We have said for some time that one of the best aspects of making sure when is always trying to advance is just simply showing up; if you don’t show up, and stick to the phone, the desk and the same circle of colleagues you miss out on a lot. Last month we made the first trip to Sports Business Journal’s “Thought Leaders” conference in California, and got to spend time with a wide swath of folks we had never really been around, from all areas of the business. One of which was Greg Moore, the Commissioner of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the SIAC. 
Don’t know the SIAC, which is made up of 14 Historically Black Colleges and Universities who compete in Division II in Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee? Well maybe if you know of Clark and Morehouse and Tuskegee, you do, and after spending some time with Commissioner Moore, a New Jersey guy, you certainly learn more about their story, the disruptive innovation and the ways they are trying to expand and enhance the stories of their students, faculty, alumni and institutions.
We asked Greg to tell us more, including some great “firsts” on the media side that have happened on his watch.
How did your experience as a student athlete impact your career path?
During my freshman year as a member of the Trenton State College (now known as The College of New Jersey) basketball team, it didn’t take me long to realize that the possibility of playing basketball beyond college was remote as head coach Kevin Bannon has recruited an extremely talented team which included future NBA player Greg Grant. So in a way, my lack of playing time encouraged me to think about others ways in which I could remain involved in sports. As a consequence, I subsequently focused on a pre-law curriculum with the objective of becoming a sports lawyer.
The SIAC has been first to do several disruptive moves to help grow scope and attention; what was the impetus for breaking the status quo?
Necessity is the mother of invention. So, in the context of the SIAC which includes smaller and several limited resource institutions, you have no choice but to be creative when exploring strategies and opportunities to create meaningful value. In most cases, the creation of that value will be rooted in leveraging the advantages of being a “first-mover” in a given space which in turn leads to our league becoming the first NCAA conference to place all of our schools on the same digital platform, first to sign a conference- wide head-to-to Nike deal, first to provide officiating opportunities for women football officials, first league to consummate partnership with NBA Players Association
, and first league to make a pure play OTT platform (Flo Sports) our primary media rights partner.
How do you build a comprehensive story for 14 HBCU schools: is there a particular common ground to start with?
I believe the story of HBCUs is in direct alignment with the American story – which if we were to distill that story to one word, that word would be opportunity. The strength of our country is rooted in its ability to serve as a beacon to those seeking a better life. HBCUs have for well over a century have provided opportunities to those who otherwise would not have them. In fact, HBCUs provide more opportunities to first generation colleges students as a percentage of total enrollment than any other cohort of higher educational institutions.
What’s the biggest challenge of the SIAC today?
The biggest challenges facing the SIAC is consistent with many of the challenges facing the higher education sector as a whole. For many years, higher ed enjoyed the luxury of balancing their budgets on the backs of students by increasing tuition. Currently, coding schools, community colleges, online schools, international education programs have all contributed to reducing the pricing power colleges have enjoyed over students. Today, unless schools are able to clearly articulate a value proposition which bears a reasonable relationship to the price of that proposition, colleges and universities- particularly private universities- will have difficulty growing enrollment. That is the dynamic which most concerns me.
What’s the biggest opportunity?
The biggest opportunity in my view for HBCUs in my judgement is the opportunity to serve as an educational destination for approaching 1.5b people of African descent in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean who harbor a desire to come to the United States. The fact of the matter is that HBCUs have had a presence in Africa for over 100 years long before it was fashionable to do so. In fact the first prime ministers of the first two independent African countries (Ghana and Nigeria) both attended HBCUs. As a consequence, there exists enormous goodwill and partnership opportunities with many of these countries which are now considered “emerging markets” who will help drive much of this century’s global economic growth.
With regard to college athletics overall, what’s the one thing that gets you most excited and the one aspect that worries you the most?
I’m cautiously optimistic with regard to esports, I’m very optimistic about the ability of smaller sports properties to create and identify OTT platform that can enable them to both increase exposure and incremental revenue opportunities. I’m most concerned about the culture of intercollegiate athletics which in my judgment is almost hostile to innovation. I also continue to be disappointed by the embarrassing metrics that exist in college sports with respect to the diversity of African-Americans in high ranking positions of influence.
When you look at the SIAC, what are the aspects that sets it apart from other leagues?
As a threshold matter, I’m of the opinion that the diversity of our member schools not only sets the SIAC apart, but is also a significant competitive advantage.
Where would you like to see the SIAC grow the most in the next three to five years?
I see the SIAC continuing to grow revenue, add member schools (we’ve added three during the past several years with one additional school in the membership pipeline), and add sponsored sports that could enhance international recruitment. I also see the SIAC continuing to serve a critically important role within the context of both intercollegiate athletics and higher education of providing opportunities to those who otherwise would not have them.
