Big East to hire Val Ackerman

[Pakuni]

Take that, Dana O'Neil.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-25/val-ackerman-said-to-agree-to-become-commissioner-of-big-east.html


Val Ackerman Said to Agree to Become Big East Commissioner
By Scott Soshnick & Eben Novy-Williams - Jun 25, 2013 3:39 PM CT

Val Ackerman has agreed to become commissioner of the Big East conference, adding to a basketball-heavy resume that includes being the first president of the Women's National Basketball Association, a person with direct knowledge of the hiring said.

The 53-year-old Ackerman was chosen by the presidents of the conference's 10 universities, according to the person, who requested anonymity because the contract hasn't been signed.

[GGGG]

From the looks of it, she looks like she could be a real good hire.  Let's see where it goes from here!

[jesmu84]

Hopefully she knows how to operate and market a product that people actually want to watch.

[DienerTime34]

President of USA Basketball for three years? Is that right?

Looks like a very good hire. Basketball-focused commissioner for a basketball-focused conference.

[Pakuni]

Hopefully she knows how to operate and market a product that people actually want to watch.

Well, she was director of business affairs and later VP of business affairs for the NBA during the early and mid 90s when the league was, you know, kind of popular.

[jesmu84]

Well, she was director of business affairs and later VP of business affairs for the NBA during the early and mid 90s when the league was, you know, kind of popular.

Yea. My bad. Didn't read the whole article. Just the blurb in the first post.

[Groin_pull]

Seems like a solid move. I give it a thumbs up.

[Sunbelt15]

How convenient. Wonder if "that story" had anything to do with this announcement. Good choice.

[Tums Festival]

According to ESPN, news conference is scheduled for Wednesday to announce Val Ackerman's hiring.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/9423450/val-ackerman-new-big-east-commissioner-sources-say

[ChicosBailBonds]

Hopefully she knows how to operate and market a product that people actually want to watch.

Fox does, that's their role.

[Tums Festival]

Goergetown AD Lee Reed tweeted: "Congrats and welcome new Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman! Looking forward to soon great things together!"

[jsglow]

Thumbs up from me.  Solid background for the role.  Reminds me just a little of LW's history as an athlete/lawyer/ADcommish type.  All good.

(Now how 'bout a quick appearance on O'Reilly touting the league.)

[keefe]

Fox does, that's their role.

Chico, you know better than that. FOX is distribution. Their role is to drive traffic. The brand owner is the Big East. Ackerman's job as CEO is to vest value in the brand.

Ralph Lauren sells its merchandise through Nordstrom. Nordstrom's role is not to build the Polo brand. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

The Big East yesterday named former WNBA President Val Ackerman Commissioner, and the new conference "wanted to follow the model of the Pac-12, which hired Larry Scott, who had been head of women's professional tennis," according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com. The Big East recently had "centered on candidates outside of college athletics" in Ackerman, MLB Exec VP/Business Tim Brosnan and Celtics President Rich Gotham. The new conference currently has "no staff," but its offices will be in N.Y. (ESPN.com, 6/26). In Newark, Brendan Prunty notes Ackerman yesterday admitted that her "current office is her iPhone and that the league is looking to find a short-term space" in N.Y. From there it will be "building alliances and forging relationships that will help the new Big East rise to the level of the old one." Ackerman said, "Obviously, there is quite a lot of work to do in the immediate future to get the conference fully operational. We have people to hire. We have schedules to create. We have events to stage. We have office space to move into. Business plans to develop. All I can say today is that we will do that" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 6/27). Ackerman said that the work of scheduling fall sports for the Big East "has been accomplished under the guidance of former Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe, who was brought in to jump-start the planning process in March and will stay on 'in the near term.'" In DC, Liz Clarke notes Ackerman "pledged to ensure that the Big East was a key player in NCAA decisions about men's and women's basketball, and she alluded to a desire to extend the Big East brand globally, presumably by holding occasional games overseas" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/27).

THE RIGHT STUFF: In N.Y., Lenn Robbins writes Ackerman is "paper perfect, a bridge between the founding days" of late former Big East Commissioner Dave Gavitt and the "future days of reshaping and rebranding the new Big East." The conference "made it quite clear yesterday" that it wants to be "seen as a shining example of what it believes a college conference should be -- one committed to athletic success and academic excellence." That "doesn't mean that Ackerman ... doesn't know what the sports entertainment business is all about." She is "smart, shrewd and well respected -- conservative in style but not above being professionally conniving" (N.Y. POST, 6/27). ESPN.com's Katz wrote Ackerman yesterday "impressed the media" yesterday with her "command of the issues and knowledge of the landscape after not being involved in college athletics recently." Meanwhile, if the Big East is "going to be all about basketball then 10 is the magic number." The new Big East "doesn't need anymore of the A-10 schools to be solvent." The conference has "enough of the market place and would not benefit much from adding more schools simply to get more teams" in the NCAA Tournament (ESPN.com, 6/27). Ackerman said of any potential Big East expansion, "Ten is a great number. We have no immediate plans to go beyond it. We have so much on our plate" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/27).

