Mike Slive: A Visionary and Transformational Leader

Kelly Bonau Jay Sturm

In the past decade, the Southeastern Conference has arguably become the most successful NCAA Division I Conference. With the additions of Missouri and Texas A&M, the conference expanded from twelve teams to fourteen teams this past season; the move was monumental because it expanded the SEC network into Texas, the second most populated state in the United States. The SEC reached a lucrative television deal a few years ago, and is on the brink of creating its own television network. The current commissioner, Mike Slive, has used unparalleled leadership skills and attributes to push the already successful conference to the peak of collegiate athletics. The past seven BCS National Champions have been SEC members, and the dominance does not appear to be slowing down. Mike Slive was the one to propose the four-team playoff for the BCS National Championship, a setup which will begin next year. Every commissioner, president, athletic director, and leader should look to Slive and attempt to mimic his style. Growing up, Mike Slive came from a traditional background. His mother did not work and his dad had a variety of jobs. Slives first job was meat cutting and it is how he worked his way through school. Growing up he was a multisport athlete. A native of Utica, NY was later inducted into the Utica Sports Hall of Fame. Slive said high school is still the best, greatest most fun experience for him. (Travis, 2010) After high school Slive went to Dartmouth University to play football, but was not academically prepared. His football career ended after a year when he switched to lacrosse, not knowing anything about the game and ended up lettering three years in the sport. He graduated from Dartmouth with a bachelors of arts degree in 1962. Following Dartmouth he went to graduate school at the University of Virginia where he earned a juris doctor in 1965. He then attended Georgetown University and earned a Master of Laws in 1966. (Commissioner Mike Slive) Slives dream was to become an Athletic Director. He started out as an assistant athletic director at Dartmouth from 1968-1969. From 1969-1977 he was a partner at Stebbins & Bradley in Hanover, New Hampshire. From 1972-1977 he was a judge in the district court of Hanover, New Hampshire. From

1977-1979 he was a judicial master and clerk of Grafton County, New Hampshire Superior Court as well. After a brief stint practicing law, Slive returned to the sport sector and became the assistant executive director of the Pacific-10 Conference from 1979-1981. He then took another step up the sports ladder and became the director of athletics at Cornell University from 1981-1983. (Commissioner Mike Slive) Slive realized after he was the athletic director at Cornell, which it was not what he wanted to do. He then decided to move back to Hanover, New Hampshire and opened a one-man law office that would focus on NCAA issues entitled the Law Offices of Mike Slive. In 1986, Slive became a partner at Coffield Ungaretti & Harris in Chicago, Illinois until 1991. From 1990-1991, Slive was also the senior partner and founder of Slive-Glazier Sports Group in Chicago, Illinois and Kansas City, Missouri, which was a legal practice specializing in representing colleges and universities in athletics-related matters. (Mike Slive) Slive then went back to the sporting world and became the commissioner of the Great Midwest Conference from 1991 to 1995. Following this position he became the founding commissioner of Conference USA from its inaugural year in 1995 until 2002. In 2002, Mike Slive took on his current position as the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference. As the commissioner of the SEC, Mike Slive has taken a highly regarded conference and made it even more successful and dominating. From 2006 to 2012, the SEC has won 48 total national championships out of a possible 138. That is 35% of the possible national championships, which is an astounding percentage for one conference. (List of Southeastern) Working out of the SEC Headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, the commissioner is the head of the conference and oversees the work in the SEC office. The SEC website states, The purpose of the Southeastern Conference is to assist its member institutions in the maintenance of programs of intercollegiate athletics which are compatible with the highest standards of education and competitive sports. (About the SEC) The SEC offices determine eligibility of student-athletes, oversee the maintaining of SEC and NCAA compliance, manage championship events, negotiate television and media rights, distribute revenue to the schools,

