SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland was forthcoming when discussing media rights at SWAC Media Day.

The commissioner spoke with several outlets concerning the conference's partnership with ESPN, touting the success the conference drew with its current media rights deal.

“When we get our numbers from ESPN there were ESPN plus games that outdrew ESPN games, ESPN2 games and ESPNU games,” McClelland said of the impact of streaming on viewership numbers to HBCU Gameday's Tolly Carr.

Dr. McClelland's statement was noteworthy, as the media industry moves away from a focus on linear viewership to shift focus to streaming. HBCU Football drew well on linear television last year, as indicated by viewership numbers for the 2022 MEAC/SWAC Challenge (485,000 viewers) and Orange Blossom Classic (985,000 viewers).

He also spoke about the “Deion Sanders Effect” and how it elevated the awareness of the conference.

“We have been popular for quite some time. Deion elevated that popularity. Our responsibility is to continue that growth.”

While Coach Prime did bring attention to the SWAC, Dr. McClelland also said that the numbers for other teams outside of Jackson State grew and remained steady throughout the season.

“Jackson State games were highly watched. But, so were FAMU games. So were Alabama State games. So were Alcorn games. So were the games throughout the Southwestern Athletic Conference.”

Dr. McClelland cited the Celebration Bowl as an indicator of the popularity of HBCU football before Deion Sanders coached at Jackson State. The most recent Celebration Bowl drew 2.407 million viewers on ABC. But, the game has had a tradition of high linear viewership since 2015.

“Let's put this in perspective: Deion Sanders definitely elevated [viewership for the Celebration Bowl] but we were sixth [in viewership numbers for pre New Years Eve Bowl Games] the year before and fifth the year before that. So, the popularity of our brand is there.”

The SWAC will have 32 games on ESPN platforms this season, including the SWAC Championship on ESPN2 as well as the MEAC/SWAC Challenge and the Cricket Celebration Bowl on ABC.