This version of the HBCU Sports activities Podcast with Kenn Rashad featured a stay dialog with John Grant, Government Director of the MEAC/SWAC Problem and the Celebration Bowl.
Grant, who has led ESPN’s two signature HBCU soccer properties for practically a decade, pulled again the curtain on how these showcase matchups come collectively—and why they matter far past the sector.
He revealed that matchups are scheduled years prematurely, with colleges already booked by way of 2029, and defined how regional proximity, band tradition, and fan journey form which groups get chosen. However past scheduling, Grant harassed the enterprise of visibility: “Each televised recreation is actually a three-and-a-half-hour business on your college,” he mentioned, urging colleges to monetize stadium signage, discipline logos, and broadcast publicity as new NCAA guidelines open recent income streams.
The dialogue additionally touched on broader points dealing with Black faculty sports activities. From NIL pressures and the switch portal to shifting company sponsorship landscapes, Grant argued that HBCUs can nonetheless compete by leaning into authenticity, cultural worth, and good technique. He highlighted examples like Jackson State and South Carolina State, which turned Celebration Bowl publicity into thousands and thousands of {dollars} in media worth.
In a candid private second, Grant additionally shared his personal journey—from industrial engineering to transportation, to main the 100 Black Males of Atlanta and working the Atlanta Soccer Basic, earlier than being recruited to ESPN. Alongside the best way, classes from leaders like Ambassador Andrew Younger formed his philosophy of “reluctant management” and transferring from success to significance.
Watch the complete model beneath.
