Grading Brett Yormark's First Year

[Scruff]

Grading Brett Yormark's First Year as Big 12 Commissioner

What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage. This week, I’m on vacation, checking out The Avett Brothers at Red Rocks outside of Denver (if you’re around, say Hi). But, before I...

www.heartlandcollegesports.com

I didn't mind Heartland's individual grades, but I'll never know how they didn't give him a better overall grade. Dude gets an A from me for sure.

 

[cycloneworld]

I don't know how it could be anything other than an A.

 

[ForbinsAscynt]

I went B+ because it’s hard to know his full potential at this point. I really like the Big 12 Mexico thing, the mic’d up players or coaches and the emphasis on bball that might lead to separate media contracts.
I don’t like UCONN in all sports which might just be a ploy at this point.

 

[Cyclonepride]

B+ that I'll happily switch to an A if he lands some PAC 12 teams.

 

[werdnamanhill]

B+ cause I don't like the mexico thing or the UConn thing. Everything else has been absolutely top notch. Goes to an A+ if we land 2+ PAC, A if we land 1

 

[Cycsk]

I'm giving him an A- with a minus because some of his ideas are just "out there." I can't tell what is a legitimate idea and what is just posturing. Maybe I should just give him the full A because of his gamesmanship.

Also, when Pollard says that the Big 12 AD's and Presidents have never been more united, you have to give Yormark most of the credit.

I'm sticking with the A- because of his comment about it being his first visit to KC. That was a dumb thing to admit without even being asked.

 

[TXCyclones]

What has he done aside from jumping the line for negotiating an average media deal? I'm not that impressed with the teams that were added to replace TOU (especially UCF & Houston). So what has he actually done?

 

[Al_4_State]

What has he done aside from jumping the line for negotiating an average media deal? I'm not that impressed with the teams that were added to replace TOU (especially UCF & Houston). So what has he actually done?

Secured our position as the 3rd most highly compensated conference.

That’s a big deal.

 

[DSM4Cy]

What has he done aside from jumping the line for negotiating an average media deal? I'm not that impressed with the teams that were added to replace TOU (especially UCF & Houston). So what has he actually done?

Everyone seems to forget that Yormark had nothing to do with adding the new schools…that was during Bowlsby’s tenure.

 

[Pope]

Yormark basically saved the entire Big 12 conference by jumping in front of the Pac and negotiating a quick media deal, and now we're in a situation where the Pac is circling the drain and some of their schools are close to joining the Big 12. To grade Yormark's first season as anything less than an A is ridiculous in my opinion.

 

[AuH2O]

What has he done aside from jumping the line for negotiating an average media deal? I'm not that impressed with the teams that were added to replace TOU (especially UCF & Houston). So what has he actually done?

That decision alone may have been the difference in the league dying or surviving.

Yormark didn't add those teams, that was the Bowlsby era still.

 

[CyCity]

I hung out with Yormark in KC. He’s an awesome guy.

 

[CyCrazy]

What has he done aside from jumping the line for negotiating an average media deal? I'm not that impressed with the teams that were added to replace TOU (especially UCF & Houston). So what has he actually done?

I hope you are not serious.

 

[ISUcyclones11]

Should be an A. Seeing what's going on with ESPN right now he got away with robbery on that deal.

 

[CyGuy5]

Yormark has been such an upgrade over Bowlsby it’s unreal

 

[nfrine]

Incomplete...but trending to the upper end.

 

[CascadeClone]

A.

• He has a vision and several creative strategies to grow the brand and revenues (even if they don't all pan out, or you don't like them). Has maintained some flexibility about them through the process.
• He has projected a lot of confidence about the conference and the future.
• He has handled the media well, often being out in front of news, and keeping the conference in the news cycle in a positive way. Contrast that to Kliavkoff playing defense all the time.
• Tactically brilliant move to jump the queue on the media re-negotiation and hamstring the PAC.
• Guy really understands the entertainment business, which is what college sports really is now.

 

[HFCS]

A-

That's the floor just seeing how massively important it turned out to be to get a good deal before the Pac 12 deal.

If we add even just Cu or AZ it goes to A+.

 

[CloniesForLife]

Not sure how some are holding UCONN against him. We have no idea if there is truth to that desire or if it will even happen if there is.

 

[HFCS]

Not sure how some are holding UCONN against him. We have no idea if there is truth to that desire or if it will even happen if there is.

We don't even know if it would be that bad of an addition if it actually happened. We wouldn't know for a decade if we add them tomorrow.

Having a combo of UConn/Pitt/Syracuse/BC as some northeast division or pod wouldn't be the worst thing in some distant future of a national conference, it's certainly better than the bottom of the Pac and MWC options like SDSU. Those other three are 100% guaranteed to be available at some point. It doesn't seem as crazy when viewed that way for a huge 20-24 team league with 3rd biggest payout when BigTen/SEC are also sitting at 20-24 teams.