Larry Scott Pac-12: How did the former commissioner's approach hinder Pac-12's media deals and compete with its rival networks?

Before the ongoing back and forth about the Pac-12's search for a media deal, fans had to endure Larry Scott's Pac-12 for 11 years.

The overwhelming opinion among fans is that the exit of USC and UCLA and the consequent instability are the results of Scott's reign as commissioner. But while accusations are rife that his decisions set the conference on decline, there are others who do not allocate the entire blame to him.

Scott resumed the role of Pac-12 commissioner in 2009, at a time when the conference was one of the most powerful in college sports. By the time he'd stepped down from the role 12 years later, the conference was no longer the same. One of his most controversial decisions had to do with media deals and launching the Pac-12 Networks.

A look at Larry Scott's Pac-12 Media Rights Deal and other decisions

The rationale behind establishing the Pac-12 Networks was to give the conference more control over its media rights. But the decision has proven to be financially unwise.

Other conferences were cutting lucrative media rights deals with the media networks. But the Pac-12 lagged behind and returned less revenue to its members than their peers were earning in other conferences.

Scott has also drawn criticism for being a bit extravagant in his spending while he ran the Pac-12. An instance was his decision to relocate the Pac-12 headquarters into a multi-story complex in San Francisco. Members paid a total of $92 million to rent the space for over 11 years. No other Power 5 conference spent close to that on renting their offices.

In addition to overspending on the office complex, Scott was also being paid $4.1 million annually, the highest salary among conference commissioners nationwide. The combination of these does not paint a good look for a commissioner who was offering significantly less monetary value to members of his conference.

It is easier to target Scott for criticism because he was at the top of the decision-making chain. But like Daniel Durbin of the USC Institute for Sports, Media, and Society said:

“Larry Scott is one of the issues. But when it comes to something as big as the potential implosion of the Pac-12, you can't scapegoat just one person.”

In fairness to him, Larry Scott seemed convinced that his plans were going to work. At a time when the school presidents were grumbling about the feasibility of his plans, he kept on talking about the long-term rather than the short-term.