The BIZARRE DRAMA Between ABC, Southern University, & The HBCUs

In 1996, ABC was set to air a SWAC game featuring two historically black colleges, as they were set to televise the battle in the BoomBox Classic between the Southern Jaguars and the Jackson State Tigers. What followed, thanks to a refusal by Southern to accommodate ABC, was an insane controversy that led ABC to back out of the TV deal entirely, resulting in one school completely and singlehandedly screwing over every HBCU in the country. This is the story behind the bizarre drama involving Southern University, ABC, the MEAC, the SWAC, and every HBCU under the sun
BUY OFFICIALLY LICENSED NFL MERCHANDISE HERE: amzn.to/3B6hyE2
OFFICIAL JAGUARGATOR9 MERCHANDISE: jg9shop.com/
New listings every week! Get your official JG9 merchandise at jg9shop.com, featuring t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, and much more! Includes merchandise of the JG9 logo, the JG9 Live logo, some minigames played on JG9 Live, and a shirt symbolizing your passer rating if you did nothing but spike the ball into the ground on every single play
LINK TO PATREON: / jaguargator9
Get early access to videos, your name featured in the credits, and the ability to request future video topics by joining today for as low as $3!
LINK TO TWITCH: / jaguargator9_nfl
Play live NFL trivia every Wednesday night at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific with the chance to win cash prizes! Join me every Monday night at 9 PM ET where we'll have an informal Q&A session!
Check out the video below to learn more: • WEEKLY LIVE NFL TRIVIA...
LINK TO DISCORD: / discord
LINK TO TIK TOK: vm.tiktok.com/...
See videos like this condensed down to 60 seconds by following JaguarGator9 on Tik Tok!
SUBSCRIBE TO JAGUARGATOR9: / officialjaguargator9
Daily videos on the history of the NFL!
HIRE JG9 ON FIVERR: www.fiverr.com...
Let JaguarGator9 create customized questions for your next NFL trivia show! Whether you want to play with a group of friends and family, or whether you want to host a trivia show for your business or company, JG9 has you covered!
#ncaa #southern #southernuniversity #abc #abcsports #cfb #football #sports #highlights #1996 #jacksonstate #hbcu #hbcusports #jacksonstateuniversity #jacksonstatefootball

[@JaguarGator8]

I just want to clarify one thing since it’s come up a lot in the comments, and I’m not sure it came across in the video. I am on Southern’s side in this issue. I think ABC massively overreacted, and that Southern was completely right to not move their game considering that the benefits to moving it, since they were getting a second national game later on against FAMU, weren’t enough compared to the sold out crowd and the concession money. Plus, they had exposure as the reigning HBCU champions and by playing on the ESPN networks last year. I’m on Southern’s side. With this video, I wanted to present both arguments, and wanted to show what Southern was thinking, while at the same time, show what ABC was thinking. But for what it’s worth, I’m in agreement with most of you- this was an absurd overreaction on ABC’s part. Just wanted to clear that up!

[@TSCOTT-oz5vy]

SU Jags💪🏿🐆. What ABC want do other TV stations will. Just win. They coming.

[@anthonyjkenn6319]

Well done, JG. I withdraw my objection.

[@michaelhead2871]

As a proud HBCU alum, I must say this is great work. I played high school football under a SU Jaguar when this happened, and he made it clear that it wasn't a good idea when you got down to the bare bones of it. One of the things he made clear that (1) the schools weren't going to get the money directly. The school board of education that governs the schools gets the money and decides how much they get based on need. All SWAC and MEAC schools are state ran institutions and (2) he also made clear that if ABC had informed SU ahead of time (months before the season began), they would have worked diligently to move the game up. I think by then, tickets had already been distributed with a 7pm kickoff time printed on them among other things. Nevertheless, you did a great job on this topic. I look forward to seeing more about controversial events including HBCU football.

[@iamkelotv9512]

I'm glad u made this post because I have watched all your vids and had unsubscribed after this one...but I'm subscribing again

[@kenbyrom8401]

Really? Your comments here don't match the statements on the Video. Easy to eat crow here when thousands who viewed the video didn't see it the way you're claiming now. Bye.

[@SUMPhiB08]

$2,000 to a school from a network is basically a student paying tuition That ain’t nothing and we already had NBC for Bayou Classic and BET!!! HBCUs were not desperate for attention because we had black sitcoms advertising for us.

[@1chideshon98]

Southern didn’t ruin it for everyone. ABC was trying to play Masta..

[@dwaynehebert8402]

I was attending Southern at the time, and in the Human Jukebox. We had the Bayou Classic (NBC) since the 80's, We had BET since the early 80's, ESPN televised the game where Steve McNair broke the NCAA passing record (their FIRST HBCU game in 1994, my freshman year at Southern) just two years prior. The Human Jukebox, The Sonic Boom of the South, and The Marching 100 had NATIONAL TV(SuperBowls, Sugar Bowls, Regular NFL games, Radio City Music Hall, The 1984 Louisiana Exposition, various Presidential Inaugurations( I was there for Clinton's second term personally), Motown awards show, Rose Bowl Parade, etc.) for DECADES prior to all of this on national networks ON THEIR OWN. Southern, Grambling, FAMU, and at that time, Jackson St were getting plenty TV time. Would ABC have been nice to have yes, but we were already getting plenty exposure. The error was on ABC not Southern or any other HBCU. Besides, CBS and NBC had BETTER ratings in the 90's than ABC did anyway. We would have helped ABC more than vice versa.

