LAWRENCE — Kansas Athletics’ part in the Big 12 Conference’s initial push of the Big 12 Mexico initiative is an understandable one from a basketball perspective.
As Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said Thursday, the ideal scenario for the league when the idea came up was for the Jayhawks to be a part of it. As Kansas athletic director Travis Goff said Thursday, the Jayhawks perceive themselves as a leader in the Big 12 when it comes to basketball. So, in December 2024, Kansas will be at the forefront of the initiative when its men’s and women’s basketball teams face Houston’s in Mexico City at Arena CDMX.
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But there is more to it than a conference and some universities finding a new stage to compete on. There’s a vision, with both immediate and long-term goals in mind. And both Yormark and Goff spoke to that, too, on the heels of the announcement of the initiative that will also see the conference explore opportunities in other sports.
An experience for current athletes that could also attract potential students
Both Yormark and Goff referenced how an event like this could assist a university like Kansas when it comes to student recruitment. They each pointed to the experiences athletes who are taking part could have. Basketball is a sport that Yormark said can serve as a catalyst for the growth of the Big 12’s brand, and it’s clear that tapping into that momentum can prompt multiple avenues where various parties benefit.
“Thanks to Travis and the coaches at Kansas, for them to raise their hand and sign up to be a part of what I think will be a very, very special moment,” said Yormark, who noted these Kansas vs. Houston games won’t count against conference records. “Basketball really resonates in that marketplace, if you see the success the NBA has had.”
An NIL opportunity
The ways a collegiate athlete can profit monetarily from their name, image and likeness (NIL) is something that’s come up in discussions about this initiative. According to Goff, they see an effort like the Big 12 Mexico project as an opportunity for athletes in the NIL space. And they have international examples to go off of that they believe have been successful.
“We know that our international student-athletes don’t have those opportunities in the states,” Goff said. “And so, for one, if you think about our women’s basketball roster in particular, a heavy international group on that roster, this would conceivably provide them, maybe, their first and potentially only in a given year NIL opportunity.”
An effort to place more value on basketball
Yormark acknowledged that football is still the driving force in collegiate athletics, but noted as well that he considers basketball to be undervalued. So avenues like this are going to be taken. Basketball has a part to play in Yormark’s goals to make the Big 12 a national brand that stretches from coast-to-coast.
“We do want to be national,” Yormark said. “We do want to elevate and amplify our brand. I think today’s announcement is an example of that, obviously, as we think about our international strategy. And I don’t think there’s been a better time than right now to be involved in this conference — very excited and bullish about our future.”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, KU’s Travis Goff on Big 12 Mexico
