The state of Illinois is attempting to obtain a copy of the Big Ten’s media rights agreement. According to a report by Daniel Libit in Sportico, the Illinois attorney general’s public access bureau has determined that the University of Illinois, a public college, is required to disclose a copy of the deal to the AG’s office. This decision comes two years after the University of Illinois denied a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request aimed at disclosing the media rights deals. While the university maintains it does not possess a physical or digital copy of the Big Ten’s media rights agreements—common in college athletics—it’s notable that when Clemson and Florida State were involved in lawsuits against the ACC, they had to visit the conference’s headquarters in North Carolina to view similar documents.
The University of Illinois, “in the spirit of transparency,” did ask the Big Ten for a copy of its media rights agreements following the previous FOIA request, but was denied. Under the AG’s recent determination, the university must “take additional measures” to obtain the media rights agreements to fulfill the FOIA request. Although this could lead to the Big Ten’s media rights agreements becoming public, it remains uncertain if the university will comply. Sportico notes, “Despite this directive, it remains uncertain whether the attorney general’s office will take further action if the university fails to provide the record, given that it opted not to issue a binding opinion and now considers the matter closed.”
Currently, the Big Ten has deals in place with Fox, CBS, and NBC, with the Big Ten Network—majority-owned by Fox Corporation—controlling the media rights for the conference. It is rare for such agreements to be made public, particularly when they aren’t even finalized in many cases. Therefore, the Illinois situation warrants close attention, as the release of the contracts could reveal significant insights into the inner workings of college media rights agreements.
