MEGA Conference Realignment and lawsuits Megathread: Stories, Tales, Lies, and Exaggerations

[Calinative]

You are fast propelling yourself towards being the dumbest porster on the board. You are really giving TouchMonkey and cookies and JADouche a run for their money.

First, I'm not even going to get into the stupidity that comes from you claiming that the distribution happens before the fiscal year.

I'm simply going to post an article FROM MAY 2025, that details the earnings and distributions FOR THE 2023-2024 FISCAL YEAR. Once again, the money that Miami reports for ITS FY2025 is from the ACC's FY2024.

Please read the article, and then apologize.

Again, the announcement of the distributions in May 2025 was based on FY2024, or as the article states "its final year as a 15-team league".

Also, there was this quote: "But with the addition of the three western schools and the settlement, the ACC’s revenue distribution will be drastically different in years to come. Cal, Stanford and SMU will get a lower percentage and the conference will reward teams for both on-field success and television viewership moving forward."

Soooo, let's recap. This May 2025 announcment of FY2024 numbers...goes AGAINST what you hypothesized at a "95% certainty" rate. There is always, I repeat ALWAYS, a lag on the calculation of numbers. That's why you file NON-PROFIT income tax returns, with the extended due date, 10.5 MONTHS AFTER THE END OF THE YEAR.

Wait, wait, let me do the math...that means, if the fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30...then the EXTENDED DUE DATE OF THE ACC'S NON-PROFIT TAX RETURN IS IN...DRUM ROLL...MID-MAY. Oh my god, it's amazing!!! I'm right, once again. And you're wrong, once again.

So, let's conclude here. You failed to take notice of what this "mid-May" not-actual "distribution" actually was, which was actually an announcement, 10.5 months after the conclusion of the PRIOR FISCAL YEAR, of what the PRIOR YEAR distribution was.

You really are not very smart. You thought you could razzle-dazzle me with a couple of articles, which do not actually say what you think they said.

And better yet, tell me ONE large non-profit IN THIS COUNTRY which makes profit distributions BEFORE the close of its fiscal year.

I'll wait for your genius explanation. And your apology.

ACC sets record for money earned and distributed, but league knows it needs more

The Atlantic Coast Conference earned more than $711 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year, according to its latest tax documents.

www.wral.com

I've found where the confusion is.... Basically the new graphics showing AD revenue are still using very old info from the 2023 football season, even though it SAYS its New EADA data. I assumed the newly released graphics showing an increase to $230M was NEW reporting, but it is not. Literally the Miami $230M figure comes from the EADA 2024 Survey - reflecting the 2023 football revenue. Which takes us to:

1) I absolutely Still DISAGREE with you completely regarding WHEN the payouts are made by the conference. The most recent ACC tax filings were filed May 2025 and that's why all these news articles are written May/June 2025. But that is for the 2023 Football season because its for FY24 (7/1/23-6/30/24). Okay so this absolutely does NOT include the New conference members, the new Success Initiative, and unequal Media Ratings changes. Which I have 100% been saying. No issues there. But I completely disagree that you are saying the ACC distribution (actual $ transfer from Conference to School) occurs outside May 2024 for the 23-24 tax filing. In the ACCs tax filing it literally shows the amount paid to the University of Miami being $45.6M for the 2023 football season. So Imo this distribution should absolutely be included in the University of Miamis FY24 tax accounting (6/1/23-5/31/24). Unfortunately in Miamis actual tax filings it doesn't breakout any of this - nor does it actually report just athletic departement revenues/expenses. Miami FY24 tax filing only reports $317M in revenue in "auxiliary enterprises, including intercollegiate athletics, parking, student housing and student dining". So we don't have what JUST the Athletic Department brought in from the FY24 reporting. BUT I still believe I'm 100% correct that the FY25 tax filing by the ACC which will likely release sometime soon here will include the NEW Success Initiative/etc and WILL be reflected in the University of Miami FY25 filings as well. This is because I absolutely believe the payment IS made sometime in may.

2) Which leads to the actual breakdown/confusion... Where these graphics are getting the Athletic Department revenue is solely from the EADA/OPE website as far as I can tell - at least for private schools like us. Thats what lists Miamis athletic department as going from $180M in total revenue to $230M in revenue. Where the Miscommunication/Confusion comes from is that even this new graphic showing the $230M in revenue is only actually being reported for the 2023 Football Seasons or FY24 (6/1/23-5/31/24) year. I assumed that the Reason this is newly popping up in may 2026 is because the Survey year 25 data was released and this was some new reporting showing the 2024 Football seasons revenue increases. It actually is not. The EADA "survey year" filings are supposed to be made in October. So Survey year 24 which is the data this graphics are using to show $230M in revenue was filed Oct 2024. So literally this should have been known for literally over a year now. Obviously This $230M absolutely shouldn't be including the Success Initiatives and new media rating revenue model. The Survey Year 25 is supposed to be the data that does include the new revenue distribution model and should have been submitted oct 2025 and would have been for the 2024 football season. And the ACC should be reporting the 2024 revenues/distributions soon here given it's already may 2026. (But again this does not mean the ACC actually made the payments after May 2025 like you are saying.

Now maybe you've read that and think "This proves Cali was wrong". To that I submit the actual ******* tweet that started this:

This dude CLEARLY says FY25 EADA data!

SO if the Tweet here was actually not full of ****, I'd have been correct lmao. I thought this was New EADA data showing the NEW 2024 football seasons revenues. It is not.... The $230M Miami revenue report is for the 2023 football season....

 

[TheOriginalCane]

OK, @Calinative , let's take a look at the articles YOU linked, and see how badly you misinterpreted them.

First article:

Summer 2025

Fiscal Year 2024 numbers, using past-tense verbs, because it already happened:

Fiscal Year 2025 EXPECTATIONS, using future-tense verbs, because it hasn't happened yet:

Here's some info on the FIRST year of the Success Initiative, for FY2025. Note how it says "project" earnings (not distributions, which follow earnings). Earnings are projected in 2025 because they have not yet been finalized by Summer 2025, and they **** sure haven't been distributed. Notice whose name is NOT "topping" the initial success initiative, for the reasons I stated earlier.

Again, here is the FY2025 Success Initiative, for which Miami WOULD RECEIVE (in the future, because future tense verbs are being used) a total of $3.6 million for the Top 25 finish and the Pop Tarts Bowl.

Here we go again, by Summer 2025, we can PROJECT (in the future) how much Miami EARNED in FY2025 (but had not yet received in a distribution), because the numbers have not yet been finalized or paid out:

The "TV ratings" formula:

So, now, I must ask the question: did you even read the first article you posted?

Honestly, I'm not even going to address the second article, which also does not support your claims.

Instead, I'm going to highlight the funniest paragraph you posted. The one in which you display a massive and fundamental misunderstanding of corporate accounting, business revenue and expenses, audited financial statements (required of large non-profits such as the ACC) and how business entities actually operate. Please, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, tell me what college or school you attended at UM, because it cannot possibly be the School of Business.


Here is the bull**** you wrote:

First, you ASK why a business entity would make distributions AFTER the fiscal year ends. This question alone leaves me speechless. I have no idea why a human being would think you make distributions BEFORE the fiscal year ends. Every bit of the first article YOU LINKED uses careful language to differentiate between the prior year (past-tense verbs) and the current year (future-tense verbs, because the earnings are being finalized and the distributions are yet to be made).

Then you say "that makes no sense". And that "EVERYTHING" you have seen "indicates" (or supports) your assumption. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. You have not provided a shred of evidence or support to prove your asertion that the "May distribution" relates to the fiscal year that ends 6 weeks into the future. BECAUSE IT ISN'T TRUE.

I'm sorry, but this is why I have a hard time having respect for any of your postings that CLAIM to have insight into standard business practices and procedures. Like when you kept telling us that some "guaranteed annual payment" would always be better than a royalty-based payment that a university could positively impact via better on-field results and marketing efforts.

