MEAC Commissioner Stills Talks Celebration Bowl, 1st-Year, Expansion, Title IX, ESports
HOUSTON, TX — Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Commissioner Sonja Stills has had a whirlwind year as the first female commissioner of an NCAA HBCU D-I level conference. However, Stills isn't new to the HBCU game, unlike what most outsiders would believe — and she's making a difference in HBCU sports.
Commissioner Sonja Stills; Credit: MEAC
THE COMMISSIONER'S LIFE: LAST WEEK, THIS WEEK
She assisted the league's longtime commissioner and recent College Football of Fame inductee, Dr. Dennis Thomas, in running the MEAC for years. Today, Stills has re-energized the conference with a passionate spirit, bold vision, and an unapologetic dogma of independence for her member institutions.
The past week propelled her into the college sports limelight to meet and mingle with past legends. Moreover, the NFF College Hall of Fame requested that Stills announce the MEAC's Coach and Players of the Year at Dr. Thomas' induction ceremony in Las Vegas, NV.
Dr. Thomas was the lone HBCU inductee for the Class of 2022.
"Oh my gosh. How amazing is that," Stills exclaimed to HBCU Legends. It was tremendous to allow the MEAC the opportunity to announce our offensive and defensive players of the year. Allowing our student-athletes the opportunity to meet College Football Hall of Famers and Pro Football Hall of Famers in Las Vegas for the first time was a tremendous experience. I'm thankful to Steve Hatchell and Matthew Sign for allowing us to continue doing this with our student-athletes."
Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders and NCCU head coach Trei Oliver; Credit: USA Today Sports and NCCU Athletics
THOUGHTS ON CELEBRATION BOWL
Commissioner Stills' next project is to lead the MEAC into Atlanta on Saturday, Dec. 17. The MEAC's North Carolina Central Eagles will battle against the SWAC's Jackson State Tigers in defense of the conference's 5-1 strangle-hold on the Celebration Bowl Trophy.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be Coach Deion Sanders' finale and a chance for registered a 13-0 season for the Jackson State Tigers, who are the favorites at 16.5 points over the Eagles. Yet, Commissioner Stills is optimistic for NCCU.
"I am so excited. It's going to be a great game. Of course, after hanging out with Coach Oliver yesterday. I gave him his charging orders. I told him to talk to the student-athletes and give them their charging orders to do what they do. We got great. MEAC football. We're leading in the series five to one. So, let's continue on that tradition of MEAC football.
Trei Oliver with the MEAC Players of the Year; Credit: MEAC
ASSUMING HER REIGN
Stills mentioned several achievements since assuming the reins from Dr. Thomas. "One of those would be being able to broadcast our men's and women's tennis championship matches for the first time in our history. Also, my vision is to put our Olympic sports on a national platform similar to basketball and football and find those opportunities. A majority of the conference's students are international students. Allowing their families being able to see them is so incredible for us to provide."
The commissioner was responsible for the following initiatives as well:
- Creating the MEAC Nation Association, aimed at engaging a variety of fans and audiences to increase the MEAC's reach and awareness
- Providing accessible mental health resources to student-athletes, coaches, and support staff at no cost and hiring the conference's first Chief Medical Officer
- Partnering with Disney on The Yard to provide internship opportunities for MEAC students
- Having the MEAC men's and women's tennis championships broadcasted via online streaming for the first time in conference history
- Establishing the MEAC Digital Network studio at the conference headquarters, which hosts the MEAC Countdown to Kickoff Show
- Her work guiding the conference forward resulted in her being recognized by Sports Illustrated as one of the top 100 influential black women in sports and by Sports Business Journal as a diverse and inclusive hiring leader.
Commissioner Stills; Credit: MEAC
WHAT'S NEXT
"The MEAC's model is we're raising money from our corporate partnerships for our member institutions. For a long time, we've been one of the only FCS conferences that [consistently] gave revenue distributions back to our institutions. That's the key."
Stills spoke about their long-term partnerships with Nike as a part of that model. Since George Floyd's death and the fight against social injustice, donations at the MEAC member institutions have been equitable. The MEACH is challenged to ensure the money trickles down to the athletic departments. "That's going to be through our corporate partnerships, investors, and those who want to impact not just one institution but eight institutions by coming through the conference."
EXPANSION?
"A part of our strategic and long-range plan is looking at membership and how we can expand. We recently lost four institutions in a short amount of time."
However, the commissioner was confident that it wasn't a time for panic and not to be concerned if the conference would fall apart for the first time in 52 years.
"We're not a stranger to realignment. We've had institutions leave and return. As we look at strengthening The Eight, we become more attractive to other institutions. And, then, others could come back home. But we'll concentrate on securing and shoring the foundation with our eight-member institutions. This is particularly important with the transformation that's going on with Division I, as we wait to hear what the new standards will be. I need to be focused on ensuring that the eight-member institutions will be able to meet those standards."
TITLE IX
It has been 50 years since Title IX's passage, and I wanted to know her perspective on the effects of Title IX in Division I sports.
"I wouldn't be here without Title IX. There's still a lot of work to be done because when I attend a Division I Commissioners meeting, I'm still the only African American female in the room. Although the number of African American Division I commissioners has increased, when I am on a Zoom call, I'm still the only female that looks like me."
Commissioner Stills has done a great job employing significant contributors with the MEAC because of Title IX. "It's been a tremendous year in college sports because we have five women running athletic departments with football programs."
ESPORTS
The MEAC will increase its Esports visibility over the next few years. She has championed ESports curriculums and degrees at MEAC schools. At this point, expect Commissioner Stills and the MEAC to continue the upward trajectory in Division I college sports.
Regarding the Celebration Bowl outcome - "We have to do a lot of talking. We don't have to Showboat. We are just going to do what we need to do. That's what we're going to do, Saturday."