As I prepare to leave my position as Commissioner of the American Athletic Conference, I want to take the opportunity to thank all those who have sent kind messages regarding my retirement. I also want to issue a warm welcome to my successor, Tim Pernetti, who will do a great job for the conference in the years ahead. The Board has made a great hire in Tim.
Our Board, led by East Carolina president Philip Rogers and in the past by Tulane President, Mike Fitts, has been wonderful to work with, as have been our Athletic Directors, led by Jon Gilbert of East Carolina, our Senior Woman Administrators, led by Lauren Ashman of Memphis, and our Faculty Athletic Representatives, led by Cal Christian of East Carolina.
My outstanding staff, led by COO Donna DeMarco, and CFO Stacy Martin on the ground here in Dallas, has been a source of great comfort during this transition. They have handled the uncertainty of a leadership change with grace and understanding and will be a terrific resource for our new commissioner.
I want to thank my fellow commissioners, athletic directors, administrators and others throughout the college community for the many kindnesses they have extended to me, and for their friendship and cooperation. The Management Committee and the Board of Managers of the College Football Playoff have provided visionary and outstanding service in establishing the new 12-team playoff and in furthering the reach and appeal of college football. It has been a pleasure to work with them.
I want to thank and applaud all of our coaches and their staffs for their remarkable record of achievement, their commitment to their student-athletes and to the conference, and their hard work in navigating the vicissitudes and challenges of contemporary college athletics.
I want to thank our media partners – our primary partner ESPN – and CBS with respect to basketball coverage – for their commitment to our conference. No conference can succeed without the financial resources and national exposure provided by its television/media partners. We have a wonderful relationship on multiple levels with ESPN and have built a thriving, nationally relevant conference with their strong support. I want to thank ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro, President of Content Burke Magnus, Executive Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions Roz Durant, and Senior Vice President, College Sports Programming and Acquisitions Nick Dawson and their terrific team. They have maintained a strong commitment to us through the challenges of realignment, and we in turn will continue to do everything we can to continue to provide great value for them and their viewers. Our landmark agreement reached in 2019 for football and basketball and Olympic sports, which also included a significant ESPN+ branded component, would not have been possible without the confidence that Jimmy Pitaro and Burke Manus had in us. They are great visionary executives, and they have an outstanding team with whom we enjoy working.
We are also fortunate to enjoy an important basketball programming relationship with CBS Sports, my former employer. I want to thank and applaud Sean McManus, who recently retired as chairman of CBS Sports. Sean’s role in the resurgence of CBS Sports cannot be overstated, the network has enjoyed a golden age under his outstanding leadership, and our basketball has benefitted from the exposure provided by CBS, with its proud history as the network of the NCAA tournament. CBS is in good hands going forward with President David Berson, who will provide strong leadership, and Executive Vice President, Programming Dan Weinberg and Vice President, Programming Bess Barnes.
I would be remiss in not thanking our alumni, our donors, and our fans for their support. Without the interest and commitment manifested on an annual basis by these groups, our conference – any conference – would be a hollow shell. We have worked hard and will continue to work hard to earn their loyalty, trust, and continued support. Our student-athletes strive every day to make all of these groups proud.
That brings me to our student-athletes – the reason the conference exists. Our valiant men and women are the heart and soul of the collegiate experience; the conference belongs to them and is identified by their achievements. Our student-athletes are the best and have represented us well. And a special thanks and recognition to the Midshipmen of Navy and the Cadets of Army and everyone associated with those august institutions, for their service to our country. We have never lost sight of the fact that they were, are and will be in harm’s way defending our freedoms and way of life. They represent the best of the best that the country has to offer and they deserve our praise and gratitude.
I want to give thanks to my family, my wife Sharon, sons Matthew and Brett, and their spouses Elizabeth and Susan. They have been my support and pride and joy throughout my wonderful 40+ year journey in sports and have made the journey far more meaningful than it otherwise would have been. Sharon has been a great ambassador for the conference and has enhanced its reputation with her grace and her enthusiasm for its mission and the accomplishments of its student-athletes.
In closing, I wish one and all continued good fortune as you work and compete in the great drama that college sports provides, and as you strive diligently to advance the values that make college sports special. I take my leave confident that amid all the turmoil and even chaos engulfing college sports at the moment, an accommodation will be found that protects and reaffirms the true purpose of this enduring and magnificent enterprise.
With warm regards,
Michael L. Aresco
