May 13, 2025 • 10 mins
As part of our #513Day broadcast from the Lindner Center at the University of Cincinnati, we were joined by Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, on ESPN1530.
Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Number one pre set on your car radio and on
the free new and improved iHeartRadio app Free never sounded
so good, ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
It is sixteen minutes after three o'clock on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Im Oegga, thank you so much for joining us. We
are broadcasting from the University of Cincinnati. It is the
five to one to three day celebration all across town,
specifically here at u SE learn more at gobercats dot
com slash five to one three getting set for with
(00:29):
the conclusion of the spring semester. Here year three, academic
year three as members you see, as members of the
Big Twelve conference, I think it's been a really interesting
time in the Big Twelve, and I think a really
good time in the Big Twelve as well. And the
commissioner of the Big Twelve, Brent Jormark, recently given a
contract extension for his work running the league and kind
(00:51):
enough on five to one three day to give us
a few minutes this afternoon. Brett, It's awesome to have you.
Thank you for joining us. How are you.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Thrilled to be here? Thank you so much. I am
in Dallas Fort Worth, making my way back to my office,
but thrilled to be with you, and thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
I appreciate you coming on with this. I guess when
the conference says you're doing a good enough job that
we're going to give you an extension, it calls for
looking ahead, but first looking back. So in your time
overseeing this conference during a really interesting time in college
athletics as a whole, give me an idea of the
accomplishments that you're most proud of.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Well, Listen, First of all, again, thanks for having me.
I work for a terrific board, and I work with
a bunch of great ads, and whatever I've accomplished is
really more about what we have accomplished as a collective
group now being sixteen. But when I do look back
on the last couple of years, I would say that
our progress started with that new TV deal, and we
(01:55):
enter into that new six year TV deal this fall.
But ninety days after I took the post as the commissioner,
we went early in our TV negotiations. We didn't know
at the time that it was really only one big
TV deal that was in the marketplace. We took it,
and I'm glad we did. Effectively, it led to I
(02:17):
guess you could say, in some respects the demise of
the Pac twelve, but it also gave us the ability
to have some clarity, some stability, and gave us the
opportunity candidly to pursue the four corner schools, which we
did fast forward. We're now sixteen strong. We've got a
(02:38):
great TV deal in place, and I think that's been
the impetus for our growth. And as you know it,
we've integrated eight new schools in the last two years.
So the composition and makeup of this conference today is
very different than what it was. In fact, half of
our membership is relatively new. But it's been an exciting
time for the Big Twelve. But we're just getting to
(02:59):
know each other right now, and it's a.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Work in progress over the course of the next couple
of years. I'm sure you have a lot of things,
a lot of things you want to get done. What
are the things at the top of that to do list?
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Well, right now, you know, when you think about Colleague
of Athletics at a high level, you know we're we're
working on settlement. You know, it's a big topic for
collegiate athletics, and hopefully settlement will be approved and you know,
the next couple of weeks, which will afford us an
opportunity to welcome this new age of college athletics and
(03:32):
rep share with our student athletes. That's certainly something that
is going to change the dynamics moving forward. We're talking
about a new governance model with the NCAAA, and you know,
how do the power for conferences maintain a little bit
more autonomy and authority that comes with it that hopefully
(03:53):
will lead to greater opportunity to create value for our
member institutions. You know, we're in the midst of the
go shading, if you will, with our peers, what will
be the next format if it changes in year thirteen
for the CFP. So at a high level, there's two
or three big things that we're working on right now.
(04:14):
And then in addition, it's you know, running the Big
twelve and making sure that we ultimately can be the
best version of ourselves. And as I said a couple
of minutes ago, we've got eight new members that we've
integrate over the last two years. So from where I sit,
we're just getting started. Our best days are ahead.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
We we've evolved into a conference that truly is national.