[@trk327]

Tell it Juke!!!

[@Kayllie]

We are Southern 💙💛

[@allandodson9241]

There’s one thing that was left out, BET televised Black college football (bcf) at that time and didn’t really need ABC.

[@RicoBurghFan]

ABC was the villain here. What an absurd overreaction.

[@encycl07pedia-]

No, they're really not. Few people care about HBCU football to begin with. ABC is nationwide. You don't even need cable to get ABC, just an antenna. This is the most competitive TV market around (broadcast). ABC was gambling just by showing Southern's 2 games which would probably net them low ratings. They ask Southern not to reschedule the day or something, but to simply move it a few hours earlier. Southern said no to the ONLY request ABC made of them and they paid for it. Imagine getting a dream job offer for millions of dollars that you've wanted for years but they say you have to work for a few Saturdays, so you turn it down because you had plans on one of those Saturdays. That's essentially what Southern did, and they also screwed up everything for their friends. I seriously doubt HBCU football on a major network was going to last anyway, but Southern guaranteed it wouldn't happen for a long time.

[@MikeyLikesIt89]

@@encycl07pedia- no ABC thought that this black university was supposed to be gitty over the white man’s ice. And southern showed them who was actually important in their eyes, the long term loyal fans and not the corporation trying to make a quick buck because now they have “discovered” something great. And I agree what ABC was paying them was sharecroppers wages because trust and believe they were not airing the game out of the “goodness” of their heart, they were making ad revenue dollars.

[@encycl07pedia-]

@@MikeyLikesIt89 Gitty? Do you mean "giddy"? Maybe if you weren't so focused on skin tone you'd realize very few people nationwide care about Southern and the MEAC and that the television deal was charity. If the money was so bad, why were so many other colleges angry about the deal falling through?

[@notorioustori]

@@encycl07pedia- charity? ABC pulled out because they didn't "know their place". It's a tale as old as time when POC don't beg for or humble themselves for crumbs these great powerful saviors pretend are 7 course meals. Everyone else was mad & scapegoated SU when the real villain was the network. Just like how whenever there's a complex issue in the US, we blame the lowest hanging fruit (the poors, "wokeness", immigrants); because that's more soothing than questioning the very systems from which we benefit the most.

[@encycl07pedia-]

@@notorioustori Beggars can't be choosers. ABC game Southern a slot (2:30 CT) and Southern tried to dictate changes to ABC. What did you think whas going to happen? Do you really think Southern and whatever other I-AA team they were going to play were really going to draw more viewers than almost any I-A game? Really? And then they're going to dictate to the people who provided them a TV audience when they would play? Of course people like you make it about skin tone rather than simple economics and scheduling conflicts. It's "more soothing" to you to believe this is some issue with skin tone while you push identity politics down people's throats and actually expect discrimination to get better by pigeonholing people like that. Get an education and get a clue.

[@purplecupp3046]

Football rivalry SU vs Grambling Band Rivalry SU vs Jackson state

[@irvinmull]

Too much logistics is involved in moving a scheduled game up 6 1/2 hours. Its not as simple as "just move the game up".

[@ShutUpAndBump]

One school didn’t mess it up for everybody, they stood their ground and ABC didn’t like it.

[@gobuffs8954]

Afternoon game with no local blackout and a meager payout? Good call Southern.

[@channingwarner]

LOLOL. He wants us to believe that Southern University stopped Walt Disney from showing HBCU games. Maybe he should go to work for $1 a day. Can I be the person that says “something is better than nothing” when he complains?

[@jackatkinson3682]

You know what? I don't blame Southern at all for refusing to push back the kickoff - especially for some piece of crap grand or two. Even in the mid-90s, running a college football program costs a lot of money. Hell, you probably wouldn't have been able to properly equip ONE PLAYER for the pittance ABC offered them. Even though I'm a die hard Grambling fan, I gotta give Southern props for standing their ground. National exposure be damned.

[@rewing84]

Exactly i can see that logic

[@DNSKansas]

Then why was your school constantly moving games away from Louisiana under Eddie Robinson all those years to play in New York and other large cities where most fans had no way to make it?

[@jackatkinson3682]

@@DNSKansas I just said I was a Grambling fan, not Eddie Robinson's travel agent. So your guess is as good as mine, Chief.

[@taureanlivermore4380]

Lol at Chief

[@ramtransportllc6818]

Southern did the right thing! ABC was very arrogant in this matter.

[@MikeyLikesIt89]

They thought they were swooping in as a white savior saving the “poor little black school”. The audacity of them thinking that southern was supposed to shuk and jive for massa.

[@wesdsmith817]

Move a game up from 7pm to 2:30pm for a roughly 2k payment per school and only 3 HBCU games are being televised a year. ABC was pimping HBCU's and you're calling it exposure.

