Barry Lewis
"Big 12 Is Open For Business - Nothing Is Off The Table"
Big 12 Media Days is underway at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Incoming commissioner Brett Yormark opened up Day One by sharing his vision of what's to come for the league.
Yormark was announced on June 29 as the new commissioner. One day later, USC and UCLA announced their decision to move to the Big Ten, once again throwing college athletics into chaos.
Questions about realignment and the future of the Big 12 were immediate. "Nothing is off the table," Yormark said. "The Big 12 is open for business."
"There is no higher priority than to position the Big 12 in the best position possible for future media negotiations. Everything we do must build the league's brand."
He had no announcements about the direction of the Big 12. Everything is open to discussion. He officially takes on the new role on August 1 and will meet with each school's leadership and athletic director to listen to their needs and ideas. He will then present his findings to the league's board before making decisions.
"There is not a definitive plan. We are exploring all options (in terms of realignment)," he said. He later added, "Sometimes the best deals are those that don't get done." He said multiple times that he desires to add to to conference's value, not dilute from it. We are going to vet out all of the options and possibilities to see where we are going."
Yormark plans to build the brand of the conference. He hopes to use his experience at Roc Nation to make the brand hipper, and younger, and to use content and storytelling to engage with the fans. "We must use our platform to drive positive change."
"When future student-athletes are thinking about where to go, I want our brand to be inspirational. Our goal is for our league to be just that and help with their decision."
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