Report: Big East hiring ex-MLB official Tim Brosnan as commissioner

Field Level Media|published: Sat 1st August, 19:13 2026

August 02, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; MLB executive vice president of business Tim Brosnan addresses the crowd during the unveiling of the 2012 All Star Game logo at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Tim Brosnan, who rose to the title of chief operating officer during his 20-plus years with Major League Baseball, is expected to be named commissioner of the Big East Conference, ESPN reported on Saturday.

Brosnan is poised to take over for Val Ackerman, who is retiring at the end of August following 13 years at the helm. Brosnan will become the conference's sixth commissioner, following Dave Gavitt, Mike Tranghese, John Marinatto, Mike Aresco and Ackerman.

During his tenure at MLB, Brosnan was involved in the creation of MLB Network and the World Baseball Classic, and brings extensive business and television experience to his new role. During his MLB tenure, revenues jumped from an estimated $1.5 billion in 1991, when he joined MLB, to nearly $8.5 billion when he departed in early 2015.

In 2014, Brosnan was one of three finalists to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner, but withdrew his candidacy and left MLB months later. Rob Manfred, who succeeded Selig, turned to Tony Petitti -- who ran MLB Network at the time -- to fill some of the duties Brosnan left behind. Nine years later, Petitti was hired as commissioner of the Big Ten.

Brosnan began his career with MLB as vice president of international affairs before rising to COO of MLB International. He went on to become MLB's executive VP of business, which meant overseeing the negotiation of league's TV deals and sponsorships.

While college sports is currently led by football-driven conferences, the Big East remains a powerhouse in basketball, having won four of the past national titles, including UConn in 2023 and 2024.

Brosnan, a 1980 graduate of Georgetown, was familiar with the Big East from its inception in 1979. He went on to earn a law degree from Fordham in 1984.

Now in his late 60s, Brosnan has kept current with college athletics, having been asked by Georgetown to study the school's role regarding Name, Image and Likeness for student-athletes. He served as Chairman/CEO until about a year ago and assisted in the formation of the "Hoyas Rising" support collective, which launched in 2023.

--Field Level Media