[@yuwonder80]

Damn right! They have been doing it for years. ABC paying pwi millions and want to give us pennies and then say we are ungrateful when in fact you trying to f us and make the big return for yourself. This is why I hate classics and money games. We are not benefitting; we are just there to entertain.

[@garygrassler09]

I love that southern did this. TV money has ruined college football

[@kenbyrom8401]

Marino Casem is in the SWAC & HBCU Halls of Fame for a reason. Turning down table scraps didn't keep him out.

[@fromfeartofaith8491]

Great video. But your position sounds like one of offense on behalf of a network. Disingenuous to say the least. Maybe I’m HBCU biased, but you do know the “H” stands for historical, and these “classics” have a life of their own. The alumni consist of proud generations who attend these games for several reasons. The experience of the game has more to do with the entertainment of the bands. A televised broadcast for a few dollars and the inconvenience to thousands who are fully aware that when it comes to these games it’s a show. And for these shows, you gotta be there. I’ve watched a televised HBCU game before. Never again. You gotta be there.

[@cjpreach]

That's kinda what I was thinking. ABC is not a "benevolent" organization trying to support the futures of young athletes. (Which, BTW, might be a profitable endeavor. Just image a "Senior Spotlight" or some kind of "Unsung Hero" segment every week on national TV in which the most high-profile football announcers introduce star players from small schools. I think that would be a popular segment which would also bolster interest in small school programs that struggle financially.)

[@erinscott6813]

Dude, you sound like straight hater! Southern did was was best for them at that time! Sounds like ABC wanted to exit the contract anyway! Cause why cancel the whole contract with all other teams, if Southern was the one to decide not to move the kickoff! And secondly, the biggest game for southern that was televised on NBC, was against Grambling.

[@DNSKansas]

JG8 is absolutely correct. All of you myopic Southern/SWAC/HBCU fans have it wrong.

[@cjpreach]

Why would ABC cancel? Maybe Southern was the real value to them. Or, maybe they wanted to punish Southern by making two whole conferences angry with them? I don't really know, but if the other HBCUs provided enough market value to please ABC, the deal may have gone through. But again, I can't say that I really know that for sure. Also, only $40k to be shared by all the schools in two conferences? It's not like ABC was showering them with $$$$.

[@YautjaHunter3]

Ha! I was a student at SU in 95. Was probably at the JState game. We played EVERY home game at 7pm. Except homecoming which would start at 630. You arranged your day around the game. Do what you gotta do before 4. Then get home to get ready. Also, we had an annual game on NBC every year, Bayou Classic against Grambling.

[@orionparish9858]

Silly question. But was the 95 JState game any good?

[@YautjaHunter3]

@@orionparish9858 we never stayed past halftime! After the 2 bands played the students dipped to get ready for after parties. I have no memory of actual football lol

[@DNSKansas]

Southern crybabies. Good thing there isn't a SWAC Network demanding 11:20 kickoffs like the SEC.

[@cjbcoleman]

Bayou Classic against Grambling is Southern’s biggest rival.

[@gregjones1202]

FACTS!!!!

[@charles9854]

Yes, The Boom Box Classic is big, but not as big as The Bayou Classic.

[@lorenzobroussard6720]

That elementary school kid with the behavioral issue analogy kinda pissed me off. My first semester at Southern was fall of '95. We had a powerhouse. Not sure if the policy still stands but on game day/night the dorms shut forcing on-campus students to attend every home game. Whether the policy is/was just or not, it almost guaranteed the stands to be full. Attendance was never the problem. So I don't blame my school for turning down ABC's television offer for mere chump change. I support Deion Sanders and Jackson State for recruiting the #1 high school football player in 2021. Keep our talent in HBCU's!

[@ronaldwayne7092]

The truly amazing thing about SU's 50.5-point-per-game streak is that none of those games were against Prairie View A&M, who were well into their 80-game losing streak at the time.

[@anthonyjkenn6319]

And that's a fascinating point, because Prairie View almost broke that losing streak in 1982 when they hosted SU during a game played in the midst of active tornado warnings. SU needed a late score to escape with the win. (Edit: My mistake, PVAMU'S long losing streak began long after 1982. My apologies.)

[@ljhudsonjr]

@@anthonyjkenn6319 But the PV streak wasn't going on in 1982.

[@anthonyjkenn6319]

@@ljhudsonjr It wasn't? Again, I stand corrected. When did PVAMU's losing streak begin?

[@ljhudsonjr]

@@anthonyjkenn6319 The streak started late in the '89 season with a loss to Langston. They didn't have a season in 1990 due to NCAA violations. And they picked up football again in the 1991 season. Crazy thing is that they ended the streak against Langston in '98.

[@a.grimes4202]

Southern did nothing wrong, and I won’t be persuaded otherwise.

[@suspence5832]

Part of me understands why Southern did what they did. I just don't understand why ABC went overboard and canceled the entire deal. I'm pretty sure that all the other SWAC schools would've wanted the exposure that day if Southern wasn't getting it. This was a complete overreaction by ABC Imo.

[@vdubproductions2646]

I agree this was more of a knee jerk reaction by ABC. ABC could've found a different game to air.

[@moyo4eva]

Just proves that this was the take it or leave it deal that GOD father Mareno Caden said it was.

