UCLA cleared to make Big Ten move, pay ‘Berkeley tax’

UCLA is officially on its way to the Big Ten Conference. 

After announcing its intention to leave the Pac-12 conference in June – along with USC – the UC Board of Regents finally voted to allow the departure of the Bruins from the conference it has called home since the 1920s. 

“We looked at the reality of where we are and what the alternatives were,” board of regents chair Rich Leib said, according to ESPN. “And I think in the end we just decided that the best thing to do is the way we did it, which is conditions, but allow them to go.”

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UCLA’s move to the Big Ten has been more complicated than USC’s as the Bruins are a public institution and part of the University of California system. 

The move has been scrutinized by the Board of Regents as it will have a substantial impact on the other UC school in the Pac-12 – UC Berkeley. 

In allowing the move, the Board of Regents approved an amendment referred to as the “Berkeley Tax,” which will require UCLA to pay Cal between $2 million to $10 million annually in order to offset Cal’s loss of revenue due to UCLA’s departure, according to the LA Times.  

“A lot of people felt it was important that we somehow made Berkeley, not whole, but we at least help them in that situation,” Leib said. “In the end, we’re a system, not an individual campus. So this was an unusual situation that happened; we’ve never had a situation where a decision by one campus had this kind of impact on another campus within our system.”

UCLA will also be required to provide additional funds for travel, academic support, mental health services, and nutritional improvements for student-athletes. 

The two schools are expected to make the jump to the Big Ten in August 2024. 

“The landscape of collegiate athletics is evolving, and the Big Ten Conference is in a position of stability and strength with unmatched opportunities, exposure and resources for our member institutions and student-athletes,” Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement. 

“With the collective goals to prioritize the health and well-being of our student-athletes and forward our academic and athletic mission under the umbrella of higher education, we will continue our methodical integration process of UCLA and USC into the Big Ten Conference.”

UCLA and USC’s addition to the Big Ten will make it the first coast-to-coast conference.