Much like predecessor Kevin Warren, the reported choice for the Big Ten’s next commissioner has a strong background in professional sports.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that Tony Petitti, a long-time executive at Major League Baseball, is the conference’s choice for the commissioner job.
Sources: The Big Ten is expected to hire former MLB and CBS Sports Executive Tony Petitti as the league's next commissioner.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 11, 2023
Petitti has a solid media background in addition to his work at MLB. Prior to becoming the COO of MLB, Petitti served as the president and CEO of MLB Network. He also worked at CBS for a decade, including as the SVP of CBS Sports. He also briefly ran CSTV before it transitioned into the CBS College Sports Network and later, CBS Sports Network.
Since his tenure at MLB, Petitti has served as the co-CEO of NFL media company The 33rd Team. He also had a brief stint as the president of sports and entertainment at Activision Blizzard.
Earlier Tuesday, reports indicated that the ACC was nearing a three-year extension with its own commissioner, former Northwestern AD Jim Phillips. While he never interviewed for the Big Ten job, Phillips was thought of as a favorite for the position.
