The Big Ten has confirmed the next committee member.
On Wednesday, the Big Ten announced the hiring of Tony Petitti as a new commissioner, replacing Kevin Warren. Warren held the role for just three years before leaving the conference to become president and CEO of the Chicago Bears.
Petitti, whose first day in the Big Ten will be May 15, has been in Major League Baseball for more than a decade, and throughout his career He also served as an executive for CBS, ABC and NBC. Petitti oversaw the launch of MLB Network and was promoted to MLB chief operating officer when Rod Manfred became baseball commissioner in 2015.
Petitti later became Deputy Commissioner under Manfred with a special focus on business and the media. Petitti most recently served as President of Sports and Entertainment for Activision Blizzard Inc., a leading video game and esports company.
It is a great honor to be elected to the Big Ten Conference,” Petitti said. “I am energized to work with the best athletic directors, coaches, conference staff and board of directors in the country — Together we — continue to enhance the academic and athletic experience and resources for our 14, soon to be 16, world-class students at a university with nearly 10,000 incredible student-athletes. Thank you to the extraordinary people and places that led me to the next challenge in my career. I’m ready to work for the Big Ten conference community. “
Tony Petitti has held various executive positions in Major League Baseball and is now He’s expected to be the next Big Ten commissioner. (Photo via Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Petitti arrives as USC, UCLA will officially join the Big Ten
Petitti Will join the Big Ten transition before the majors. The conference will officially add UCLA and USC as full-time members in 2024 (the same year the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams). Additionally, the conference The large-scale new media rights deal will begin on July 1 of this year.
Both changes come during Warren’s brief but eventful tenure as a member of the Big Ten.
In the summer of 2019, Warren was announced as the Big Ten’s next commissioner, succeeding Jim Delany, who retired after 30 years in conference. Warren officially announced in January 2020 Taking over from Delany, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Warren reversed course just a month after the conference was widely criticized for its handling of the pandemic, including canceling the football season.
Later, Warren joined USC and UCLA from the Pac-12 and struck new media rights deals in the $7 billion range across multiple networks.
Warren was a longtime NFL executive before entering the Big Ten. To replace Warren, the Big Ten president and chancellor looked to the media to find his successor, just like the Pac-12 and Big 12 As did George Kliavkoff and Brett Yormark respectively.
From Top Ten press releases:
Petitti, a 14-time National Sports Emmy Award winner, has held senior management positions at CBS Sports and ABC Sports, overseeing various Sports league, collegiate and professional sports rights acquisition transactions, including NCAA men’s basketball, regular season men’s basketball, college football, NFL, PGA Tour, Masters, US Open and Little League World Series, and leadership creation Bowl Tournament Series to determine college football’s national champion.
Petitti Will join the Big Ten transition before the majors. The conference will officially add UCLA and USC as full-time members in 2024 (the same year the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams). Additionally, the conference The large-scale new media rights deal will begin on July 1 of this year.
Both changes come during Warren’s brief but eventful tenure as a member of the Big Ten.
In the summer of 2019, Warren was announced as the Big Ten’s next commissioner, succeeding Jim Delany, who retired after 30 years in conference. Warren officially announced in January 2020 Taking over from Delany, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Warren reversed course just a month after the conference was widely criticized for its handling of the pandemic, including canceling the football season.
Later, Warren joined USC and UCLA from the Pac-12 and struck new media rights deals in the $7 billion range across multiple networks.
Warren was a longtime NFL executive before entering the Big Ten. To replace Warren, the Big Ten president and chancellor looked to the media to find his successor, just like the Pac-12 and Big 12 As did George Kliavkoff and Brett Yormark respectively.
From Top Ten press releases:
Petitti, a 14-time National Sports Emmy Award winner, has held senior management positions at CBS Sports and ABC Sports, overseeing various Sports league, collegiate and professional sports rights acquisition transactions, including NCAA men’s basketball, regular season men’s basketball, college football, NFL, PGA Tour, Masters, US Open and Little League World Series, and leadership creation Bowl Tournament Series to determine college football’s national champion.
But unlike Kliavkoff and Yormark, Petitti did not Will undertake the task of reaching a media copyright agreement at work. The deal under Warren’s watch runs through the 2029-2030 football season, with seven-year deals with Fox, CBS and NBC.
Instead, Petitti will be tasked with adding to the content so that USC and UCLA fit together as seamlessly as possible while guiding the Big Ten and maintaining a dominant position in the changing era of college sports .
“We are in an era of collegiate athletics that calls for leaders with innovative vision, the highest principles and a spirit of fairness and cooperation,” said University of Illinois President Robert Jones. “Tony brings dynamic leadership and impeccable integrity to the conference. The entire President’s and Premier’s Councils are delighted to have him as the seventh commissioner in Big Ten history.”
