For the Next Big Ten Commissioner, a Lesson From Penn State
Kevin Warren's last major event as Big Ten commissioner was the Rose Bowl. After Penn State's victory over Utah, as he looked for people to hug, James Franklin met Warren for a warm embrace.
Fittingly, Penn State was a significant part of Warren's farewell. Because last summer, the program played a key role in a major issue that the next commissioner will confront.
Warren, the Big Ten's commissioner for three seismic years, returned to team management Thursday as the president of the Chicago Bears. From the COVID season to westward expansion to the rich new media-rights deal, Warren packed a lot into three years. He gained supporters and critics. Franklin occasionally was both.
The Penn State coach, who often goes out of his way to praise university and conference leadership, was critical of the Big Ten for how it handled the stop-and-start 2020 football season. Franklin was "extremely frustrated" with the Big Ten's process and communication efforts for canceling and restarting the schedule.
Ultimately, that passed. Last summer a new issue emerged, one that must be top of mind for the next Big Ten commissioner.
In July, Penn State players, led by quarterback Sean Clifford, met with Jason Stahl, executive director of the College Football Players Association, about joining his organization. According to Stahl, players met secretly to discuss CFBPA initiatives regarding Big Ten revenue sharing and expanded access to medical care and insurance.
Stahl wrote in his Substack newsletter that Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford helped schedule the meeting, at which Stahl presented a list of demands they would take to the Big Ten. The list included players receiving a share of conference media revenue.
Stahl told CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd that his presentation also included an option for unionizing. In a Twitter post, Clifford called that "inaccurate" but acknowledged the meeting.
Warren evidently intervened, inviting Clifford to join the newly formed Big Ten Student Advisory and Advocacy Committee that would address these issues. Stahl called this "disheartening."
"Making matters worse, Sean told me that in addition to Kevin Warren he had been intensely lobbied by another star player and friend to give up on the CFBPA," Stahl wrote in his Substack newsletter. "Sean told me that Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan told him he would never support the CFBPA Big Ten campaign and this clearly weighed on Sean."
Warren might have helped avert this crisis, but more are coming. The Big Ten last year signed media-rights contracts with CBS, NBC and Fox worth a reported $7 billion over seven years. Big Ten teams could share $70 million in revenue per year.
Players will want their cut. Clifford was part of those initial discussions with Warren about making that happen.
"I've already started some dialogue with our student-athletes," Warren said at the Big Ten football media days last July. "We're going to amplify that committee here quickly. I want to hear it from them. I want to be a great listener to figure out what is important to them.
"It's so easy to talk about money and share money, but what does that really mean? I want to make sure that I listen and learn to be able to have big ears and a small mouth to truly understand what's important to them."
The Big Ten's next commissioner should revisit this moment to fully understand the job. Unionization didn't happen at Penn State, though it was discussed. It wasn't the first time (Northwestern athletes nearly unionized in 2014) and won't be the last.
With a rich media contract and schools in three time zones beginning in 2024, the Big Ten is a national organization and a college athletics change agent. Clearly, labor will be at the forefront of that change.
The next Big Ten commissioner should be well versed in labor negotiations, since the conference could be the first to offer revenue sharing or a collective bargaining agreement. Northwestern opened the door, and Penn State propped it open.
Where Warren negotiated expansion and a new media deal, the next commissioner should make athletes the priority. Because they're going to demand it.
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
