PAC-12 Reportedly Looking At Apple For New Media Deal, Would Be An Absolute Disaster

The PAC-12's media deal situation seems like it's getting much worse instead of better.

The conference has struggled to find a new media partner due to USC and UCLA leaving for the Big Ten in 2024. Who is going to pay for an organization that lost its two most valuable assets?

That's a question nobody seems to be able to answer, but it now looks like Apple is the front-runner, according to The New York Post.

PAC-12 reportedly might do a media deal with Apple. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

The PAC-12 agreeing to a deal with Apple would be terrible.

It's believed commissioner George Kliavkoff will present Apple as the league's saving grace soon. Apple already streams some MLB action, but taking an entire college conference's rights would be unprecedented.

To be clear, it'd be unprecedented in a bad way. If the PAC-12 goes with Apple and games are streamed on Apple TV+, the conference would disappear into irrelevancy.

Ask yourself: can you name three or four products currently on Apple TV+? I can, but I watch a decent amount of TV.

The average fan in Arizona or Washington almost certainly can't. Why would Oregon or Washington even give this deal the time of day? They should be on the phone right now with the Big 12 or Big Ten.

Will Oregon stay in the PAC-12? (Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)

This decision would cost the PAC-12 all its visibility.

Plus, the PAC-12's greatest moment for visibility was late games airing on ESPN. People around America aren't going to sign up for Apple TV+ to watch Washington State/Oregon State at 11:00 pm on the east coast.

Apple might have the money to spend, but that doesn't mean the PAC-12 should rush to take a deal that would push games to streaming. Visibility is incredibly important. Lots of visibility leads to better coaches, recruits and ultimately a better brand. If the PAC-12 goes exclusively to streaming, it will be a disaster that is hard to imagine right now.

Nobody will care about the conference's games other than the most dedicated fans. Again, Arizona playing Colorado on a Saturday night isn't driving fans to sign up for Apple TV+. It's just not going to happen.

The PAC-12 has been in a lot of trouble for awhile at this point. If Apple ends up taking the league's media rights, it shouldn't be viewed as its saving grace. It should be viewed as the league being sentenced to irrelevancy.