The SEC wrapped up its football media days last week, but commissioner Greg Sankey couldn’t resist chiming in on the bit of drama unfolding at Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas — where location complaints and subtle jabs stirred conversation. Penn State coach James Franklin criticized the Big Ten’s decision to host the event in Las Vegas, outside of “Big Ten country,” while simultaneously praising the SEC’s structure. But while doing so, he continually referred to the SEC as “that other conference.”
Sankey responded Thursday evening on social media with a playful shot of his own.
“Greetings from That Other Conference,” Sankey posted with an edited version of the traditional SEC logo.
“Big Ten Media Days in Big Ten country is important,” Franklin said Wednesday via Lions 247. “The majority of our teams are not on the West Coast. Do we have a West Coast influence now? Do we need to pay respect to those programs? Yes. But I know from a Penn State perspective, a lot of our beat writers did not come to this because they couldn’t afford to get out here.”
In recent years, Big Ten Media Days were held in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium — home of the conference championship — or in Chicago. Both are more centrally located for most league members. This year, however, the event moved west to Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort, with only USC and UCLA realistically within driving distance.
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“I don’t see people getting autographs,” Franklin said. “It’s a different vibe and it’s a different feeling. … Don’t misinterpret what I’m saying. I think Vegas is a special place, and I think they run events as well as anyone, but it’s a different feeling. I’ve been at those other places, where people are putting up babies for you to autograph and stuff. It’s different.”
The SEC, meanwhile, has expanded the footprint of its media days in recent years. After decades in Birmingham or Hoover, Alabama, the event has recently rotated through cities like Dallas, Nashville and Atlanta — where last week’s event was held.
“When they have their meetings, there’s essentially a press conference every single day at the end of the meetings,” Franklin said. “It keeps people talking about that conference at a time of the year that makes them relevant. We’re not doing that. We need to be talking about the Big Ten and our programs and the things that we have done, making it as accessible to everybody as we possibly can and connecting with the fans.”
If media days are about messaging, the SEC delivered — while the Big Ten seems to still be figuring out the mic.
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