ARLINGTON, Texas – Some respect, please, for new Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark. He skipped the platitudes and went straight to the point at an introductory press conference here Wednesday.
“The Big 12 is open for business,” Yormark said, kicking off the conference’s football media days at AT&T Stadium. one is clear: There is no higher priority than the best position of the Big 12 for the upcoming media rights negotiations. Everything we do must lead to progress for the negotiations.”
This is the reality of college athletics in 2022. You can send a million balloons into the sky with hot air managers about “student-athlete experience” and “education” and “character building,” but the real priority for those takes care of them. it turns current cash flows into huge cash flows. Enter York.
He seems to be the man in this job in this situation. The world of college sports is changing to a more professional one. So recruiting a New Yorker with an NBA, NASCAR and entertainment background can provide benefits that balance the college learning environment. Finding a good brisket and learning the school fight song is less urgent than navigating the convention of media rights.
Fortunately for Yormark, he is inheriting an incredible legacy from outgoing commissioner Bob Bowlsby. Fifty-one weeks ago, everyone was writing the first draft of the death of the Big 12, so getting to this point alive and well is pretty amazing.
When news broke that Texas and Oklahoma had completed their move to the Southeastern Conference, the mysterious and underrated Big 12 appeared to be in the hunt for a breakup. But after the first wave of panic subsided, the remaining eight members stuck together and added four new schools: BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston.
Strength in numbers, increased growth of the nation’s best baseball and improved football and TV markets gives the Big 12 a chance to continue growing as a powerhouse 5. The team is more stable than a victim. and the most recent, the Pac-12, which just lost USC and UCLA to the Big Ten. And its long-term sustainability may be better than the Atlantic Conference, which is often held together by tape, wire baling and long-term rights agreements.
As reported last week, the Pac-12 and ACC are exploring a possible partnership (not a merger) that would be on broadcast content and include ESPN. If the revenue statistics aren’t a game-changer and don’t produce a deal, the Big 12 could strengthen its pursuit of six Pac-12 schools: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah, Oregon and Washington.
“I think it’s fair to say I’ve gotten a lot of phone calls, a lot of interest,” Yormark said. “People understand the direction of the Big 12, and we’re exploring those levels of interest. Nothing is imminent, but we’re working hard to make sure we put the Big 12 in the best possible way to move forward.”
Yormark stressed that membership expansion must be “incremental” and not “dilutive.” In other words, the incoming schools must each be as valuable in media rights revenue as the current team. If they do not reach this financial balance, then the cake is cut into small slices. The value of all other Pac-12 schools is in question. There are no absolute slam dunks available for the Big 12.
So Yormark’s work can improve the business of the hand he deals with. He often used the words “cooler, younger and hipper,” an area that the Big 12 could definitely use some work on. Appealing to employers—and young viewers—may require some strategic changes, and hiring someone who worked at Jay-Z’s Roc Nation seems like a way to appeal to those demographics.
In terms of confidence and charisma, Yormark gives the impression of another New Yorker, Rick Pitino. It’s easy to see the panel of 12 CEOs buying what he’s selling in the interview process — which Yormark says he believes he went into “as an entrepreneur.” All he has to do now is sell his league like he sold himself.
As for where the balance of power is shifting nationally, the big question is whether a third (and possibly a fourth) can come close to matching the growing power of the SEC and Big Ten. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy quoted the 52-year-old Carpenter’s song, “We’re Only Beginning,” in assessing what he thinks will happen in the rematch. While that doesn’t quite match Yormark’s call for a “younger and hipper” competition, it does indicate a belief that more growth is coming… sometime.
The Big 12’s outgoing commissioner, Bob Bowlsby—a college professional compared to Yormark’s outsider position—is extremely influential in this dynamic. “This is no different than what happened in any small town in America,” Bowlsby said. “The corner drug store is gone, the mom-and-pop grocery store is gone. Capitalism has taken over and it’s consuming. That’s what we’re seeing in the environment in college athletics. it’s a country.”
So the importance for teams trying to survive in the shadow of the SEC and Big Ten seems clear: collect, or be collected. In a landscape where media rights revenue drives everything, Brett Yormark may be the right man for the tough job of leading the Big 12 forward. Time is money, and he wasted no time Wednesday talking about much more than making more money.
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