[@rocketsfan05]

I think ABC thought they could bully a smaller, less popular group of schools. What has always made HBCU football so cool though is that even though its less popular it has a bit of a cult following, passionate alumni, and defies convention/norms of the mainstream college football world

[@a.grimes4202]

Agreed.

[@vdubproductions2646]

@@moyo4eva I personally also think ABC was looking for an out on the HBCU contract

[@theraplawyer]

This video is unfair and racist. The Ivy league settled for an unfair deal that didn't include Brown and another school 3 times. The money involved is never mentioned and was likely chump change. Southern plays Grambling annually on Thanksgiving and sometimes outdraws the Sugar Bowl. The SWAC and MEAC outdraw everyone in the FCS. Southern has plenty of exposure. You cannot put exposure in the bank. HBCU schools have much smaller budgets. Southern needed the money from playing the game. Lousiana doesn't support the HCBU schools, Grambling and Southern very well. This isn't the NEC or CAA. Southern gets plenty of exposure. The statement that refusing to accommodate ABC with this football game didn't effect other HBCU schools in division 2, 3 or NAIA. ABC will never cover them. You cannot compare HBCU FCS squads against other schools. HBCUs have many of the smallest budgets, smallest endowments contributing alumni who suffer from racial discrimination so they are very sensitive. The commentator seems ignorant.

[@nickbrennan8979]

So you're just gonna call him racist because he disagreed with how the school handled it? Is that the road we're going down now?

[@theraplawyer]

No. He makes racist presumptions.

[@anthonyjkenn6319]

@@theraplawyer As the commenter who set off this firestorm upon JG, I can attest to his credibility. He's no racist, and does his research. I follow him on both his channels (JG8 & JG9) because he's one of the few football commentators on YT that perfectly combines knowledge of the game, the willingness to dig deep and find goldmine stories, and his own personal passion for his teams, good or bad. He simply underestimated the passion we have for our teams, and the situation Southern was under at the time. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and a Mulligan on this one. (Just don't clock it, JG.)

[@dcpsujag]

Southern backing out of a 40,000 deal very smart. The SWAC in 1995 had a way better deal with B.E.T. Southern most likely made triple that that night and the game was not televised. So the SWAC and MEAC should have been "happy" with splitting $40,000? get out of here with that.

[@raiderjohnthemadbomber8666]

ABC was wrong to attempt to change the start time for this much anticipated annual meeting. They have no sense of tradition, even in such an iconic game as this. They had no idea what they were doing.

[@EarthAngel504]

It sounds like, Southern Refused to sell out and screw over their fans for money.. Sounds honorable to me. The person narrating this sounds like he's sell his soul for money... What Southern did was Very honorable and i'm sure is something a lot of people lack the dignity to do.

[@michaelmcclain5817]

That piece of crap deal. Take that to the PWIs and watch them laugh in your face.

[@ehull88]

For clarity purposes, it wasn't known as the BoomBox Classic until the mid-late 2000s.

[@robbieez4]

40 thousands dollars! F that! Easy to go Southern!

[@brandlyscottconner9824]

27 Years Ago

[@terrencenewman5580]

For context you gotta know that Jackson St isn’t Southern’s biggest rival, it’s Grambling State. They play the Bayou Classic every year and that game has been nationally televised on NBC since 1991. So Southern isn’t desperate to be on national tv and get that big pay day like most small colleges. You would have to imagine that there contract with NBC and not wanting to go against a game they could be possibly airing during that time slot had some influence over their decision.

[@taureanlivermore4380]

You must not have any affiliation with SU because JSU is the biggest rival. You’re thinking PWI wise, that just because a school is in your state, it has to be the biggest rival. Take a poll on real Jag Alumni and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

[@scw8735]

@@taureanlivermore4380 No, it's GSU and I am a JSU grad. JSU rivalry is Alcorn. You must be new to this.....smh. The JSU/SU game is just the most attended that is not a Classic. Both teams haveva traveling fanbase.

[@adrianbellsr.6245]

J-State and FAMU are our biggest rivals.....GRAMBLING IS NOT OUR BIGGEST RIVAL. They are just our in state Rival.

[@russellsmith3750]

SU VS Gsu is the rivalry that matters for us. Jsu is fun but the bayou classic is our game.

[@russellsmith3750]

@@MrLdevelle what ever u feel brother. I went to southern just like my mother side and all my father side went to grambling soooo the real fans know where the rivalry is. The bayou classic is more about louisiana than marching bands with su and jsu

[@MrBlazemaster525]

Fuck ABC in this situation - woulda been a different story if they asked at the start of the year but midway on short notice?hell nau

[@tjermaine7533]

I'm with SU on this stop trying to vilify Southern we were never the most hated HBCU this is a absolute lie

[@ralphwilliams2396]

1k for all teams? That ain't no money bro and do us a favor stay away from HBCUs u don't know nutn bout that life

[@HardwarePod]

The Boombox Classic is a great rivalry but Grambling-Southern is definitely Southern’s biggest and most well-known rivalry. Great video as always!

[@SuperNuclearUnicorn]

"I fixed the game between Georgia Southern and Grambling" - Action Bronson

[@marcus813]

When I think of Southern football, I always think of the Bayou Classic 1st, never the Boombox Classic.

