Interview, Fireside Chat
Val Ackerman, Commissioner of the Big East Conference
- On March 12, the Big East Conference cancelled its tournament quarterfinals mid-game at Madison Square Garden, a decision driven by a pending state of New York directive restricting large gatherings and a broader trend of other conferences and the NCAA cancelling postseason events.
- The Big East Board of Directors, comprising 11 school presidents and athletics directors, reached this decision following eight separate gatherings over five days to monitor the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on collegiate athletics.
- In response to racial equity crises, the Big East has established a diversity, equity, and inclusion working group composed of one representative from each of the 11 member schools to develop a joint action plan.
- Val Ackerman emphasizes that hiring practices must be "very intentional" to create diverse workplaces, drawing on her 30-year tenure in the sports industry where she observed that meaningful change requires access to the "inner circle" of decision-making.
- The Big East seeks to leverage its national television agreement with Fox Sports and its 350 Division I schools to create a unified front on racial equity issues, despite having fewer resources than professional leagues.
- UConn has joined the Big East, a move expected to fortify the conference's competitive standing in both men's and women's basketball, particularly enhancing the women's program under coach Geno Auriemma.
- Beyond traditional athletics, the Big East has launched an East Digital Network, initiated an organized esports program, and maintains high academic progress rates among NCAA conferences.
- The conference runs an annual forum on student-athlete mental health and has developed specific programs for men's and women's basketball players, aiming to leverage sports power for community benefit.
- Ackerman co-chaired a 20-person NCAA working group that recommended changing rules to allow student-athletes to monetize their names, images, and likenesses (NIL) through personal business ventures and third-party endorsements.
- The NCAA Board of Governors accepted the NIL recommendation, with a target implementation date set for the summer of 2021, pending the development of regulations to prevent "pay-for-play" models and manage booster influence in recruiting.
- Regarding the return to normalcy in sports, the Big East expects a vaccine to be the primary trigger for resuming full operations, with current risk assessments focusing on protocols for training facilities and safe travel logistics.
- The Big East operates across 10 states and the District of Columbia, complicating the resumption of sports due to varying local jurisdictional restrictions and the fact that the conference does not sponsor football, making the trajectory of college football a key bellwether for other fall sports.
- Ackerman notes that the presence of fans remains a significant unknown and may be the final element to return, potentially after safe competition protocols are fully established.
- As the founding president of the WNBA, Ackerman anticipates growth in women's professional team sports, including potential future leagues for women's volleyball and ice hockey (WNHL), which she views as bright futures despite the pandemic's economic impact.
- The Big East remains the largest producer of women's sports programming in collegiate athletics, serving over 200,000 female athletes across all three NCAA divisions.