Sources: Ex-MLB official tabbed to head Big East

The Big East is expected to hire former MLB executive Tim Brosnan as the league's next commissioner, sources told ESPN, a hire outside of the college sports world that's indicative of the league's embrace of the new business-forward era of college sports. Brosnan is in line to replace Val Ackerman as the league's next commissioner, as Ackerman's retirement will be effective at the end of August. She served 13 years in that role. In Brosnan, the Big East brings in someone with extensive business and television experience, similar to the Big Ten's recent hire of former MLB executive Tony Petitti back in 2023. Brosnan takes over the basketball-forward league at a compelling time, as the league will be seeking ways to assert itself in the modern college sports ecosystem, which is led by football-driven conferences. The Big East has won four of the past 10 national titles and remains a constant atop the sport, as UConn won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024. The Big East's candidate pool included a finalist in Big Ten COO Kerry Kenny, who brought both television experience and a more traditional college sprots background. Brosnan is a Georgetown graduate in 1980, giving him familiarity with the league at its inception in 1979. He earned a law degree from Fordham in 1984. He'll be the league's sixth commissioner, following Dave Gavitt, Mike Tranghese, John Marinatto, Mike Aresco and Ackerman. Brosnan brings a fluency in modern college athletics, as he was asked by the Georgetown administration to study Georgetown's role in the Name Image and Likeness. He ended up helping form "Hoyas Rising," serving as the Chairman/CEO until nearly a year ago. Over more than two decades at MLB, Brosnan rose to chief operating officer, helping start MLB Network and the World Baseball Classic. Baseball's industry-wide revenues during his tenure spiked from an estimated $1.5 billion in 1991, when Brosnan first started working at MLB, to nearly $8.5 billion in early 2015, when he departed. Brosnan was one of three finalists to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner in 2014, a job that eventually went to Rob Manfred. Brosnan withdrew from consideration after his candidacy faltered and months later left his post at the league. Manfred filled some of Brosnan's duties with Petitti, who ran MLB Network and in 2023 was hired by the Big Ten as commissioner. After starting his career with MLB as vice president of international affairs, Brosnan rose to COO of MLB International. He later was promoted to executive vice president of business for MLB, overseeing the negotiation of the league's television contracts and sponsorships.