OT: B10 has a new commish; ACC extends Phillips (edited)

[rutgersguy1]

I'd be surprised if the B10 commish gets announced this week but just getting it done in April will be good. I kind of agree with the notion about Phillips and the changing landscape. IMO, ideally an outside the box thinker like Yormark would be good.

From the article:

The news of Phillips’ extension is quite notable from a timing standpoint. The Big Ten is in the final stages of its search for a new commissioner, with finalist interviews ongoing and a potential announcement coming as soon as this week.

Though there had been a great deal of speculation about Phillips and the current Big Ten vacancy, sources in both the Big Ten and ACC had, over the past few months, been pushing back on the suggestion for numerous reasons. There were practical contractual concerns as well as questions about Phillips’ comfort level in a rapidly changing environment that may result in athletes and colleges in an employee-employer relationship.

 

[rutgersguy1]

Well I guess the B10 commish hire will be announced this week.

Tony Petitti - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[rutgersguy1]

Another article on Petitti from October:

Liberty Media and the Baupost Group hedge fund have invested in The 33rd Team, the football analysis content company founded by former NFL team execs Mike Tannenbaum and Joe Banner. To lead the newly expanded company, the executive duo that helped build MLB Network has reunited. Founding MLB Network President Tony Petitti joins The 33rd Team as co-CEO alongside Tannenbaum in the deal. He’s joined by new Chief Content Officer John Entz, whom Petitti hired in 2008 to help stand up MLB Network and later served as president of production at Fox Sports.
“We’re really happy with the opportunity to work with Mike and Joe and their passion for what they’ve been doing the last few years,” said Petitti, who also served as MLB deputy commissioner/business and media. “We’re just big believers that we could take what they’ve been doing the last few years and professionalize it and add to it.”

Petitti said he’d been looking for opportunities along with Liberty and Baupost, and was introduced to Tannenbaum by their mutual acquaintance Bill Parcells. The 33rd Team currently has a roster of 44 football analysts, largely retired players and coaches, and six experts in gambling/fantasy. It produces about 15-20 pieces of content daily, Petitti said. Petitti, who also served briefly as president of sports and entertainment for Activision Blizzard, said he will focus on marketing, branding and reach -- finding more ways for fans to see and read the analysts’ content in both football analysis and gambling/fantasy. Despite his and Entz’ background, Petitti did not specifically identify baseball as a possible expansion vertical for the newly capitalized company. But he said the 33rd Team’s approach is “relatively easy to duplicate.”

“Each sport has its own rhythms in terms of how they cover it,” Petitti said. “But I do think this overall format, this style of production, is very easily moved toward other sports.”

The 33rd Team adds investors, new co-CEO

Liberty Media and the Baupost Group hedge fund have invested in The 33rd Team, the football analysis content company founded by former NFL team execs Mike Tannenbaum and Joe Banner.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

 

[rutgersguy1]

Reading a little about his background he seems like a solid hire. TV guy, which imo is important, with experience at ABC sports, CBS sports, MLB network and COO of MLB.

Hopefully he’s bold in his thinking and can rally the presidents together.

 

[rutgersguy1]

 

[RU Husky]

Should bring on Tom Pernitti in some capacity and drive everybody crazy.

Maybe he’ll introduce gaming outlets at all Big 10 stadiums and arenas .

 

[rutgersguy1]

It is looking more pro and that why it’s good to have someone with that background as opposed to a Phillips type imo.

 

[bigmatt718]

TV exec hire makes me think Oregon and Washington are on the clock soon to join the B1G with Cal/Stanford possibly after.

 

[rutgersguy1]

TV exec hire makes me think Oregon and Washington are on the clock soon to join the B1G with Cal/Stanford possibly after.

I think it’s still possible and can be financially manageable if you have enough schools to create more tv packages like a late night Saturday package and/or Friday night package.

IMO, that’s how you can make schools that aren’t individually valuable more worthwhile. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Personally, I think you need at least 4 from the west if you want to go that route.

 

[rutgersguy1]

 

[rutgersguy1]

 

[rutgersguy1]

I didn't realize Petitti was on the list last time around when replacing Delany.