We're in ten states, We've got ninety million people in
our footprints. So it's incumbent upon me as the commissioner
to figure out how do we leverage the scale of
being sixteen strong and continue to well resource our member
(04:52):
institutions by leveraging that scale.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
What has it been like navigat as somebody who came
to the Big twelve from outside of college athletics, What
has it been like navigating the NonStop change that has
come your way across all of college boards over the
last couple of years.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
You know, listen, there's been a lot of change, no
doubt about it. But what change comes opportunity. And I
think we as a as a conference have been very
opportunistic to realize that, you know, we kind of we
have a mindset, if you will, of being a mature startup.
You think about our conference and you know, this fall
(05:36):
will be thirty years that we're in business, if you will,
And you compare that to some of the other conferences
that have been around for eighty or ninety years. So
I truly believe we're this young startup that's constantly emerging
and evolving, and there's real opportunity in front of us
despite some of the challenges, and as a collective sixteen,
(05:59):
we want to take advantage of those opportunities in every
way possible. And you know, for me, you know, I
came from professional sports to some degree, I was an outsider,
but many of my you know, the skills that I
had and the learnings that I had in professional sports
have transferred over here very nicely. Because candidly, collegiate athletics
(06:24):
and where we're going is closer to where I came
from to the model that exists today. So I think
I'm well suited for it, and candidly just working very
closely with our ads and our presence to make sure
that we take full advantage of the opportunities that are
in front of us.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
When when you hear, and I'm sure you do, when
you hear people who look at the state of college
athletics and they say, well, college sports are broken and
they need to be fixed, what's your reaction to those observations?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
In my observation is nothing's perfect in life. But I
can't I can't sit here today and say that college
sports is broken. College football is the second most popular
sport in America, and in and in some respects Saturdays
are becoming bigger than Sunday and it's only growing. You know,
Olympic sports is growing exponentially, especially women's basketball and gymnastics
(07:22):
and volleyball and wrestling. Real upside there. So I don't
I don't see anything but growth for for for collegiate athletics.
Are there challenges, Uh, certainly there are, and we'll work
through those. But where I see challenges, I see opportunities.
But certainly it's not groke. I mean, there's a reason
(07:43):
why all the TV networks are clamoring, you know, towards
you know, the content business that we're in, so that
they're a part of it. In fact, today during the
ESPN Upfront, because they're doing the upfronts this week in
New York and for your audience, those upfronts are where
(08:03):
these TV networks introduced programming for next year. They're all
highlighting ESPN being one college sports, football, basketball, Olympic sports.
Because you have advertisers out there that have a strong
appetite to be involved in the business that we're in.
So it's certainly not broken. In fact, it's thriving. I
(08:26):
think it'll continue to grow. Yes, there are challenges, but
we're managing to those challenges.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Well said. I can't thank you enough for the time.
I know you are very busy. Thank you so much
for doing this. I hope we can do it again
down the road.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Lo, thank you so much. Glad to be with you.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
I appreciate you spending some time with us. Bright your mark,
the commissioner of the Big twelve. It's twenty five minutes
after three o'clock. That's a good twenty minutes on radio
right there. Up next, I'm going to be a joined
by a guy who would rather be sitting in a
dugout than talking to me. Unfortunately for him, yes to
talk to me instead of sitting in the dugout. Jordan
Mitchell ball coach here at the University of Cincinnati, broadcasting
(09:03):
from the Lender Center. It's five to one three day
on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Station SINCY three sixty with Tony Pike. Do we want
to move on to keep going and Boston Elmore, I
think you should continue. Let me keep going there SINCY
three sixty Tomorrow Which twelve News on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
From the UC Health Traffic Center. You see health as
expert trauma tare focusing on prevention, treating injuries, and supporting
long term recovery and rehabilitation.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Earn more at ucehealth dot com. On the Kentucky side,
eastbound two seventy five's got a disabled vehicle on the
ramp to northbound seventy one seventy five.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
The left shoulder is blocked off on that ramp southbound
seventy five.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
It's an accident, this one on the ramp to eastbound
two seventy five in Ohio, on that ezamach with traffic
Number one pre set on your car radio and on
the free new and improved iHeartRadio app Free never sounded
so good, ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
It is sixteen minutes after three o'clock on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Im Oegga, thank you so much for joining us. We
are broadcasting from the University of Cincinnati. It is the
five to one to three day celebration all across town,
specifically here at u SE learn more at gobercats dot
com slash five to one three getting set for with
(00:29):
the conclusion of the spring semester. Here year three, academic
year three as members you see, as members of the
Big Twelve conference, I think it's been a really interesting
time in the Big Twelve, and I think a really
good time in the Big Twelve as well. And the
commissioner of the Big Twelve, Brent Jormark, recently given a
contract extension for his work running the league and kind
(00:51):
enough on five to one three day to give us
a few minutes this afternoon. Brett, It's awesome to have you.
