Between 1916 and 1987 Tennessee State University Athletics spent 50 of those 71 years as an Independent prior to joining the Ohio Valley Conference in  1988. TSU experienced moderate success in the OVC with 2 Football Championships, 2 Men's Basketball Championships, 3 Women's Basketball Championships, 5 Indoor Track Championships, 3 Outdoor Track Championships, and 2 Volleyball Championships,  as well as the demise of it's baseball program 5 years after joining the OVC.

Of the 7 schools in the OVC in 1988 only Tennessee Tech and Tennessee State remain. Of those schools joining shortly after TSU,  Southeastern Missouri, UT Martin, and Eastern Illinois still remain. Since that time there has been a renewed national focus on Historically Black Colleges and Universities as it relates to education, and sports. This has been spurred in small part due to Deion Sanders choosing to coach at rival  Jackson State University in 2020 and out recruiting other major top tier colleges.

Almost 35 years later it's time for TSU to now  leave the OVC and get back to it's roots of playing a full slate of HBCU colleges and universities in all sports as well as bringing back it's baseball program.  In 2022 41 schools will switch their Athletic Conference Affiliations. In 2023 there are already 33 schools scheduled to change their Athletic Conference Affiliations. So, this is a normal and natural part of reinvigorating a stagnant  athletic program as well as an unenthused fan base.

This message should be clear to the current administration as attendance is waning thus reducing revenue coming into the program as fewer and fewer fans and alumni are choosing to spend money viewing teams that they no longer care to see.

Numerous alumni have recommended TSU join the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)  which now includes Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Bethune Cookman, FAMU, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley, Alcorn State, Univ. of Arkansas PB, Grambling, Prairie View, Southern, and Texas Southern. Others have suggested TSU join the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) which currently includes Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University, South Carolina State University. Others are content with something new however that might look as long as it means leaving the OVC.