Borrowing a line from Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, Southland commissioner Chris Grant says his league is “open for business.” Grant stresses that certain priorities are nonnegotiable, such as putting the athletes’ experience first and preserving the Southland’s regional identity as a “gas-tank league.
case. “The Southland is open for business, but at the same time, it has to be meaningful business,” Grant said. “We’re not looking to add just to say we have the largest conference in America. We’re looking to add people who want to be part of the Southland and make the Southland better.” Southland membership has been in flux in recent years, as five Texas schools, including Incarnate Word, announced in 2021 that they intended to depart the league.
settlement are “going to hurt,” trimming about $3 million annually off the Southland’s distributions from the . He scheduled a meeting with the league’s athletic directors following this week’s media day event in San Antonio to talk more about the league’s resulting “plans of action.” Speaking with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey — a former leader of the Southland — Grant said he was reminded that challenges can spark growth and that “we’ve been through hard things before.