Pressure on Big Ten mounts as Michigan lawmaker questions $2.4B private equity deal
November 25, 2025
- A Michigan Congresswoman has joined those questioning whether a proposed $2.4 billion deal with a California-based investment fund is good for the Big Ten.
- U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens on Tuesday sent a letter to Big Ten Commissioner Tony Pettiti saying the league’s reported proposal to sell a 10% stake of its media rights to the University of California’s investment arm risks putting profits ahead of student-athletes, college sports and university integrity.
- Stevens, D-Birmingham, in the letter criticized the proposal, calling it the latest step in a troubling pattern of corporate influence overwhelming college sports and leading to nonsensical conference realignment.
- “College sports are a uniquely American tradition that have provided valuable experience for generations of college athletes, students, and fans. Nowhere is that more true than in the Big Ten,” Stevens said in the letter.
- “As policymakers, we have a responsibility to ensure that the integrity of college sports, the Big Ten, and its member universities is preserved for future generations, not sacrificed for short-term financial gain.”
- Stevens in her letter demanded answers from Pettiti by Dec. 12 on three questions related to how the Big Ten would protect the independence and internal governance of its member schools from private equity influence; how the league would safeguard non-revenue and Title IX athletic programs in a TV revenue-driven environment; and how leadership would ensure that the financial interests of UC Investments or other potential PE investors do not supersede the public-serving mission of Big Ten schools.