[@varickwilliams5101]

The Bayou Classic is a friendly rivalry, but SU vs JSU and SU vs Famu are very heated rivalries

[@johnnyodom6915]

@@varickwilliams5101 facts. I went to southern, we hated Jackson state. And being from Fl. I had no love for famu

[@tremaynedowell1784]

Played ball at SU and we hated no one worse than Jstate

[@EveryoneHasAVoice]

I remember they use to show Grambling vs southern during Thanksgiving on CBS dud this stop? I don't watch TV anymore, if anyone else knows.

[@georgiafair2547]

Good for SOUTHERN TY.

[@JohnBrown-lk9ml]

BRAVO Mr. Casem!!!

[@swinston77]

Bayou Classic is the biggest in the Classic Series in HBCU Sports Boombox is up there but it's nowhere near the Bayou Classic!

[@johnh8705]

They canceled because it wasn't worth the headache.

[@vincentestone5764]

The ABC deal SUCKED. ANY School (Black or White) would have turned down that crap. In 1995, Southern & Jackson drew crowds like Fla.St. or Baylor. But, 👍 video.

[@anthony0358]

I did not remember this at all, excellent video. I know in 1991 NBC was broadcasting the Bayou Classic between Grambling and Southern. I think the NFL Network sometimes covers HBCU games. I know ESPN does the Bowl game in mid December between the two conferences. But I do not know of any other HBCU games covered on National Television.

[@brandoncoleman9955]

ESPN has a contract with MEAC and SWAC and most Thursday nights you can watch a game on ESPNU

[@anthony0358]

@@brandoncoleman9955 thank you letting me know. I must have missed that. I think ESPN changed their focus on Thursdays after the NFL put a game on every Thursday night? Its a good thing to get these conferences a weekly game leading up to that Bowl game in mid December.

[@reallykid2]

@@anthony0358 Also the swac now has a deal with byron allen and will have a few games televised on the cw in select markets.

[@alm.615]

The caucasity

[@owenlawson8660]

Good for Southern!!! Appreciate the attention given to this topic! LUV IT!

[@j.mieses8139]

I am with with SU on this (FAMU Alum). I cant believe ABC went ahead and canceled the entire deal. There could have other schools which could have accommodated the network for that day and they decided to be petty and cancel it all. It was not that much money to begin with. They were probably used to getting their way with smaller schools specially HBCUs and could not believe the pushback from SU. Great job on the video. I was not aware this ever happened.

[@DNSKansas]

FAMU alum? Obviously your fans have the same problem as Southern fans. You're butthurt by all the attention the P5 school in town gets and won't accept a good faith attempt by ABC to provide coverage to HBCUs.

[@newdem08]

Nah, cause ABC offered the HBCUs they couch cushion money. 40k for the whole deal?!? TF?! Nope, for that little amount we can do for ourselves as we had been doing anyways. Up that deal to $5M and we MIGHT be talking

[@charleswilliamsjr]

Monroe Louisiana was going to air Southern jaguars but got a Another game Instead

[@LuvDaBoom]

“The tv money wasn’t alot…so it would only come out to $1,000 or $2,000 per school.” You could’ve started and ENDED the video right here. ABC would have NEVER insulted a PWI with such an abysmal “profit” like that. SU made more than $2,000 off of concessions alone.😂😂🤣

[@johnh8705]

The viewership isn't there. They were lucky to get that offer

[@suuwooski6416]

@@johnh8705 stupid and wrong

[@dahmuchancellor5337]

See this absolutely racist to think this amount of money was a decent offer. ABC was insulted? I'm insulted and the schools should be insulted

[@rahlohmcdonogh4855]

@@johnh8705 It will be when Black American kids stop going to PWIs.

[@MrChinesename]

@@rahlohmcdonogh4855 people will still support the same schools.. and hbcu is racist af

[@kevsnoop81]

Bro Southern did what was best for them. I was at every home game that 95 season and moving the time up to 2:30 on short notices would have been shitty for the fans. Tailgating is huge at SU and attendence at the game at 2:30 would have suffered a great deal. Southern has played in front of a national TV audience every year since the early 90s on NBC for their biggest rivalry against Grambling. Jackson St was and still is a big rivalry game but it wasn't called the Boombox Classic until the mid 2010s. Bottom line it's not Southern's responsibility to worry about TV deals for the entire SWAC and MEAC and that move didn't hurt SU at all as they would go on to win More Black College National Championships after 96.

[@captain4053]

40k WTF! 🤬

[@albertcooksey3932]

You should've kept saying ABC ruined the deal instead of Southern. You said it over and over. I bet ABC didn't offer other conferences that little money. Go Jags!!!

[@talkincrazy88]

Hey you are being a litte hard on SU for making a business decision that is in the best interest of the university. Think about it, ABC would have given 50k to the SWAC and SU to split. When FSU, Nebraska, Miami were getting millions of dollars from the network. Also to change the start time at the last minute would have been an inconvienece to the fans and alumni which could of ended up SU at a loss financially. This was a ABC playing hardball with a small school and felt they should be grateful of the limited exposure. ABC saw no economic value in airing games from a small conference is the real reason why they ended the relationship for years.

