We did have a Clemson game scheduled this year but they backed out after the Notre Dame - ACC thing. We also have a decent team in Boise State scheduled and Memphis is a regional rivalry (and a member of the zombie Big East) that we use for recruiting and supporting a large alumni base in Memphis. They wanted us in basketball and we wanted them in football, it works out. La-Lafayette and Presbyterian are total win grabs, though. In 2017-18 we've scheduled Ga Tech, so there's that.
Also: Mississippi State is just awful. That's not necessarily related to football, though.
was the kind of guy who, once forcefully attached to your university, you have to try to like and regard with such comments as "as least he's on our side." I could never really get on the Henderson boat save that moment he disrespected all those Auburn fans, that was great.
I'm willing to cede at least my point about Cuba and Japan. I've just spent tons of time around this state (Corinth, Columbus, Starkville, Oxford, and Tupelo areas) and the surrounding areas in AL, LA, and TN and there is nothing about MS that makes it unique when it comes to what you were describing in terms of poverty/depression. I can agree that when select opportunities provide outs for hard living, those opportunities will be exploited heavily. I do not agree that MS is in the same boat as Cuba (pun slightly intended).
I think the simpler explanation is that largest single demographic of college football athletes (according to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport) is African-Americans by a margin of 45.8% (White is second by 45.1%) and MS has the largest African-American population in the country. My second theory is that with such a high rural population, there's really nothing to do after school so a lot of students just do sports to avoid boredom.
I'm also willing to admit that I might be totally wrong, but I get jumpy to defend this state because we get a lot of bad rep that's (usually) ill deserved. I was probably too ready to attack you for your benign comment.
your intent, but I feel you can make that argument about any region in the world. Everywhere there will be people who are in crappy situations who are drawn to the bootstraps stories sports provide and thrive on. To say that one particular state has lots more of the type of people who love sports because they have little else to gain optimism from is a wrong conclusion.
The delta region of Mississippi is indeed a depressing, heart-wrenching locale where sports may be the only way out for many children, but the rest of Mississippi is not (aside from poor parts of metro areas of which there are few). To state that better: MS has a geographically large but lowly populated region that gets lots of publicity for its low income and poverty but has an even larger region of blissful folk who make it fine.
Japan loves baseball and so does Cuba. One is a hugely impoverished nation and the other is not.
Of course, these are just my feelings. I end here saying that I'm from rural north Mississippi and don't experience the delta or ghettos often. Of course, most of MS is exactly like where I live. Rural and populated with some of the happiest rednecks you'll ever meet in addition to doctors, lawyers, and all them folk. Edit: Grammar
for about 18 years now, I don't really buy the whole "it sucks, let's leave" theory. I see that the vast majority of Mississippians are quite content 'round here. It's a wonderful world where you can shoot what you like, when you like, and don't need to wear pants to check your mail. 'Murica at its greatest.
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We did have a Clemson game scheduled this year but they backed out after the Notre Dame - ACC thing. We also have a decent team in Boise State scheduled and Memphis is a regional rivalry (and a member of the zombie Big East) that we use for recruiting and supporting a large alumni base in Memphis. They wanted us in basketball and we wanted them in football, it works out. La-Lafayette and Presbyterian are total win grabs, though. In 2017-18 we've scheduled Ga Tech, so there's that.
Also: Mississippi State is just awful. That's not necessarily related to football, though.
Edit: Grammar
was the kind of guy who, once forcefully attached to your university, you have to try to like and regard with such comments as "as least he's on our side." I could never really get on the Henderson boat save that moment he disrespected all those Auburn fans, that was great.
I'd love to see some stuff on trends about JUCO guys.
I'm not sure how I feel about this.
that I was trying to make although it didn't translate, sigh. I should've used italics, darn.
how many go undocumented because the affected have no idea...
I don't remember the last time I read an article this interesting.
I'm willing to cede at least my point about Cuba and Japan. I've just spent tons of time around this state (Corinth, Columbus, Starkville, Oxford, and Tupelo areas) and the surrounding areas in AL, LA, and TN and there is nothing about MS that makes it unique when it comes to what you were describing in terms of poverty/depression. I can agree that when select opportunities provide outs for hard living, those opportunities will be exploited heavily. I do not agree that MS is in the same boat as Cuba (pun slightly intended).
I think the simpler explanation is that largest single demographic of college football athletes (according to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport) is African-Americans by a margin of 45.8% (White is second by 45.1%) and MS has the largest African-American population in the country. My second theory is that with such a high rural population, there's really nothing to do after school so a lot of students just do sports to avoid boredom.
I'm also willing to admit that I might be totally wrong, but I get jumpy to defend this state because we get a lot of bad rep that's (usually) ill deserved. I was probably too ready to attack you for your benign comment.
your intent, but I feel you can make that argument about any region in the world. Everywhere there will be people who are in crappy situations who are drawn to the bootstraps stories sports provide and thrive on. To say that one particular state has lots more of the type of people who love sports because they have little else to gain optimism from is a wrong conclusion.
The delta region of Mississippi is indeed a depressing, heart-wrenching locale where sports may be the only way out for many children, but the rest of Mississippi is not (aside from poor parts of metro areas of which there are few). To state that better: MS has a geographically large but lowly populated region that gets lots of publicity for its low income and poverty but has an even larger region of blissful folk who make it fine.
Japan loves baseball and so does Cuba. One is a hugely impoverished nation and the other is not.
Of course, these are just my feelings. I end here saying that I'm from rural north Mississippi and don't experience the delta or ghettos often. Of course, most of MS is exactly like where I live. Rural and populated with some of the happiest rednecks you'll ever meet in addition to doctors, lawyers, and all them folk. Edit: Grammar
for about 18 years now, I don't really buy the whole "it sucks, let's leave" theory. I see that the vast majority of Mississippians are quite content 'round here. It's a wonderful world where you can shoot what you like, when you like, and don't need to wear pants to check your mail. 'Murica at its greatest.
Being from Mississippi and an Ole Miss student but raised a Michigan fan because of my dad, watching MSU mop up Mich hurt me in so many ways.