All things considered, the Pac-12 is in a pretty good spot as a college sports conference. But it could be better. Because the Pac-12 struggles to keep up with the likes of the Big Ten and SEC when it comes to revenue distribution, the rumblings about the future of commissioner Larry Scott continue to grow a bit louder. With Scott’s contract with the Pac-12 due to expire in two years, discussions about his future with the conference are beginning to dial in one key question; is Larry Scott the right man for the job?
According to a report from Jon Wilner of The Mercury News, Pac-12 leaders could come to a decision on Scott’s future by the end of the year. The reason for such a timeline, not surprisingly, may be inspired by the conference’s upcoming round of media rights on the horizon. The Pac-12 has media contracts that run into the spring of 2024, but media rights deals tend to be negotiated with current partners much earlier in advance.
Scott’s contract expiring two years before the next media rights package is expected to be lined up means the Pac-12 either needs to lock down Scott for commissioner beyond 2022 and let him lead the negotiations or cut Scott from the picture entirely and find a new commissioner in plenty of time before working on its next media rights deal.
“They can’t wait until 2022 to make a decision on Larry,’’ one anonymous source said to Wilner. “The future of the conference is at stake. By this summer, they have to know if he’s staying or going.”
Scott has received a fair amount of criticism since becoming the commissioner of the Pac-12. The conference has expanded to 12 members and added a conference championship game, but some felt the conference settled with Colorado and Utah after not being able to land the goldmine that could have been Texas and Oklahoma (and potentially up to four more to create the Pac-16). The Pac-12 launched the Pac-12 Network, but ongoing struggles to get more providers to sign on has suggested the Pac-12 overplayed its hand with its draw. Scot has also had to defend the Pac-12’s late-night TV schedule and instant replay integrity.
The Pac-12 renewed Scott’s contract in 2017 with one year remaining.
