What does the new Pac-12 Commissioner bring to the table?

Dan Wetzel and Pat Forde were shocked by the news that former MGM Resorts executive George Kliavkoff is replacing Larry Scott as the Pac-12 commissioner. Hear the full conversation on the Yahoo Sports College Podcast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen.

Video Transcript

DAN WETZEL: George Kliavkoff, is going to be in. Now you might say, who, who is this guy? Who is George?

PAT FORDE: That's what I'm saying.

DAN WETZEL: This is not Andrew Lock, this is not someone-- is Bill Walton's candidacy didn't take off.

PAT FORDE: I thought that certainly in one minute.

DAN WETZEL: He is coming from MGM Resorts, where he was the president of entertainment and sports at MGM. Now, I can tell you MGM.-- I know it sounds just like a Casino, they also own the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas. They run tons of boxing events, UFC, different things, rodeo they've obviously had a relationship with the Pac-12.

I'm guessing, this is just coming out. So I don't know but, out of the box higher obviously, he had previously worked at a port for MLB Advanced Media, NBC Universal, so he's got a little bit of that as this thing. And has been doing just-- it's basically your sports executive coming in. Your thoughts Pat on I mean, obviously, I think it's unfair to say this is a bad or good hire based on this particular person. But, your thoughts on that kind of higher for the Pac-12 is that what they need.

PAT FORDE: This isn't just outside the box, I mean this is like the box is in Walnut Creek, California, and this idea is coming in from Jupiter. All right? This is so far off the beaten path. Now, as you said, his background shows right he has been involved in sports, he has been involved in media companies and some athletic companies, and yes I'm sure there's a relationship there since I think they run T-Mobile Arena in Vegas. I mean it may turn out fine, but this to a degree is the Pac-12 once again just throwing double birds at the athletic directors and coaches in the league and saying, Yeah you all thought that Larry Scott was out of touch with what goes on, on campus, well guess what? We're gonna hire somebody who might even be further out of touch, with what goes on, on campus.

He's never worked on a campus so that I can find. He went to Boston University so he has extensive background in the Pac-12. I went to Virginia Law School OK I mean, if you're an AD in that league right now, you've got to be sitting there saying, "Jeez, are you ever gonna like get anybody that we have any rapport with?" And the answer is clearly no. So this is a play that seems to me to indicate.

We just-- we've got to distribute our product better and that's what we're gonna try to do via-- this person you know-- it's all just going to be about distribution platform and everything. And once again, as usual we don't really give a damn what goes on, on your campus, just get better. We're not gonna help you get better other than maybe trying to come up with a better network solution, but just get better. Go do it on your own.

DAN WETZEL: Better experience of running a tennis-- the tennis tour that Larry Scott basically did. So I don't know, I'm not gonna-- I have no, I have no idea.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

PAT FORDE: Yeah. It's one of the ultimate wait and see horrors, right? I mean he may turn out fine, but you, you don't go in with some of the natural fits that you thought that they were going to try to create, because that they lacked from Larry Scott. You know. I mean because the, the complaining from the campus people was endless about how Larry Scott was out of touch with what goes on, on campus, and the day to day operations of an athletic department. And this-- on the face of it, does nothing to address any of those complaints or concerns

DAN WETZEL: All right. We will see. They'll be nice will be out. No doubt. Welcome to our world George. Look out. A lot of anonymous athletic director sources coming out.