Thank you for joining us. How are you.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Thrilled to be here? Thank you so much. I am
in Dallas Fort Worth, making my way back to my office,
but thrilled to be with you, and thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
I appreciate you coming on with this. I guess when
the conference says you're doing a good enough job that
we're going to give you an extension, it calls for
looking ahead, but first looking back. So in your time
overseeing this conference during a really interesting time in college
athletics as a whole, give me an idea of the
accomplishments that you're most proud of.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Well, Listen, First of all, again, thanks for having me.
I work for a terrific board, and I work with
a bunch of great ads, and whatever I've accomplished is
really more about what we have accomplished as a collective
group now being sixteen. But when I do look back
on the last couple of years, I would say that
our progress started with that new TV deal, and we
(01:55):
enter into that new six year TV deal this fall.
But ninety days after I took the post as the commissioner,
we went early in our TV negotiations. We didn't know
at the time that it was really only one big
TV deal that was in the marketplace. We took it,
and I'm glad we did. Effectively, it led to I
(02:17):
guess you could say, in some respects the demise of
the Pac twelve, but it also gave us the ability
to have some clarity, some stability, and gave us the
opportunity candidly to pursue the four corner schools, which we
did fast forward. We're now sixteen strong. We've got a
(02:38):
great TV deal in place, and I think that's been
the impetus for our growth. And as you know it,
we've integrated eight new schools in the last two years.
So the composition and makeup of this conference today is
very different than what it was. In fact, half of
our membership is relatively new. But it's been an exciting
time for the Big Twelve. But we're just getting to
(02:59):
know each other right now, and it's a.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Work in progress over the course of the next couple
of years. I'm sure you have a lot of things,
a lot of things you want to get done. What
are the things at the top of that to do list?
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Well, right now, you know, when you think about Colleague
of Athletics at a high level, you know we're we're
working on settlement. You know, it's a big topic for
collegiate athletics, and hopefully settlement will be approved and you know,
the next couple of weeks, which will afford us an
opportunity to welcome this new age of college athletics and
(03:32):
rep share with our student athletes. That's certainly something that
is going to change the dynamics moving forward. We're talking
about a new governance model with the NCAAA, and you know,
how do the power for conferences maintain a little bit
more autonomy and authority that comes with it that hopefully
(03:53):
will lead to greater opportunity to create value for our
member institutions. You know, we're in the midst of the
go shading, if you will, with our peers, what will
be the next format if it changes in year thirteen
for the CFP. So at a high level, there's two
or three big things that we're working on right now.
(04:14):
And then in addition, it's you know, running the Big
twelve and making sure that we ultimately can be the
best version of ourselves. And as I said a couple
of minutes ago, we've got eight new members that we've
integrate over the last two years. So from where I sit,
we're just getting started. Our best days are ahead.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
We we've evolved into a conference that truly is national.
