WESTWOOD, Calif. — UCLA officially heads to the Big Ten after receiving approval from the president of the University of California on Wednesday, but the approval comes with conditions.
More than five months after the Bruins announced their shocking intent to leave Pac-12 and move to the Big Ten in 2024, alongside USC, the UC Board chairman and UCOP president recommended that UCLA be allowed to continue its transition to the Big Ten. A special meeting on Wednesday on the UCLA campus. The board approved the move, he voted 11 to 5.
“We saw the reality of the status quo and what the alternatives are,” said Board Chairman Rich Reeve. I think you’ve decided there is, but you can let it go.”
As part of the board’s decision, UCLA will need to increase its expected investment in student-athlete resources and will provide UC Berkeley with subsidies ranging from $2 million to $10 million once the Pac-12 media deal is finalized. You may need to provide gold. The amount will be secured. A University of California spokeswoman said her $2 million to her $10 million grant to the University of California, Berkeley will be paid annually.
The board included other terms to address UCLA’s impact on athletes, including funding for academic support, nutritional support, and mental health services.
The grant to the University of California, Berkeley is to “strengthen support for students and athletes on its campus,” according to a letter to the regent.
“Berkeley was really hit by UCLA’s departure,” says Leib. “They suffered a lot. I don’t know how much, but I felt it was important. I felt it was important to do something about Barkley, maybe not completely, but at least help them in the situation.” .”
Leib said the board is allowed to revisit the issue once Pac-12 secures a deal with the media.
UCLA Athletic Director Martin Jarmond said after the decision: “We are thrilled to be participating in the 2024 Big Ten Conference and appreciate the board’s thoughtful involvement in this decision. “We have always been guided by what is best for our 25 teams and over 700 student-athletes. , offers exciting new competitive opportunities on larger national media platforms.”
In four meetings between July and December last year, the Regent discussed and considered migration information and research. In September, University of California trustee General Counsel Charles Robinson said the board had the power to block the move. The board, which he had planned to announce a decision in November, postponed it and called a special meeting on Wednesday to address further questions and make a final decision.
According to board documents, the board wanted more information and research on additional resources that would be needed to improve the student-athlete experience as part of the relocation.
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren thanked the UC Board for “respecting” UCLA’s decision to change the meeting.
“The landscape of collegiate athletics is evolving, and the Big Ten Conference is in a position of stability and strength, with unparalleled opportunities, exposure and resources for our member institutions and student-athletes,” Warren said in a statement. “With the overall goal of prioritizing the health and well-being of student-athletes and advancing their academic and athletic missions under the umbrella of higher education, we continue the process of systematically integrating UCLA and USC into the Big Ten Conference. To do.”
The move to the Big Ten has critics, including UCLA alum Bill Walton and the National College Players Association, which is run by former UCLA footballer Ramogi Huma, who last week cited the implications of the extra move. Opposed to Reorganization on Student Academics and Mental Health.
Carol Christ, president of the University of California, Berkeley, also voiced a dissenting opinion, saying the move would promote the university’s track and field specialization.UC Berkeley is the school most affected by UCLA’s move. Sister schools are now split, and Pac-12’s lack of USC and UCLA’s Los Angeles market could devalue future media rights deals.
Prior to the aforementioned November meeting, UCLA released a document outlining the school’s financial plans for travel, academic support, mental health services, nutrition, and other areas related to meeting travel, as well as a list of 111 athletes. I provided the Regent with a document outlining my thoughts on the targeted league switch. The school says it plans to spend an additional $10 million on resources for athletes with the move.
On Wednesday, the board directed UCLA to provide additional annual resources for student-athlete support as a condition of its transition to the Big Ten.
“We actually added more, so all in all about 11 to 12 million enhancements,” says Leib. Official figures range from $11.03 million to $12.2 million.
These enhancements include providing approximately $6.3 million in academic support, nutritional support and mental health services for all student-athletes. Approximately $4.3 million will be spent on food, requiring on-campus breakfast and lunch for all UCLA players, professional nutritionist services, and nutritious meals while traveling.
“You are not playing. [Rutgers] Jarmond said at the Sports Business Journal conference in Las Vegas last week. The benefits far outweigh those challenges. ”
UCLA, which is plagued with $62.5 million in debt, plans to make up to $70 million a year from media rights and subsequent exposure, according to the Los Angeles Times. In August, Big Ten announced that he had signed a seven-year, $7 billion media deal with Fox, CBS, and NBC. Pac-12 remains without his TV contract.
Speaking in Las Vegas last week, Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff said the meeting would wait for the regent’s decision before pursuing further deals with the media. Pac-12 was the only conference without an agreement, and Kliavkoff reiterated optimism that a favorable agreement could be reached in the first quarter of 2023.
“At the moment, we don’t know what will happen with PAC 12,” says Leib. “They were hurt by USC and UCLA. [move] …but actually USC was the first. There are indications that what they end up getting could be a very strong media deal, which will do Barkley better. So you’ll pay much less. It just depends, it’s really hard to know. So we wanted to give ourselves a wide range. ”