As general manager of two regional sports networks based in a rabid sports town, Francois McGillicuddy had one of the best jobs in sports media. In the six years that he ran Cleveland-based FS Ohio and SportsTime Ohio, he saw one of his teams — the Cavaliers — win the NBA title and another — the Indians — compete in a seven-game World Series, both in 2016. The year before, another one of his teams — the Blue Jackets — played host to the NHL All-Star Game and another — the Reds — played host to the MLB All-Star Game.
Last week, Fox Sports announced that it had hired McGillicuddy to be president of the Big Ten Network, replacing Mark Silverman. The only president BTN has ever known, Silverman moved to Los Angeles earlier this year to be Fox Sports’ president of national networks. McGillicuddy will move to Chicago and start his new job next month.
I caught up with McGillicuddy to ask him why he made that move. His answer focused on the passion of college sports fans. In McGillicuddy’s mind, he’s trading one passionate fan base for another.
“When it comes to our business, it’s all about the passion of the fan,” he said. “But I think that the passion in the collegiate space is a really special bond — for alumni and fans in those communities. It’s one of the deepest bonds in all of sports.”
