Grading Brett Yormark's First Year

[Jeremy]

I'd say A- or B+. He gets an A+ for the media contract strategy but a lot of other things are more in the B range. However, you have to weigh the media contract so heavily that it brings it closer to A range.

I think Mexico is a bit of a stretch, but one without a real downside so can't blame the effort. The rollout was just messy so would go with B.

I think branding and marketing can only do so much in the offseason so give him a B just because there isn't much that he can do differently at the moment. There are some things he probably could have done to hype up the additions a bit more, but it's difficult to get a spotlight on what everybody already knows is happening.

I'd like to have had Arizona and Colorado locked up by now, but I truly think that's out of his hands until they get hard PAC numbers. Their boards aren't going to want to make an uninformed decision. So that gets a B, again because he really can't do anything at the moment.

I do want to stress that I think people give Bowlsby a bit less credit than he deserves - though I agree he sucked at a lot of things. The leash he had on him by the presidents was basically a noose, he had no leeway to do anything. It wasn't until the very end where he convinced the schools that massive change was necessary. That gave a bit of a springboard to Yormark. Some of the renegotiating was already started before the changeover, BY leaked it to increase urgency and pressure on the media partners.

 

[qwerty]

He did a decent job of putting those pointy elbows to use and boxing out, but needs to get more aggressive on the offensive end. 30 is a pretty good average but hopefully he can raise that even more in the future.

I don't know if he even broke a sweat, which is critical.

 

[KnappShack]

Securing a media contract automatically puts the grade at A+

This a cornerstone for the conference and keeps us out of desperation mode like the PAC.

We aren't ******* around with MeTV or ION as a linear partner with Apple.

Securing the media rights completely drives how the conference can operate.

Throw in the Cows - Boomer early exit negotiations and we have a genuine leader in Yormark

Edit: or worrying about the PAC eating our conference

 

[Aduhbolu15]

He’s left a mark

 

[NWICY]

Gave him a B+ media rights good and we'll see how the rest plays out. Have to admit he's not afraid to suggest new ideas.

 

[DSMCy]

Grading Brett Yormark's First Year as Big 12 Commissioner

What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage. This week, I’m on vacation, checking out The Avett Brothers at Red Rocks outside of Denver (if you’re around, say Hi). But, before I...

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I didn't mind Heartland's individual grades, but I'll never know how they didn't give him a better overall grade. Dude gets an A from me for sure.

A little off topic here I had to laugh at Pete's podcast about the Preseason football poll.
He goes on a 10 minute rant about how the writer's "royally screwed up" by putting Texas at 1. He goes game by game and almost makes a case for them losing every game lol
Then he gives his preseason poll and he has Texas at #2 hahaha
So he goes on this whole rant and then he just has them 1 spot lower. I thought he'd have them at 4 or 5 or something.

I do really like Pete and Heartland's coverage but thought that one was pretty funny.

 

[exCyDing]

Secured our position as the 3rd most highly compensated conference.

That’s a big deal.

He gets an A for this alone. Nothing else holds a candle to the importance of getting that done.

 

[Big_Sill]

Willingness to try new things is A+.

I'm still on board saying the NEXT media deal will be the most important in his career (or whoever the new Commish is).

I have no information to support this theory, but I suspect the release of OuT had a lot to do with the most recent media deal (timing and or price). Won't be the case next time.

I'll vote on this in 6.5 years.

 

[Clonefan32]

I did a B+ just because I'm not sure where he's headed with this Mexico City stuff. I appreciate being forward thinking, but keep games on campus.

 

[Pope]

I'd say A- or B+. He gets an A+ for the media contract strategy but a lot of other things are more in the B range. However, you have to weigh the media contract so heavily that it brings it closer to A range.

I think Mexico is a bit of a stretch, but one without a real downside so can't blame the effort. The rollout was just messy so would go with B.

I think branding and marketing can only do so much in the offseason so give him a B just because there isn't much that he can do differently at the moment. There are some things he probably could have done to hype up the additions a bit more, but it's difficult to get a spotlight on what everybody already knows is happening.

I'd like to have had Arizona and Colorado locked up by now, but I truly think that's out of his hands until they get hard PAC numbers. Their boards aren't going to want to make an uninformed decision. So that gets a B, again because he really can't do anything at the moment.

I do want to stress that I think people give Bowlsby a bit less credit than he deserves - though I agree he sucked at a lot of things. The leash he had on him by the presidents was basically a noose, he had no leeway to do anything. It wasn't until the very end where he convinced the schools that massive change was necessary. That gave a bit of a springboard to Yormark. Some of the renegotiating was already started before the changeover, BY leaked it to increase urgency and pressure on the media partners.

A- or B+?? You gotta be kidding me. The media contract strategy is the reason we're thriving and the Pac is knocking on death's door. Man you're a hard grader.

 

[Jeremy]

A- or B+?? You gotta be kidding me. The media contract strategy is the reason we're thriving and the Pac is knocking on death's door. Man you're a hard grader.

