Brett Yormark
Brett Yormark is the fifth and current commissioner of the Big 12 Conference, a position he has held since August 1, 2022. He has held top positions at Katz Sports, NASCAR, Palace Sports & Entertainment, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, and the National Basketball Association. He served as the chief executive officer of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, where he oversaw the business operations of the Brooklyn Nets organization, Barclays Center, the New York Islanders, New York Liberty, Nassau Coliseum, and the Nets' minor team Long Island Nets. He then became the chief executive officer of Roc Nation.
Career
Yormark started his career by selling TV time to Upper Midwest sports teams at Katz Sports in New York, including the Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Minnesota Twins.Yormark then moved on to Palace Sports and Entertainment as a senior account executive. In 1998, he became NASCAR's director of corporate marketing, opening an office in New York. He then became vice president of corporate marketing and helped successfully negotiate the sponsorship deal with Nextel Communications which, at the time, was NASCAR's largest contract.
In 2005, Bruce Ratner who owned the Nets at the time hired Yormark as CEO to help transform them into a world-class organization as a more popular, modern, and contemporary brand. He helped the franchise transition from New Jersey to Brooklyn, and led the marketing and operations functions of Barclays Center which opened in 2012. He spent 14 years with them as CEO of Brooklyn Sports Entertainment, negotiating deals for the Center that included the New York Islanders, Ultimate Fighting Championship, NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, SportsNet New York, ACC men's basketball tournament, and the Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament. Barclays Center placed in the top ten of all entertainment venues world-wide for ticket sales every year under his leadership.
He left the Nets in 2019 and was soon hired by Jay-Z to become Roc Nation's CEO and President of Business Operations and Strategy. There, he helped negotiate a long-term agreement with the NFL to serve as the official live music entertainment for events such as the Super Bowl.
On August 1, 2022, he left Roc Nation to become the commissioner of the Big 12 Conference. Three months later he finalized a new media rights agreement for the Big 12 Conference with partners ESPN and Fox Sports.
Personal life
Yormark grew up in Springfield and Morristown, New Jersey. He was born to a Jewish family. He graduated with an undergraduate degree in business from Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington in 1988.He has two children and is married to Elaina Scotto. His twin brother Michael Yormark is also a business and sports entertainment executive.