Pac-12: 5 great choices to be the next commissioner
Condoleezza Rice
Here is an out of the box solution to a huge problem. Condoleezza Rice is one of the most respected people on the planet. As the Secretary of State, Rice faced down America’s most significant international challenges. Dealing with university presidents and television executives should be a walk in the park. But she’s also a sportsperson.
Rice once said her dream job was to become NFL Commissioner. She grew up as a Cleveland Browns fan in Birmingham, AL. Cleveland even talked about her as a potential head coaching candidate in 2018. It wasn’t just for show; it was out of respect for her football knowledge.
The Pac-12 isn’t the NFL, but it’s a Power-5 Conference. Closer to home, Rice has roots in the conference and college football. Currently, she is the director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Additionally, Rice is a former member of the College Football Playoff Committee.
Her biggest drawback is age. At 66-years-old, Rice wouldn’t be a long-term solution.
Burke Magnus
The biggest question mark among any of the candidates is Burke Magnus. He’s been with ESPN for 25 years and is currently the executive vice president, programming and original content. Before that, Magnus was instrumental in forging the network’s television contracts with sports leagues.
He’s probably the number one person to negotiate a new conference broadcast rights package. No one else the Pac-12 could hire knows the sports-television landscape than him. It’s hard to believe Magnus would leave the network for the Pac-12. If he did, ESPN would probably have some type of non-compete or non-negotiating agreement.
One other concern would be how much Magnus’ asking price is to make the jump. The Pac-12 got burned by an over-paid commissioner recently.
ESPN's Burke Magnus on deciding which platform is right for a sports property: "We would be foolish not to use every asset at our disposal to make smart, disciplined rights deals that flow across all of our platforms." #SBJDEALMAKERS pic.twitter.com/CrFw83K46K
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) December 4, 2019