We're in ten states, We've got ninety million people in
our footprints. So it's incumbent upon me as the commissioner
to figure out how do we leverage the scale of
being sixteen strong and continue to well resource our member
(04:52):
institutions by leveraging that scale.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
What has it been like navigat as somebody who came
to the Big twelve from outside of college athletics, What
has it been like navigating the NonStop change that has
come your way across all of college boards over the
last couple of years.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
You know, listen, there's been a lot of change, no
doubt about it. But what change comes opportunity. And I
think we as a as a conference have been very
opportunistic to realize that, you know, we kind of we
have a mindset, if you will, of being a mature startup.
You think about our conference and you know, this fall
(05:36):
will be thirty years that we're in business, if you will,
And you compare that to some of the other conferences
that have been around for eighty or ninety years. So
I truly believe we're this young startup that's constantly emerging
and evolving, and there's real opportunity in front of us
despite some of the challenges, and as a collective sixteen,
(05:59):
we want to take advantage of those opportunities in every
way possible. And you know, for me, you know, I
came from professional sports to some degree, I was an outsider,
but many of my you know, the skills that I
had and the learnings that I had in professional sports
have transferred over here very nicely. Because candidly, collegiate athletics
(06:24):
and where we're going is closer to where I came
from to the model that exists today. So I think
I'm well suited for it, and candidly just working very
closely with our ads and our presence to make sure
that we take full advantage of the opportunities that are
in front of us.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
When when you hear, and I'm sure you do, when
you hear people who look at the state of college
athletics and they say, well, college sports are broken and
they need to be fixed, what's your reaction to those observations?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
In my observation is nothing's perfect in life. But I
can't I can't sit here today and say that college
sports is broken. College football is the second most popular
sport in America, and in and in some respects Saturdays
are becoming bigger than Sunday and it's only growing. You know,
Olympic sports is growing exponentially, especially women's basketball and gymnastics
(07:22):
and volleyball and wrestling. Real upside there. So I don't
I don't see anything but growth for for for collegiate athletics.
Are there challenges, Uh, certainly there are, and we'll work
through those. But where I see challenges, I see opportunities.
But certainly it's not groke. I mean, there's a reason
(07:43):
why all the TV networks are clamoring, you know, towards
you know, the content business that we're in, so that
they're a part of it. In fact, today during the
ESPN Upfront, because they're doing the upfronts this week in
New York and for your audience, those upfronts are where
(08:03):
these TV networks introduced programming for next year. They're all
highlighting ESPN being one college sports, football, basketball, Olympic sports.
Because you have advertisers out there that have a strong
appetite to be involved in the business that we're in.
So it's certainly not broken. In fact, it's thriving. I
(08:26):
think it'll continue to grow. Yes, there are challenges, but
we're managing to those challenges.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Well said. I can't thank you enough for the time.
I know you are very busy. Thank you so much
for doing this. I hope we can do it again
down the road.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Lo, thank you so much. Glad to be with you.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
I appreciate you spending some time with us. Bright your mark,
the commissioner of the Big twelve. It's twenty five minutes
after three o'clock. That's a good twenty minutes on radio
right there. Up next, I'm going to be a joined
by a guy who would rather be sitting in a
dugout than talking to me. Unfortunately for him, yes to
talk to me instead of sitting in the dugout. Jordan
Mitchell ball coach here at the University of Cincinnati, broadcasting
(09:03):
from the Lender Center. It's five to one three day
on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Station SINCY three sixty with Tony Pike. Do we want
to move on to keep going and Boston Elmore, I
think you should continue. Let me keep going there SINCY
three sixty Tomorrow Which twelve News on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
From the UC Health Traffic Center. You see health as
expert trauma tare focusing on prevention, treating injuries, and supporting
long term recovery and rehabilitation.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Earn more at ucehealth dot com. On the Kentucky side,
eastbound two seventy five's got a disabled vehicle on the
ramp to northbound seventy one seventy five.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
The left shoulder is blocked off on that ramp southbound
seventy five.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
It's an accident, this one on the ramp to eastbound
two seventy five in Ohio, on that ezamach with traffic
Mo Egger News
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