SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey yesterday at the conference's football media day said that to "emphasize the athletes of the SEC and what they positively accomplish on and off the field, the league felt the need to hire an agency for a marketing campaign," according to Ron Higgins of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. Dallas-based agency Richards Group selected the catchphrase, "It just means more." Sankey said the phrase and overarching campaign will be "focused on helping endear brands to people." Sankey said, "I want us all to be proud of what we do together, and to continue to add to the legacy, the amazing legacy, of the Southeastern Conference." Higgins notes there is "no doubt that Sankey is sincere." From day one as commissioner, he "has been determined to get athletes more involved in the legislative process." He has "mentioned that there are many athletes with great stories to tell." The SEC "annually leads the nation in college football attendance." The conference "has won eight of the last 10 national football championships" and has won 106 national titles in all sports since '00. The SEC also "has a 24-hour-a-day national TV network brainwashing the masses." Higgins: "Why does the greatest conference in the history of the universe need a marketing campaign?" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 7/12).
MORE THAN WORDS: In Baton Rouge, Scott Rabalais writes Sankey "proved he’s the master of striking the right tone even when the world’s somber issues insist on intruding on our fun and games." Sankey "wasted little time in his opening remarks by obliquely addressing" the recent shootings in Baton Rouge. Against a "sad and tense backdrop of world affairs, Sankey offered a thread attached to a silver lining." He said that sports "has the power to change the world." Maybe Sankey’s words "are duct tape on the big cracks in the façade of a high-profile conference." But "sometimes duct tape works wonders" (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 7/12). In Alabama, Duane Rankin writes it was a "nice try, but he didn’t come strong enough on an extremely serious matter." Sankey "should have left it alone" (MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER, 7/12). In Baton Rouge, Dellenger & Rabalais note Sankey last week "made a phone call" to LSU President King Alexander "to discuss the events" in the city. Sankey said that he is "monitoring the situation in Baton Rouge." Sankey "declined when asked about specifics of his discussion with Alexander but said the president 'talked about his activity locally, activity on campus'" (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 7/12).
