Underrated Hire?: New Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti

The Big Ten announced Tony Petitti as their new commissioner last week, what does he bring to the conference?

Author:
Harrison Reno
Apr 19, 2023 10:31 AM EDT

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In the day and age of the transfer portal, NIL, and arguably most importantly, the formation of super conferences, it was essential that the Big Ten conference hired the right guy to lead them into the future of college athletics.

It sounds like the Big Ten did exactly that by hiring Tony Petitti, a longtime TV executive, who, despite never working inside the machine that is college football, has garnered a ton of praise from those who have worked with him in the past.

In a recent article, CBS Sports laid out the case for Petitti being the 'perfect fit' for the Big Ten by talking to those who know him "best."

"Don't be surprised if Tony comes up with new events, new approaches, new schedules, just as he did when he joined me in 1997," CBS Sports president Sean McManus said. "He's going to dive into this. Nobody will ever outwork him or have more of a commitment."

As CBS wrote, Petitti's resume doesn't include experience within the realm of college sports; rather, he's worked in the television industry with CBS, ABC, and even worked for Major League Baseball. This high-level knowledge of the TV industry could prove valuable to the conference moving forward.

"Obviously, [the Big Ten's] biggest investment is television, and he knows it better than any of the other commissioners," said ex-Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas. "Look at his background."

What is that background that Neinas points to? Well, while with ABC, Petitti helped start the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). Then at CBS, he was "integral" to helping them acquire the media rights for the NFL.

But Petitti's work in television didn't stop there, as during his stint working for the MLB, he also helped launch their own network. Then, flexing his creativity muscle, he created the Field of Dreams game.

That type of creativity and expertise is something many could say has been lacking in college sports. While the Big Ten secured a new media rights deal under the outgoing commissioner Kevin Warren, Petitti will inherit a conference that is as strong as ever and has the opportunity to make it even stronger.