[@xplayfan21]

Yeah I agree he had nothing to say about ABC being petty

[@johnh8705]

Southern doesn't have 5 million people watching every game either. They were lucky to get the offer

[@mrmonty86]

HBCU bands are the best.

[@nicoleknight9412]

Why do Battles of the Band only involve Black schools? I for one would like to see some between major college bands. USC and Notre Dame, as two of the best bands in the major college.rrealm would be most entertaining, at least in my opinion.

[@DNSKansas]

Southern's band is the second best college band in Baton Rouge!

[@marcus813]

As someone who has seen the Marching 100 a few times, I agree.

[@sigzbro]

@@nicoleknight9412To start, PWI's aren't as competitive band wise.

[@DNSKansas]

@@marcus813 The Marching 100 is a high school band

[@jermaine516]

Why should Southern University “accommodate” ABC? (In your words) Accommodation doesn’t seem optimistic. “Black college champions”is another stigma that you failed on. SWAC champions is sufficient, since we’re speaking on universities and championships. Yes, the boom box classic in a “monumental game.” So, they would’ve been stupid to negotiate without everything working in SU favor.

[@commondude9881]

What good is any contract deal, when you have no right to negotiate... anything?

[@drummajor101]

*They always trying to shortchange HBCUs, all money is not good money, all exposure is not good exposure. For a game of that magnitude, it deserved to be at primetime, esp back in those days, some would say they were the HBCU golden days*

[@YardTalkHBCU]

I’m a Grambling State alumni and that is an egregious deal!!! I stand with Southern on this✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿Moving the game would have cost them too much money🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@j-0831]

Larger schools didn't start signing black players until the late 70s. The ncaa and the networks never did right by the hbcu schools. Stole the talent and offered them crumbs is a slap in the face.

[@bigsteve3530]

Southern will never bow its head to any outside powers. Southern has successfully fought off all schemes deisgned to destroy it. Proud defender of the Gold and Blue, Class of 95, Mechanical Engineering.

[@anthonyjkenn6319]

I, as a Southern alum, really beg to differ with this. SU had every right to refuse ABC's directive to switch the game. First off, outside of Homecoming, Southern plays all their home games at night. Secondly, there was the alternative deal with Black Entertainment Television (BET) that televised HBCU and SWAC/MEAC games, and they could have broadcast the JSU/SU game at it's scheduled time. And, Southern already had locked in their deal with NBC to broadcast the Bayou Classic game against Grambling State, which was their prime money-making game, and offered way more than ABC offered for moving that particular JSU/SU game. I'm guessing that SU was willing to take the publicity hit in order to protect their profits, and ABC's reaction really seemed to me excessive. That caveat aside, outstanding video as usual, JG.

[@anthonyjkenn6319]

Also....the JSU/SU game didn't have the moniker "Boombox Classic" at that time; that didn't become official until around the mid-2010's. Of course, the name derives from the gloss of the two competing teams' marching bands: "Sonic Boom of the South" for Jackson State; "Human Jukebox" for Southern. The band rivalry is, if anything, even more intense than the football team rivalry, though with the most recent success of Deion Sanders as JSU's head coach, the football may heat up as well.

[@DNSKansas]

Your reasoning is deeply flawed. Deeply flawed. By your reasoning, LSU should always turn down TV so it can play at night. The SWAC would have been within its rights to expel Southern because it was dicking around with the rest of the league and the other HBCUs.

[@anthonyjkenn6319]

@@DNSKansas First off, LSU's gonna get paid and get their TV time regardless of when they schedule their games, and the SEC is a slightly more powerful conference than the SWAC. Also, LSU has also raised plenty hell when networks attempted to move some of their home games from prime time Saturday night to the morning. SU made the decision that the loss of live seats and concessions were not worth the little bit that ABC was offering. If ABC and the rest of the SWAC got mad over it, well, SU figured that that was their problem, not SU's.

[@rewing84]

@@anthonyjkenn6319 thanks for some of the behind the scenes details

[@marcus813]

I thought it was just LSU in that state that loved hosting games at night. I didn't know Southern had that same preference. Also, I was thinking about that BET deal and I was wondering why BET couldn't get that game given that it could more easily accommodate the Jaguars than ABC could.

[@donaldfrancisjr.7827]

I don't blame southern

[@ghettogadget206]

In retrospect, i have no issue with Southern here. ABC overreacted. If the monetary benefit for them was maybe $25k or more/similar, then I would get the backlash. But for only $2k? The lost gate and concession would likely be more. And with the TV deal with BET, it’s not like there would be no exposure.

[@damonjohnson7174]

This dude said SU is “most hated” HBCU. Smdh. Who is this dude? Mind the business that pays you

[@DNSKansas]

JSU now holds that mantle thanks to Prime Time

[@scw8735]

@@DNSKansas You could have kept this....😒

[@geezygohard1487]

Right!!! So how did they ruin it?! They ain’t gon step to a D1 like that plus they paying them more! Why would Southern make that move? That made no sense!! Money wasn’t even enough for the peanuts they was giving SU. SU traveled everywhere and packed every stadium back in the 90’s!! So this perspective is pointless!!

