Following the renaming of Sun Devil Stadium to Mountain America Stadium, Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson met with the media where he addressed the Pac-12’s recent news.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!WATCH: #ArizonaState athletic director Ray Anderson addresses media after new stadium naming rights deal and comments on Pac-12
“I remain extremely hopeful and understand personally no matter how it ends up Arizona State will be in a good spot”@BurnCitySports pic.twitter.com/aoj300hVjv
— Brendan Mau (@brendan_mau) August 2, 2023
This interview comes only a day after the Pac-12 was presented with numbers for a TV rights deal, which would be primarily a streaming deal with Apple, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Sources: The primary deal presented to Pac-12 executives/ADs today was an primarily Apple streaming deal. The deal would have incentivized tiers, which would give it strong upside *if* certain subscriptions numbers are met. w/@CFBHeather
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 1, 2023
A previously unscheduled Arizona Board of Regents meeting also occurred yesterday and quickly went into an executive session. No one is saying what actually happened during it, but there is a lot of speculation that it was about realignment.
This doesn't say anything, but we can analyze the heck out of it by seeing who was present and how long it lasted. pic.twitter.com/UOQmGldG7u
— Jason Scheer (@jasonscheer) August 2, 2023
Anderson said he couldn’t say much on the recent situations, but said that “we (ASU) are in a pretty good spot.”
He added: “We are a very respected and coveted institution and program and property as far as media folks and conferences determine and think about us.”
According to Anderson, the reason he can’t comment much on the recent news is because “it’s in a state where credibility is dependent on confidentiality.”
Anderson and ASU president Michael Crow have previously said they have been committed to the Pac-12. However, Anderson did not explicitly say that at all today and was really blunt with what he could address.
This is a totally different attitude than the one he was giving in the last two months. https://t.co/GCZHVzgsTM pic.twitter.com/toETiNOspp
— Derek Duke (@DerekDuke25) August 2, 2023
With that being said, Anderson did not have much to discuss about the deal that was presented.
But, he did say: “We’re hoping (the deal is) going to be very positive and the outcome will be beneficial to us, certainly for the long term.”
This left some question of how he truly feels.
Anderson short version: "Pac 12? What Pac 12? Get us outta here!" https://t.co/z8UU6brSX9
— Tim Ashwell (@TAshwell) August 2, 2023
As far as the future of when a deal will get done, Anderson said: “I’ve been saying in another two weeks for about a year, so I don’t have anymore prognostications or projections. I’ll just be patient and let the process run its course.”
Will ASU stick around long enough for another deal to be presented or are they gone? We will see very soon.
Sun Devil Stadium being renamed to “Mountain America Stadium, Home of the ASU Sun Devils”
What do you think of Anderson’s comments?
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Brendan Mau is a college sports insider and general assignment reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on Twitter via @Brendan_Mau