and sign and supervise corporate sponsorship accounts. Mike Slive is in charge of keeping order in the SEC and is the one who has the final decision in important matters pertaining to the conference. Because of his background in NCAA litigation, Slive is well-versed on rules and regulations of the NCAA and has been vocal about his opinions pertaining to the organization. In March of 2013, Sports Illustrated named Slive the most powerful person in college sports, over Big 10 commissioner, Jim Delany. Both conferences are dominant in collegiate athletics, but Slives proposition of the four-team playoffs gave him the edge over Delany, who actually opposed the plan. (Staples, 2013) The Southeastern Conference has grown in size and popularity since Slive took over as the commissioner in 2002. One of Slives most notable contributions is the advancement in the television and media deals. After the Big 10 launched their network in 2007, Slive was faced with the question of whether or not the SEC should follow and create an exclusive network. The other option was to reach a long-term deal with major networks. At the time, there were existing local media rights in place, and it was thought that these might be in jeopardy with a new contract and definitely with an exclusive network. Slive considered four major objectives to meet the goals he set for the conference and what he wanted to achieve; these goals were earning a large equity, including the ability to have academic programming, having the ability to produce positive branding, and taking care of all of the sports. When they began negotiations, it appeared that the SEC would be able to maintain the local media rights, while gaining a lucrative deal with major networks. In 2010, the SEC signed a 15-year contract with ESPN and CBS for $2.25 Billion and $825 Million, respectively. ESPN is contracted to televise 5,500 SEC events throughout the deal, and the SEC owns the copyright to any game that was ever on ESPN or CBS. With the new contract, SEC basketball has seen a tremendous increase in viewership, and ESPNU is now in 73 million homes, which is almost a 200% increase from the year previous to the SEC contract. Mike Slive was quoted after the contract as saying, So we were able in the final analysis to accomplish what we would have accomplished by starting our own network and have

the guaranteed revenue and the enormous distribution taken care of. Remember the Big 10 had to, and still has to fight those distribution battles with its network. Overall, the television deal was the first of its kind and set the tone for college athletics and television. (Travis, 2010) In the summer and fall of 2011, conference realignment was happening at an alarming rate. Schools were switching conferences, and these conferences were allowing multiple schools to join. Many conferences were and still are concerned with buyouts and binding contracts to make sure schools do not attempt to leave. The one conference who remained quiet through this crazy time was the SEC; there is no buyout fee in the SEC and there is a $50 annual fee, making it easy for a school to leave if they so desired. (Travis, 2010) There were rumors of schools wanting to align with the SEC, and sportscasters gave their opinions on which schools would be good fits. Mike Slive and the SEC were happy with the twelve team league and really did not have intentions of expanding. Missouri and Texas A&M both approached the SEC about leaving their conferences and becoming members. Slive and front office members from the SEC discussed how the addition would improve the conference. In the end, the university presidents voted unanimously to accept the membership of the two schools. (SEC Commissioner Mike, 2012) The addition of Texas A&M had great importance because it expanded the SEC footprint to the second most popular state in the United States; it also made the exclusive network cable channel feasible because of the expected increased revenue. (Staples, 2013) Next month, Mike Slive is expected to announce the launching of an SEC exclusive network. The NCAA Tournament is the main focus right now with Florida hoping to move forward to the Elite Eight. ESPN is thought to be the partner for the new network, and the exclusive deal should generate even more money for the league. This would be the third league network, following the Big 10 and the Pac12.This deal should easily dominate the others and continue to make the SEC one of if not the most popular and successful conferences in the country. Slive was very smart with his decision to wait for the network because of the huge viewership Texas will bring. (Cooper, 2013)

