Three Questions for Tony Petitti ahead of Big Ten Media Days
INDIANAPOLIS – Commissioner Tony Petitti will make his first address to Big Ten Conference media members Wednesday morning.
While the former MLB executive was formally introduced at a press conference in Chicago this past spring, Wednesday is more than just a formality. With questions still lingering regarding the Big Ten’s TV contracts, clearing up any doubt about where the conference’s relationship stands with its media partners is crucial before the season.
Then there’s the other “crisis” in college athletics – NIL. With new NCAA president Charlie Baker pushing Congress for legislation, many commissioners have backed the move this month. Petitti will have a decision to make about where he stands on the topic.
On3 will be in Indianapolis for both days of Big Ten Media Days this week. Before new Big Ten Tony Petitti takes the podium at 10:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, On3 is breaking down three questions that could be answered this week.
Where does Big Ten TV contract situation stand?
Introduced as the seventh commissioner in Big Ten history in April, Tony Petitti was brought into the job for his ability to innovate in a series of past jobs. Before serving as the president of sports entertainment for Activision Blizzard, he had a 12-year stint with Major League Baseball. During his time with the MLB, he worked as the league’s chief operating officer and deputy commissioner of business and media while playing a key role in growing MLB Network.
His first weeks on the job were not spent settling in, though. According to ESPN, Petitti’s time was spent working through unresolved details of TV deals in flux. That includes the conference needing to pay back nearly $40 million to FOX because former Big Ten leader Kevin Warren delivered NBC the conference title game in 2026 without the full authority to do so.
The Big Ten is still working through paying back FOX for lost inventory from the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NBC deal, which starts this season, was not finalized as of late May. November night games are typically not played due to school tolerances, however, Ohio State, Michigan State and Penn State will all be playing November night games this season.
Wednesday’s State of the Big Ten address will be a crucial chance for Petitti to make clear where the conference stands with its TV partners. He obviously did not make the contract mess. But he is now charged with cleaning it up.
The commissioner has worked quickly to put together a staff. He named Kerry Kenny as the conference’s next chief operating officer in early June. Viewed by many as a name to watch in college athletics, Kenny will play a crucial role in helping Petitti finalize these details in the coming months. If the Big Ten does expand, depending on the future of the Pac-12, Kenny could be a leader in those discussions.
Will Tony Petitti join push for federal NIL mandate?
Over the past couple weeks with the onslaught of conference media days, commissioners have had the opportunity to voice their opinions on the state of NIL in college athletics. Most have opted to stick to the party line, voicing many of the NCAA’s wants in a piece of Congressional legislation.
At last week’s SEC Media Days event in Nashville, commissioner Greg Sankey called for Congress to act, bemoaning the recent wave of state laws and stating athletes, “deserve better than a race to the bottom at the state legislature level.” It struck a very similar tone to NCAA president Charlie Baker at last month’s Future of College Sports summit, who described state laws as blatantly saying, “Screw the conference. Screw their rules.”
Jim Phillips followed the pattern Tuesday at ACC Media Days. The former Northwestern athletic director voiced his concerns about athletes earning employee status.
“There’s a need to reaffirm that the student-institution relationship is just that,” Phillips said. “Our athletes are students, not employees. The college athletics enterprise must also be able to enhance and adapt the student-athlete experience without the constant threat of lawsuits.”
Petitti has yet to be asked to take a stance on the topic. With the Congressional recess only days away, a slew of bills have emerged from the Senate. If any of them even come up for a vote remains to be seen. The NCAA is starting to realize it needs a Plan B, with a group of stakeholders gathering in Indianapolis this week.
Is Big Ten confident in USC, UCLA transition a year out?
When the SEC announced plans to eventually add Texas and Oklahoma in the summer of 2021, the Big Ten had to respond. The conference’s presidents and chancellors unanimously voted to add USC and UCLA last June, with a date set for Aug. 2, 2024.
It was a jaw-dropping move that has reshuffled the college football landscape. The so-called Power 5 has really morphed into a Power 2 – the Big Ten and SEC. The TV contracts they have signed backed that up. Before Kevin Warren made the decision to return to the NFL, he signed a 7-year media rights deal with FOX, CBS and NBC valued at $7 billion. Obviously, nearly a year later, details have emerged suggesting the contracts have yet to be finalized. But the payout institutions could be looking at making it worthwhile for USC and UCLA to make the jump.
But roughly a year out from the move, there are still some lingering questions. What will scheduling look like for the Los Angeles schools? According to documents On3’s Andy Wittry obtained from UCLA in January, a trip to Michigan was calculated to be 7.75 hours and Wisconsin is 9.5 hours via commercial air travel. For reference, UCLA assistant athletic director Akemi Kitagawa Nishida listed Oregon State as a 7.5-hour trip via commercial air travel and Washington State at 9.75 hours.
The documents also alluded to the possibility of multiple-team events at the same location. Those events could be held on campus or at neutral sites near major airports, such as Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis and Minneapolis.
Will any of these initiatives be rolled out over the next two days?