The Big Ten Conference, the athletic sanctioning body for institutions that include the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Michigan State University in East Lansing, has signed a multi-year media content partnership with Gannett Co. Inc. and the USA Today Network. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
As part of the agreement, syndicated content from across USA Today Network’s local network of more than 200 publications will be featured on BigTen.org. This includes content from the Detroit Free Press, The Columbus Dispatch, The Des Moines Register, and The Indianapolis Star, among several others.
USA Today also will continue to produce souvenir covers to commemorate the winners of the Big Ten Championship Games in football and men’s and women’s basketball. These covers are presented to athletes on the field or court after the final whistle. This tradition began last year with the Big Ten Football Championship Game and continued this year with the “A-MAIZE-ING” headline celebrating Michigan’s win in the conference title game.
“We are proud to be a content partner of the Big Ten conference,” says Nate Scott, vice president and publisher of the USA Today Sports Media Group. “The USA Today Network’s local footprint is uniquely positioned across key college markets and dedicated to amplifying the importance of recognizing these sports.”
The USA Today Network also will produce and publish the Big Ten Conference’s official championship game day programs for football, as well as men’s and women’s basketball.
In related news, the Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference announced Friday they have formed a joint advisory group of university presidents, chancellors, and athletic directors to address significant opportunities and challenges facing college athletics and the student-athlete experience.
The challenges, including but are not limited to recent court decisions, pending litigation, a patchwork of state laws, and complex governance proposals, compel the two conferences to take a leadership role in developing solutions for a sustainable future of college sports, according to a joint statement.
“The Big Ten and the SEC have substantial investment in the NCAA and there is no question that the voices of our two conferences are integral to governance and other reform efforts,” says Tony Petitti, commissioner of the Big Ten. “We recognize the similarity in our circumstances, as well as the urgency to address the common challenges we face.”
The advisory group will have no authority to act independently and will only serve as a consulting body, say the conferences. Its composition, charter, and timetable, as well as the specific questions it might examine, have yet to be determined.