A fascinating history of the Southeastern Conference and its rise from a regional league to the most dominant conference in college football. The story of the Southeastern Conference has humble origins. Born in a Knoxville hotel in 1932 after splitting away from another league, the SEC was built by southern gridiron pioneers who believed football could bring prominence and prestige back to the region. Early dynasties at Alabama and Tennessee, along with legendary coaches such as General Robert Neyland, Bear Bryant, and Shug Jordan, pushed the conference forward as the SEC and its member schools embarked on an 80-year journey to the top of college football. In SEC Football: How a Regional League Became a National Obsession, Colby Newton traces the roots of the Southeastern Conference back to the very beginning and underscores the important achievements along the way that led to the unprecedented success the league now enjoys. Featuring Heisman winners like Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson, iconic coaches like Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban, and significant moments such as the integration of SEC rosters, a momentous lawsuit against the NCAA, conference expansion, and the SEC’s historic contract with CBS, this book covers it all. The official slogan for the SEC is “It just means more.” And they are right. SEC football means more passion, more money, and more titles. From backroom deals to a captivated audience on national TV and everything in between, SEC Football is the ultimate story of how the SEC morphed from a regional league with a territorial yet fervent following into a nationwide brand that dominates the sport.

Hired to prosecute a routine wrongful termination lawsuit against the University of Michigan, Jake McCarthy uncovers a plot to rig the National Championship football game to be played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. An internet gambling syndicate based in Costa Rica uses the promise of millions of dollars and the threat of physical destruction to force the all-star quarterback of the number-one ranked Michigan Wolverines to skim points and assure a favorable point spread. With the help of a seventeen-year-old Costa Rican student, a middle-aged chemistry professor and a former FBI agent, McCarthy and his co-ed client are able to preserve the honesty of the National Championship and Michigan's all-star quarterback.

Last year Football Bowl Subdivision college football programs produced over $1 billion in net revenue. Record-breaking television contracts were announced. Despite the enormous revenue, college football is in upheaval. Schools are accused of throwing their academic mission aside to fund their football teams. The media and fans are beating the drum for athletes to be paid. And the conferences are being radically revised as schools search for TV money. Saturday Millionaires shows that schools are right to fund their football teams first; that athletes will never be paid like employees; how the media skews the financial facts; and why the TV deals are so important. It follows the money to the heart of college football and shows the real game being played, covering such areas as: Myth #1: All Athletic Departments Are Created Equal Myth #2: Supporting Football Means Degrading Academics Myth #3: College Football Players Could Be Paid Like Employees Myth #4: Football Coaches Are Overpaid Myth #5: A Playoff Will Bring Equality to College Football Myth #6: Only a Handful of Athletic Departments Are Self-Sustaining The business of college football is unlike any other business. Saturday Millionaires takes you behind the scenes and teaches you how to understand the industry from the inside out, touching on such subjects as conference realignment, pay-for-play, conference television networks and where all those millions go at the end of the day.

In this compellingly argued and deeply personal book, respected sports historian Michael Oriard--who was himself a former second-team All-American at Notre Dame--explores a wide range of trends that have changed the face of big-time college football and transformed the role of the student-athlete. Oriard considers such issues as the politicizati...

This book examines contemporary sport marketing, with a particular focus on strategic marketing, the process of longer-term planning and development that involves identifying the needs and wants of potential customers and satisfying their needs through the exchange of products and services. It presents cutting-edge case studies from around the world, including from the United States, China, Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Africa. It considers some of the most interesting emerging themes and topics in contemporary sport business, including fitness marketing, the role of sustainability in sport marketing, social media and digital marketing, athlete-brand relationships, and the promotion and development of collegiate and scholastic sport. As a whole, this volume presents a snapshot of the opportunities and challenges facing sport marketers around the world. Sport Marketing in a Global Environment is fascinating reading for any advanced student, researcher, or professional working in sport business and management, sport development, marketing, strategic management, or global business.

"Provides an overview of what students should consider and expect from the varied career options available to them in the sports industry. This book answers the questions students are most likely to have, including what courses they should take, the areas of study available to them, the salary they can expect to earn after graduation, and how they can get the job of their dreams. This essential guide will help increase sutdents' likelihood of finding careers in the highly competitve sports industry."--

In an era when college football coaches frequently command higher salaries than university presidents, many call for reform to restore the balance between amateur athletics and the educational mission of schools. This book traces attempts at college athletics reform from 1855 through the early twenty-first century while analyzing the different roles played by students, faculty, conferences, university presidents, the NCAA, legislatures, and the Supreme Court. Pay for Play: A History of Big-Time College Athletic Reform also tackles critically important questions about eligibility, compensation, recruiting, sponsorship, and rules enforcement. Discussing reasons for reform--to combat corruption, to level the playing field, and to make sports more accessible to minorities and women--Ronald A. Smith candidly explains why attempts at change have often failed. Of interest to historians, athletic reformers, college administrators, NCAA officials, and sports journalists, this thoughtful book considers the difficulty in balancing the principles of amateurism with the need to draw income from sporting events.