According to multiple reports on Monday, June 27, starting with Sports Illustrated, the Big 12 Conference is negotiating with Brett Yormark to become the next commissioner of the conference and succeed the outgoing Bob Bowlsby.
Yormark has been with Jay Z’s sports and entertainment representation and marketing firm Roc Nation. He joined the firm as a co-CEO of a division of Roc Nation (Roc Nation Unified) and then in January of this year was made COO of the entire company. Prior to joining Roc Nation, Yormark was the President of the Brooklyn Nets and oversaw the move to franchise move to Brooklyn and the construction of the Barclays Center. He was with the Nets going back to 2005 when they were the New Jersey Nets.
Before being with the Nets and professional basketball he was with NASCAR.
Yormark fits the bill of a sports executive with more of a professional sports background and a Madison Avenue resume’. If his hire is finalized, he will enter into leading the Big 12 during a critical time that will see the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma depart for the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12 will bring in starting next summer BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF.
On top of all that, the Big 12 is set to negotiate its’ future multimedia rights contract starting sometime in late 2023 to early 2024. That is the most critical situation for the league needing to stay as close as possible to powerhouse conferences in the SEC and Big Ten in annual payouts to conference members.
Yormark would be a follow up to a move by the Pac-12 when they hired MGM Sports executive George Kliavkoff as their commissioner. Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren came out of pro sports and the NFL as he worked with the Minnesota Vikings. Bowlsby as well as the commissioners of the SEC (Greg Sankey) and ACC (Jim Phillips) all came out of college athletics administration, either the conference level or in the case of Bowlsby and Phillips as athletic directors.
The Big 12 had a target date of announcing and introducing the league’s new commissioner at the Big 12 Football Media Days on July 13-14. This hire would seemingly be completed in plenty of time for that to happen.
are you saying that BB might now be available as a bathroom attendant? I might be in the market.TUSKAPOKE said:
Would be a BIG improvement over the "Asleep at the Wheel" BB. Goodbye BB.....it seems the Short Horns and Sewerners made you their beach and Greg Sankey made you his bathroom attendant.
