Big Ten Media Days 2024: 5 interesting things Tony Petitti said at Indianapolis event
With Big Ten Media Days 2024 arriving, the head honcho of the 18-team league, Tony Petitti, took the spotlight. Commissioner Petitti fielded questions from media members from around the Big Ten and held forth on matters from football to the league's future.
Here are five interesting comments from Petitti in Indianapolis at Big Ten Media Days.
5 interesting things Tony Petitti said at Big Ten Media Days 2024
#1. The league has plenty of Olympic pride
Counting athletes from new Big Ten members UCLA, USC, Washington and Oregon, the league will send over 325 athletes to Paris for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
While Big Ten Media Days is first and foremost a celebration of football, make no mistake, Petitti and the Big Ten members take plenty of pride in the league's overall athletic footprint.
"Our student-athletes continue to excel," Petitti said. "Not only in college, but on professional and international stages as well." He also noted 30 returning medalists from Big Ten schools who will be competing in Paris.
#2. The sprawl of the league is a concern
One of the biggest challenges the Big Ten will face is the travel obligations imposed in the new league. When USC travels to Ann Arbor, for instance, that's a 2,200+ mile trip each way. That's one thing in football, but another with non-revenue sports.
"We've taken a lot of care to try to minimize travel when we can," Petitti said. "With that said, scheduling is something that has to be constantly evaluated by sport, and I anticipate that we'll hopefully get a lot more right these next couple of years."
#3. Petitti is too busy focusing on the current state of the Big Ten to spend much time on the future
Given the ongoing chaos with the ACC, it wasn't surprising that Petitti was asked about the Big Ten's new members and plans for future expansion.
"We're focused on the 18 [current teams] now," Petitti said. "We had to do a lot of work.... I think we're really comfortable where we are."
He also discussed the process of adding the four new teams in depth as well, calling the added teams "a complete match across many different factors."
"We've got to get this conference right, and that's what our focus is," Petitti added.
#4. The ongoing NIL discussion is active and important
Petitti had plenty to say at Big Ten Media Days 2024 on the front of the ever-shifting NIL situation.
"That new model is going to require a lot of changes in terms of how we operate," Petitti said. "We now have a situation where schools can provide benefits directly to student-athletes. There's a cap on that system. We have to monitor what schools are spending, so you need a reporting system there that doesn't exist."
He went on to clarify that the league "needs a process to evaluate true NIL deals... We need to make sure that's what's really happening."
#5. Football roster limits could be forthcoming
While Petitti was elusive on details at Big Ten Media Days 2024, he acknowledged that the major conferences are close to some sort of understanding on a limit on roster spots for football.
"I'm not going to sort of point to a specific number right now," Petitti said. "I think we're coming close to consensus."
Petitti also acknowledged that the extended Playoff will lengthen the season and make depth even more important. He termed the ongoing dialogue on a roster limit as "a good process."
Which statements by Tony Petitti at Big Ten Media Days 2024 surprised you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.