Big 12 Makes it Official and Brett Yormark is New Commissioner

(The Big 12 Conference contributed to this story.)

IRVING, Texas – Brett Yormark has been named the Big 12 Conference’s fifth Commissioner, as announced Wednesday by the league’s Board of Directors. Yormark succeeds Bob Bowlsby, who announced in April he was stepping away from the Commissioner’s chair after a decade with the Big 12. Yormark’s hiring was first reported by Ross Dellinger of Sports Illustrated on June 27. Yormark represents a change in profile for the Big 12 commisioner and follows suit with recent hires like George Kliavkoff in the Pac-12 as their commissioner and the Big Ten hiring Kevin Warren. Kliavkoff came from MGM Sports and Entertainment and Warren from the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. 

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Yormark comes directly from serving as COO of Jay Z’s Roc Nation.

Yormath’s unique resume’ will help with the obvious, which is negotiating the next Big 12 multimedia rights contract with the pressure of maintaining as much revenue and value as possible with the loss of Oklahoma and Texas from the league and the advent of new members BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. 

He will also be able to help the Big 12 schools work through and navigate the changing landscape of the NIL era in college sports. As the COO of Roc Nation and with his work in pro sports he has been involved in a lot of contract and marketing work. That will come in handy with the decisions that will come up with NIL. 

Yormark came to the  Big 12 from Roc Nation, where he served as chief operating officer and co-CEO of Roc Nation Unified, the commercial side of the business. Yormark, a graduate of Indiana University, began his sports career in 1988, working in the ticket office for the New Jersey Nets and ultimately reaching the pinnacle of the industry when he was named CEO. From 2005-19, as CEO of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center, he oversaw their move from New Jersey to Brooklyn, building the first new arena in New York City in 60 years and re-launching the Nets organization and brand in Brooklyn.
 
Barclays Center soon became a college basketball destination, attracting the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, and the Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament.
 
Prior to joining the Nets, Yormark served as vice president of corporate sponsorships for NASCAR, where he oversaw a $750 million partnership agreement, the largest in history at that time, that gave Nextel Communications the naming rights to its premier racing series.
 
Yormark is recognized for his creative business approaches and has been named to Crain’s “40 Under 40” list twice and the “Forty Under 40” three times by the Sports Business Journal. Under Yormark’s leadership, the Barclays Center became one of the top 10 entertainment venues worldwide for ticket sales.

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Oklahoma State University President Dr. Kayse Shrum.

Oklahoma State University President Dr. Kayse Shrum relayed to me on Tuesday that she was excited about the hiring of Yormark and that this is what she and Oklahoma State wanted, an “outside-the-box commissioner that would be best equipped from the business and media side to negotiate the next rights deal and get the Big 12 maximum value.”

Texas Tech President Dr. Lawrence Schovanec is the chairperson of the Big 12 Board of Directors, the group that made the hire.

“In Brett Yormark, we have chosen a highly adaptable leader who thrives in dynamic times. The landscape of college athletics is evolving to look more like the world Brett has been leading,” said Schovanec. “He’s authentic and genuine in the way he builds relationships and partnerships, and he works relentlessly to deliver impact. As Brett immerses himself in college sports and connects with all our stakeholders, he will bring a fresh approach and dynamic energy to the Big 12 as we engage a new generation of student-athletes and fans.”

Texas Tech University

Dr. Lawrence Schovanec

“I want to thank my fellow board members and our partners at TurnkeyZRG. Turnkey is more than just a search firm; they orchestrated a flawless strategy and process, delivering strong interest and strong candidates from college and professional sports, as well as the media and entertainment industries,” added Schovanec.

Yormark had the usual acceptance quote, but that doesn’t mean he is going to go about his duties in the usual way.

“Thank you to the Big 12 Board, the ADs, the student-athletes, the whole Conference for giving me a chance to support what they all do,” said the new commissioner. “I’m here to listen, learn, find ways to add value, add resources and try to help shine a light on the importance of college athletics. I look forward to leveraging my experience and network alongside our presidents, chancellors and athletic directors to shape the future of the Big 12 brand and emphasize our collective strengths.” 

I do think it will be handy to have Bob Bowlsby stay on as he has offered as a consultant to help Yormark with the areas he is unfamiliar with as Bowlsby is an expert in NCAA, CFP, and Power Five Conference matters and politics. 

It is interesting that one of the Big 12 current television partners weighed in.

“On behalf of FOX Sports, we’d like to officially congratulate Brett Yormark on being named the new Commissioner of the Big 12,” said Eric Shanks, CEO and Executive Producer of FOX Sports. “Brett is a talented and innovative executive who brings a remarkably unique perspective to the position. Under his leadership and vision, the conference is set up for success, and we look forward to continuing to build on our relationship as a premier partner of the Big 12.”

Everybody will be hoping for that at an increased price.
 
Yormark has two children and is married to Elaina Scotto.

Yormark’s official start date with the Big 12 is anticipated to be August 1. His initial contract term is five years. As announced in April, Bowlsby will transition to a new interim role with the Conference, subject to the mutual agreement of the new Commissioner and Bowlsby.
 
The current Big 12 membership includes Baylor University, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University, University of Kansas, University of Oklahoma, University of Texas and West Virginia University.

Entering Big 12 membership in the Summer of 2023 will be Brigham Young University, University of Central Florida, University of Cincinnati and University of Houston.