Three Things I learned in SaaS, Sports, Tech and Live Events:

The death of the modern Pac-12

We knew for years USC leaving the Pac-12 was going to happen - I said it on the radio numerous times. And it finally happened. Here's what I learned from the news and how it applies to our business:

1) Remember "History doesn't repeat itself, people do"? Voltaire's premise applies here. Take the time to read "The Club" about the founding of the English Premier League and you'll see a roadmap for what's happening in college football. The top clubs banding together, the power of revenue sharing, and the jettisoning of many "traditions" at the foot of TV money coming from multiple bidders. None of what's happening is new, it is just repackaged, as Kelly so aptly said in "The Inevitable." There is a blueprint for a formation of a super league were the players weren't unionized - and it is one of the most successful in the world today.

2) Punishments are never forgotten by anyone- schools, universities, staffers, teammates, customers, and partners. The NCAA came down on USC with paper-thin reasoning in the early '10s. Regardless what anyone thinks about it, Trojan nation has not forgotten. If there is a future for football without the NCAA's oversight in the form of super leagues, USC would be quick to participate. I'm sure the Trojans don't feel any sympathy for the left behind Pac-12 schools who kicked them when down. The negative is louder than the positive- both in the present and the past. Our team, customers, partners….they don't forget these things. Don't do crappy things to people then expect them to forget it later - won't happen.

3) A rising tide may lift all boats, but not all boats have the same value. Ignore and get rid of those who put self-interest in front of the overall good immediately. In "The System," written in 2014, the authors go into detail on the TV money negotiations for the Pac-12. In the book, Washington State, and their AD Bill Moos, band together with other schools to deny USC and UCLA's requests for a bigger share of the annual payouts. There was precedence for a healthy league where the biggest markets got paid more - see #1 - but that precedence, and the health of the league, was ignored as Moos negotiated in his universities own self-interest. WSU spent the new windfall on a stadium renovation and a splashy new coach - Mike Leach at $8m per year. In our businesses, there will be those who bring exponentially more to the table than others - be it departments, offices, divisions, or individuals. If they aren't being properly rewarded while seeing the bounty of their hard work given to less deserving team mates, they're going to leave. There's a number of reasons USC and UCLA left, but I believe this domino to be an important one