LOS ANGELES—The University of California Board of Regents is expected to accept a recommendation that UCLA pay the University of California at Berkeley $10 million a year for six years as a result of the Bruins’ upcoming move to the Big Ten Conference and the demise of the Pacific-12.
The recommendation was made by UC president Michael Drake and will be voted on during a regents’ meeting Tuesday, May 7, at UC Merced.
In order for the regents to affirm UCLA’s move to the Big Ten in December, 2022, the university agreed to pay UC Berkeley between $2 million and $10 million because of how the move would affect Cal’s athletic program.
Cal agreed to join the Atlantic Coast Conference last year after the Pac-12 couldn’t negotiate a media deal, which resulted in 10 of its members leaving the conference. In addition to UCLA, the University of Southern California, Oregon, and Washington are bound for the Big Ten, while Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah are headed to the Big 12. Stanford is also joining the ACC.
Besides increased travel costs, Cal will have a reduced share of the ACC’s media-rights deal. So, too, will Stanford, as part of the agreement for the Bay Area schools to join their new conference..
According to a report by UC’s president, the difference between UCLA’s annual media-rights distribution from the Big Ten and UC Berkeley’s share from the ACC will be approximately $50 million per year.
Mr. Drake is also recommending that if there is a significant change in revenues and/or expenses for either school, exceeding 10 percent over 2024–25 projections, UCLA’s contribution can be reevaluated by the regents.
UCLA and USC announced on June 30, 2022, that they were leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. USC is private and not part of the UC system.
The regents became involved shortly after the announcement when Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized UCLA’s move because chancellor Gene Block and Athletic Director Martin Jarmond did not give advance notice to the regents.
In 1991, campus chancellors were delegated authority by the UC Office of the President to execute their own contracts, including intercollegiate athletic agreements. But the regents heard during an August 2022, meeting that they retain the authority to review decisions impacting the UC system, meaning they could affirm, overturn, or abstain from following up on UCLA’s decision.
The regents voted four months later to let the move go ahead. Besides the payments to its sister school, UCLA agreed to make further investments for athletes, including nutritional support, mental health services, academic support while traveling, and charter flights to reduce travel time.
“From the very beginning we said we understand we may need to help Berkeley. We’re okay with it and happy it is resolved,” Mr. Block said after the regents approved the move.
