them public) actually sell a stake in itself?

• Would university presidents submit to the inevitable management changes and aggressive revenue chasing that would follow such a move?

• Could athletic departments — usually bloated organizations run like neighborhood lemonade stands — handle the slash-and-burn tactics that usually accompany this kind of relationship?

You don’t have to ask any of those questions if you’re too busy laughing at the idea of a 16-team league named Allstate 12, and maybe that was the point. Or perhaps it’s the reverse. Maybe commissioner Brett Yormark knew many of his constituents would consider the PE idea too radical but might be more open to the heretofore heretical idea of selling the name of the conference when the two were positioned side-by-side.

Even though we got our jokes off Thursday afternoon, selling the naming rights for $30 million to $50 million a year (about $2 million or $3 million per school) is a legitimately good idea. Yormark’s mandate is to help open new revenue streams for his league as its schools figure out how they’ll fund about $21.6 million a year in revenue share with athletes as they opt into the House v. NCAA settlement. Yormark has consistently generated ideas since taking over for Bob Bowlsby in 2022, and as these go, the naming rights idea has high upside and little downside.

The Big Ten and SEC shouldn’t sell their names because their brands are that meaningful. But what does the Big 12 name mean? It’s not unique. The Big Ten does the B1G thing better, and most fans under 40 barely remember that the members of the Big 8 were the backbone of the Big 12 at its formation in the mid-90s. The conference hasn’t had 12 schools since 2011, so the number doesn’t even make sense.

The history of the Big 12 is a tale of infighting, strife and missteps. Texas versus Nebraska. Texas A&M versus Texas. The exits of Nebraska and Colorado. (Though the Buffaloes came back!) The exits of Texas A&M and Missouri. The crowning of two football champions despite an ad campaign titled “One True Champion” and Art Briles screaming at Bowlsby while accepting the trophy. Oklahoma’s president calling the league psychologically disadvantaged. Texas and Oklahoma bailing.

The league needed a rebrand anyway. Why not get paid for it?

If Allstate is indeed the brand that buys the name, its Mayhem campaign — starring the delightful Dean Winters — is the perfect complement to the history of the league and to the promise of its football future. The current Big 12 lineup is the most competitively balanced in the sport. Unless one program suddenly surges in the next few years, it’s likely most seasons will start with at least half the league harboring legitimate conference title hopes. That will make for Mayhem in October and November, and it will be beautiful to watch. But just call it The Allstate Conference or the Allstate League. Just don’t call it the Allstate 12. The league has 16 schools. Time to move on from the number.

Sure, we could point to this as another example of college sports selling its soul, but that presumes it had a soul to begin with. The people in charge have always chased bigger dollars while trying to keep those dollars from the players. Now that their scam has been busted in the courts, they have to chase those dollars so they can pay them to the players. 

Should everyone sell their names? Slap logos on their jerseys? No. Not everyone. There are school and conference brands that are more valuable unsullied.

But that should be considered on a case-by-case basis. The Big 12 is not one of those brands. It needed a new name anyway.

That should be an easy decision. (As long as they ditch the number 12.) Whether to sell a stake in the league — or whether that’s even possible — requires a far more nuanced discussion.