[@voiceofreason2674]

As an Lsu dude I grew up thinking Southern was one of the best teams in the country then around the 2000s they just disappeared . Glad coach prime is drawing attention to the SWAC

[@johngardner1290]

As a Bama fan, I stand with Southern on this. The payout to all conference members was just chicken scratch. Running a football program cost money, lots of it.

[@eaglemusic2000]

That was a disrespectful deal🤦🏽‍♂️

[@Amnesia1906]

ABC was petty and shows that they didn't understand the Black College experience.

[@franklinkoonce4245]

Coach Deion Primetime Sanders is the best coach in college football

[@scw8735]

STOP with this on every video!

[@eugenerobinson2988]

Mann ima be honest us jags love giving them people from Jackson the hardest time 😂😂😂… honestly I was relieved when you said we screwed over Jackson

[@MJvirgo]

First off... WE ARE SOUTHERN. JAGUAR NATION to be exact. That WAS a sharecropping back hand insult of a deal in total disrespect of our culture and traditions... "on the yard" Southern is not in the business of bending and folding to the will of others... Def not for that chump change they was offering... This guy had all his facts laid out in order. That was cute. Great book report. Howsaneva.... Nobody gives a flying you know what when it comes to crossing that hump. Games played at 7 gives the community time to enjoy the tailgating and the family that is SOUTHERN. Shiiid actually... You dont have to understand it.... But you gonna respect it! #respectfully

[@keithharper1470]

Not with you on this on JG Southern did the right thing ABC just wanted to get out of the deal $40,000/game to split with 2 conferences for only 3 games come on that's chump change even for 1995 tv deals. The fire should've been at ABC if they didn't want to show a Southern game anymore fine but to cancel the whole contract was absurd.

[@troardlevant824]

That's great..

[@alexdavidson6862]

I’m with Southern on this one.

[@drewzuhosky6826]

ABC was in the wrong here, as its Saturday night lineup was nothing to write home about. On the night of Oct. 26, 1996, the network aired a first-run episode of _America's Funniest Home Videos_ that was preempted from its originally-scheduled broadcast date due to one of the 1996 US Presidential Debates... _opposite what would prove to be the clinching game of that year's World Series._ With the exception of _The Practice,_ which was a spring replacement series in 1997, *none* of the ABC shows that were scheduled to normally air on Saturday evenings returned for a new season the next fall.

[@bigsteve3530]

The Godfather was going to get punk'd for table scraps. The audacity of ABC is shameful.

[@orionparish9858]

This is far more ABC's fault than Southern's I feel. Yeah, the AD comparing what ABC wanted to sharecropping was him speaking directly out of his ass and not at all with any kind of sense. But still. The network was acting like a brat more than the school. Also, the first video where you genuinely had me convinced that everyone was of the same mind. The "Oh who am I kidding?!" bit was unexpected.

[@rewing84]

could go either way

[@YautjaHunter3]

Marino Cassum had a rep on campus for being shady. He was t h e HC when I was in high school , my dad complained about him a lot. (My whole family went to SU)

[@marcus813]

I guess ABC anticipated more pushback such as this from Southern specifically, but this could've been handled better.

[@DNSKansas]

Marino Casem should have been fined and forced to resign by the SWAC for that reprehensible comment. Casem buried Southern's entire athletic program so deep in shit it took them forever to dig out.

[@johnh8705]

The viewers aren't there so ABC can't sell ads. It cost them more to send a crew to the games. ESPN doesn't even air the games on tv.

[@patrickracer43]

ABC: "can you move the game up a couple hours please?" Southern University: "We refuse to bow to the will of the white man!" ABC: "alright, screw the HBCUs" All the other HBCUs: "bro seriously!?!"

[@GraphicManComics]

Jaguar usually has good reactions. This time he's wrong. ABC is the villain. Not giving them much notice and then cancelling the contract over a problem that DISNEY caused in the first place. Typical, and typical the reaction that other schools might gripe at Southern for not "taking it".

[@riccorich]

I think HBCUs on football is worse now than back in the 90s, teams are not consistently competitive in FCS.

[@raiderjohnthemadbomber8666]

And we're poorer for not seeing those games.

[@devinjohnson9749]

Fast forward 20+ years .. I wonder how things would have played out .. ABC had most of all the leverage ., gotta choose the battles wisely. Look at long term . Not just the present

[@russellsmith3750]

Bro you are wrong on who SU rivalry is. It aint jsu its GSU (Bayou Classic) please know your facts.

[@rovelt3802]

As an ALUMNI of Southern. I like to say that we stand strong and refuse to be punked out. JAG4LIFE

[@chosenonesports2346]

