It’s become kind of cliche and cringe to cite Mike Judge’s 2006 film Idiocracy when talking about the decaying state of the world, but bear with me for a second. Early in the movie, there’s a particular bit where one of the characters uses a payphone in the future and is greeted by an automated prompt that says “Welcome to AOL, Time Warner, Taco Bell, U.S. government long distance. Please say the name of the person you wish to call.” Of course, the absurdity of those entities cheapening their own brands by combining forces to provide a long-distance phone service is the joke.
But where we saw a joke, the Big 12 Conference apparently saw an opportunity.
Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported on Thursday that the Big 12 was actively exploring a lucrative naming sponsorship deal. Shortly afterward, Action Network’s Brett McMurphy added that the league is in discussions with Allstate about selling its naming rights to the insurance company for anywhere from $30-50 million annually. This news came right after CBS’ Dennis Dodd reported that the conference is considering a private equity investment with Luxembourg-based CVC Capital Partners, exchanging upwards of a $1 billion cash infusion for 20% stake in the league.
So in just one afternoon, the Big 12 has considered: 1. Selling part of itself to private equity, because that never turns out to be a disastrous idea long term that has ruinous consequences and 2. Literally become the Allstate 12 Conference. And the kicker is that they’d get rid of the “Big” part, but keep the “12”. That doesn’t make any sense! Your conference is already misnamed because it hasn’t had exactly 12 members since 2010! But then again, not many things in college athletics makes sense these days.
The craven pursuit of revenue in college sports has been amplified by the increasing numbers of leaders with minimal to no prior experience in college athletics. Current Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti spent several years with the Big Ten and the MLB before taking over the prestigious league last summer. Now former Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff was with the MLB, Hulu, and MGM Resorts International before overseeing the soon-to-be-defunct West Coast conference in 2021. Big 12 commish Brett Yormark fits this category as well, previously serving as COO of Roc Nation before taking over for Bob Bowlsby in the summer of 2022. These leaders were brought in to secure the financial futures of their respective conferences and for Yormark in particular, ensure survival for a league that had taken a critical blow with Oklahoma and Texas departing for the SEC.
But with these “outsiders” making decisions for their leagues, you get both a loss of identity and a cheapening of the product. Regionality has continued to dwindle in importance and Yormark has overseen a cycle of Big 12 expansion that has created the most chaotic league in the country in terms of geography. He’s in charge of a conference that now includes schools in Provo, UT, Ames, IA, Morgantown, WV, and Orlando, FL. This lack of a cohesive identity as a conference for the sake of revenue has led to odd marketing ploys to gain attention, like having The Undertaker present a title belt in at the Big 12 Championship Game. Or creating a rap anthem for the basketball tournament. Or randomly collaborating with Bathing Ape.
Despite his efforts to boost the profile of the Big 12 these last two years, his league still operates below the “Big 2” of the Big Ten and SEC in both perception and finances. This is why both he and the presidents of his member universities are willing to sell a fifth of their entire conference to a private equity firm that does not care about West Virginia football, while simultaneously making an insurance company their entire brand. All for a quick influx of cash with zero regard for the negative impacts down the road.
But Yormark and the Big 12 aren’t alone. Conference USA is reportedly thinking about selling its naming rights to Globe Life and new American Athletic Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti embraced private equity during his introductory press conference in April. We’ve lost the plot and this is just the beginning of these leagues shamelessly selling themselves off and cheapening their own products. This is the consequence of having leaders who have zero connection to or care about the history, traditions, and particulars of these programs and we as fans will suffer for it.
So get ready. Because in a few years, we’ll be hearing “Welcome to the Allstate 12 Championship Game presented by Dr. Pepper, Slim Jim, and CVC Capital Partners.”