Who Will be The Next Big Ten Commisioner?
- Thread starter corbi296
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I think he has a good deal of sway but George McCaskey’s has been at the forefront of the movement to address the lack of diversity issue in the NFL coaching and front office ranks. I think the interest in Warren is legitimate.
My friends and I were discussing...is head of an NFL franchise really a "better" gig than Big Ten Commissioner, especially where you should theoretically be able to enjoy a certain degree of grace for scoring the biggest TV deal ever and while also overseeing the procurement of two of the biggest college sports brands that make the Big Ten officially national?
Or is it a total nonstop sh*tshow where you're dealing with presidents and ADs who are accustomed to getting their way?
Or does he just want a shot at turning a floundering franchise around as a swan song late in his career?
Or...maybe this was just a gig and he's ready to move on, having no prior equity in college sports as an exec?
As for Jim Phillips, I think it would boil down to whether 1) he's p*ssed anyone off during his brief tenure as ACC commish and 2) are the Big Ten presidents impressed with the job that he's done over there so far?
Or is it a total nonstop sh*tshow where you're dealing with presidents and ADs who are accustomed to getting their way?
Or does he just want a shot at turning a floundering franchise around as a swan song late in his career?
Or...maybe this was just a gig and he's ready to move on, having no prior equity in college sports as an exec?
As for Jim Phillips, I think it would boil down to whether 1) he's p*ssed anyone off during his brief tenure as ACC commish and 2) are the Big Ten presidents impressed with the job that he's done over there so far?
Well Warren should know since he was President of the Vikings before taking on the Big Ten commissioner's job. Who knows if he is considering it because he finds the Bears job attractive or because he doesn't like the forthcoming challenges he will face in college football as Big Ten Commissioner. Could be a little bit of both.
Correction from my previous post. Warren was previously COO of the Vikings, not its President/CEO. The linked Athletic article has some interesting insights on the Bears search and what could be motivating Warren.
Big Ten's Kevin Warren up for Bears CEO job
The Bears started their search for a president/CEO after Ted Phillips announced in September he will retire at the end of the 2022 season.
theathletic.com
I can't believe Kevin Warren trying to leave after pulling of the addition of USC/UCLA and working out the new big media deal for the Big Ten. Is he trying to pull a Costanza?
How about Coach Fitz for Big Ten commish? Would get a few votes from members here.
I’m confused by all of the hydrogen bombs in this thread, but then I’m easily confused.
The Athletic just posted an article listing several candidates, including Dr. Jim, Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel, OSU AD Gene Smith, Stanford AD Bernard Muir, UCLA AD Martin Jarmond, Fox Sports’ Mark Silverman, Nebraska President Ted Carter, Big Ten SVP Kerry Kenny, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert, IMG President Ted Pernetti, and ASU VP Chris Howard.
Throwing my hat into the ring. I don’t really have qualifications for the job, but I live close, have my own transportation, I have an appetite for that salary level and perks, and I’d appreciate the opportunity to put a big old thumb on the scale from time to time.
Also, between you and Pat Ryan, there's a net worth of over $8 billion; they'd be fools not to consider you.
I'm curious what people here see as the biggest issues the new commissioner will need to tackle. On one hand it must be nice to have the tv rights deal in the can, but I'm thinking specifically about if/how CFB overlords want to tackle the NIL situation that everyone seems to agree is out of control. I suspect there will even be dissention within the Power 5 about limits and regulation. Will be interesting to see if the B1G Commissioner's chair comes with enough built-in power steer the conversation.
Also thinking about how there's been a lot of turnover amongst the "old guard" that basically served to fortify Jim Delany's power - Barry Alvarez and Phillips at the top of the list, but also turnover of Big Ten presidents/ADs, and the new fish may not naturally work to put the strength of the conference before all else - we already saw some dissention from Nebraska during the pandemic...I'm sure UMD and Rutgers are starting to get comfortable and USC/UCLA won't wait long raise their hands at meetings.
Also thinking about how there's been a lot of turnover amongst the "old guard" that basically served to fortify Jim Delany's power - Barry Alvarez and Phillips at the top of the list, but also turnover of Big Ten presidents/ADs, and the new fish may not naturally work to put the strength of the conference before all else - we already saw some dissention from Nebraska during the pandemic...I'm sure UMD and Rutgers are starting to get comfortable and USC/UCLA won't wait long raise their hands at meetings.
Plus I’m not sure if he has his own transportation. He might, but I definitely have my 2009 Chevy HHR.
I heard somewhere (this is speculation / rumor) that Warren had suggested pursuing additional options for expansion and the university presidents were not particularly interested. So perhaps he accomplished the major initiatives (or resume bullets) that he wanted to in the B1G and wasn't as interested in staying there in a status quo type role. Which is understandable. Building the Bears new stadium complex out is probably a more exciting project.
The next challenges up are not going to be fun and will not be entirely within the Big Ten's control. Warren dealt with expansion and TV rights. That was all within the world he had charge of. NIL, portal and competition involve endless interested parties from the entire NCAA to state legislatures. That will be more a political and influencer role.
In writing this I thought of Mitch Daniels as a prototype. Not getting into politics here, but someone who has wide credibility and moves in many worlds.
In writing this I thought of Mitch Daniels as a prototype. Not getting into politics here, but someone who has wide credibility and moves in many worlds.
I found this Forbes article informative as it casts some light on the specific skill set needed for the next BigTen commissioner. I’m not sure if Dr. Jim would be the best choice now to deal with the complex issues of NIL and the portal. As the article points out it’s a brave new world for college athletics and athletics program costs are going to escalate. Selection of the next commissioner is crucial, and further BT conference expansion is not going away even if the BT presidents have evidently hit the pause button for now (a factor is Warren’s departure according to the article.)
www.forbes.com
With Kevin Warren’s departure, Big Ten Presidents Have A Massive Decision To Make
Warren’s legacy includes the newly signed, $7 billion, 7 year media rights deal, launching the Big Ten into a stratosphere only seen by the NCAA March Madness tournament rights. He also made some friends (and many enemies) by luring UCLA and USC away from the Pac-12 conference.
www.forbes.com
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