State Flag costs MSU chance to host basketball tournament

Picayune Item ^ | June 26, 2004

[somniferum]

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - The Confederate emblem on the state flag has again cost Mississippi the chance to host a national sporting event.

Three years after the NCAA denied Delta State its bid to host the Division II Swimming and Diving Championships, Mississippi State lost an invitation to serve as a host site for a prominent Division I regular season basketball tournament in November.

END EXCERPT

The rest of the article can be found here

[somniferum]

Sorry if this has already been posted. I saw this on Fox last night, but after a bit of googling this was the only article I could find. As a Mississippi State student, I can only say Im pissed. :P

[cripplecreek]

For a minute there I thought you were talking about the Spartans. Of course our flag does have a picture of a man holding a gun, it can't be far behind.

[megatherium]

I used to teach at MSU. I recall the story about the NCAA tournament in, I think, 1963. MSU was all white, but they'd gotten into the tournament. Big controversy: they would have had to play against teams with black players. Of course, the university community itself was excited to be in the tournament, and most people didn't at all mind the racial implications. The surrounding community however was a possible problem. The president of MSU hemmed and hawed as long as possible before allowing the team to leave town in the dead of night. This was a year after Ole Miss integrated (with riots and bloodshed), so he was right to be concerned. Fortunately, there were no incidents, and MSU played in the tournament (being eliminated first round, if memory serves). MSU integrated the next year, also without incident.

I always supposed that the Confederate flag, being (perhaps falsely) associated with racism, was a hindrance to Mississippi. I recall there was a proposed state flag showing a magnolia blossom, which I thought was rather attractive.

[boycott]

The NCAA is about to go before congressional hearings because of CORRUTION. They are a farce.

The NCAA wasn't set up for political reasons and they are going far beyond their purpose.

The NCAA should focus their attention on the congressional hearing and all the lawsuits they have piling up against them.

[DoughtyOne]

Does the NCAA think it exists in the USSR, or the USA?

Inqiring minds would like to know.

[Arkinsaw]

I always supposed that the Confederate flag, being (perhaps falsely) associated with racism, was a hindrance to Mississippi. I recall there was a proposed state flag showing a magnolia blossom, which I thought was rather attractive.

Well, its not falsely associated with racism. Lots of dumb yahoos despoiled it during the 50's by waving it in people's faces and the KKK misuse it (as they misuse the US flag). But the flag will always be a representation of the Confederate soldier and what they endured.

The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, the designated inheritor of the legacy of the Union soldier has come out completely against ignoring this primary meaning of the flag and against removing Confederate flags for politically correct reasons.

We don't need to remove the Confederate flag, or surrender its meaning to the KKK and NAACP (who agree on its meaning). We need to take its meaning back as a common symbol of the American Civil War, the historical Confederate soldier, and the Southern region. The descendant organizations on both sides agree on that.

Beyond that, this is a federal union. Its frankly nobody's business but Mississippi what flag the voters have chosen to represent their state. If it were me, I'd tell the NCAA to stay in Massachusetts.

[boycott]

What's next? Will the NCAA not allow states that oppose same sex marriages to host tournaments? The NCAA needs to be heavily restricted and go back to their orginal purpose.

[WKB]

Mssippy ping

[dixiechick2000]

This stinks. Thanks for the ping.
BTW, your tagline is SO true.
I like it very much.

[wardaddy]

the NCAA are a pc politburo.

[Hessian]

I wonder if there's a way the city of Starkville could sue the NCAA over this?

Something about Mississippians' freedom of speech?

If the PGA can be forced to let a guy ride in a cart, could the NCAA be forced to set aside their concerns over a symbol?

[Terridan]

Well, I am sure you've heard about the "Col. Reb" scandles at Ole Miss, my almamater. Dicky Scruggs has taken over, and "Col. Reb" is flying off the shelves. The Rebel Flag, Confederate Flag, has always been associated, ignorantly so, with the Kluxes. But, every game I attend, or see live, still warms my heart to see the stars and the bars. Fight back, we do! And they will NEVER win.

[Terridan]

Right on!!! Hey, ya know why the Gulf coast winds are so strong??? To keep the damn yankees north where they belong!

[DirtyHarryY2K]

"Beyond that, this is a federal union. Its frankly nobody's business but Mississippi what flag the voters have chosen to represent their state. If it were me, I'd tell the NCAA to stay in Massachusetts".

AMEN!

[dixiechick2000]

"the NCAA are a pc politburo."

Yessiree...they are.

[Reagan79]

Oh NCAA sucks, always had! Go Rebels!

[Reagan79]

I think all politics should be put aside for sporting events. This is not even fair to MSU, don't they have a cow and a teat on their flag???

[Unicorn]

Sue Sue Sue.

[Willie Green]

Basketball Jones, I got a Basketball Jones
Got a Basketball Jones, oh baby, oo-oo-ooo

Yes, I am the victim of a Basketball Jones
Ever since I was a little baby, I always be dribblin'
In fac', I was de baddest dribbler in the whole neighborhood
Then one day, my mama bought me a basketball
And I loved that basketball
I took that basketball with me everywhere I went
That basketball was like a basketball to me

I even put that basketball underneath my pillow
Maybe that's why I can't sleep at night
I need help, ladies and gentlemens
I need someone to stand beside me
I need, I need someone to set a pick for me at the free-throw line of life
Someone I can pass to
Someone to hit the open man on the give-and-go
And not end up in the popcorn machine
So cheerleaders, help me out...

[Bobby Chang]

The City of Columbia (SC) built the 18,000 seat Colonial Supplemental Insurance Center to hopefully host the NCAA Tournament but is banned under the same NCAA racist ban.

And remember, South Carolina lost its biggest and oldest sporting classic, the Southern 500 auto race, to a lawsuit filed by a Texan with Johnnie Cochran and his NAACP race-baiters as the attorneys in the case, so racist attorneys work well for the anti-flag people. That is a major victory to the NAACP as it guarantees a loss of $50 million in revenues to the Florence-Myrtle Beach region.