On July 1, 2021, former MGM Entertainment executive George Kliavkoff officially took over the position of Pac-12 Commissioner. After more than a decade under Larry Scott, Kliavkoff seemed like a breath of fresh air for a conference in dire need of change, but he was a newcomer to the world of college sports who inherited a to-do list a mile long. From a struggling conference network to a lack of success in major revenue sports, declining national relevance and sagging revenues, Kliavkoff had his work cut out for him. But that’s exactly where Kliavkoff feels the most comfortable.
“I’ve made a career of parachuting into difficult, tumultuous situations,” Kliavkoff told John Canzano in a recent interview.