Commish confident despite departures
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark spoke at a press conference just before the Big 12 women’s basketball championship game between Texas and Iowa State on Tuesday, he sat next to a customized WWE-style championship wresting belt with “Big 12” sequined on the front at T-Mobile Center.
The prop served as a fitting accessory for Yormark and the Big 12. After all, the WWE is just one of myriad entertainment companies that now partner with the conference, an ode to the commissioner’s background in sports marketing.
It also serves as a fitting departing gift for Texas, which will leave the conference with Oklahoma for the SEC on July 1. The Longhorns have turned their farewell tour of the Big 12 into a coronation, which continued after Yormark’s press conference with Texas’ win over Iowa State.
But is Yormark concerned about the Big 12 product considering Texas’ success, especially this season?
Not quite.
“No challenges, whatsoever,” Yormark said “I mean, Texas and Oklahoma, great contributors to the conference and have been since day one. They’re finishing strong, obviously. And when the time comes, we’ll wish them well and we wish them good luck in the SEC. But as I’ve stated before, there’s never been a better time to be part of this conference than right now.”
Yormark: ‘Our future is extremely bright’
To his credit, Yormark has never met a bag of lemons that didn’t quickly become a refreshing glass of lemonade. Which, by the way, would likely sell for $12 a cup based on the long-term television deals the Big 12 has secured for both football and men’s basketball.
Sure, the Big 12 will miss the Longhorns and Sooners, Yormark said. But he emphasized that the conference is looking ahead to a bright future with 16 schools starting next season. The Big 12 will counter the loss of the two future SEC schools by adding Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State while expanding its footprint toward the West Coast.
In Yormark’s view, there is strength in numbers.
“Our future is extremely bright,” he said. “We’ve gotten stronger in football. We’ve gotten stronger in basketball. We’ve gotten stronger in Olympic sports. It’s (the 2023-24 year) been seamless as we’ve begun to integrate the Four Corners (the four new schools), and in many respects, celebrate the contributions of both Texas and Oklahoma and what they’ve meant in this conference for so long.”
Life after Texas for the Big 12
Texas in particular has never meant more to the Big 12 than this season. The Longhorns have won conference titles in football, volleyball, men’s swimming and diving, women’s swimming and diving, women’s soccer, women’s indoor track and field and now women’s basketball.
No other Big 12 school has won more than two conference titles so far.
But don’t quash Yormark’s buzz, especially when it comes to conference expansion.
“Right now, I love the makeup and composition of this conference,” he said. “The Four Corners schools was the best-case scenario for us. So we’ve done a lot of work to integrate those four and transition them in the right way. Who knows what the future will hold? But I really love the makeup of our conference right now.”