Big Ten hires ex-MLB exec Tony Petitti as new commissioner

The Big Ten has identified its next commissioner.

On Wednesday, the Big Ten announced the hire of Tony Petitti as its new commissioner, replacing Kevin Warren. Warren held the role for just three years before leaving the conference to become the president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Bears.

Petitti, whose first day at the Big Ten will be May 15, spent more than a decade working for Major League Baseball and also served as an executive at CBS, ABC and NBC over the course of his career. Petitti oversaw the launch of MLB Network and was elevated to the role of chief operating officer of MLB when Rod Manfred became the commissioner of baseball back in 2015.

Petitti later became deputy commissioner under Manfred, specifically focusing on business and media. Petitti most recently was the president of sports and entertainment for Activision Blizzard Inc., a prominent video game and esports company.

“At this important and transformational time in collegiate athletics, it is truly my great honor to be chosen as the commissioner of the Big Ten Conference,” Petitti said. “I am energized to work alongside the best athletic directors, coaches, conference staff and board in the country as — together — we continue to elevate the academic and athletic experiences and resources for our 14, soon-to-be 16, world-class universities with nearly 10,000 incredible student-athletes. Thank you to the extraordinary people and places that have led me to this next challenge in my career. I am ready to get to work for the Big Ten Conference community.”

Petitti arrives as USC, UCLA set to officially join Big Ten

Petitti will join the Big Ten just ahead of a major transition. The conference is set to formally add UCLA and USC as full-time members in 2024 (the same year the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams). Additionally, the conference’s massive new media rights deal will commence on July 1 of this year.

Both of those changes came during the short, but eventful tenure of Warren as Big Ten commissioner.

In the summer of 2019, Warren was announced as the next commissioner of the Big Ten, succeeding Jim Delany, who retired after a 30-year run with the conference. Warren officially took over for Delany in January 2020, just months ahead of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Warren faced widespread criticism for the way the conference handled the pandemic, including canceling the football season before reversing course only a month later.

Later on, Warren added USC and UCLA from the Pac-12 and landed the new media rights deal that spans multiple networks and is valued in the range of $7 billion.

Warren was a longtime NFL executive before he arrived in the Big Ten. To replace Warren, the Big Ten presidents and chancellors looked to the media world for his successor, much like the Pac-12 and Big 12 did with George Kliavkoff and Brett Yormark, respectively.

From a Big Ten press release:

But unlike Kliavkoff and Yormark, Petitti will not be tasked with landing a media rights deal once he arrives on the job. The deal struck under Warren’s watch goes through the 2029-2030 football season, making it a seven-year arrangement with Fox, CBS and NBC.

Instead, Petitti will be tasked with making the additions of USC and UCLA as seamless as possible while also guiding the Big Ten and maintaining a position of strength in a time of constant change in college sports.

“We are at a time in collegiate athletics that we need leaders with innovative forethought, the highest principles, and a spirit of fairness and partnership,” said University of Illinois chancellor Robert Jones. “Tony brings a dynamic style of leadership and impeccable integrity to the conference. The entire Council of Presidents and Chancellors is thrilled to have him serve as the seventh commissioner in Big Ten Conference history.”