Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark Takes the Stage at Media Days

Big 12 Media Days kicked off on Tuesday with conference commissioner Brett Yormark taking over the mainstage. Yormark addressed everything from the expanded playoffs, the Save College Sports Act, Big 12 growth, the conference’s reach internationally, and more.

Yormark was asked on multiple occasions about Texas Tech and Brendan Sorsby, but the fourth-year commissioner sidestepped each of those questions. On one occasion, he said ‘Today is not the time to address that issue. Today is about celebrating the upcoming football season and celebrating our 16 schools, but I appreciate the question.’

Here are some quick hits from Yormark’s availability:

On the Monster Energy partnership:

“Last year, we entered a partnership with Monster Energy to be the official energy drink of the Big 12, and today, we build on that with Monster Energy becoming the entitlement partner of Big 12 Football and Big 12 Basketball regular seasons. Monster Energy represents drive, edge, and ambition, qualities that mirror our student athletes and the Big 12 Conference. Our multiyear partnership is the first of its kind, built on the right brand and cultural alignment. Monster Energy is the number one energy drink domestically, and will take this conference to places it’s not been before. The global nature of who they are aligns with our global aspirations.”

On the Big 12’s global aspirations:

“The Big 12 aims to be the most globally relevant conference in college athletics. We opened last season in Ireland and will play two international games this fall, including TCU opening the season in Dublin and Arizona State and Kansas, competing in the first-ever college game at iconic Wembley Stadium. In fact, Fox Big Noon kickoff will take their show international for the first time and join us at the Union Jack Classic, wherever Jordan Bazan is. I want to thank him because that’s a big deal for this conference, and we thank Fox for their continued support. 14% of our student-athletes come from outside the US. Six of our 16 institutions have campuses outside the US, including Arizona State’s new campus in London, opening this fall. Our brand of football travels, it’s fast, it’s dynamic, and it’s exciting, and it resonates beyond our borders.”

On the expanded playoffs and whether it will impact the Big 12 Title game:

“I liked 16 initially as I learned more about it, obviously without the additional AQs. When 24 became part of the conversation, we’ve done our own conference due diligence around it, and we think it might be a great fit for us. We discussed it most recently in our spring business meeting with our coaches, across the board, they liked it, and we continue to have those conversations with our ADs and our presidents. We do need to understand the economics. Is there a marketplace to go to 24? We have to understand the scheduling dynamic and what that means, and the unintended consequences, which I said earlier, as it relates to our championship game. That’s a huge tent pole event for us. I mean, we had over 85,000 attend last year, and our ratings were up 39%; it’s a big deal for us, and there are economics that go with that champion. So, as we consider 24, we’ve got to look at what we have and what potentially we might gain and ultimately make the best decision for the Big 12, but everything’s on the table.”

On private equity entering the college athletics world:

“You might not have been reading what has been going on in the Big 12. We were at the forefront of private equity when I first got here. We explored all different options, from private equity to debt, you name it, and each conference, each school has to do what’s in their best interest. We landed in a place that I felt was a great partnership with RedBird. It’s all about business development, it’s not traditional private equity. So we like where we’ve landed. We think we’re in a really good place. We have a strategic partnership with RedBird. It’s all about growing the conference and taking advantage of their ecosystem, but I can’t speak to where private equity lands in college athletics, because every situation is different, whether it be at a conference level or at a school level.”

On the Protect College Sports Act:

First of all, I’ll start off by saying I’ve probably spent more time on the hill in this job in the last four years than I have throughout my entire career, and it was necessary. I think when you go to people and ask for help, you’re not going to get back exactly what you want. That’s life. When I look at the bill, I’ve had lots of conversations with Senator Cantwell and Senator Cruz. In fact, I’ll be there next week. There was a lot of negotiation that was being done, a lot of horse trading that was being done, and I look at where we’ve landed right now, and it’s progress over perfection. Nothing’s going to be perfect, but the question is, can we make progress? Are we better off with a bill than without one? So, to answer your question, when I think about some of the elements of the bill that I like, it starts with agent restrictions, which we need. Federal preemption, limited liability protection, the transfer report, eligibility, cap circumvention, just to name a few, and they’re not perfect as currently written, but they will help resolve some of the chaos that’s currently in the system and deliver a more stable model for collegiate athletics moving forward. Next week, I’ll be on the hill, and we’ll discuss areas that could be tweaked and refined, but I think at the core, there’s a lot in there to like. It’s not perfect, don’t get me wrong, okay? But there’s a lot to like, and I know, having spoken to both senators again, it was a major negotiation, and you got to have give and take in those situations.”

Watch the commishners’ full media session below:

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