MEDIA DARLINGS: In Philadelphia, Mike Jensen wrote, "This new Big East incarnation is not against exposure or making money." Ackerman has an "immediate chance to show her mettle." Her "first test" will be to "stand up to Fox as it puts together its first college hoops schedule." The network "isn't in the student-athlete business," and would have "zero problem showing games any night of the week." Ackerman's next test will be to "stand up to the presidents themselves," as she knows "more about sports than most or maybe all of them do" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/27). Ackerman said Big East schools "have a homogeneity that is important, and desirable, and attractive." SPORTS ON EARTH's Howard Megdal writes Fox Sports 1 "certainly thought so," and "so did Madison Square Garden." The Big East has "plenty of money, and the kind of stability that other conferences can only bring about with restrictive grants of media rights agreements." So while the Big East is "insulated from the potential downfall of college football over the medium- and long-term, it is also avoiding the largest single payout in college sports right now: the conference network" (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 6/27).

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chico, you know better than that. FOX is distribution. Their role is to drive traffic. The brand owner is the Big East. Ackerman's job as CEO is to vest value in the brand.

Ralph Lauren sells its merchandise through Nordstrom. Nordstrom's role is not to build the Polo brand. 

Fox will do both.  Without their muscle, the brand can't go very far.  They will leverage with their reach and cross promotional abilities on various networks (FX, FXX, FS1, FS2, even their RSNs) the Big East brand.  No question you are correct that the Big East owns the brand, but Fox will play a big role in shaping it, certainly magnifying it and at times, even owning a bit of it.  That will probably rub a few folks at the Big East wrong...I just posted a few articles about Val in this thread and one of them suggests she will need to stand up to Fox at times...which she will.  Fox is such a machine that they can get ahead of things at times.

On your Ralph Lauren example, though I agree I would also say that Nordstrom's does provide branding in stores (working with Ralph Lauren) to extend the brand experience.  Their partners become a brand extension, just as when you walk into a Best Buy you will typically see a DIRECTV branded area, or an Apple area, or Samsung, etc.  Usually that is paid for by the product (i.e. DIRECTV, Apple, Samsung), but most consumers don't get that and just feel like they are in Best Buy and see the pretty Apple section and are drawn to it.

[MUfan12]

Well... Fox Sports 1 announced a huge hire today...

http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php/2013/06/27/bill-raftery-leaves-espn-for-fox-sports-1/

[Silkk the Shaka]

Well... Fox Sports 1 announced a huge hire today...

http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php/2013/06/27/bill-raftery-leaves-espn-for-fox-sports-1/

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick

Love Raf!

[keefe]

Well... Fox Sports 1 announced a huge hire today...

http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php/2013/06/27/bill-raftery-leaves-espn-for-fox-sports-1/

This is great news, actually. Never underestimate Mr. Murdoch.

[keefe]

Fox will do both.  Without their muscle, the brand can't go very far.  They will leverage with their reach and cross promotional abilities on various networks (FX, FXX, FS1, FS2, even their RSNs) the Big East brand.  No question you are correct that the Big East owns the brand, but Fox will play a big role in shaping it, certainly magnifying it and at times, even owning a bit of it.  That will probably rub a few folks at the Big East wrong...I just posted a few articles about Val in this thread and one of them suggests she will need to stand up to Fox at times...which she will.  Fox is such a machine that they can get ahead of things at times.

On your Ralph Lauren example, though I agree I would also say that Nordstrom's does provide branding in stores (working with Ralph Lauren) to extend the brand experience.  Their partners become a brand extension, just as when you walk into a Best Buy you will typically see a DIRECTV branded area, or an Apple area, or Samsung, etc.  Usually that is paid for by the product (i.e. DIRECTV, Apple, Samsung), but most consumers don't get that and just feel like they are in Best Buy and see the pretty Apple section and are drawn to it.

As I said, Fox and Nordstrom are channels of distribution. A channel can reinforce the Brand positioning (ie Nordstrom vs KMart) but that is all.

LVMH sites its retail shops on Rodeo Drive and not Watts. Does Rodeo Drive manage the Brand? Applying your logic it does. You are confusing Brand Equities with the UX; these are two markedly different accountabilities.

[ChicosBailBonds]

As I said, Fox and Nordstrom are channels of distribution. A channel can reinforce the Brand positioning (ie Nordstrom vs KMart) but that is all.

LVMH sites its retail shops on Rodeo Drive and not Watts. Does Rodeo Drive manage the Brand? Applying your logic it does. You are confusing Brand Equities with the UX; these are two markedly different accountabilities.

I think you are underestimating the role of television to create, shape, bend, influence a brand.  Fox is a much "different" distributor than a brick and mortar store.  They have the power to bring a brand alive....just ask the NFL, NBA, NHL, etc.  TV is a different animal in my opinion.

[muwarrior69]

I found the comment from Bloomberg that the Big East contract with MSG to play the conference championship is for three years. Is that correct?