By Avis Heath
Guest Contributor
They say shit rolls downhill. If that’s the case, the SWAC is in serious trouble because the conference is led by the most incompetent commissioner in the history of organized sports, Duer Sharp.
Sharp is not keeping the SWAC up with similar conferences. As a matter of fact, the SWAC is falling behind. From establishing baseball tournament sites only two weeks prior to the start date, to being conspicuously absent during the most embarrassing moment in recent SWAC memory (the Grambling football walk-out), Duer Sharp has demonstrated that he is not person to advance the SWAC to higher levels.
Who affiliated with the SWAC didn’t hang their heads in shame when the SWAC office opened the opportunity for ineligible teams to participate in the SWAC basketball tournament? Sharp is not finding a way to dig the SWAC out of its situation; he keeps making the hole deeper. What sane person would invite all 10 SWAC bands to the SWAC football championship game when half the schools in the conference are academically eligible? Wouldn’t that money have been better spent on member schools helping them improve their APR?
The SWAC does not compete athletically with comparable conferences. In 2013, SWAC football champion Southern University had an embarrassing loss to an average Northwestern State team 55-14. Texas Southern, the SWAC basketball tournament champs, lost to Cal Poly in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA tournament 81-69. Cal Poly was the 6th place team in the Big West conference with a 14-19 record. Division II schools like Tuskegee enjoy frequent victories over top SWAC schools. Other D2 schools (and below) like Arkansas Monticello, Concordia, Delta State, South Dakota State, Lincoln, and North Carolina Central have all enjoyed recent victories over SWAC schools.
At this moment, 60% of SWAC schools have been labeled ineligible by the NCAA for post season play in football mostly due to poor Academic Progress Rates. Most SWAC schools cannot meet the minimum requirements to remain eligible by the NCAA guidelines. Next year the minimum standards will increase eliminating more SWAC schools from being eligible for post season play.
It is rumored that the SWAC’s only plan to remedy this situation is to lower the bar and lift the self-imposed sanctions that stop SWAC schools from being eligible to participate in the SWAC football championship game if declared ineligible by the NCAA. If you think that’s far-fetched; last spring the SWAC asked the NCAA for special exemptions to allow several schools to play in the SWAC basketball tournament that had been declared ineligible by the NCAA. Thankfully, none of the four ineligible teams won the tournament.
What’s the use in being in Division I athletics if you are not going to adhere to and enforce academic guidelines and standards? The SWAC office has given up and waived the white flag on academics.
The SWAC has useless non progressive leadership, doesn’t compete athletically with similar conferences, and is not adhering to minimum NCAA academic requirements. The conference should seriously consider moving to Division II or forming its own league. Division II academic and financial requirements are less imposing and the SWAC can compete athletically with similar conferences. The SWAC could actually win (or at least compete in) post season tournaments as the success of Shaw women’s basketball and Winston Salem State football have demonstrated. What realistic chance does the SWAC stand to really compete in the NCAA post season tournaments? It may be time for the conference to let go and try something different. Doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result is truly the definition of insanity. Standards aren’t going to get any easier in the future which means the SWAC will fall further behind unless sensible measures are taken soon.
Avis Heath is a graduate of Jackson State University.
Replies
Makes sense.
The rest of the SWAC can drop down to Division II if they want to, but SU will not be joining them. You will not have anywhere near the exposure and access to top-level sponsors that you get in Division I. How many Division II schools have a national TV contract to show their games? Also, yes we lost badly to Northwestern State, but that was a team that was still hobbled from playing FBS Houston the week before, and just had a bad game. The team improved as the season went on, and we won the SWAC title. Yes Texas Southern lost to Cal-Poly, but didn't we see Southern nearly knock-off No.1 Gonzaga just last season in the NCAA tournament? In baseball, didn't we just see JSU shutdown ULL's powerful offense in a 1-0 win in the Lafayette baseball regional? It's easy to cherry-pick the bad things to fit your point of view, but when you do that, you leave out the positive things that have happened.
SWAC football is on the rise again with the influx of new, young coaches. I am excited with the direction of SU's athletic program. All it takes is good leadership, innovative coaches, and a passionate fanbase.
The writer of the article did make some great points, however, its another case of not doing enough homework.I'll copy and paste one of the responses from the actual article on TSPN.