I wish you could just act like a man and acknowledge that some posters on this board know more about business, generally, and the sports industry, specifically, than you claim to know. That's just a simple truth.

Maybe you're smart in other subject matters, and you are terrible at business. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Maybe you are a great engineer or musician or nurse or architect, as Miami offers degrees in those fields.

But you will never be hired by Nick Kroll's production company, because you are bad at business.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

I've found where the confusion is.... Basically the new graphics showing AD revenue are still using very old info from the 2023 football season, even though it SAYS its New EADA data. I assumed the newly released graphics showing an increase to $230M was NEW reporting, but it is not. Literally the Miami $230M figure comes from the EADA 2024 Survey - reflecting the 2023 football revenue. Which takes us to:

1) I absolutely Still DISAGREE with you completely regarding WHEN the payouts are made by the conference. The most recent ACC tax filings were filed May 2025 and that's why all these news articles are written May/June 2025. But that is for the 2023 Football season because its for FY24 (7/1/23-6/30/24). Okay so this absolutely does NOT include the New conference members, the new Success Initiative, and unequal Media Ratings changes. Which I have 100% been saying. No issues there. But I completely disagree that you are saying the ACC distribution (actual $ transfer from Conference to School) occurs outside May 2024 for the 23-24 tax filing. In the ACCs tax filing it literally shows the amount paid to the University of Miami being $45.6M for the 2023 football season. So Imo this distribution should absolutely be included in the University of Miamis FY24 tax accounting (6/1/23-5/31/24). Unfortunately in Miamis actual tax filings it doesn't breakout any of this - nor does it actually report just athletic departement revenues/expenses. Miami FY24 tax filing only reports $317M in revenue in "auxiliary enterprises, including intercollegiate athletics, parking, student housing and student dining". So we don't have what JUST the Athletic Department brought in from the FY24 reporting. BUT I still believe I'm 100% correct that the FY25 tax filing by the ACC which will likely release sometime soon here will include the NEW Success Initiative/etc and WILL be reflected in the University of Miami FY25 filings as well. This is because I absolutely believe the payment IS made sometime in may.

2) Which leads to the actual breakdown/confusion... Where these graphics are getting the Athletic Department revenue is solely from the EADA/OPE website as far as I can tell - at least for private schools like us. Thats what lists Miamis athletic department as going from $180M in total revenue to $230M in revenue. Where the Miscommunication/Confusion comes from is that even this new graphic showing the $230M in revenue is only actually being reported for the 2023 Football Seasons or FY24 (6/1/23-5/31/24) year. I assumed that the Reason this is newly popping up in may 2026 is because the Survey year 25 data was released and this was some new reporting showing the 2024 Football seasons revenue increases. It actually is not. The EADA "survey year" filings are supposed to be made in October. So Survey year 24 which is the data this graphics are using to show $230M in revenue was filed Oct 2024. So literally this should have been known for literally over a year now. Obviously This $230M absolutely shouldn't be including the Success Initiatives and new media rating revenue model. The Survey Year 25 is supposed to be the data that does include the new revenue distribution model and should have been submitted oct 2025 and would have been for the 2024 football season. And the ACC should be reporting the 2024 revenues/distributions soon here given it's already may 2026. (But again this does not mean the ACC actually made the payments after May 2025 like you are saying.

Now maybe you've read that and think "This proves Cali was wrong". To that I submit the actual ******* tweet that started this:

This dude CLEARLY says FY25 EADA data!

SO if the Tweet here was actually not full of ****, I'd have been correct lmao. I thought this was New EADA data showing the NEW 2024 football seasons revenues. It is not.... The $230M Miami revenue report is for the 2023 football season....

Is there an apology in there somewhere?

Because I was 100% right. And you were 100% wrong.

