The Integration Of The Southern Conference In The 1970's

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The integration of the Southeastern Conference in the 1970’s had profound and lasting impacts on college sports and the broader society. The collegiate sports juggernaut known as the Southeastern Conference (SEC) is home to 14 (soon to be 16) prestigious universities, such as: University of Alabama, University of Georgia, Louisiana State University (LSU), University of Florida, University of Tennessee, and the University of Mississippi. The SEC once stood as the mecca of southern white pride prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Jim Crow’s silent assassins and unwritten policies, referred to as the gentlemen’s agreement and two at home and three on the road, along with the support of southern mentality, made the introduction, implementation and integration of black athletes into college athletics …show more content…
“The point of the game will not be the score, the Bear, the Trojans; the point of the game will be the Reason, Democracy, Hope. The real winner will be the South.” (A. Barra, 2006) Integration of black athletes in the 70’s completely transformed the world of sports and society as a whole. The impact changed the dynamic in which universities and head coaches built their storied programs. In 2022 more than 70% of starters during the 2021 FBS Bowl Season were black, and in the past three recruiting classes, 84% of signees in the SEC were black (C. Atwater & C. Corr, 2022). The Southeastern Conference public tax records reported a revenue of $853 million for 2023, with each of its 14 member schools receiving payouts of approximately $51.3 million dollars (Berkowitz, 2024). Profit, pure and simple, was a driving force for the SEC to integrate in the

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