Requiem for the Big East

Commissioner Dave Gavitt founded the Big East in 1979 with schools in large northeastern media markets. The conference grew with ESPN, which was launched the same year and needed programming.

In the 1980s, coaches such as John Thompson of Georgetown, Lou Carnesecca of St. John's and Jim Boeheim of Syracuse made the conference a national force. In 1985, three Big East teams reached the Final Four.

As college football television revenue grew, conference realignment pulled schools toward football-centred leagues.

The film traces the departures of Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College and later Syracuse, Pittsburgh and others.

For college athletics and media professionals, Requiem for the Big East is a case study in how television rights shape conference membership and identity.

It shows the tension between tradition and revenue, and the difficulty of holding a collective together when members have different interests.

Conference realignment has continued since, making the film increasingly relevant.

Watch Requiem for the Big East if you work in college sport, media rights or league governance.

This Shelf feature reflects the film's story and themes; it is not a scene-by-scene review.