Rattlers, Take UNC’s Money… And Run
By Aaron N. Taylor
Week 0 of the college football season is here, and for FAMU it will include a bunch of zeros. The Rattlers are slated to be paid $450,000 to face the University of North Carolina’s squad on Saturday, August 27. My opposition to these so-called guarantee games is well documented. I have written several articles criticizing these games and even appeared on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel to discuss their physical risks to players and reputational risks to the HBCUs appearing in these overmatched contests. There is nothing honorable about being drubbed by 40 points on national TV, particularly given the dangerous nature of football.
Fortunately, the negative attention along with the recent resurgence of interest in HBCU football have resulted in schools playing fewer of these games, especially against Power 5 opponents. In 2016, MEAC and SWAC schools played 10 guarantee games against Power 5 schools. This season, that number will be 6. Much credit goes to HBCU athletic directors for devising new ways to market their programs and generate revenue. Most everyone will agree that the fan experience at HBCU football games is better today than it was 10 years ago.
But let’s talk more about FAMU’s game against UNC this weekend. The Tarheels are marketing the contest as an “HBCU Celebration Game.” HBCU coaching greats Bill Hayes and Rod Broadway will serve as honorary captains for the Tarheels. Both coaches made their marks at North Carolina HBCUs, including at my alma mater, North Carolina A&T. Hayes also served as FAMU’s AD from 2007 to 2009. UNC’s framing of this game demonstrates the newly resurgent value of HBCU football as a product.
Ten years ago, this game would have been a simple transaction between the schools. Pay to play. Or more accurately, pay to get beat down. There would be none of the pomp and circumstance that we are going to see this weekend. Now, it is a “celebration.” UNC did not all of a sudden get religion. UNC sees an opportunity to attach itself to a valuable product, while also getting an easy win. All for the low low price of $450,000. Seriously, that is only about 1 percent of UNC’s annual football revenue.
FAMU, however, has more pressing business the week after when they face Coach Prime and his Jackson State Tigers in the Orange Blossom Classic. Like last year, this game could determine the SWAC Champion. Jackson is predicted to finish first, with FAMU behind them in second. There is no glory in second place, so this game will be huge for both teams. Truthfully, the timing of the UNC “celebration” could not be worse for FAMU. But hopefully, the Rattlers will make it out of Chapel Hill without being beaten, bruised, and injured too badly.
Rod Broadway’s most infamous moment came in 2018 after his NC A&T Aggies went to East Carolina and beat the home team in a guarantee game. After the game, Broadway gave his players a rousing celebratory speech, which he ended by saying, “Tell them to bring me my money!” This viral moment was referencing the $330,000 that ECU paid A&T to play the game—and win. FAMU is a 35-point underdog against UNC, and there is no real chance of the Rattlers leaving with a win. Coach Willie Simmons will not have a “bring me my money” moment. But in the words of the Steve Miller Band, the Rattlers should take UNC’s money and run…back to Tallahassee with their roster intact. Coach Prime and the Tigers await.
The author is a higher education scholar and researcher and an alumnus of FAMU High, North Carolina A&T, and Howard Law School.
