If you haven’t been following the sports news recently, know that there have been major ructions at the heart of the US college football system. In essence, the SEC – arguably the strongest and most influential conference in the collegiate system – has threatened to form a breakaway league, one that is free of control from the overarching NCAA.
It is far from certain that the breakaway will occur, but the discussions have now been described as “serious,” and it’s not ideal with just a handful of weeks until the start of the new season.
The reasons behind the threat are complex, but they are also universal in what we have seen from other breakaway formats in global sports. They can effectively be distilled to concepts of finances and control. The SEC sees itself as too constrained by the NCAA and suggests it would be better served by self-governance.
Of course, it is also a financial consideration, with the SEC pointing to its value in television deals and wanting to keep a bigger slice of the pie it believes it created in the first place.
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Big Ten could join the SEC in a “super league”
Most certainly, it does not mean that the SEC would automatically be the strongest competition or the only game in town. The current champions, the Indiana Hoosiers, play in the Big Ten, as do the current college football championship betting favorites, the Buckeyes. As an aside, there is some suggestion that the Big Ten could also depart with the SEC, creating a super league. However, the formal focus for now is on the SEC.
As mentioned, this is not wholly unprecedented. Over in Europe, there were plans for a European soccer super league, featuring leading teams from England (Manchester United, Liverpool, etc.), Spain (Real Madrid and Barcelona), and Italy (including AC Milan and Juventus).
The European super league plans were for similar reasons, even if the structure was a little different. Those teams believed that they were the money-makers, and they are all the more reluctant to share in the spoils with teams lower down the pecking order. They also believed that their respective national organizations held back their ability to grow.
European Super League plans were defeated
The European Super League plans were quickly defeated, however. Not through discussion, but by fan uproar. Fans of those teams believed that moving away would destroy their traditions. The protests were considerable.
In professional golf, we have also seen the breakaway to LIV Golf. Again, the mechanics of the move were slightly different from what is happening in college football, but the reasons were similar. Some of the rebel golfers believed that organizations like the PGA were restricting their ability to earn, and the Saudi-backed LIV opened new financial avenues. LIV Golf is far from dead, but it is clear some players are having buyer’s remorse.
It remains to be seen what will happen here and how it will impact the national championship and the overall structures of college football. Will other college sports, such as basketball, follow suit? Can a deal be made that gives the SEC (and Big Ten) greater autonomy and earning flexibility? Right now, we just don’t know. But it is a clear and present danger for the structures of college football. And if it happens, there will be no guarantee that it is a good thing for the SEC or anyone else.
Photo via Pixabay.