*Evidently you never attended one of Southerns games back then or recently because if you had ever experienced one personally, you would have cut this video short. Moving the game to 2:30 for only $2,000 would have been an asinine move and messed up the gross national product of Baton Rouge for that weekend. Individual t-shirt vendors used to make that much extra from the games being at night versus during the day. Also you kept mentioning Southern as a small school when actually at that time it was the largest HBCU's in the known free world (and Larger than a lot of Well known PWI's)according to the Great Marino Casem who was right about the deal not being worth it and the type of moves that ABC was trying to pullwas comparable to sharecropping and slavery. With the type draw the southern was getting at that time they would have been better off asking one of those other schools to move their game up to 2:30. Just two years prior they made 120,000 off of parking for a single game against Alcorn so why would they move this particular game up for 2000? ABC tried to pull a pimp move because they thought the people of Southern was stupid because it was an HBCU. Also FYI Jackson state is not Southern's biggest Rival game. The Bayou Classic versus Grambling is which makes more money in one weekend than the Sugar Bowl. The only football game that supersedes the Bayou classic in revenue is the Super Bowl. You may want to research your content more thoroughly before painting a picture or indicating that SOUTHERN missed out on such a great deal or missed out on so called national exposure for refusal to prostitute itself for "crumbs" from a "media pimp" that was trying to exploit the situation with the Hansel and Gretel bread crumb deal versus putting a sustainable deal on the table that was mutually beneficial. Tell them to present that same deal to Notre Dame or one of those SEC schools and see what happens? #THEHUSTLEDONTSTOP www.Chosen1Sports.com/CHOSEN_MONEY.HTML

[@twomasta]

Sir he thinks southern was in the right. He likes to give both sides of the argument. What's wrong with that?

[@LordDreek-Amen-Ra]

Man, I would've so no deal too. That deal sucked. Plus, the meaning of the Boombox was to much to just move it. It has to much surrounding the game to just up and move it. Good job Southern

[@KingTone510]

I'm with Southern. I wouldn't wanna eff over my loyal for a few stacks. ABC was dead ass wrong.

[@gregorymorris1467]

I’m glad southern stood there ground and didn’t give in to the media bully network. I support HBCU but some of those football games look like High school football games compared to the mid late 90’s when they look liked college football. Today the games are ok but it’s the bands that draws the crowd. SU plays LSU this season everyone knows that Southern most likely will lose the game but bring on that jukebox who everyone loves😂😂. Will be air on National television. And it won’t be for peanuts and bowing to network bully. No slavery over here. Go Jags and Go tigers. Got to love our Baton Rouge Universities

[@HistorysRaven]

I agree with Southern on this. ABC threw a fit, and, pushing into controversial territory, I wonder how much race played into their tantrum. How many non-HCBU teams have said no to a major network under the same circumstances and the conference wasn't punished in the same way?

[@johnblue495]

The narrator is bias he is telling you how to feel about it

[@altfactor]

Has there ever even been a case of a network telecast of college football being blacked out in the area the game was being played in?

[@marcus813]

Aside from bowl games, I haven't heard of anything. I remember not being able to watch some Outback Bowls (now the Reliaquest Bowl) due to the game not selling out in its 1st few years on ESPN. We never had that problem here in Tampa Bay when it was on Mizlou and NBC.

[@chrissao_502]

The Jags actually made a really smart decision. Not moving it forward allowed most everyone to attended meaning they probably got more money in consessions than ABC would have paid them. As for exposure and non-athletic recruitment, HBCU's often don't need as much adverstisement becuase they are known and so they just have to beat out other HBCU's but it's pretty regional from what I've seen. With athletics, again, if a player is going FCS (or I-AA) and are even thinking of HBCU's they probably already know them all and where they are. This would be a lot wilder of a story if it was say a Southland or SoCon or Big Sky team that was saying no to ABC.

[@DNSKansas]

Your reasoning is asinine. By your reasoning there's no reason to televise any HBCU games.

[@ronaldwayne7092]

It was the mid-90s. The web was in its infancy. Internet video was done with potatoes that were still in the ground. Knowing one SWAC school did *not* mean knowing them all.

[@chrissao_502]

@@DNSKansas Not really what I said but okay

[@charliewilson7714]

Southern did it for "Honor"

[@kocs98]

This is an example of why you keep yourself in a position where you'll take it but you don't need it.....do things on your terms.

[@nickbrennan8979]

90% of the comments are just saying "JG9 is wrong, it's ABC's fault!" and it kinda pisses me off. The one time he has a hot take, and people start calling him racist and shit!? Y'all need to clean your collective acts up, because this is disgusting.

[@prestonval4439]

In a football town like Baton Rouge, they already knew this deal was not woth it.

[@76MQJHOMESTEAD]

Apparently the narrator really does not get it. I am with Southern on this decision

[@David.M._1979]

This video was awesome

[@anthonyjkenn6319]

One possible suggestion for a future vid, JG, that crosses both of your channels: Stump Mitchell, former decent RB for the St. Louis Cardinals, and now Cleveland Browns assistant HC/running game coordinator, was hired in 2010 to become Southern's HFC after the SU boosters decided that Pete Richardson wasn't good enough anymore. At his intro press conference, Mitchell boasted that he would deliver Southern beaucoup unbeaten seasons and Black College National Championships. His first home game out of the box? An embarrassing 31-7 loss to DII Arkansas-Monticello. His record after 2 full years was 6 - 16. After he started the next year (2012) with 2 straight losses, he was fired and replaced for the balance of the season.

[@cedricwhite3717]

Please don't remind me of the Stump Mitchell era, lol.

[@dperfect28]

👀👀😡 That is what FAM & Cookman did for ESPN to start airing the FL Classic, moved the starts to 2pm instead of the 6pm we was used to & cut the halftime show to 10min each band