In its final year as a 14-member conference, the Big Ten saw its revenue soar to $928 million, with projections to exceed $1 billion during the current 2025 fiscal year, according to the league’s 2024 tax statement.
The league disbursed between $63.26 million and $63.43 million to 12 of its members and $61.52 million to Rutgers and Maryland, which borrowed money from the Big Ten while they were considered non-vested members from 2014 to 2020. Both should obtain full shares in 2027. The 2024 fiscal year concluded on June 30, 2024.
Most of the league’s 18 athletics departments have budgeted around $75 million from Big Ten coffers for the current 2025 fiscal year. Maryland and Rutgers will obtain slightly smaller shares. Of the former Pac-12 schools that joined the Big Ten, Washington and Oregon have half-shares until the 2030 fiscal year, while USC and UCLA entered the Big Ten as fully vested members.
Former Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren received more than $6.8 million, including $5.75 million in bonuses, for ushering in new media rights contracts, a development first reported by USA Today. Warren left the Big Ten for the Chicago Bears on April 14, 2023.
Former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany received more than $5.85 million in both reportable and deferred compensation from the Big Ten. Delany retired on Jan. 2, 2020. Tony Petitti, who replaced Warren as commissioner in May 2023, earned $2.62 million in base compensation and bonuses in fiscal 2024.
Also notable:
- A new media-rights contract with CBS and NBC helped Big Ten profits grow by more than $48 million. But for the fourth straight year, the league posted a shortfall, with expenses growing to $942 million. Still, the league recorded net assets of $213 million.
- In the same fiscal year, the Southeastern Conference earned $898.75 million and disbursed between $52.35 million and $53.13 million to its 14 full-time members. The SEC also provided new members Oklahoma and Texas with $27.5 million to offset their Big 12 media rights forfeitures.
(Photo: Michael Allio / Icon Sportswire AP Images)