Let us not pretend staying a Ability Five convention commissioner is an easy task. But, as complicated and demanding as this posture is, it is not as challenging as mind operation or rocket science.
Some principles are not that tricky to figure out or use. Some parts of a commonly hard career are effortless.
Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff is demonstrating proof of this in his very first month on the task.
Kliavkoff talked to Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury Information this previous week. He was questioned a good deal of issues on lots of topics. There’s a lot to read in Wilner’s interview, but let us pull two distinct rates from the discussion to illustrate the main position of this write-up.
Initially, Wilner asked Kliavkoff about the Pac-12’s need to have to have a guaranteed automated bid in a 12-crew playoff.
Kliavkoff’s reaction:
“The idea that we require an automated bid, I don’t think it is needed.”
See how straightforward that is? The Pac-12 must In no way have to stress about getting outperformed by the Mountain West or AAC champion for a playoff bid. If a commissioner believes in the toughness and quality of his solution, he won’t venture weak spot or insecurity by publicly pleasing for an autobid. He will trust that his meeting can satisfy what is a somewhat modest typical.
Larry Scott insisted on an automatic bid. When that insistence may not be lousy in itself, the point that Scott publicly lobbied for an autobid projected weak point to the other conferences, Electrical power Five and Team of Five alike. Kliavkoff clearly understands a commissioner — from the Pac-12 or everywhere else — doesn’t need to have to publicly venture weak spot. Just function powering the scenes for the most favorable plan, and do not discuss about it.
Wilner also asked Kliavkoff about a further delicate topic amid Pac-12 followers:
*** The foreseeable future location of Pac-12 business office:
“It’s an highly-priced office room, and the environment is shifting. I’m not predisposed to a idea of how a lot square footage we need or wherever we need to be.
“But each and every dollar we make is a greenback that can be distributed to the educational institutions. Any quantity we can preserve at the meeting amount, devoid of sacrificing the integrity of our operation, I approach to conserve. And I can inform you this: Wherever we are, we will not be paying out the exact same level.”
Larry Scott normally refused to go after cost savings as Pac-12 commish, until those discounts could be attained by minimizing his do the job drive (and a small variety of other exceptions — it wasn’t the standard way of undertaking enterprise).
George Kliavkoff appears totally interested in pursuing charge cost savings. That aspect really is not incredibly tough to grasp.
None of this can make George Kliavkoff a great commissioner. Clearing Larry Scott’s pretty lower bar is a nominal expectation. The real proving-ground moments have yet to get there.
That stated, Kliavkoff is displaying how quick it is to steer clear of fundamental blunders. It’s a smaller but real signal of hope, an indicator that the new manager will be a lot superior for the Pac-12 than the old one particular.