John Rockefeller built a monopoly in oil to keep the price of crude down and refined high. He crushed individual competitors and alliances built against him left and right for 20 years until he directly controlled 85-95% of the refined oil industry in the United States and indirectly controlled most of the crude industry as well (producers and refiners were generally separate then unlike today where they generally are not). He was so successful, so powerful, that he created blowback that eventually destroyed what he had created. Those he left out in the cold marshaled forces - and yes it took 30 years - that in the end were more powerful than Standard Oil, forces which dismembered it.
Soon after he achieved real dominance for the first time in the refined oil market in the late 1870s, Rockefeller held up the price of refined so high that it backfired on him. The huge profits resulting created competition, and, even worse, deep and wide resentment and hostility towards his enterprise. After that, he learned not to abuse the power he had amassed too greatly. The price of refined was thereafter kept high but not too high. But he kept crushing competition, raising legions against him from the dust.
All this talk about the Big Ten and SEC are invincible, omnipotent, they can strong-arm Notre Dame if Notre Dame doesn't go into their fold willingly, they can dictate terms to the networks, they can control membership in their new club just as they please to the point of kicking members out, perpetually keeping out those they don't want in, they can leave the NCAA if they wish, they can run major college football as a more or less pro football league for themselves and no others, they can do whatever they want and not do anything they don't want done, nothing to be done about it, too bad so sad... they would be able to do that for a little while, but not forever.
What power can stand up to the Big Ten and SEC? They'll create that power themselves if they act in the fashion so many people seem to think they will. It would be inevitable. If they destroy 3/5 of FBS college football to enrich their 2/5 (if they each go to 24 teams), something will arise out of that which will bring down their system. It might take 20 years. It might only take 10. But it will happen. It always does when when men wield autocratic power that tramples everyone else in their sphere. I don't think that they will go so far as the doomers are saying it's almost certain they will.
Soon after he achieved real dominance for the first time in the refined oil market in the late 1870s, Rockefeller held up the price of refined so high that it backfired on him. The huge profits resulting created competition, and, even worse, deep and wide resentment and hostility towards his enterprise. After that, he learned not to abuse the power he had amassed too greatly. The price of refined was thereafter kept high but not too high. But he kept crushing competition, raising legions against him from the dust.
All this talk about the Big Ten and SEC are invincible, omnipotent, they can strong-arm Notre Dame if Notre Dame doesn't go into their fold willingly, they can dictate terms to the networks, they can control membership in their new club just as they please to the point of kicking members out, perpetually keeping out those they don't want in, they can leave the NCAA if they wish, they can run major college football as a more or less pro football league for themselves and no others, they can do whatever they want and not do anything they don't want done, nothing to be done about it, too bad so sad... they would be able to do that for a little while, but not forever.
What power can stand up to the Big Ten and SEC? They'll create that power themselves if they act in the fashion so many people seem to think they will. It would be inevitable. If they destroy 3/5 of FBS college football to enrich their 2/5 (if they each go to 24 teams), something will arise out of that which will bring down their system. It might take 20 years. It might only take 10. But it will happen. It always does when when men wield autocratic power that tramples everyone else in their sphere. I don't think that they will go so far as the doomers are saying it's almost certain they will.
