The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Pacific-12 conference has named MGM Resorts executive George Kliavkoff as its new commissioner, replacing Larry Scott.
The hiring ends a four-month search in which the conference presidents considered several candidates with college sports experience, ultimately deciding on Kliavkoff, who, like Scott before him, has little experience in colleges sports, other than having participated on the rowing team at Boston University.
“Kliavkoff, 54, brings unparalleled expertise and leadership in live sports and entertainment, fan experience, content creation and distribution, and navigating complicated environments,” said a Pac-12 press release.
Kliavkoff, who served as president of entertainment and sports at MGM Resorts for the past three years, has media experience at MLB Advanced Media, Real Networks and NBC Universal, a fact seen as boosting the potential media coverage of Pac-12 events.
“He is the new prototype for a sports commissioner,” University of Oregon President Michael H. Schill, chair of the five-member search committee, said in a statement. “While George has deep sports experience, his biggest asset is his ability to listen, connect with diverse groups, find common ground, collaborate and navigate an evolving landscape. We believe George’s overall skills and experience will become even more prevalent in college sports leadership.”
“I am thrilled to be the Pac-12 Commissioner,” Kliavkoff said. “This is a challenging time for intercollegiate athletics, but I believe these challenges also create significant opportunities.”
