George Kliavkoff who served as the commissioner of the Pac-12 from 2021 will be serving his last day today. His place will be taken by Teresa Gould, who will become the first female commissioner of a conference.
Before taking the helm of the Pac-12, Kliavkoff held positions at Major League Baseball, Hulu, A&E Networks, NBCUniversal, and MGM Resorts International. In hiring the experienced marketer, Kliavkoff, the conference hoped that modernism would be acquired by the Pac-12.
The conference that Kliavkoff took over was in disarray and its football influence had plummeted and according to the report provided by Front Office Sports their television deal also ended in financial disaster. The conference underwent a jolt when in 2021, both USC and UCLA shifted to Big Ten.
After losing their two brands, the commissioner was not majorly bothered and was focused on the inventive media deal. However, the deal took a long time and by July last year, the conference was still devoid of the TV deal.
After that Colorado, Arizona State, Arizona, and Utah joined the Big 12 and Oregon and Washington shifted to Big Ten. The only members left were the Oregon State and Washington State.
Today marks the final day of George Kliavkoff’s short and tumultuous tenure as commissioner of the Pac-12.
Ultimately, he will be remembered as the commissioner who presided over the conference’s demise, writes @achristovichh ⬇️
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 29, 2024
The two schools who were left took legal actions for the control of the conference however there was no involvement from Kliavkoff. The new commissioner Teresa Gould along with managing the legal obligations of the conference and supervising football media partnerships will also be focusing on novel reconstruction of the conference.
Washington State president Kirk Schulz via FOS, also shared, “We look forward to her leadership as we write the next chapter in the Pac-12’s storied history.”
