Sports

Arizona AD Dismisses Fanbases Of Traitorous Rivals By Speaking Facts That Will Prove Damaging

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Arizona Wildcats athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois revealed her newfound bias for the Big 12 following the school’s move from the PAC 12. In doing so, she took a swipe at her former rivals.

Reed-Francois dismissed the uninterested fanbases of big market programs like USC and UCLA. She prefers the small-town college vibes.

It’s a point of view that many who follow college sports share. Small towns are what make the NCAA great.

Campus life. A focus on the university. A passion for athletic success. The school is the talk of the town each weekend, rain or shine. What’s not to love?

Reed Francois believes more of these stops can be found in the Big 12 as opposed to her old conference. Manhattan, KS, Ames, IA, and Stillwater, OK immediately come to mind.

In these areas, the college is the star and the players are icons. That can’t always be said in major cities. The Arizona athletic director spoke on that fact in a recent press conference.

She believes the Wildcats fit right in.

Desiree Reed-Francois spoke nothing but facts.

“The Big 12 has great fan support,” she said. “A lot of the different cities that we’re going to are smaller towns. Very much like Tucson, there’s a college feel. So, that was a great familiarity.

“We’re not going to Los Angeles. We’re not going to the East Bay. We’re not going to Palo Alto anymore. We’re going to Texas Tech and West Virginia, and those fans are passionate. It’s a different gameday atmosphere.”

In big cities, support is often disappointing. There are other activities to do in the city, particularly when the team is bad.

We’ve seen UCLA struggle to get butts in the seats of late. USC has fallen victim to a lack of support, too.

It’s just not the same when a professional team is always at the center of the conversation. Schools take a backseat. The passion’s just not there.

Nothing compares to a college town. Unfortunately, in a world of television money, those large markets have the most pull.

USC and UCLA bailed on Arizona…

And the rest of the PAC 12. Their exits sparked a domino effect that all but killed the conference. The Big Ten became their new landing spots, and it inked a record-setting $1 billion TV deal soon thereafter.

That contract was signed thanks to big markets like Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Washington DC. That money will be distributed to conference affiliates, providing larger athletic budgets, opportunities for facility upgrades, and an ability to hire the best coaches.

All of that plays into recruiting, as does the fact that Arizona will no longer play in those big California markets annually. Exposure opportunities are decreasing in a prospect goldmine.

The Wildcats are trading Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area for Lubbock and Morgantown. That’s great for the vibes, but ultimately, it might be a bad thing for the outlook of the program.