The University of California Board of Regents is expected to approve a recommendation for UCLA to pay UC Berkeley $10 million a year for six years as a result of UCLA’s move to the Big Ten conference and the subsequent impact on the Cal athletic program. This move comes after UCLA and USC announced their departure from the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, with USC being a private institution not part of the UC system. The decision was made by UC president Michael Drake and will be voted on during a regents meeting at UC Merced, where it is expected to pass.
The move to the Big Ten will result in a significant difference in annual media rights distribution between UCLA and UC Berkeley, with UCLA expected to receive approximately $50 million more per year from the Big Ten compared to UC Berkeley’s share from the ACC. In addition, there is a provision in the recommendation that allows for UCLA’s contribution to be reevaluated by the regents if there is a significant change in revenues or expenses exceeding 10% over projected figures for the 2024-25 academic year.
The involvement of the Regents in this decision came after Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized UCLA for not giving advanced notice to the regents about their move to the Big Ten. While campus chancellors were granted authority to execute their own contracts, including athletic agreements, the regents retain the authority to review decisions impacting the UC system. After hearing about UCLA’s move, the regents voted to allow the move to proceed but also required UCLA to make payments to UC Berkeley and invest in additional support for athletes.
Following the regents’ approval of the move, UCLA agreed to make further investments in athlete support, including nutritional support, mental health services, academic support while traveling, and charter flights to reduce travel time. Chancellor Gene Block expressed satisfaction with the resolution of the situation, stating that UCLA understands the need to help Berkeley and is happy that the issue has been resolved. The payments from UCLA to UC Berkeley will help mitigate the financial impact of the move on Cal’s athletic program, which faced challenges after the Pac-12 was unable to secure a media deal, leading to several member schools leaving.
