Larry Scott Says His Hiring Is Clear Signal Pac-10 Seeks Change

Scott Says He'll Bring His Strategic Thinking To Pac-10

Outgoing Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Chair & CEO Larry Scott said the Pac-10 Conference, by going "outside the college sports universe" to hire him as Commissioner, sent a "clear signal that the presidents are looking for a fresh perspective and certainly a sense of untapped potential for the Pac-10." Scott: "I was officially hired by the 10 university presidents, which speaks volumes to the significance of athletics to the overall mission of the universities." Scott said he has been "impressed by how many parallels there are in the challenges facing the Pac-10," as compared to the WTA. Scott: "There are also a lot of the same people involved: the TV networks, sponsor companies, a lot of the media." Scott said of his plan for the conference, "There's no specific plan text that I came to the Pac-10 with and said I'm going to employ here, but I think what I bring is somebody who's a strategic thinker, that has this experience of looking at a situation and trying to figure out what's the right way to try to reposition it and enhance it. ... I also plan on tapping into my deep connections in the industry, in all the TV networks, media sponsor companies, and other thought leaders. ... Certainly with the Pac-10 there will be some clear agenda items we need to work on commercially, but also need to be done in a way that's consistent with what the Pac-10 stands for. ... Balancing that, defending that -- protecting the reputation and integrity of the conference -- is of utmost importance."

NET MINDER: Scott said of the Pac-10's existing TV deals, "People have the inherent belief that the Pac-10 should have better national exposure and more attractive media deals. Again, I've got to get up to speed on the exact deals themselves and meet with our current partners. We'll look at our existing partnerships, look at what other conferences have done, and also look at other innovative new approaches that might be possible. ... It's clear that's one of the major things I'm going to be judged by: how well did we enhance the Pac-10's exposure, credibility, reputation, and to have the best media deal possible." When asked if he would consider a Pac-10 network, Scott said, "I certainly need to study what the Big Ten has done, and I know that this is a concept that's been talked about. ... But it would be way too premature to identify whether (we would launch) a network" (L.A. TIMES, 4/8).