BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Mike Slive sprawls in a comfy arm chair,
propping his feet on a coffee table between one massive tome on Winston
Churchill and an even thicker "Encyclopedia of Southern Culture."
He's relaxed and feeling awfully good about the state of the Southeastern Conference.
It's
a rare moment of calm for the SEC's cerebral commissioner, but he can
afford it since his "A pile" of things to do has gotten considerably
slimmer over the past two years.
-- Complete the addition of Texas A&M and Missouri, minus some significant scheduling questions? Check.
-- Strike a deal for the SEC Network? Done.
And that recently announced network was a huge check mark for the 72-year-old Slive.
"There
were a lot of things that had to be done internally as well as
externally," Slive, who had been up and running since before 5 a.m.
before his afternoon interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday at
his downtown office. "So when we finally had the press conference, it
was a really significant moment for the league but also for me
personally as a culmination of something that I'd thought about for a
long time and something that I thought was really very important.
"Like
expansion, I try to think about the long-term horizon. As exciting as
it is to think about whether A&M or Missouri can compete in whatever
sport it is, that's something that's fun, but really I'm thinking more
about 10 years from now and 20 years from now. I think both of these
events, both of these happenings, do help ensure that the SEC can
continue to maintain its prominence as one of the or the major
conferences."
Slive, whose deal with the league runs through next
July, sounds like a man contemplating his legacy even if he balks a bit
at the term. Those two huge undertakings, the seven consecutive
football national titles and his role in helping craft the particulars
for the upcoming college football playoffs will undoubtedly feature
prominently.
Slive also takes particular pride that NCAA
sanctions aren't much of a topic in the league 11 years after taking
over with Alabama and Kentucky on probation and three other football
programs under investigation.
Instead of legacy, Slive refers to
his job as "almost a public trust" and himself as a trustee of a league
thriving in a region where five of the 11 states with members don't have
major pro sports teams.
"I think more in terms of will the SEC
have been better off for my being here?" Slive said. "I'm sure there are
some people who would say yes and some people who would say no.
"At
least up to now, in my heart I feel like we've made a contribution to
make the SEC better. Whenever I decide or the league decides that my
trusteeship is over, I think I'll walk away with a sense of
satisfaction."
Others in the SEC aren't shy about using the
legacy word. The SEC Network, a 20-year partnership with ESPN that runs
through 2034, might wind up being the big capper.
Slive won't
discuss revenue projections but said the network will carry 45 SEC
football games and produce 1,000 live events annually.
"Mike's
legacy ladder has many, many steps on it. I think this latest rung is a
real credit to Mike," Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart said. "He's a
great leader, an outstanding communicator. He's earned the respect of
people in the profession. If Mike Slive calls somebody, they're calling
him back because he's earned that level of respect."
Mississippi
State athletic director Scott Stricklin credits Slive and other SEC
officials for the considerable behind the scenes work in getting that
deal done.
"We're all excited about the exposure and revenue
generation possibilities," Stricklin said. Slive "doesn't do anything --
and therefore our league doesn't do anything -- that isn't well thought
out. He's the smartest guy in the room. He doesn't miss anything. He
doesn't miss any issues. And yet he's very down to earth and it has
always amazed me how good he is with people. He never forgets a name."
Alabama football coach Nick Saban said Slive's "judgment and foresight and vision for our league has been very impactful."
The
most high-profile agenda item at next week's SEC spring meetings in
Destin, Fla., might be the one that most stirs up Saban and the rest of
the football coaches.
The league settled last year on a
scheduling model that stuck with eight SEC games, where each team played
all six division members with one fixed opponent from the other
division and another slot for rotating cross-division opponents. Slive
said he's keeping an open mind and hasn't seen a format that doesn't
have drawbacks.
The SEC discussed adding a ninth league game at last year's spring meetings. It's sure to come up again this go around.
"It's
certainly a topic of interest to (reporters). That I know," Slive said.
"Will it be an agenda item in Destin? Yes, of course. I won't be
surprised if the First Amendment is alive and well over the four or five
days that we're in Destin. We understand the importance of the issue.
We understand the interest in the issue. At the same time, it's an
important one and we'll discuss it and approach it in a careful and
deliberate manner as we try to do everything we do."
