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Grambling State University Lady Tigers are one of the best programs in HBCU basketball but coach Courtney Simmons wasn't pleased after her team's 100-54 loss to LSU, one of the top teams in the nation. HBCU programs often play money games against bigger programs to help with their athletic budget, with the practice being seen the most in football and basketball.
But, Simmons made it clear that she isn't a fan of money games and the misnomer that competing in the games is a moral victory for a team early in their season.
“I don't know that it actually prepares you for a conference schedule. I think you have to be careful with playing this many power five games because there's a thing called confidence, right? And losses like this can kill SWAC kids confidence. I'm not as experienced as, let's say, um, Carlos Funches down there, you know, at Southern. They're going to schedule out of the 11 non conference games, 10 of those games are going to be power five conferences and they're going to go give $40,000 a piece. You know, but their kids are used to that.
She continued, “I'm the only team in the league that didn't go get other SWAC players. And so for my kids, a majority of my team came from the Sunbelt. And so these kids are like, well, wait a minute.”
She also made a bold statement about money games and Grambling playing LSU in the future.
“Nothing about this prepares you for SWAC play. It sounds good to say, but these are money games. We play these games to get the money so we can survive in our league. That is it, that is all. It's not because, I would rather not ever play LSU again. But they paid us good money to come here and take a loss. And so, yeah, unfortunately, with the, the dynamics and the situation that we're in financially, we have to play these type of games to just be able to survive.”
She added, “I know what high major basketball looks like and nothing about that is saying that I want to go and play Grambling and just beat the snot out of them that doesn't help them for league play and us getting the snot beat out of us Does not help us for league play.”
Simmons is not the first person to take issue with HBCUs and money games. In 2022, while coaching Jackson State, Deion Sanders spoke out against money games.He believed that the payouts were low considering the risk that programs faced playing against Power Five competition.
“If we gone get our butt kick shouldn’t it be worth it. How in the world are we settling for the peanuts in the little minute droppings that they giving us when everybody’s darn near $500,000-600,000…You’re going to lose pride and dignity when we sit up and telling you we’re just as good but you go out there and show that we’re not as good. We’re not nearly as good. And then you lose in three to four players because of the type of beating that you’ve got.”
In September, Shannon Sharpe echoed the same sentiments as Sanders and Simmons in response to Florida A&M playing Miami and the total amount of money they received for the game.
“HBCUs, when these Power Five schools ask you to come, don’t y’all take less than a million dollars, and y’all make them pay for your travel.”
Sharpe then used Northern Illinois, which upset Notre Dame, as an example.
“Northern Illinois got $1.4 million to travel to South Bend, Indiana. They be paying these schools and know Cho by the time I pay for travel and they…guess what they always require you to bring the band.”
Ochocinco then let Sharpe know that the Marching 100 didn’t attend the game and even speculated that the $700,000 that Florida A&M was paid was only that because the schools aren’t that far from each other.
Sharpe still was effusive in his point, saying, “Nah, I need a [million]…at least a [million]. They got it….I ain’t coming unless it’s a [million]. And you’re gonna pay for my travel. Because hell, if I bring all of those players and charter a flight, that’s $200,000.”
After their visit to LSU, Grambling will face Louisville on Thursday, then return home to host Arkansas Baptist College, an HBCU, on December 18.
