Working in an Ever-Changing Environment

Host lost the broadcast rights for University of Kentucky sports in 1980, so he turned his attention to other ventures. He met with the athletic directors of the Southwest Conference (including Frank Broyles and Darrell Royal), and by the end of the meeting, they had asked Host’s company to operate the SWC Radio Network. The SWC Network was a resounding success, but Texas A&M football coach Jackie Sherrill led a successful campaign to end the network, allowing the larger universities in the conference to keep more broadcasting revenue. Host then signed a deal with athletic director DeLoss Dodds to control the broadcast and media rights for the University of Texas, and he rapidly expanded the commercial appeal of Texas athletics. Host continued to work with the NCAA and the NTBA. The NCAA struggled for control of college athletics with the College Football Association, which resulted in the 1984 Supreme Court decision in NCAA v. Board of Regents. The NTBA faced deregulation by the federal government, which resulted in a name change to the National Tour Association, larger membership in the organization, and increased revenue.

Changing the Game

Changing the Game is the memoir of Jim Host, a pioneer in college sports marketing. After attending the University of Kentucky, Host spent a few years in business before accepting a position as commissioner of public information in Governor Louie Nunn’s cabinet in 1967. After an unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor in 1971, Host founded what would eventually become Host Communications Incorporated (HCI). HCI engaged in association management before entering the far more high-profile field of college sports marketing when it gained the radio rights to University of Kentucky athletics. Host then developed the NCAA Radio Network, broadcasting games for the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. Before long, HCI had developed radio networks and marketing strategies for the Southwest Conference (SWC) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Host began to bid on college media rights, ultimately partnering with more than thirty universities. He created the concept of “bundled rights” at the university level, whereby corporations became “official” sponsors of college athletic programs across a spectrum of media formats. In the early 1980s Host convinced NCAA executive director Walter Byers to sell corporate sponsorships for the NCAA basketball tournament. This innovation dramatically increased revenue for the NCAA and increased the popularity of the tournament. In Kentucky, Host was involved with the construction of Rupp Arena, the Kentucky Horse Park, and the KFC Yum! Center. He played a key role in bringing the Alltech World Equestrian Games to Kentucky in 2010.