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Recognized as one of the most dynamic and innovative executives in sports and entertainment, Brett Yormark began his tenure as the fifth commissioner of the Big 12 Conference on August 1, 2022. He previously held positions at Roc Nation, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment and NASCAR.
Yormark has elevated the Conference to new heights. He executed a media rights deal with ESPN and Fox, a deal that will run through 2030-31. Additionally, Yormark has placed an emphasis on marketing, brand building and storytelling that has resonated across the college athletics landscape. In the first two years of his tenure, Yormark has overseen the early departure of Oklahoma and Texas as well as the integration of eight new Big 12 members. Additionally, he led a revamping of the Big 12 Football and Basketball Championships that resulted in revenue and digital engagement highs. Yormark has taken an innovative approach to ensure the Conference resides in places it never has before, creating the first-ever Big 12 Business Advisory Board, executing a partnership with the National Football League to operate a conference-wide Pro Day, teaming up with New York City Parks Department for a summer activation at historic Rucker Park, and bringing celebrity talent such as Fat Joe, Ashanti, Shaq and DJ Khaled into the Big 12 marketing fold.
Yormark served three years as the COO of Roc Nation and Co-CEO of Roc Nation Unified before moving to the Big 12. Roc Nation is a full-service entertainment company supporting a diverse roster of talent via artist management, music publishing, touring, production, strategic brand development and more. The client list includes some of the world’s most recognizable names in the entertainment and sports worlds, such as Rihanna, Alicia Keys, DJ Khaled, Robin Thicke, Megan Thee Stallion, Christina Aguilera, LaMelo Ball, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne. The company was founded in 2008 by JAY-Z and has offices in New York City, London and Los Angeles.
Yormark joined the company in the fall of 2019 and in his role as COO, focused on optimizing operational resources and building company infrastructure to support continued growth. Yormark also supervised sponsorship, licensing, content partnerships, and brand strategy. In addition, he spearheaded Roc Nation Unified, the organization’s commercial and consultative arm that works with artists, athletes, leagues, teams, and brands.
Prior to Roc Nation, Yormark spent 14 years as President and CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment (BSE) Global, which manages and controls Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Nets’ NBA G League team, the Long Island Nets. During his tenure, he also expanded BSE’s venue footprint by leading the renovation, reopening and subsequent operation of NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island, and Manhattan’s iconic Webster Hall. While at BSE Global, Yormark had oversight for all facets of Barclays Center and NYCB LIVE, including operations, event programming, sales, and marketing.
After joining the Nets in 2005, Yormark led the team’s 2012 move to Brooklyn, including the rebranding that established the Nets as a global lifestyle brand. In overseeing the transformation from New Jersey to Brooklyn, Yormark led the team to placements in the top tier of every major business matrix, including ticket sales, merchandise and sponsorship.
Under his leadership, Barclays Center and NYCB LIVE were consistently named among the industry’s top venues worldwide in ticket sales by leading industry publications such as Billboard, Pollstar, and VenuesNow. Yormark brought the hottest names in music to the venues under his purview, including opening Barclays Center with eight consecutive nights of sold-out shows from legendary rapper JAY-Z. Barclays Center and NYCB LIVE also welcomed legends including Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Elton John, Coldplay, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Pearl Jam, and many more.
On the sports side of the business, he brought professional boxing back to Brooklyn for the first time since 1931 and saw Barclays Center host dozens of world championship fight nights. College basketball also became a mainstay in Brooklyn, with Yormark securing agreements to host the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, and the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Tournament, alongside matchups between many of the nation’s top programs such as Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, and North Carolina, among others.
Before BSE Global, Yormark worked for NASCAR for six years, where he helped build the stock-car racing company into a major sports property. Yormark was named the maximum three times to the “Forty Under 40” list by Sports Business Journal and was selected twice to the “40 Under 40” list by Crain’s New York Business. He is also on the board of the City Parks Foundation, the TJ Martell Foundation and NYC & Company.
Yormark is the proud father of Madison and Drake, and is married to Elaina Scotto.
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