After Courtney Simmons and the Grambling State women’s basketball team fell 100-54 at SEC power LSU on Sunday, the Tigers coach candidly discussed the economic disparity within collegiate athletics.
When asked following the 46-point loss whether scheduling Power 4 conference opponents would prepare Grambling for SWAC play, Simmons indicated that playing, and more importantly, losing in blowout fashion, isn’t beneficial despite whatever situational experience is gained.
“I don’t know that it (playing Power 4 opponents) actually prepares you for a conference schedule Simmons said. You have to be careful playing this many Power 5 games because there is a thing called confidence. And losses like this can kill SWAC kids’ confidence.”
To date, in non-conference play, Grambling is 2-7, with four losses to Power 4 opponents, Arizona, California, LSU, and Oregon State, by an average of 23 points per game. Grambling has one Power 4 game remaining at Louisville on its schedule before SWAC conference play begins.
Simmons, who is in her second year at Grambling and leads a team favored to win the SWAC, explained she isn’t accustomed to loading up on major conference competition each night in exchange for compensation.
“I’m not as experienced as, let’s say, (coach) Carlos Funchess down there at Southern (where) they’re going to schedule out of the 11 non conference games, 10 of those games are going to be Power 5 conferences, and they’re going to go get $40,000 a piece,” she said.
“Nothing about this prepares you for SWAC play. it sounds good to say but these are money games…nobody is going to sit at a press conference and say these are moral victories. that’s not real life”
Courtney Simmons on what on #grambling can learn from 46-point loss #GramFam pic.twitter.com/Y6gJcbgN0l
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But their kids are used to that. I’m the only team in the league that didn’t go get (recruit) other SWAC players. And so for my kids, a majority of my team came from the Sun Belt. And so these kids are like, wait a minute.
It’s just a matter of not killing their confidence, so that we are prepared for SWAC play, and we don’t lose our first two games in the league because we’re so used to getting our butts kicked in the non conference.
Simmons explained that for nearly all mid-majors like Grambling State such games are a neccessary evil for survival. According to the most recent collegiate finance figures provided by USA Today, Grambling State athletics generated $11.3 million in total revenue compared to the $199 million LSU garnered.
“So nothing about this prepares you for SWAC play. It sounds good to say, but these are money games, said Simmons. “We play these games to get the money so we can survive, and in our league, that is it. That is all. Because I would rather not ever play LSU again, but they paid us good money to come here and take a loss. And so yeah, unfortunately, with the dynamics and the situation that we’re in financially.”
