XAVIER NATION MAGAZINE FEATURE: Behind the BIG EAST

When Val Ackerman became the fifth commissioner of the BIG EAST on July 1, 2013, the conference was emerging from months of transformation: seven traditionally basketball-centric Catholic schools had pulled away from their increasingly football-focused brethren to go their own way, and three new schools similar in mission and vision—Xavier, Butler, and Creighton had agreed to join them.

Five years later, the BIG EAST is moving forward confidently, with midtown Manhattan offices, stable membership, a strong TV partnership, and a shared sense of purpose. In its signature sport, men's basketball, six of the 10 schools earned NCAA Tournament bids last season, led by two No. 1 seeds in Xavier and Villanova, and for the second time in three years the national champion in 'Nova. With five years in the record books, Ackerman, who in March agreed to a contract extension through 2021, looks back and to the future for five questions with Xavier Nation.

Xavier Nation: In what ways has the inclusion of Xavier benefited the BIG EAST?

Val Ackerman: Xavier has been a tremendous addition. Their values are very much in line with the values of the conference, as a basketball-focused league with broad-based programs in other sports, strong academics, and a focus on service. As a basketball program, of course, Xavier has made important contributions to the strength of the BIG EAST brand. They've had great success, and I'm certain more is to come with coach [Travis] Steele. Xavier also has very strong leadership in Father Graham and Greg Christopher, who have not only guided Xavier to great heights but have provided strong voices within our conference. Finally, I would say Xavier nation has brought us tremendous fan support. Every time I see a game at the Cintas Center, I'm reminded of that great atmosphere and the passion of Xavier fans.

Xavier Nation: Five years in, what are your thoughts on where the conference is positioned now?

Val Ackerman: When the seven schools made the decision to separate, which was the handiwork of those presidents at the time, they were able to negotiate to keep the BIG EAST name, the history, and the statistics. We kept the relationship with Madison Square Garden that is so important to men's basketball. Fox Sports was about to launch FS1, and we would be a big part of their programming. So when I joined, all that work was done. But we had no infrastructure. I had no staff. We had no office space, no website, no benefits plans, no checking account. Georgetown managed our finances. We had no [NCAA Tournament revenue] units; those went [to the schools of the American Athletic Conference as part of the separation agreement]. We had no e-mail. I used my Gmail account for months. So, a normal conference year, but with the startup of a new company on top. The first year was really like drinking out of a fire hose. It was exhausting.

Now we're in great shape. We're solidifying the successes we've had following the re-launch. Certainly we expect to compete for championships each and every year in men's basketball. Last year, we had four schools in the NCAA women's tournament, which is the best we've had [since the reboot], and we'd love to continue to have deep runs on the women's side.

Since our schools are very cohesive in terms of values, we can continually look to apply the BIG EAST brand to other projects in ways that make sense. [Ackerman cited the Student-Athlete Well Being Forum hosted by the conference and Butler University in June; the Mental Health Summit hosted by the conference, the NCAA, and Georgetown University in June 2017; and Sport at the Service of Humanity, a follow-up conference to a Vatican initiative focusing on how sport brings people together and can bring about social change.] This year we had competition in esports for the first time, the BIG EAST Esports Invitational. The BIG EAST Digital Network [a branded channel on the Fox Sports Go app] is growing, and BIG EAST Shootaround [a weekly basketball show on multiple platforms] helps build the identities of our schools on and off the court. We're keeping a good thing going and growing.

Xavier Nation: The BIG EAST has two major men's basketball partners in Fox, its television partner, and Madison Square Garden, site of the BIG EAST men's basketball tournament. How are those relationships?

Val Ackerman: They are the conference's two most important business relationships in terms of the revenue and exposure they provide. We have very collaborative working relationships with both. Fox has been with us since day one. [The BIG EAST and Fox Sports forged a 12-year deal in 2013.] We work very closely together on everything: scheduling, programming, marketing, digital, you name it. They give us a great platform and exposure, and we provide them with strong programming for Fox Sports 1. It's a win-win relationship we couldn't be prouder.

The BIG EAST tournament has been at Madison Square Garden for 37 years, the longest unbroken relationship between a conference and a venue in college basketball. [The league's agreement with the Garden was recently extended through 2028.] It's the Mecca of basketball for a reason: the lighting, the sound, the aura. It's iconic.

Xavier Nation: Other conferences that rotate their tournament sites, like the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten, played in the New York market last season. Could you ever see a day when the BIG EAST tournament extends to other markets? Or is New York too important to the schools, their fans, and the conference as a whole?

Val Ackerman: Our schools would prefer to be in New York. Obviously now we have a very strong presence in the Midwest, with five of our 10 major media markets in the Midwest. But I think that's outweighed right now by our history and tradition. Even our Midwest coaches point to that. It would be our hope to be in the Garden for many years to come.

It's very satisfying to see how the tournament has grown. Some of the schools that traditionally brought loads of fans are no longer in the league, but we've more than answered the naysayers. This year's tournament was our best ever [since the re-launch]. Three
of the five sessions were sellouts. Xavier and Villanova were on their way to No. 1 seeds. The championship game between Providence and Villanova went to overtime. I'm very optimistic we're going to continue to see great crowds. Fans in New York know a good basketball game when they see it, and they know when the BIG EAST comes to town they're going to get good basketball.

Xavier Nation: Where is the BIG EAST in terms of membership? What can you share regarding possible expansion?

Val Ackerman: Right now, we're set at 10. Who knows what the future holds? Ten has turned out to be a very workable number. It allows us to do the full round-robin schedule in men's basketball, for example, and that's very favorable in terms of developing rivalries and ensuring that every student-athlete gets to go to every city and every school's fans get to see every team. Ten works for a lot of reasons.

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