The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) recently obtained a dismissal in court of a $150 million lawsuit pertaining to the media rights to the conference’s athletic games. According to the Raleigh News & Observer, Urban Edge Network claimed they had the right to broadcast SWAC athletic competitions on its streaming platforms. The suit was dismissed in April on the grounds that “UEN has no contractual relationship with SWAC and, as such, no right to market, sell, or promote advertising, broadcasting, or similar right[s] for SWAC games or events of its member institutions,” according to a statement released by the SWAC. Claims dismissed by the suit include unfair business practices and interference with contracts, among a litany of others.
The SWAC is a conference made up of several historically Black college and university (HBCU) sports powerhouses like Jackson State University, Alabama A&M University, Grambling State University, and Southern University, among others.
The SWAC statement further read, “The Order also ‘permanently enjoined’ Urban Edge and its founders Hardy Pelt and Todd Brown ‘from any further fraudulent attempts to sell SWAC’s advertising and media rights to third parties, otherwise use SWAC’s media, or induce SWAC’s member institutions to breach their agreements with SWAC.’”
The dismissal is significant, especially as games by HBCUs have become significantly more popular on streaming platforms like HBCUGo (a property of Allen Media Group) and are even being broadcast more regularly on mainstream outlets like ESPN. Every Thanksgiving, ESPN broadcasts the Bayou Classic, the annual football contest between Louisiana’s pre-eminent HBCUs, both SWAC members—Grambling State University and Southern University.
Jackson State University is another university whose national profile increased over the past few years, making the opportunity to broadcast those games lucrative. Deion Sanders was the head coach of the school’s football team and brought both his son Shedeur Sanders and 5-star recruit Travis Hunter to Jackson. Both eventually followed Deion to Boulder, Colorado, when he took over the football program at the University of Colorado. Both players were recently selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The SWAC has other claims against Urban Edge Network that will proceed to trial.