It is hard for one to find controversy in Mike Slives tenure as the commissioner. He has elevated the competition throughout the country because of the dominance the SEC has shown in numerous sports. If someone sees a fault in Slive, it would be due to his age. He will be 73 this year and has said he would like to continue as the SEC commissioner to carry out a few projects he has for the future. Slive has stated that this is a decision which will be made by both parties, the SEC and Slive. (Climer, 2013) Recently, the Sports Business Journal quoted Slive as saying, The test really is Does the league feel like Im making a contribution? And do I feel like Im making a contribution? And I think as long as we both feel that I am, then I think everyones comfortable. (SEC commissioner Mike, 2012) Slive is obviously making huge strides for the league, but people are wary because they do not want him to be the commissioner past his prime. The SEC is always in the forefront of everyones minds and what is best for the league. Assumingly, Mike Slive will be the SEC commissioner for at least a few more years. When examining different leadership models, it becomes very clear that Mike Slive is a transformational leader. He has tremendous influence over the SEC and NCAA because of his depth of knowledge. He is a visionary and is always thinking of how to make improvements on the already popular entity of college athletics. He first proposed the four-team playoff in 2008 and was met with much opposition. Eventually, others could see how controversial BCS bowls were becoming and realized changes need to occur. Slive was just four years ahead of everyone else with his thought process. This is a major decision which defines him as a transformational leader. Although it is not known for certain, one would imagine that working for Mike Slive would elevate your work ethic. Slive showcases the major traits of a transformational leader. He is one of the most well-respected members of the sport industry and he always acts in the best interest of his conference, not necessarily what will benefit him the most. SEC members, athletic departments, and fans are excited by changes he wants to make which will better the league. Slive is not afraid to speak up for what he believes in. Because he is a visionary, he pushes others to think critically about controversial topics. Slives transformational leadership skills are

undeniable. He has been a part of so many major decisions in the NCAA and SEC, and all changes have created a much more efficient and successful system. He is a leader whom everyone should attempt to emulate. (Chelladurai, 2009) Mike Slive is a leader whose experience and style combines to achieve greatness. Not only was he able to reach an agreement with major networks on a larger than life television contract, but he will also announce an exclusive SEC network next month and he can take credit for bringing forth the idea of a 4-team playoff in which college football will transition into in 2014. His ability to calmly react to situations and think of what is best for the conference is what makes him a truly great leader. He is an innovative leader who brings new ideas to the table. In the 2011-2012 season, the SEC won nine national championships and was runner up in seven sports. This success can greatly be attributed to Slives leadership and the competitiveness and visibility of the SEC, which is then carried out by the members of the conference. As long as Slive remains the commissioner, one can only imagine what the SEC will accomplish. (Chelladurai, 2009)

Sources

1. Chelladurai, P. (2009). Managing organizations for sport and physical activity. (3rd ed.). Scottsdale, Arizona: Holcomb Hathaway, Publishers, Inc. 2. Climer, D. (2013). SEC Commissioner Mike Slive talks Expansion, Cable Channel, Retirement. USA TODAY Sports. 3. Cooper, J. (2013). Slive set to announce launch of sec network in mid-april. Saturday Down South 4. Rittenberg, A., & Low, C. (2013). Power play: Mike Slive vs. Jim Delany. College Football Nation Blog: ESPN 5. Solomon, J. (2013). Mike Slive: Ncaa and schools must think "outside the box" to restore confidence in enforcement. AL.com 6. Staples, A. (2013). Ranking the 10 most powerful people in college sports. Sports Illustrated. 7. Thamel, P. (2013). Notre Dame's Jack Swarbrick, SEC's Mike Slive formed unlikely bcs alliance. Sports Illustrated 8. Travis, C. (2010). SEC commissioner Mike Slive: The most powerful man in college athletics. AOL News 9. About the SEC. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/SECSPORTS/THESEC/AbouttheSEC.aspx 10. Commissioner Mike Slive. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/SECSPORTS/THESEC/CommissionerMikeSl ive.asp 11. List of Southeastern Conference national championships. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Southeastern_Conference_national_champio nships 12. Mike Slive. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Slive 13. (2012). SEC commissioner Mike Slive staying with league for at least a "couple more years". SportsBusiness Journal