BREAKING: Pete Bevacqua earns a spot among the most influential power players in sports, and the timing could not be bigger for college football. Today, the Notre Dame athletic director was named to Sports Business Journal’s “Influence 125,” a quarter-century look at the people who changed how sports are played, sold, and watched. This is not a lifetime achievement nod. This is a statement about who is shaping the next era right now.
Why this recognition matters today
Bevacqua’s career cuts across three lanes that now run together, media, pro sports, and college athletics. He drove change in golf, ran a major sports network, and now pilots one of the biggest brands in college sports. That blend is rare. It is also the model for power in 2025.
For Notre Dame fans, this is not just a headline. Bevacqua is a central voice in the room where the College Football Playoff is being built. He helped push a straight seeding rule that opens a path to a first round bye for Notre Dame. He has also pushed for a 16-team playoff, a bigger bracket that settles more debates on the field.
Bevacqua is shaping the playoff’s future while protecting Notre Dame’s independence. That balance is the ballgame.
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From the PGA to primetime: a playbook for change
Start with golf. As CEO of the PGA of America from 2012 to 2018, Bevacqua moved the PGA Championship from August to May. That single change reset the golf calendar. It gave the PGA a cleaner window, better course conditions, and a fresh media rhythm. He also led major media talks, including Ryder Cup rights that locked in reach and revenue. Players felt it. Fans noticed. So did sponsors.
Then came NBC Sports. From 2018 to 2023, Bevacqua ran programming, marketing, digital, and the network’s Olympics and golf machines. That job is part traffic control, part vision. It is about getting big events on bigger stages, then pushing fans to the next screen without losing them. He did that in a crowded market.
- PGA of America CEO, 2012 to 2018
- Shifted PGA Championship to May
- Negotiated cornerstone golf media rights, including the Ryder Cup
- NBC Sports chief, 2018 to 2023, overseeing programming and Olympics
Golf got sharper. NBC got more nimble. That playbook now lives in South Bend.
Notre Dame’s AD with a television spine
Bevacqua took over as Notre Dame’s athletic director on March 25, 2024. He followed Jack Swarbrick, another force in the sport. The brief for Bevacqua was clear. Keep Notre Dame strong and independent, grow revenue in a new NIL world, and win.
A TV-native AD sees the field differently. Scheduling is programming. Independence is brand equity. Your media partner is not just a buyer, it is a growth plan. Bevacqua knows how to price a Saturday night, how to stage it, and how to protect it.
He is also hands-on in playoff policy. His push for straight seeding was a direct fix to an old hurdle that boxed Notre Dame out of a bye.
Straight seeding means the top four seeds get byes. It is no longer tied to winning a conference, which helps Notre Dame.
Bevacqua has also blasted a proposed college football super league. He called it a horrible mistake. That stance matters. He is arguing for a national sport that belongs to campuses, not a closed shop.
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What it means on the field and in the boardroom
This recognition validates how Bevacqua operates. He sees both the product and the platform. For Notre Dame, that could mean smarter scheduling late in the year, where a top-four seed is now the target, not just a berth. It could shape roster plans and health management in November. It will also weigh on NIL strategy, facilities, and staff hires. The football team feels it on Sundays, when playoff math begins.
For the sport at large, his voice pushes the playoff toward clarity. A 16-team bracket would cut down on politics. It would put more big games on campus, which the sport needs. It would also create more inventory for media, which schools need.
A breakaway super league would split the sport and its culture. Bevacqua’s opposition signals where key schools stand.
What to watch next:
- How playoff seeding rules evolve for 2026 and beyond
- Notre Dame’s media strategy under Bevacqua’s watch
- The fate of any super league ideas in the next realignment wave
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why is Pete Bevacqua considered so influential?
A: He has led major change in golf, run NBC Sports at the highest level, and now guides Notre Dame while helping shape the College Football Playoff.
Q: What did he change at the PGA of America?
A: He moved the PGA Championship to May and secured key media rights, which improved the event’s position and audience.
Q: How is he affecting the College Football Playoff?
A: He backed straight seeding that allows Notre Dame to earn a first round bye, and he supports a 16-team bracket to settle more on the field.
Q: Where does he stand on a college football super league?
A: He opposes it, calling it a horrible mistake that would harm the sport’s identity.
Q: What does this mean for Notre Dame fans?
A: A clearer path to a top-four seed, sharper media strategy, and a strong voice protecting independence and tradition.
Conclusion
Pete Bevacqua’s “Influence 125” nod is more than a plaque. It is proof that cross-industry leadership is the new edge. He has moved calendars, built shows, and now he is steering a blueblood through choppy waters. The next era of college football will be shaped by people who can win in the boardroom and on Saturdays. Today confirms he is one of them.
