Take on the Score Act

[Steamboat Willie]

The SCORE Act is being sold as the magic pill to “stabilize” college sports, which is adorable considering it mostly stabilizes the NCAA’s legal defenses and the conference commissioners’ job security. Enter Cody Campbell—Texas Tech’s billionaire booster, head regent, and newly crowned Patron Saint of Saying the Quiet Parts Out Loud—who showed up just in time to point out that the emperors aren’t just naked, they’re also terrible negotiators.

Campbell says the conferences could make billions more by pooling media rights, but commissioners won’t do it because they like controlling their own little fiefdoms. The commissioners, naturally, clutched their pearls and insisted they never said pooling would increase revenue, which is hilarious because the only thing more predictable than a commissioner’s denial is a bowl game corporate sponsor.

So now we’ve got a full-on soap opera:
Campbell yelling that the money’s on the table, the commissioners yelling that Campbell doesn’t understand the “realities,” and Congress trying to pass a bill that gives the NCAA antitrust bubble wrap while telling athletes they’re definitely not employees but should please enjoy these newly standardized NIL guardrails.

If you squint, the SCORE Act looks like “reform.”
If you read it normally, it’s the conferences trying to lock in their authority before Campbell shows up with a calculator and ruins the illusion.

But sure—let’s pretend the real crisis here is protecting commissioners’ feelings while the industry drifts toward semi-pro status with an “amateurism” sticker slapped on top.

[FootLaw]

Definitely Cody Campbell's burner account.

In no way do I want any pooled media rights that allow crap conferences to ride on the coattails of the SEC and Big 10. No thank you. Not saying the SCORE Act is perfect, but Cody doesn't have everyone's best interest in mind either.

[Bobby Burton]

The SEC and Big 10 are trying to keep a bigger piece of the pie and have control that Campbell doesn’t like.

[FaxMachine]

51 minutes ago, Bobby Burton said:

The SEC and Big 10 are trying to keep a bigger piece of the pie and have control that Campbell doesn’t like.

Good. Tech shouldn’t receive same payments as a Texas or Ohio State, etc. 

Edited 18 hours ago by FaxMachine

[Steamboat Willie]

50 minutes ago, Bobby Burton said:

The SEC and Big 10 are trying to keep a bigger piece of the pie and have control that Campbell doesn’t like.

“Markets differentiate” means Ohio State and Texas get paid more because people actually watch them. That’s fine. That’s reality.

“Monopolies protect incumbents” means the same people who built the system get Congress to freeze it in place so nobody — not schools, not athletes, not even other brands — can ever challenge it.

The SCORE Act is clearly the second one.

And let’s not pretend Cody Campbell is some free-market hero. He’s not arguing for markets — he’s arguing for his leverage. If Tech were printing SEC-level ratings, he wouldn’t be lecturing anyone about pooled rights and commissioner egos. He wants redistribution dressed up as disruption.

So no, this isn’t about fairness.
It’s about power.
Campbell wants more of it.
The commissioners already have it.

And the SCORE Act is Congress being asked to pick a side — and pretending it’s “reform.”

[marathon]

2 hours ago, Bobby Burton said:

The SEC and Big 10 are trying to keep a bigger piece of the pie and have control that Campbell doesn’t like.

When you look at most watched games of 2025 thru rivalry weekend, the SEC had at least one team in 17 of the top 20 most watched games. The Big ten had at least one team in 4 of the top 20. The ACC had a team in 3 games and Notre Dame had one. Big XII had zero.

15 of the top 20 most watched games were conference games. 13 of the top 20 most watched games were SEC conference games. The Big Ten had 2 conference games. No other conference had one. The other 5 were non conference games. Big XII had zero.

Cody Campbell knows this but he wants to ride the coattails of the most popular schools and mooch TV money once again. He has the Big XII good ole day syndrome when Texas and OU generated TV revenue for the everyone in the conference. Same with the PAC 12 where a few teams generated the lion share of TV revenue,

 

Edited 16 hours ago by marathon

[Q]

1 hour ago, marathon said:

When you look at most watched games of 2025 thru rivalry weekend, the SEC had at least one team in 17 of the top 20 most watched games. The Big ten had at least one team in 4 of the top 20. The ACC had a team in 3 games and Notre Dame had one. Big XII had zero.

15 of the top 20 most watched games were conference games. 13 of the top 20 most watched games were SEC conference games. The Big Ten had 2 conference games. No other conference had one. The other 5 were non conference games. Big XII had zero.

Cody Campbell knows this but he wants to ride the coattails of the most popular schools and mooch TV money once again. He has the Big XII good ole day syndrome when Texas and OU generated TV revenue for the everyone in the conference. Same with the PAC 12 where a few teams generated the lion share of TV revenue,

 

Good find on this graphic. Really puts things into perspective. 

[Steamboat Willie]

15 hours ago, marathon said:

When you look at most watched games of 2025 thru rivalry weekend, the SEC had at least one team in 17 of the top 20 most watched games. The Big ten had at least one team in 4 of the top 20. The ACC had a team in 3 games and Notre Dame had one. Big XII had zero.

15 of the top 20 most watched games were conference games. 13 of the top 20 most watched games were SEC conference games. The Big Ten had 2 conference games. No other conference had one. The other 5 were non conference games. Big XII had zero.

Cody Campbell knows this but he wants to ride the coattails of the most popular schools and mooch TV money once again. He has the Big XII good ole day syndrome when Texas and OU generated TV revenue for the everyone in the conference. Same with the PAC 12 where a few teams generated the lion share of TV revenue,

 

You can respect the hustle and admit the math is brutal. One league consistently drives eyeballs, ratings, and conference-game demand; another keeps talking about “process” while hoping proximity to relevance pays rent. Markets don’t reward effort, nostalgia, or press conferences — they reward attention.

So sure, everyone gets a slice under the current model. But let’s not pretend all slices are earned the same way. Some programs bring the viewers. Others bring a Venmo handle and a dream.