The 2025 MEAC/SWAC Problem is bringing HBCU soccer again beneath the intense lights of primetime cable, as ABC will get set to nationally broadcast the season opener. This 12 months’s conflict between the MEAC and SWAC received’t simply kick off the HBCU soccer season. It’ll accomplish that on one of many largest phases in sports activities tv.
What started in 2005 as a celebration of custom and competitors between the Mid-Japanese Athletic Convention and the Southwestern Athletic Convention has advanced into an essential cultural showcase. The MEAC/SWAC Problem has traditionally aired on ESPN networks. However latest years have seen it elevated to ABC’s important stage, bringing HBCU soccer into tens of millions of households nationwide.
Final 12 months’s 2024 matchup between Florida A&M and Norfolk State drew a record-setting 1.3 million viewers. Making it the most-watched MEAC/SWAC Problem ever. Add to {that a} sold-out crowd of twenty-two,000-plus at Middle Parc Stadium in Atlanta. And it’s clear this recreation has momentum—and the muscle to carry its personal in primetime.
MEAC/SWAC Historical past
Through the years, the Problem has delivered extra than simply spectacle—it’s produced unforgettable matchups. In 2010, Southern College surprised Delaware State in a 37-27 shootout. In 2015, South Carolina State floor out a gritty 35-7 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. MEAC faculties dominated early on, profitable 10 of the primary 14 video games. However the SWAC has surged lately, making the 2025 version really feel like a rubber match with severe bragging rights on the road.
However this isn’t nearly numbers—it’s about narrative. For many years, HBCU packages have been underrepresented in main sports activities media protection. Now, the MEAC/SWAC Problem will not be solely televised—it’s showcased. ABC’s dedication to airing the sport in primetime offers HBCU athletes the form of publicity that helps with recruitment, boosts funding, and reshapes nationwide notion.
And it’s not simply the sport that shines. The band battles, halftime exhibits, and unmistakable HBCU power all translate on an enormous display with the form of aptitude that makes you cease scrolling and begin watching.
So when the 2025 MEAC/SWAC Problem kicks off on Saturday, August 23, on ABC at 7:30 pm EST, it received’t simply mark the beginning of the season—it’ll announce that HBCU soccer is right here. It’s loud, it’s proud, and now, it’s primetime.
