| Country (sports) | United States |
|---|---|
| Born | (1964-11-21)November 21, 1964 (age 61) |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Prize money | US$ 69,740 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 1–18 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 210 (November 30, 1987) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (1988) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1987) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 20–39 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 69 (March 30, 1987) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (1988) |
| French Open | 1R (1987) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1988) |
| US Open | 2R (1987) |
Larry Scott (born November 21, 1964[1][2]) is an Americansports administrator and formerprofessionaltennis player who was thecommissioner of thecollegiatePac-12 Conference until 2021. He has also served aschairman andCEO of theWomen's Tennis Association and aspresident andCOO of ATP Properties, a division of theAssociation of Tennis Professionals.
Scott was born inNew York City.[1][2] A speaker of French, Scott graduated in 1986 fromHarvard University with aB.A. inEuropean History.[3] While at Harvard, he was captain of thetennis team and named anAll-American.[3][4]
As aprofessional tennis player, Scott reached a career-highsingles ranking of No. 210 anddoubles ranking of No. 69 in the world.[1][2][5] He also won one doubles title.[1][2]
Following his retirement as a pro tennis player, Scott spent a decade serving aspresident andCOO of ATP Properties, a division of theAssociation of Tennis Professionals.[3]
During his time in ATP management, Scott put together a lucrative partnership between the ATP and the Swiss marketing companyISL.[5]
Scott becamechairman andCEO of theWomen's Tennis Association on April 16, 2003.[3]
While at the WTA, Scott oversaw a fivefold increase insponsorship money and a 250% increase in totalrevenue.[5][6] This included the largest sponsorship in the history of women's athletics, a six-year, $88-million deal withSony Ericsson.[3][4][7] Scott also successfully formed sponsorships withWhirlpool,Gatorade, andBed Bath & Beyond.[3]
Prize money increased 40% during Scott's time with the WTA.[6] Scott was an advocate forequal pay. Before Scott's tenure, two of the fourGrand Slam tournaments,Wimbledon and theFrench Open, awarded less prize money to women than to men. Scott successfully lobbied for the increase of women's prize money at Wimbledon and the French Open to be equal to that of men's prize money, so that men's and women's prize money are now equal at all Grand Slam events.[6]
Among Scott's other achievements was the securing of a contract withEurosport tobroadcast WTA tennis in 54 countries.[3] Scott also oversaw new investments of $710 million in tennis stadiums.[5][6]
On March 24, 2009, Scott announced that he was resigning as chairman andCEO of theWomen's Tennis Association in order to take a new position as thecommissioner of thecollegiatePacific-10 Conference on July 1, 2009.[4][6][7][8] He succeeded the retiringTom Hansen.[6]
During his tenure, the conference expanded to include Utah and Colorado in 2011 and added a football championship game. Those additions helped secure a 12-year, $3 billion media rights deal with Fox and ESPN that set the standard for college sports at the time. The Pac-12 also agreed to equal revenue sharing for the first time under the new deal.[9] On January 20, 2021, the Pac-12 Conference announced that Larry Scott's tenure as commissioner would end on June 30.[10] Scott received criticism during his tenure for overspending, including his controversial decision to shift the Pac-12 offices into a multi-story building in San Francisco that cost conference members a total of $92 million in rent over 11 years - a rate significantly higher than that of other Power 5 conference headquarters.[11][12][13]
Commentators assess Scott's tenure as a failure that led to the effective dissolution of the conference under successorGeorge Kliavkoff two years later. A major issue was the decision to launch thePac-12 Network without a broadcast partner, and then fail to negotiate carriage rights withDirecTV. Access issues bedeviled the network throughout Scott's tenure, reducing the visibility of the conference.[14][15]
