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Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott has China on his mind | The Salt Lake Tribune

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott is in Salt Lake City for the first “Front Porch Summit,” a gathering of conference presidents and athletic directors to discuss athletics and academic issues facing the conference. But even with a view of the Wasatch mountains facing Scott as he met with media members Thursday at the Natural History Museum of Utah, it was China which seemed to be very much on his mind. Part of Scott’s driving force behind the two-day gathering of officials is to address topics such as the development of the league’s TV networks and academics, but he also wants to brainstorm ways to get the conference’s universities more global attention. He sees China as a fertile ground in which to push that initiative and envisions teams from all sports playing in the country in the next few years to gain exposure for Pac-12 schools. Scott recently visited the country to meet with officials to discuss the possibility of playing games in the country and hired a conference assistant to focus on overseas development. “There is a natural connection there with the Pac-12 and it’s leading research institutions in the Western United States,” he said of China.