The Florida A&M Board of Trustees voted Wednesday in favor of a motion that could lead to a potential transition to the SWAC, according to a report Wednesday.
The BOT Special Committee on Athletics vote means that approval for FAMU becoming a full member of the SWAC will take place Thursday.
#FAMU BOT Special Committee on Athletics passes the motion on the decision to join the #SWAC. The full board will make its decision Thursday. Stay tuned for complete recap.
— RattlerNews.com (@RattlerNews) June 3, 2020
The vote comes amid a presentation crafted by athletic director Kortne Gosha that outlined the school’s relationship with the SWAC would reduce travel expenses by $400,000, create $1 million in revenue exposure and house the athletic program in an environment with similar fan bases and institutional autonomy.
The 16-page document also explicitly targets many of the drawbacks FAMU’s current standing in the MEAC that has led to it seriously contemplating defecting from the conference.
Those factors include concern over sustainability and membership expansion; limited revenue exposure; extreme travel cost; fan empathy and required conference deals.
“A 2020 benchmarking study conducted by Collegiate Sports Partners determined that Florida A&M University would be best served both financially and athletically by moving their membership from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to the Southwestern Athletic Conference,” the report said.
FAMU’s exit from the MEAC would require giving at least one-year notice that would require Board of Trustees’ approval.