" I do believe the SWAC needs a new commissioner but it isn’t solely his fault the SWAC is lacking. It’s the SWAC presidents, SWAC coaches, recruiting tactics, student athletes, bad financial management, alumni support, etc as well that’s keeping us from leading the pack if you will. MEAC > SWAC, we’re not even the best HBCU conference yet.
But despite all that the SWAC is still relevant and have more exposure/fanfare than most non-major conferences."
I think this poster definitely hit the nail on the head. Even though the commissioner ASSUMES all responsibility that comes along with being over the ENTIRE conference, the coaches, AD, recruiters, and others PRIMARILY share the responsibilities of improving athletics at their respective schools.
ALSO, as I am sure you are aware, many of the GREAT athletes are going to the bigger PWI schools, simply for the improved facilities, better crowd atmosphere, better exposure (especially when looking into be drafted in NFL), locker rooms, AC indoor practice facilities, better trainers and rehab processes after an injury, the BEST living conditions on campus, and they basically are waited on HAND AND FOOT.
If you had certain degrees and certain experiences, would YOU not want to go to the BEST company , that offers the MOST money, the BEST benefits, and so on and so forth??
Unfortunately, providing all of those amenities costs MONEY....something that is largely out of the commissioners hands, and moreso with the lack of backing of HBCU's, which has been a known issue for almost 200 years.. definitely before Duer Sharp was commissioner... lol.
Now, an INCREASE of revenue from schools also comes from extreme winning, which cause increased ticket sales, merchandising, sponsorships,fan financial backing/support, etc.. Unfortunately, most HBCU's are not having 12-0, 11-1, 10-2 seasons like many division 1-A schools have
Lets look at the positives though:
-APR progress IS improving throughout the conferences, and has been over the last few years. (for SU, it was the REPORTING of the APR that was the problem).
-the commissioner made one of the SMARTEST moves in moving both the football AND basketball conference championships to Houston, which proved to be WIDELY successful, and produced what was probably THE most excited championship game is SWAC SCG history, with one of the highest attendances as well.
-even with recent changes to be both NBC, and the Bayou Classic sponsorship, Duer Sharp fought tooth and nail to retain the TV contract for the game to continue to be televised. (many people dont realize how close the game came to being pulled from NBC).
-He has also hired somewhat of "fundraising specialists" to go to the campuses to teach better fund raising techniques.
-He also worked EXTREMELY close with SU, their officials, and the NCAA to ATLEAST avoid a post season ban on football for next year, which was avoided. FYI: HE was the one you sent the compliance specialist to SU to help out.
-And PLEASE understand that there are NO other conferences in Division 1-AA that play at NFL STADIUMS more than the SWAC....that says alot for our HBCU;s to be FAITHFULLY playing at these very large venues. What other division 1-AA conferences hold their conference championship at a PRO NFL stadium???
-and many others.
and lastly, what one has to understand about BUDGETS within a company or institution, is that NORMALLY, they are legally binding agreements that MUST be used solely for that purposes. So the budget for bands to be able to travel to Houston had absolutely NOTHING to do with academic budgets. Similar to Education Savings Accounts, 529s, etc at investment companies, the money HAS to be used for educational purposes. It's the Same principle.
This was exemplified at SU a few years ago, when it took them MONTHS AND MONTHS to be able to legally release funds from a budget dedicated to building a new cage for Lacumba, to help the band travel that year.
Maybe it IS time for a new commissioner, but I think Duer Sharp is doing his absolute best with what he has to work with. And I definitely think that is admirable.
number1 said:
Fantastic article.
What about the RUNNIN and GUNNIN JAGUARS of Southern University Basketball team who won the regular season ----and lost their momentum during the SWAC Tourney ???? Our Track teams both Men and Women,Sortball team/Bowling etc-----they went back to the year of 2005 for violations against our program !!! Why does the NCAA always come with some CRAP with HBCU's doing post plays every-year ?? It sounds like RACISM 101 again !!! WHAT ARE WE PLAYING FOR AND HOW CAN WE SELL OUR SPORTS PROGRAMS ??
GET RID OF HIS ASS B4 FOOTBALL KICKS OFF IN JULY ???????
football season starts in July? Oh my. Where have I been the last 26 years of my life?? lol
honrae rokermore said:
The football teams meet and greet ---takes place every JULY with the introductions of the teams/staff----and players in Birmingham AL for their annual FOOTBALL Kick--off-----A MIND is a terrible thing to WASTE when your always down in the GUTTER---and that was an READ !!!
Jason said: