Opinions about Greg Sankey are varied, from respect to distrust to unbridled anger. The fact that he is a lightning rod does not mean he should not be given close attention.
For years, Greg Sankey had a reputation for being the most powerful person in college sports. He may not be that now, largely because of the rapid pace of change and the extent to which much of it is uncontrollable.
Don't be confused by the Sankey haters. His job, which, by fair standards, he performs well, is to execute the goals of the SEC Presidents and Chancellors. He doesn't work for the Athletic Directors. And he must ignore many negative opinions of fans.
At this most pivotal time, perhaps ever in college sports, Sankey continues to have a major role. On Monday, while opening SEC Media Days, Sankey made some things clear.
Greg Sankey Comments - SEC Media Days
With the outcome of the Protect College Sports Act unknown, the SEC is seriously considering a bold move to a self-governance structure. Sankey was asked if the potential was real or a ploy. He answered, "They’re real. The frustrations that bring them to the point of saying we should look at something significantly different."
Speaking about the proposed federal government legislation, Sankey said, "The Senate bill contains many provisions we support, including enhanced protections for student-athlete health and safety, educational opportunities, scholarship protections, oversight of agents, increased student-athlete participation in governance, and national standards governing eligibility, transfers, and tampering."
The support is short of full support. So far, the SEC is not willing to compromise on issues about expansion and pooled media rights, among other concerns.
Sankey came close to a warning to any group thinking that the SEC does not have the strength to break away: "SEC Football remains the second most-watched sports property in the United States, trailing only the National Football League, while accounting for more than 40 percent of all live viewing hours among the Autonomy conferences and Notre Dame. Our football programs continue to draw an average of nearly 80,000 fans per game—the highest average attendance for any sports league in the world."
Sankey also did not miss an opportunity to chide the College Football Playoff selection process, which many SEC teams believe does not fairly measure strength of schedule and rank teams accordingly. He said recent discussions with Playoff staff were "unsatisfactory."
Greg Sankey is a smart and serious guy. He is not always right, but he is rarely ever seriously wrong. Many SEC football fans disagree, but SEC sports has a strong and effective leader in Greg Sankey.
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