Commissioner Sankey kicks off SEC Media Days with pop culture references
ATLANTA – Who knew Greg Sankey was so into pop culture?
The Southeastern Conference Commissioner kicked off the annual meeting of media members and the league’s coaches and players Monday at the College Football Hall of Fame by making a few obscure references.
He opened his “State of the Conference” session by quoting Jeff Spicoli, Sean Penn’s character from the iconic 1982 film, “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”
“If I’m here and you’re here, doesn’t it make this our time?”
That line got a chuckle from the many members of the media who were congregated, but Sankey soon turned serious about the state of college football. To illustrate it, he quoted Bob Dylan.
“The times they are a’changin’.”
Indeed, they are. Taking a cue from the SEC which is adding Texas and Oklahoma in the next few years, the Big Ten made a splash on the sports’ landscape when it recently announced USC and UCLA will join that league soon.
“I’ve never lost sight of that reality,” Sankey said. “I’m not sure that we all understand what is intended by those (Dylan) lyrics, but times are changing more rapidly than ever,” the Commissioner said.
“It is never going to be the same, but it doesn’t have to be the way that it is. We’re dealing with complex problems that won’t be solved by complaints, accusations, finger pointing or simple solutions. What’s needed now is collaboration.“
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey
The commissioner finished his remarks by paraphrasing another band that is a pop icon when he described the SEC in much the same way REM did in their song “Superman.”
“The Southeastern Conference is stronger now than at any point in our history,” Sankey said. “We are a super league. This is a super league.”
Well said, Commissioner, well said.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
