Updated

Updated · Deseret News · Jul 7

Big 12 Sticks With 16 Teams as Yormark Threatens Sanctions Over $50,000 BYU-Chant Cases

Updated

Updated · Deseret News · Jul 7

Big 12 Sticks With 16 Teams as Yormark Threatens Sanctions Over $50,000 BYU-Chant Cases

Q: As the Big 12 pursues global deals, will it sacrifice its popular championship game for more revenue?

Yes — Brett Yormark has made clear the Big 12 would consider giving up its championship game if a larger College Football Playoff creates enough financial upside. At Big 12 media days, Yormark called the football title game a “huge tent-pole event” and noted its strong value: more than 85,000 fans last season and a 39% jump in TV viewership. But he also said “everything’s on the table” as the conference studies a 24-team CFP, including whether the current model still makes economic sense. That does not mean the championship game is being sacrificed now, or specifically because of the league’s new global sponsorship push. The immediate pressure point is playoff expansion. A 24-team format would create scheduling and revenue trade-offs, and Yormark said the Big 12 must compare what it already has against what it could gain from a bigger postseason. The conference’s global strategy strengthens the broader revenue motive. Yormark is pushing the Big 12 as a globally relevant brand through deals such as the expanded Monster Energy partnership and overseas games in Dublin and London, with an eye toward future international media rights value. That approach shows the league is willing to rethink traditional assets if a new model produces more money and reach. So the answer is that the Big 12 is not abandoning its championship game for global deals alone, but Yormark has openly said he would weigh ending it if CFP expansion and related revenue opportunities make the trade worthwhile.

Q: Beyond fines, what will the Big 12's 'zero tolerance' policy do to stop hate speech at games?

At this point, the Big 12 has not publicly spelled out specific anti-hate-speech penalties beyond fines. What Commissioner Brett Yormark did say is that the league is treating the chants against BYU fans and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as more than routine crowd behavior. He said the conference has a “zero tolerance” approach and that Big 12 presidents and athletic directors will meet in August to address the incidents directly and decide how to improve enforcement for the coming season. So far, the only concrete sanctions disclosed are the $50,000 fines previously issued to Colorado and Oklahoma State for “inappropriate chants.” Yormark also said there will be “repercussions” for schools involved, but he did not define those repercussions at media days. That means the policy, as publicly described, is moving toward a broader enforcement plan, but the conference has not yet announced whether that will include measures such as game-day removals, enhanced security intervention, public-address warnings, school-directed fan conduct plans, or other competitive or administrative penalties. The clearest answer is that beyond fines, the Big 12 is promising tougher action and a formal review by its leadership, but the exact tools it will use to stop hate speech at games have not yet been made public.

3 articles · Updated · Deseret News · Jul 7

August meetings with presidents and athletic directors will target anti-BYU chants after incidents at Colorado, Cincinnati and Oklahoma State, with Yormark pledging “zero tolerance” and saying schools will face repercussions.
$50,000 fines already hit Colorado and Oklahoma State over what the conference called inappropriate chants, while Cincinnati was not fined despite video and audio from BYU’s 26-14 football win there last November.
On expansion, Yormark said he likes the conference’s current 16-team makeup and has no immediate plans to add members, arguing nonconference games remain important to the league.
Yormark still backed a 24-team College Football Playoff, though he said the Big 12 must weigh economics, scheduling and the future of its championship game, which drew 85,000 fans and 39% higher TV ratings last season.