I kinda went full circle in the post Like I said, simply on the weight of the contract, you have to say A - it was survive or die. I don't like simplicity though as I think the dynamics of what he was allowed to do played a factor into that, which Bowlsby didn't have until the very end. But I'd round up to an A for argument's sake.

 

[jdoggivjc]

I gave him an A solely on the media deal he secured for us even after the networks knew UT and OU were leaving… a media deal the PAC 12 will only surpass in their wet dreams.

 

[Nolaeer]

Heartland is stupid. Yormark hit it out of the park with the media rights deal, and crushed the PAC at the same time.

Any other grade besides an A + is moronic, and doesnt weight priorities properly.

 

[Pope]

Heartland is stupid. Yormark hit it out of the park with the media rights deal, and crushed the PAC at the same time.

Any other grade besides an A + is moronic, and doesnt weight priorities properly.

Amen. Yormark raises the Big 12's relative position among the P5 conferences AFTER losing UT and OU, and he knocks the Pac to the bottom of the totem pole. He does all of this in one fell swoop during his first few months on the job.

The man is a GD genius.

 

[qwerty]

Amen. Yormark raises the Big 12's relative position among the P5 conferences AFTER losing UT and OU, and he knocks the Pac to the bottom of the totem pole. He does all of this in one fell swoop during his first few months on the job.

The man is a GD genius.

Yormak is Gump in disguise

 

[DrShip]

A- for the following reasons:

1)I'm not convinced the Mexico games are a good idea, and the rollout was messy.
2)Gonzaga rumors were dumb. Please don't add Gonzaga. I would be OK with UCONN as a full member.
3)Failure to poach Pac schools, although I think he's done what he can and put the Big XII in a good position.

And the real reason he earned the minus in my book, and I'm surprised no one brought it up, actually...

4)Separating the men's and women's basketball tournaments. I don't know the specifics, and maybe it was out of his control, but it's a travesty they aren't at the same time anymore. I'm also very nervous he will move it from KC someday, and if that happens we should riot.

Seriously though, he's done a top notch job. My complaints are minor in the greater scheme of things.

 

[enisthemenace]

The media rights move is the one thing he’s done, in my opinion. Granted, it was a huge/brilliant move at the time, so a great deal of credit there.

I just haven’t seen much else other than that. A lot of “ideas”, but not much substance or movement since his “first 100 days”, at least as far as I can tell.

Mexico doesn’t move the needle for me. Neither does the Rucker Park thing. Gonzaga? Uhhh…no. UCONN? Maaaaaybe, but I think it’s a stretch.

If he can legitimately destabilize the PAC, I mean really stomp on it by poaching schools, he’ll have my attention back, but I’ve actually lost sight of things. Maybe it’s just the time of year or something.

 

[theshadow]

And the real reason he earned the minus in my book, and I'm surprised no one brought it up, actually...

4)Separating the men's and women's basketball tournaments. I don't know the specifics, and maybe it was out of his control, but it's a travesty they aren't at the same time anymore.

That was announced 2 months before he started. But nobody paid attention to it at the time.

 

[HFCS]

He did a decent job of putting those pointy elbows to use and boxing out, but needs to get more aggressive on the offensive end. 30 is a pretty good average but hopefully he can raise that even more in the future.

I don't know if he even broke a sweat, which is critical.

Might as well start the "Yormark out of gas" thread now.

 

[HFCS]

A- for the following reasons:

1)I'm not convinced the Mexico games are a good idea, and the rollout was messy.
2)Gonzaga rumors were dumb. Please don't add Gonzaga. I would be OK with UCONN as a full member.
3)Failure to poach Pac schools, although I think he's done what he can and put the Big XII in a good position.

And the real reason he earned the minus in my book, and I'm surprised no one brought it up, actually...

4)Separating the men's and women's basketball tournaments. I don't know the specifics, and maybe it was out of his control, but it's a travesty they aren't at the same time anymore. I'm also very nervous he will move it from KC someday, and if that happens we should riot.

Seriously though, he's done a top notch job. My complaints are minor in the greater scheme of things.

#1 - most are overreacting to this imho. There's also the fact that some people are irrationally terrified of gigantic portions of the United States let alone Mexico. Not saying everyone who hates the venture is in that camp and there are other reasons to oppose it, but quite a few are in that space. I view it as something that's worth the risk and the risk/loss is being wildly overblown.

#2 - Totally agree on Gonzaga and the UCONN stuff is wait and see whether it happens or not, not some guaranteed success or fail. Possibly Gonzaga was just chess move for squeezing Pac anyway. Pac probably should reach out to Gonzaga for basketball membership and the fact the Big 12 was did make them look like they are moving in slow motion.

#3 - hard to have this as a negative, part of why it's a realistic option is how he secured our deal so well and so quickly. The fact that it's possible or likely is partially his doing.

#4 - Seems like a legit gripe. I can't say I'm a regular attending in KC, but if I were I really get this. I especially get it from hardcore women's fans who realistically have to just accept their games won't get as much attention.