HOOVER, Ala. — Fifteen years ago, an Arkansas high school football coach needed to kill some time during a seven-on-seven tournament in Alabama.
Eli Drinkwitz made his way to a mall. But not just any mall, mind you. The Riverchase Galleria is attached to The Wynfrey Hotel, home of the Southeastern Conference's annual media days. Drinkwitz didn't care about pretzel stands and clothing stores. He wanted an SEC introduction.
He heard radio row crackling with hot takes from sports shows. He saw fans in the hotel lobby hunting for autographs. Every team's perfectly polished helmet decorated a display next to the escalator that climbed toward the hotel’s second floor, where coaches took the stage to set the tone for a season.