I think the restructuring is going to take a while yet, but moves like this probably do signal the end of the beginning.

I haven’t looked yet, but I wonder if it would be possible to find news stories and opinion pieces for other watershed moments, like when the Ivies formally dropped athletic scholarships or when the D1-A/D1-AA split happened. There was a great Texas Monthly article from the 70s where UT was already moaning about the rest of the SWC, and while it focused on gameday revenue, it looks prescient in hindsight.