By Keon Edington / The Jambar
The Southwestern Athletic Conference steps into a new era with its streaming platform, while strengthening its outreach and exposure for student-athletes.
Established in 1920 in Birmingham, Alabama, the Southwestern Conference is an assembly of schools primarily made of historically Black colleges and universities in the southern part of the United States.
The conference is composed of 12 institutions:
- Alabama A&M University
- Alabama State University
- Bethune-Cookman University
- Florida A&M University
- Jackson State University
- Mississippi Valley State University
- Alcorn State University
- University of Arkansas
- Grambling State University
- Prairie View A&M University
- Southern University
- Texas Southern University
In July, SWAC created its own streaming platform, SWAC TV. The service allows fans to stream all 18 conference sponsored sports. It’s available for free on Roku, Amazon Fire, Google Play, Apple TV and Android TV.
According to a press release published July 16, SWAC Commissioner Charles McClelland stated that the new platform is a “gamechanger” for the conference.
“For the first time in history, our fans and supporters will have a high quality, technologically advanced streaming platform solely dedicated to broadcasting live events and delivering high-definition on-demand league content,” McClelland stated.
In addition to its own streaming service, games can also be streamed through HBCU Go through a partnership with Allen Media Group and ESPN. The opportunity gives national exposure to student-athletes and makes games accessible for fans to watch teams.
Andrew Roberts, SWAC associate commissioner for External Relations and Strategic Partnerships, said showcasing schools throughout several programs brings more attention to their conference.
“The ability to showcase our sports programs across such a wide variety of multimedia and digital platforms will take SWAC sports programming to the next level, while providing our fans and supporters with unprecedented access to SWAC events in all the sports that our league currently offers,” Roberts said.
During the 2024-25 school year, the conference implemented the Student-Athlete Enhancement Initiative, designed to help student-athletes with academics, sports information and mental health. The office will distribute $4.8 million in funding to help schools across the conference over the next four years.
As the recent House v. NCAA settlement which requires schools to pay student-athletes, the SWAC is also included on that list, with all 12 schools involved.
According to an article from HBCU Sports, the conference removed scholarship caps on conference-sponsored sports, which means teams within the SWAC can increase scholarships for players.
Roberts said with the change, the conference is working to provide its student-athletes with new opportunities to help elevate their name, imagine and likeness.
“A new era of intercollegiate athletics is here and we remain committed to providing our student-athletes with all of the tools and resources needed for them to be successful,” Roberts said.
The conference hopes to take strides in all areas it’s involved in, including athletics and student education, as Roberts said it’s vital for the conference’s future.
“We want to continue to make progress in all phases of our membership athletics and academics programs,” Roberts said.
Over the years, the conference has also produced several professional athletes. These include the likes of NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice from Mississippi Valley State, former running back for the Chicago Bears Walter Payton, who graduated from Jackson State and 10-time NBA champion for the Boston Celtics Sam Jones from NCCU, among several others.