DALLAS — SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is plotting a steady trajectory for his conference, even as headwinds steer college athletics toward uncharted waters.
An estimated $22 million annual line item looms for every major university’s athletic budget after a recent court case granted players a share of the revenue generated by college athletics. Take a look around the country and you’ll see a variety of ideas on the table to make up that difference.
Private equity has entered the conversation. Conferences are adding new members to improve their financial security. The ACC is battling Clemson and Florida State in court as those schools explore potential departures from the conference. Meanwhile, the Big 12 is examining a radical change: selling its naming rights to a corporate sponsor in hopes of hundreds of millions of dollars to help pay athletes.
The origin of these seismic shifts can be traced to SEC’s Media Days three years ago in Hoover, Alabama. That is when news of Oklahoma and Texas’ impending departure from the Big 12 leaked. The ripple effect ultimately sunk the Pac-12, and led to the Big Ten and ACC becoming coast-to-coast conferences.
While adding two of the sport’s bluebloods to its roster is the biggest move the conference has made, it’s far from the only one. Sankey is examining a nine-game conference schedule in an effort to generate more money and better position itself in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The conference also continues to monitor the situation in the ACC.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey tackles expansion, finding new revenue streams in CBS Sports interview
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