NEW YORK - As the Big East prepares to negotiate a television contract that could make or break the conference, it has chosen a man who has been part of some of the biggest media rights deals in college sports to be its new commissioner.
The Big East on Tuesday hired CBS executive vice president Mike Aresco as it continues to rebuild from a tumultuous year of defections.
"I'm not daunted by it all. I embrace the challenge," Aresco told the Associated Press in a telephone interview. "I believe the reconstituted conference really has vast potential."
Aresco has been a vice president in charge of programming for CBS since 1996. He's handled the network's contract negotiations with the NCAA for the rights to the men's basketball tournament, and negotiated CBS' 15-year deal with the Southeastern Conference.
