Big Ten commissioner hints at major change

The Big Ten is expanding.

Like, really expanding.

And as the Midwest’s preeminent conference expands its footprint to the West Coast with the official additions of USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington, one of the league’s most treasured pieces of marketing now finds itself out of date.

First debuting in 2014 — the same year the league expanded East with the additions of Maryland and Rutgers — the Big Ten’s “Maps” commercial has become an unlikely source of conference pride. Featuring the catchy soundtrack of Guards’ “Silver Lining,” the promo video features a 3D rendition of a pop-up map showcasing a geographical view of all 14 of the league’s schools.

With the conference adding four more schools on the opposite side of the country, some had wondered whether the future of “Maps” was now in question. Fear not, however, Big Ten fans, as the conference’s new commissioner is well aware of how much the promo package means to the league’s fanbase.

“I learned very quickly in this job that there’s a lot of passion around the Big Ten ‘Map’ commercial,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti told the Big Ten Network’s Dave Revsine at the conference’s media days earlier this week. “So I would say to fans that we understand and we get that. So more to come… I’ve learned a lot about the ‘Maps’ spot over the last 12 months… this one gets a lot of love.”

Petitti’s comments would seem to indicate that a new “Maps” commercial featuring the conference’s four new West Coast programs is on its way, although it remains to be seen when it will be released. All things considered, a new commercial wouldn’t need to take too drastic of a detour, as the original one begins at the Rose Bowl in Southern California.

Perhaps the biggest question remaining for fans is whether “Silver Lining” will remain the spot’s sound track. But if Pettiti is aware of how meaningful the commercial is to Big Ten fans, then he’s surely aware of the role the indie pop rock anthem plays in that appreciation.

[ Big Ten Network ]

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