On Monday, the Big East unveiled Tim Brosnan as the conference’s new commissioner. He’ll replace Val Ackerman, who will retire on Aug. 31 after 13 years on the job. Brosnan will begin his new role on Sept. 1.
A former pitcher at Georgetown as well as a graduate of Fordham School of Law, Brosnan spent much of his career with Major League Baseball, where he spearheaded negotiations for all national media rights as well as launching MLB Network and the World Baseball Classic. He’ll now lead the Big East
in a time of major upheaval in college sports.
“In our search for the next commissioner of the Big East, we prioritized finding someone with extensive experience in the area of revenue generation and who would best fit the mission and vision of our conference going forward,” Reverend Brian J. Shanley, President of St. John’s and the Chair of the Big East’s Board of Directors, said in a release.. “Over the course of his career, Tim Brosnan has shown to be a smart, highly-respected leader with high personal and professional values rooted in his dedication to the service of others. His track record of forging highly successful partnerships will be critical in this new era of college athletics. Tim is a relationship-builder and, as a former student-athlete in the conference, cares deeply about the success of the young men and women who represent the Big East.”
Brosnan started with Major League Baseball in 1991 as vice president for business affairs at MLB International before being elevating to president and CEO two years later. He went on to become the league’s executive vice president for business and eventually rose to chief operating officer In 2014, he was a finalist for MLB Commissioner but ultimately lost out of Rob Manfred. He left Major League Baseball in 2015 to launch PrimeSport, a sports media consultancy.
At his alma mater, Brosnan has served on the board of regents and chaired the athletic committee. He also ran Hoyas Rising, Georgetown’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) organization, from 2021-25.
“The Big East is one of the most iconic brands in college sports, and I am grateful and deeply honored to have the opportunity to lead the conference into its next chapter,” he said in a release. “Together with our member institutions, and all of our Big East partners, we will continue to elevate the student-athlete experience, strengthen the conference’s competitive position, and embrace the opportunities that lie ahead while staying true to the values that have defined the Big East for generations.”
Brosnan takes over at a crucial time in the league’s history with NIL, revenue sharing, the transfer portal and a lack of rules or guidelines completely changing the landscape of college athletics. While football rules practically every other conference in the country, the Big East is an outlier as a basketball-centric league. What it lacks in monster media contracts, it makes up for in stability — the addition of UConn is only membership change since 2013 — and regionality, at least compared to the ACC and Big Ten, which feature schools on both coasts.
At the helm, Brosnan will be tasked with keeping the Big East competitive nationally and guiding the league into an uncertain future, especially as the power conference continue to consolidate power.
He will be the conference’s sixth commissioner after Dave Gavitt, Mike Tranghese, John Marinatto, Mike Aresco and Ackerman.