You can call the ratings and financial results "old", but I really wish you would acknowledge that EVERY BUSINESS ENTITY EVER:

1. Completes its fiscal year
2. Closes the books
3. Audits the results (at same time as #4)
4. Prepares the financials (at the same time as #3)
and, finally,
5. Distributes profits (unless it retains profits) as a dividend (C corporations) or a distribution (pass-through entities)

Just be honest with yourself. Can you tell me of any corporation (Microsoft, Disney, Apple, etc.) that declares a dividend two months BEFORE the end of the fiscal year? Yeah, I didn't think so.

And I wish you would realize that the EARNINGS of the ACC are different from the EARNINGS of each member school. The ACC is the one that has the TV contract. The ACC earns the revenue IN YEAR 1, and then the schools earn their revenue shares IN YEAR 2 when the money is actually distributed. Which simply means that either YOU or the person who Twatted that bull**** out didn't understand fiscal years or else fell victim to a typo.

Look, I have an MBA and a JD and an LLM. I've been working for Big 4 firms or publicly-traded companies since the 1990s. I actually know what I'm talking about in this regard. ****, my company just pushed the button on our Q1 financials yesterday, so I repeat this routine four times a year every year.

Why can't you just acknowledge that?

 

[TheOriginalCane]

Now maybe you've read that and think "This proves Cali was wrong". To that I submit the actual ******* tweet that started this:

This dude CLEARLY says FY25 EADA data!

SO if the Tweet here was actually not full of ****, I'd have been correct lmao. I thought this was New EADA data showing the NEW 2024 football seasons revenues. It is not.... The $230M Miami revenue report is for the 2023 football season....

Can I just add one more point here.

You based all of your opinions, and all of your arrogant dismissals of my (accurate) comments on this guy:

So you chose to believe a VITREORETINAL SURGEON on issues of college revenue numbers instead of, you know, a guy with an undergraduate degree in Finance, a guy with an MBA, and a guy with a master's degree in Tax Law.

Yep. You **** all over me for God knows how many posts, and are now trying to declare that you "were right" if only the VITREORETINAL SURGEON's Twatter porst wasn't "full of ****" as you say.

And let's not forget that he's a Mormon. Don't even get me started on THEIR accounting and legal customs and practices.

Stunning.

I still do not see an apology from you. I could forgive you for falling for the VITREORETINAL SURGEON's poor misunderstanding of business, but I believe that we are still lacking any sort of apology or mea culpa for you acting so arrogantly while telling me that it doesn't make any sense for a business NOT to make a profit distribution before the close of the fiscal year.

Perhaps you would benefit from humbling yourself and admitting the error of your ways, like Gob Bluth.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

1) I absolutely Still DISAGREE with you completely regarding WHEN the payouts are made by the conference. The most recent ACC tax filings were filed May 2025 and that's why all these news articles are written May/June 2025. But that is for the 2023 Football season because its for FY24 (7/1/23-6/30/24). Okay so this absolutely does NOT include the New conference members, the new Success Initiative, and unequal Media Ratings changes. Which I have 100% been saying. No issues there. But I completely disagree that you are saying the ACC distribution (actual $ transfer from Conference to School) occurs outside May 2024 for the 23-24 tax filing. In the ACCs tax filing it literally shows the amount paid to the University of Miami being $45.6M for the 2023 football season. So Imo this distribution should absolutely be included in the University of Miamis FY24 tax accounting (6/1/23-5/31/24). Unfortunately in Miamis actual tax filings it doesn't breakout any of this - nor does it actually report just athletic departement revenues/expenses. Miami FY24 tax filing only reports $317M in revenue in "auxiliary enterprises, including intercollegiate athletics, parking, student housing and student dining". So we don't have what JUST the Athletic Department brought in from the FY24 reporting. BUT I still believe I'm 100% correct that the FY25 tax filing by the ACC which will likely release sometime soon here will include the NEW Success Initiative/etc and WILL be reflected in the University of Miami FY25 filings as well. This is because I absolutely believe the payment IS made sometime in may.

This one's easy.

You're wrong.

Your opinions and beliefs don't matter. You're just factually wrong.