Ex-MLB Exec Brosnan Expected as Next Big East Commissioner
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- Tim Brosnan is in line to replace Val Ackerman as Big East commissioner; Ackerman's retirement takes effect at the end of August after 13 years in the role.
- Brosnan spent more than two decades at MLB, rising to chief operating officer and helping launch MLB Network and the World Baseball Classic.
- Brosnan was one of three finalists to succeed Bud Selig as MLB commissioner in 2014; he withdrew and the job eventually went to Rob Manfred.
- MLB industrywide revenues grew from an estimated $1.5 billion in 1991, when Brosnan joined, to nearly $8.5 billion by early 2015, when he departed.
- Brosnan graduated from Georgetown in 1980 and later earned a law degree from Fordham in 1984; he also studied Georgetown's NIL landscape and helped form "Hoyas Rising," serving as chairman/CEO until nearly a year ago.
- The Big East has won four of the past 10 men's basketball national titles, including back-to-back championships by UConn in 2023 and 2024.
- The Big East's candidate pool included Big Ten chief operating officer Kerry Kenny, a finalist who brought television experience and a more traditional college sports background.
Why it matters: A basketball-first conference is importing MLB-caliber commercial leadership as college sports reorganizes around media rights and revenue sharing. With UConn claiming back-to-back titles and the league holding four of the past 10 national championships, the hire positions the Big East to negotiate harder against football-driven power conferences.
