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Larry Scott’s time as commissioner of the Pac-12 is unlikely to be remembered fondly. Scott took over as commissioner of the conference in 2009 and since that time has made many a dreadful decision.
NEWS: Pac-12 agrees to part ways with commissioner Larry Scott. Conference CEOs just finished meeting tonight. National search for new commissioner will begin immediately.https://t.co/4VKJQbzIeB
— Michael Smith (@SmittySBJ) January 21, 2021
The following is a statement from Oregon president Michael Schill, per CBS.
“We appreciate Larry’s pioneering efforts in growing the conference by adding new competitive university programs and accelerating the Pac-12 to television network parity with the other conferences,” Schill said. “At one point, our television agreement was the most lucrative in the nation and the debut of the Pac-12 Network helped deliver our championship brand to US and global markets on traditional and digital platforms. That said, the intercollegiate athletics marketplace doesn’t remain static and now is a good time to bring in a new leader who will help us develop our go-forward strategy.”
Why was Scott so reviled? Ryen Russillo broke it down excellently. Some of the major points:
- Scott made a reported $5.3 million salary last year, more than twice what SEC commissioner Greg Sankey makes, despite the Pac-12 distributing less money per year to each conference member than the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and soon, the ACC.
- The Pac-12 spends $6.9 million per year on rent on its property in San Francisco
- The Pac-12 Network laid off or furloughed more than half of its employees after Scott gave himself and cohorts bonuses of up to $4 million
- A report from John Canzano of The Oregonian quoted a high-ranking Pac-12 source saying that no network wanted to partner with the Pac-12: “No media company wanted to partner with the Pac-12. ESPN declined. FOX, CBS, even the Discovery Channel declined. Nobody knows this. We weren’t wanted.”
- The Pac-12 had a 13 percent attendance decline from 2013-18, more than any other conference, then tried to enter an arrangement with the LA Times in order to gain favorable coverage
Do you know who Larry Scott is? He's the man ruining the Pac-12. @ryenarussillo explains why here: https://t.co/jCS9F9o5tS pic.twitter.com/J0eA4KtOG5
— The Ringer (@ringer) November 6, 2020
