Morning Edition

October 2, 2026

New Big East commissioner Tim Brosnan believes there may be a role for private equity investment in the conference. Brosnan, who took over from Val Ackerman in September, told Front Office Sports the Big East has been contacted by several private-equity shops, but that it hasn’t “seen a use case yet that we think we would get involved in.”

—Amanda Christovich

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Where Does New Big East Commissioner Stand on PE?

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NEW YORK — New Big East commissioner Tim Brosnan isn’t ruling out a future private-equity investment in the conference.

The longtime Major League Baseball executive, who replaced Val Ackerman as commissioner in September, said during his opening remarks at Big East media day that he would be focused on commerce and revenue opportunities for the conference. When asked specifically about private equity during an interview with Front Office Sports, Brosnan suggested he was open to a deal.

“Is there a role for investment in the Big East, somewhere down the road? I would think yes,” he said. “What that specific role is today, I couldn’t tell you. I’ve only been here 30 days.”

Brosnan noted the league has been approached. “The question is: What specific need is it that you think private equity may be able to address for your conference?” he said. “We’ve been reached out to by any number of private equity shops … and there are uses for private equity. But I don’t think we’ve seen a use case yet that we think we would get involved in.”

He added: “When I say we—these are policy issues that have to be decided by the membership. I’m the chief executive, so I report to the membership. To the board.”

To date, only one conference has signed a league-wide deal with a private equity firm.

Earlier this year, the Big 12 signed a deal with RedBird Capital Partners and Weatherford Capital. (RedBird IMI, in which RedBird Capital Partners is a joint venture partner, is the primary investor in Front Office Sports.) The league received a capital infusion, a business partnership, and an option for a school-specific capital infusion; it did not sell off an equity stake of the conference. (The University of Utah is the only school to sign a private equity deal at the school level, selling a portion of its assets to the firm Otro Capital.)

Though the Big 12 is the only conference to consummate a deal, it isn’t the only one to consider the prospect. Last year, the Big Ten explored a partnership that would sell a portion of conference assets in exchange for a capital infusion from UC Investments, the pension fund for the University of California system. But UC Investments abandoned the deal after multiple schools objected.

Meanwhile, the ACC, SEC, and the American have explored options but have not landed on any specific proposals.

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ONE BIG FIG

Dream Defense

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$30,000

That’s the bonus Atlanta Dream Angel Reese earned for being named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday. Reese gathered 46 of 74 votes to beat out Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Wilson, who came in second place with 20 votes. The Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson, Washington Mystics’ Shakira Austin, Valkyries’ Veronica Burton, and Dream’s Rhyne Howard also received votes.

Reese signed a four-year rookie contract with the Chicago Sky in 2024 and earned a base salary of $350,692 this year after being traded to the Dream in the offseason. Her pay, like other players, is up significantly from 2024 and 2025 due to the league and players agreeing to a new collective bargaining agreement earlier this year; she had been making less than $75,000 per season with the Sky. The new CBA also boosted performance and award bonuses: Under the previous agreement, Defensive Players of the Year earned $5,150. Reese has a chance to add to her total, with playoff bonuses increasing each round. Atlanta swept the Mystics in the first round and will play the New York Liberty in the semifinals starting Sunday.

DAILY SPORTS TRIVIA

Can you rank the top five college football programs with the most conference championships all-time?

LOUD AND CLEAR

There’s Something About Isiah

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“I’d rather have Ben Stiller. Or Fat Joe.”

—MSG Sports investor Jonathan Boyar on former Knicks coach and president Isiah Thomas being appointed to the board of MSG Knickerbockers Corp., which will come into existence this month after MSG Sports splits ownership entities for the Knicks and Rangers. Thomas, who compiled a 56–108 record in two seasons as Knicks head coach, was accused of sexually harassing a Madison Square Garden executive in 2007. A jury awarded her $11.6 million in damages, to be paid by MSG and owner James Dolan, finding the team improperly fired her over the accusations.

“This is exactly why fans and investors have such a negative view of Dolan,” Boyar told Front Office Sports. “He could have gotten anyone to be on this board, any Knicks fan who is famous. Why have such a polarizing guy? What does he bring to the table?” Ben Stiller and Fat Joe were seen courtside throughout the 2026 NBA Finals, as the Knicks won their first championship in 53 years.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Behind the NFL’s Massive Media Machine

Recently promoted to EVP and chief media officer, Hans Schroeder has been at the NFL since 2001 and now leads the league’s global media strategy across partnerships, licensing, scheduling, and distribution. He also oversees the NFL’s broadcast operations and digital distribution across NFL Network, NFL RedZone, the NFL’s FAST channel, and other key content platforms.

At Tuned In, Schroeder will peel back the curtain on the NFL’s media approach and how it continues to evolve.

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