SWAC Commissioner McClelland: 'Continue to Grow, Get Stronger'
Dr. Charles McClelland enters the highly anticipated 2022 football season with a positive outlook. The SWAC is "considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country," from its mission statement.
Above all, the conference's true "goal is to be in the Top 10 of all conferences from a revenue perspective," Commissioner McClelland shared with me at the 2022 SWAC Football Media Day.
"We're creating those opportunities for us. And as you know, more revenue means more strength, and more strength means that you can kind of play the game a little bit better than you can without that strength."
The strength will be necessary for power plays between the conference and broadcasting networks, streaming platforms, sponsorship, additional auxiliary revenue streams, and perhaps other FCS or FBS conferences.
July 21, 2022; SWAC Commissioner, Dr. Charles McClelland at 2022 SWAC Football Media Day being interviewed by Kyle T. Mosley of HBCU Legends; Credit: Kyle T. Mosley, HBCU Legends
He continued, "So our focus is to continue to grow, continue to get stronger so we can continue to be a major vital, I guess, recipient of all that the NCAA and this organization has to offer."
Dr. McClelland is intimately involved with the NCAA as its new Division 1 Men's Basketball vice chair and will soon move into the chair role. The advantage for the SWAC is to have him as an advocate and someone with knowledge of the governing body's strategies and systems. The hope is for the SWAC to reap the financial rewards via the NCAA and associated platforms.
Commissioner McClelland noted he will rest easier after the Media Day event. "I feel really, really good. I think I'd be able to go home tonight and get a really good night's sleep. [It's an] overwhelming turnout. And again, it's just a testament of the SWAC and SWAC's growth. And I can just rest easy tonight, knowing that our coaches, administrators, our presidents have done an outstanding job to help elevate this conference to being the best."