In October, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark told Front Office Sports he was hoping to take the conference “international.” Now, a plan is beginning to materialize.
The Big 12 is working on staging basketball and football games in Mexico, a conference source confirmed to FOS. The Houston Roundball Review first reported the news.
Games could begin as early as this upcoming season and be held at Mexico City’s Arena CDMX for basketball and Monterrey’s Estadio BBVA for football, according to The Houston Chronicle. Yormark reportedly visited Mexico recently.
The plan is all part of the Big 12’s intention to establish a long-term presence in Mexico with games over multiple years, the source told FOS. The conference also plans to celebrate the local culture via everything from digital marketing strategies to enlisting well-known local performers.
“Mexico is a natural extension for the Big 12,” the source said. “The commissioner has seen the success the NBA, NFL, and professional leagues have had building their brands in Mexico and plans to replicate that.”
The conference will have a future lineup of at least four Texas schools near the Mexican border, including TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor, and incoming Houston — and Yormark’s stated intention to expand to the West Coast could bring another if a Southern California school makes the cut.
