the commissioner who never rests is standing down Big 12 boss Brett YK announced Thursday that he won't pursue membership invitation for Connecticut at this time explaining that a joint decision with Yukon officials was made to pause our conversations translation this isn't the time for additional Big 12 expansion but the right time could present itself eventually perhaps in 12 months or 36 after all yorck is locked on 2030 when the big 12 negotiates its next media rights contract he expects basketball to play a major role in that endeavor and Ukon is the top program not currently attached to a major football playing conference but yak's presidents and athletic directors are nose deep in the chaotic present where the ncaa's economic Revolution is unfolding and a billion dollar antitrust settlement is front and center there simply isn't enough support to invite a basketball school that won't add immediate value to the big 12's football product but yak's pursuit of Yukon is endlessly intriguing and as the hotline tracked the developments in recent weeks with deep skepticism that anything substantive would materialize three aspects of the courtship were particularly intriguing anytime there's a whisper of realignment news our thoughts turn to Fox and dbn as the ATM machines for cash strapped athletic departments the networks effect actively run college sports albeit in a passive manner with regard to Yukon and the Big 12 specifically we wonder about Fox the network just signed a six-year media contract with the Big East reportedly worth $75 million approximately annually remove the two-time defending national champions and the conference is not worth what fox plans to pay granted Fox shares the big 12's media rights with the SPN which is assuredly would love adding Yukon to its basketball inventory but in theory expansion should make sense for the conference and both Partners had the courtship turned serious would Fox have voiced opposition in May the power conference is agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit and Implement a revenue sharing model in which athletes will receive roughly $22 million annually notably the settlement is in Jeopardy after a contentious hearing Thursday that did not go we hoped NCAA president Charlie Baker said membership in the Big 12 lines with yukon's Revenue needs if the huskys plan to fund their football program at the highest level but if they continue to lean into basketball and treat football as a second class citizen the imperative changes yukon's basketball peers Kansas Kentucky North Carolina Duke Etc cannot plow $20 million into Revenue sharing with basketball players football will receive the most support by far in theory the huskys would need $4 million to $6 million annually to fund basketball at a competitive level and they don't need Big 12 money to hit that Mark