Three initial candidates for Big Ten commissioner have media backgrounds

The Big Ten has announced nine initial candidates to replace commissioner Jim Delany next summer. Three have significant media backgrounds.

awfulannouncing.com

 

[rutgersguy1]

 

[bac2therac]

this seems like a great hire

 

[rutgersguy1]

 

[rutgersguy1]

Nice article in the Athletic on Petitti. It's paywall but some tweets with highlights.






From the article:

Former SEC commissioner Roy Kramer is often considered the father of the Bowl Championship Series, which, beginning in 1998, pitted the nation’s top two teams against one another in a national championship game for the first time in more than a century. But it was Petitti, then the vice president of programming at ABC Sports, who actually made it happen.

Kramer told the Los Angeles Times in 2006 that if he was the father of the BCS, Petitti was the No. 1 son.

“The only reason the BCS existed was because of Tony Petitti,” former ABC Sports president Steve Bornstein told The Athletic this week. “I got a lot of credit, but he was the person behind it. He did everything on that. It was his dedication, his initiative and his unwillingness to take no for an answer that got it done.”

People who work in and around the sport credit him with many of baseball’s positive changes, from the expanded playoff format to successful one-off events such as the “Field of Dreams” games.

 

[cubuffsdoug]

Nice article in the Athletic on Petitti. It's paywall but some tweets with highlights.

View embedded media

View embedded media

From the article:

Former SEC commissioner Roy Kramer is often considered the father of the Bowl Championship Series, which, beginning in 1998, pitted the nation’s top two teams against one another in a national championship game for the first time in more than a century. But it was Petitti, then the vice president of programming at ABC Sports, who actually made it happen.

Kramer told the Los Angeles Times in 2006 that if he was the father of the BCS, Petitti was the No. 1 son.

“The only reason the BCS existed was because of Tony Petitti,” former ABC Sports president Steve Bornstein told The Athletic this week. “I got a lot of credit, but he was the person behind it. He did everything on that. It was his dedication, his initiative and his unwillingness to take no for an answer that got it done.”

People who work in and around the sport credit him with many of baseball’s positive changes, from the expanded playoff format to successful one-off events such as the “Field of Dreams” games.

Someone in another thread on this site tried to discredit the new commish by saying the commish's time with MLB was a failure because MLB is a failure.

 

[Knight Shift]

Someone in another thread on this site tried to discredit the new commish by saying the commish's time with MLB was a failure because MLB is a failure.

From The Athletic (there is a LOT more in the story). I like this guy's background and his style a lot (assuming the article is not a puff piece):

"Friends say that lessons from his Italian father and a blue-collar upbringing laid the foundation of the man Petitti would become. A bright young student and a strong multi-sport athlete, Petitti played baseball at Haverford College and eventually graduated from Harvard Law School."


“The top brass at networks are all there on Sundays (for the NFL), but not everybody comes in on Saturday. Tony never missed a Saturday that I was there,” Brando said. “He was always into it big-time. If anything exciting happened in a game, he’d love to talk about what this or that means."

My kind of manager/leader:

“When he came to CBS Sports, he became a student of every component and every contributor to the sports division,” said LeslieAnne Wade, the former senior VP of communications at CBS Sports. “He’d sit in our offices, spend time with us and take it back to (higher-ups).”

"Reynolds said the mark of a great leader is his or her interest in other people’s perspectives. Petitti not only listens to others’ suggestions, but he also has an uncanny ability to garner support for them. And his own."

 

[rutgersguy1]

Someone in another thread on this site tried to discredit the new commish by saying the commish's time with MLB was a failure because MLB is a failure.

I said this in the other PAC12/conference realignment thread but reading about him I could definitely see more expansion in the west and then the east on the table down the line

I've talked about how selling additional tv packages like late Saturday night, Friday night and a B10 semifinal conference playoff (in addition to the current B10 champ game) could be a way to bring value from those additional teams.

He seems like a guy who potentially could do things like that and build consensus for it.

 

[airspace]

I said this in the other PAC12/conference realignment thread but reading about him I could definitely see more expansion in the west and then the east on the table down the line

I've talked about how selling additional tv packages like late Saturday night, Friday night and a B10 semifinal conference playoff (in addition to the current B10 champ game) could be a way to bring value from those additional teams.

