After nearly 100 years in the Pac-12, UCLA is leaving the conference for the Big Ten. The Bruins will officially make the move in the summer of 2024 joining the likes of big names like The Ohio State University and the University of Michigan. In addition to UCLA leaving the Pac-12, USC will also make the move.
The decision shocked the sports world last Thursday when the announcement was made official. Since then, UCLA’s athletic director has broken down the reasoning behind the move with the biggest reason being the vast amount of debt the athletic department has taken on over the last several years. The exact amount? $102.8 million in just the last three years.
Given the fact that the athletic department wasn’t even scraping by, but going flying downward as quickly as a downhill skier, the eventual cutting of Olympic sports at the school was looming.
“If you love Olympic sports, you should be a fan of this move,” UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond told The L.A. Times on Tuesday. “When your program is in significant debt, it’s difficult just to maintain, never mind to invest. This not only preserves the programs now — which was not a given — but also will allow us to invest in them. This move allows us to reimagine what UCLA athletics can be with more strategic investment and resources.”
Jarmond may be onto something with his statement about preserving all of the athletic programs because the Big Ten has potential media rights deals on the table that could surpass $1 billion. With that amount of money on the table from investors like Apple, UCLA could see up to $100 million per year which would not only bail the athletic department out of debt, but finally put the Bruins in a position to upgrade facilities and invest in the programs that so badly deserve it.
The ability to put so much money toward the facilities, athletes and coaches representing 25 sports programs at UCLA would allow the already strong teams to excel in their respective sports on a national level. Jarmond hopes that the move and the money that could be brought in will lead one of the teams at the school to bring home the 120th national championship in the school’s history.
“I constantly think about, how do we get No. 120?” Jarmond said. “How do we not only get to the Final Four, but win it all? How do we help the programs win and win big in this changing environment? These days, you have to be constantly increasing your resources to help coaches and student-athletes reach those goals and to stay competitive as a department.
Despite the move and benefits being two years away for UCLA, the potential for growth begins now.
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