The conference announced Wednesday the appointment of former Major League Baseball executive Tony Petetti to the Big Ten as its new commissioner. Petiti replaces former commissioner Kevin Warren, who took over as president of the Chicago Bears in January after negotiating a seven-year media rights deal for the Big Ten valued at about $1.2 billion annually. Petiti will begin his term as Big Ten commissioner on April 15.
Petitti has developed a storied career in the sports industry over the years. He assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer of Major League Baseball after Rob Manfred was promoted to league commissioner in 2015. Prior to that, Pettitti served as President and CEO of MLB Network, overseeing the network’s launch and day-to-day operation. – Daily operations in their infancy.
He held the position until 2020 when he left to join Activision Blizzard in the capital as President of Sports and Entertainment. His primary focus at Activision Blizzard has been overseeing corporate esports, consumer products, and film and television projects.
“At this important and transformative time in collegiate athletics, it is truly a great honor for me to be selected by the Council of Presidents and Counsellors as a commissioner of the Big Ten Conference,” Pettitti said. “I am excited to work alongside the nation’s top athletics directors, coaches, conference staff, and board of directors, as—together—we continue to leverage the academic and athletic expertise and resources of 14, soon to be world-class universities with nearly 10,000 student-athletes. amazing.
Petetti was a giant at CBS Sports beginning in 1997 when he was hired away from ABC to serve as Senior Vice President of Business and Programming. Named Executive Vice President of CBS Sports in 2005, he was an integral part of the network’s NFL coverage before leaving to join Major League Baseball.
Petitti’s experience with MLB Network, connections across the sports industry, and recent work in the emerging esports market will help the Big Ten move forward in an ever-evolving industry. The multiple ways people consume sports coverage, NIL opportunities are now available to athletes in a radically changing industry and the ability to harness these realities in a new Big Ten world that will include USC and UCLA starting in 2024 requires a leader with broad powers and a diverse resume.
“We are at a time in collegiate athletics when we need leaders with innovative thinking, the highest principles, and a spirit of fairness and partnership,” said University of Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones. “Tony brings to the conference a dynamic style of leadership and impeccable integrity.”
The Big Ten hiring of Petitti is just the latest in what has become a trend of thinking outside the box with Power Five conferences. The Big 12 hired Brett Yormark in August 2022 after Yormark spent three years at Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s sports and entertainment agency. One year ago, the Pac-12 hired Georgia Kliavkov away from MGM Resorts International to serve as their commissioner.
The news that Pettitti will lead the Big Ten comes just hours after reports surfaced that ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, once considered a prime target to replace Warren, He was granted a three-year extension to remain in his role.