He seems like a guy who potentially could do things like that and build consensus for it.

Pretty much agree with what you are saying about additional windows generating (Friday & Saturday night games) additional revenue.

To me, the real issue is who is going to play in those windows IF they create them. Is it fair that certain schools might end up in those slots (limited visibility) vs other schools who most likely wont. I (tOSU alum/fan) acknowledge that it is not fair that Ohio State would probably get a pass on Friday/Saturday night games as they are more valuable to the conference in other hours.

That would be the tricky part. How do you do it to maximize value BUT give a certain level of fairness on visibility.

 

[rutgersguy1]

Pretty much agree with what you are saying about additional windows generating (Friday & Saturday night games) additional revenue.

To me, the real issue is who is going to play in those windows IF they create them. Is it fair that certain schools might end up in those slots (limited visibility) vs other schools who most likely wont. I (tOSU alum/fan) acknowledge that it is not fair that Ohio State would probably get a pass on Friday/Saturday night games as they are more valuable to the conference in other hours.

That would be the tricky part. How do you do it to maximize value BUT give a certain level of fairness on visibility.

I think OSU/Michigan and maybe PSU would get a pass and stay in traditional Saturday time slots but I think any other team could get put in those new slots. No one as a permanent fixture but sort of a rotational basis through the season with a max number of times a year.

 

[airspace]

I think OSU/Michigan and maybe PSU would get a pass and stay in traditional Saturday time slots but I think any other team could get put in those new slots. No one as a permanent fixture but sort of a rotational basis through the season with a max number of times a year.

Pretty much agree with that.

I believe if they do have additional windows (Friday & Saturday nights), each school should be on, no more than one time a year. You could even take an Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and USC have them play a Friday or Saturday night game BUT early when they could schedule a MAC school or equivalent.

With an additional night, you could be looking at another 10 to 12 games a year. With 2 nights, it could be an additional 20 to 24 games a year. Nice inventory to offer a media source.

 

[Knight Shift]

I said this in the other PAC12/conference realignment thread but reading about him I could definitely see more expansion in the west and then the east on the table down the line

I've talked about how selling additional tv packages like late Saturday night, Friday night and a B10 semifinal conference playoff (in addition to the current B10 champ game) could be a way to bring value from those additional teams.

He seems like a guy who potentially could do things like that and build consensus for it.

Great job on this, rutgersguy1. BTW, I am sort of enjoying my $1/month subscription to The Athletic, and thank you for recommending that. The only problem is I don't have time to read half of the stuff that is interesting to me.

 

[rutgersguy1]

Pretty much agree with that.

I believe if they do have additional windows (Friday & Saturday nights), each school should be on, no more than one time a year. You could even take an Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and USC have them play a Friday or Saturday night game BUT early when they could schedule a MAC school or equivalent.

With an additional night, you could be looking at another 10 to 12 games a year. With 2 nights, it could be an additional 20 to 24 games a year. Nice inventory to offer a media source.

I’m pretty sure USC and all the rest of the PAC12 schools have had Friday night games and obviously late night Saturday games so imo it wouldn’t have to be early in the season for any of them. It could be deeper into the regular season as well.

OSU/Michigan/PSU bring the biggest ratings in the B10 so it’s fine to keep them on traditional Saturday windows. If ND ever joined, it would be the same for them.

 

[rutgersguy1]

Great job on this, rutgersguy1. BTW, I am sort of enjoying my $1/month subscription to The Athletic, and thank you for recommending that. The only problem is I don't have time to read half of the stuff that is interesting to me.

I just pay attention to CFB and it’s worth the price to me. If you like other sports, I’m sure it must be very good.

 

[Knight Shift]

I just pay attention to CFB and it’s worth the price to me. If you like other sports, I’m sure it must be very good.

Really enjoying what I can read of MLB coverage.
Is there a selection for CFB generally, or do you select a conference, or just Rutgers?

 

[rutgersguy1]

Really enjoying what I can read of MLB coverage.
Is there a selection for CFB generally, or do you select a conference, or just Rutgers?

I forget, I think you can select team or conference or just CFB. I follow Rutgers news and then also use Twitter to follow some of their CFB reporters. I do get CFB news notifications on my phone through their app so I probably have some setting for that turned on.