A hearty congratulations to Learfield’s publicist, Jennifer Duncan, whose last day at the company will be tomorrow as she heads into retirement. Jennifer has been a total pro in her role in external communications for the last 17 years.
VT, Penn State, Arizona, N.C. State putting rights deals under microscope
Four schools in the Power Five are winding down multimedia deals that have Learfield as the incumbent:
- Virginia Tech is in the final stages of a new rights pact. The Hokies issued their RFP in February, and they're now approaching the end of their process.
- Penn State is closing in on a new arrangement as well.
- Arizona and N.C. State are nearing the end of long-term rights deals with Learfield, and now are in the midst of fielding offers.
The flurry of activity in recent weeks has schools and their rightsholders on edge as they try to figure out how to maximize revenue. Learfield (still in play), Playfly Sports, JMI Sports and others are thought to be in the mix.
Meanwhile, in the ticketing/fundraising space, Legends has completed a renewal of its sales and marketing deal at Wisconsin. Legends’ partnership has been expanded by the Badgers to include enhanced data analytics and fan intelligence support, while also managing annual fundraising for the UW Foundation.
Last season, Legends and the Badgers introduced new premium seating in the south end zone at Camp Randall Stadium and Bucky’s Balcony at the field house. Fans will now have the opportunity to buy more customized ticket packages as well as additional premium experiences this season.
Michael Cross takes on SoCon commish role
Michael Cross sat on the Knight Commission, ran an athletic department and started a business in his nearly 30 years in college athletics. Despite that range of experiences, he’s about to do something he’s bever tried before: conference commissioner.
Cross is taking the place of Jim Schaus, who is retiring from the Southern conference after four years at the helm.
Cross, a former AD at Bradley and most recently an administrator at Penn State (where he oversaw the growing ice hockey program and business development), traveled to Hilton Head, S.C., this afternoon, where SoCon officials were engaged in their spring meetings.
The SoCon is headquartered in Spartanburg, S.C., near Wofford. Cross officially begins July 1. “I’m excited about applying a lot of what I’ve learned and my skill sets to the conference office,” Cross said. “It’s a conference where there seems to be a lot of stability, so that’s a good thing."
Collegiate Sports Associates managed the search for the conference.
Big Ten sits atop conference revenue distribution
Conferences released their total revenue and their per-school distribution last week for the 2021-22 fiscal year. Here’s the breakdown:
NOTE: * = Revenue distribution for all schools but Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers, which received slightly less.
| CONFERENCE | TOTAL | PER SCHOOL |
| Big Ten | $845.6 million | $58.8 million* |
| SEC | $802 million | $49.9 million |
| ACC | $617 million | $37.9 million to $41.3 million |
| Pac-12 | $580.9 million | $37 million |
| Big 12 | $480.6 million | $42 million to $49.9 million |
SBJ at NACDA
Sports Business Journal’s unique content and delivery will be a new addition to NACDA’s annual convention in Orlando. The “SBJ at NACDA” sessions will focus on the big issues across sports business. Among the sports execs speaking:
- Matthew Jafarian, EVP/business strategy, Heat
- Alex Martins, CEO, Magic
- Donna Orender, CEO, Orender Unlimited
- Scott Warfield, VP/gaming, PGA Tour
In addition to those four, SBJ Publisher and Executive Editor Abe Madkour will moderate the panels, as will SBJ media reporter John Ourand, for a session called "Madkour, Ourand and Friends: Sports Business 2023." Sports betting and revenue generation are among the topics expected to be discussed.
Speed reads
- Some conference baseball tourney attendance notes. The SEC drew 171,288 fans to Hoover Met Stadium outside Birmingham last week, marking a conference record. The previous record was 162,699 in 2019. Down at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, the Big 12 Tournament had a total attendance of 132,291, marking the second-best figure in the conference history. The TCU-Oklahoma State final on Sunday drew 14,673 fans, a Big 12 Championship record. Up at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, the ACC Tournament drew 46,360 fans over 15 games, as attendance was hampered by heavy rains across North Carolina over the weekend. That is still the 13th-best total in the ACC Baseball Tourney's 49-year history. The second-ever Pac-12 Baseball Tourney at Scottsdale Stadium drew a total of 11,010 fans, down sharply from 19,363 last year.
- Altius Sports Partners is expanding its services and support to connect athletes directly with brands.
- My colleague Tom Friend details how drone-based JayByrd Films, which broke out with a viral bowling alley flythrough, moved the needle even further in sports with drone footage of Coach K's final season at Duke.