Mergers and acquisitions
Pace said that prior to playing these Big Ten schools, Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&amp;M University played in the Classic and each university received a guarantee of $250,000. Once major football programs like the Big 10 entered the marketplace, events like the Ohio Classic found the expense to schedule many of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities cost prohibitive. Factor 2: Pace noted that during this same time, fuel costs increased, driving up the cost to fly and bus football teams and marching bands to the Classic. Factor 3: Mergers and acquisitions in media industry reduced competition and increased the cost of advertising, especially in urban radio which was the primary source for advertising the Ohio Classic.