If the southern colleges begin to lose top athletes maybe they will re-think everything.

I went to the university of Houston, which was one of the first southern schools to have integrated athletics back in 1964. When we played Ol' Miss, they wouldn't allow the game on their football field...it was played in Tennessee, I believe, instead. Ridiculous!

Yes, Arizona itself leaves a lot to be desired, but if the university has the right environment, that could negate whatever problems that the state presents overall.

Just seems like an "odd" choice if race riots over the reelection of Barack Obama was your reason for looking elsewhere.

http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/arizona_state_obama_not_worthy_of_degree/

... if they really felt that way, explain why he spoke at the 2009 graduation.

Also - the President Barack Obama Scholars Program.

https://students.asu.edu/obama?301=

. . . in Tucson, the blue city in that crazy off-the-rails state. Rep. Raul Grijalva, who advocated a boycott of the state because of SB 1070 (Tempe), and Gabby Giffords are from there. Arizona State is in Phoenix (Tempe) right wing central.

Of course I'm prejudiced - both myself and my daughter graduated from there.

he should go the whole way and de-commit to Ole Miss. Other players of color and players that are concerned about racial harmony should also de-commit.

Racism in any form has to be extinguished at it's core. When will they learn?

I know if I had a kid who were a part of a group discriminated against and planning to go to a school where that level of bigotry were displayed, I'd be worried for his safety. A riot like that is where hate crimes happen.

If Obama lost...wow the self righteousness is blindingly ironic.

(do i need a sarcasm thingy?) because ya'll know that we have large groups of black panthers waiting to riot in the street. now, certain officials (like previous elections) again, attempted some pretty dirty tricks-and no, they don't all do it. informing people to vote on wrong days, attempting to collect voters' ballots, destroying registrations, voter intimidation, phone jamming-i could go on and on. what's really, really minute; however, is voter fraud; now election fraud that's another story.

if it was stolen, like it was in 2000, yeah, there might have been rioting in the street. but, it wouldn't be those scary minorities.

after all- he's black, not hispanic.

That's so much better.

Racism is alive and well in this whole country. I can't stand regional bashing. It is bullshit, and it mostly comes from people who have no clue about the region.

nt

They're better than those they elect.

why do they elect those that they do...?

Keep up the fine work.

you're probably correct.

But saying racism is alive and well over the country is dismissing a very real problem. There's places in MS that black people feel unsafe going to because not only is there racism, but there's violent racism. That isn't a problem all over the country.

Barring some unforeseen circumstance, will probably be recruited for college football. I've already told him there is no way in hell he is playing for a southern school. I mean ... Alabama, auburn, Georgia, etc., all those guys have football traditition/reputation for decades.

But he's black, and I grew up in those states (I'm white) and there ain't no fing way I'm letting MY SON anywhere near those people. Blacks are fine as entertainment to them, biut they are NEVER accepted as people of inherent worth.

Nope. Ain't happening.

Playing for the SEC is an honor. I hope you rethink your decision based on whatever experiences you had. Although, I can't see how it is your decision. I am not sure how old you are, but the south has come a long way. There is obviously still work to do, but I'm sure you'd agree that can be said for each and every state on the map.

Let's face it, if they weren't great athletes, these schools wouldn't give two shits about them. For years, they were banned from playing at these schools, but since southern colleges and their coaches wanted to be competitive, they allowed them to play.

As someone who visits the college regularly, I know from actual experience that is not true. Sounds good though, right?

They're an means to an end. That is all. You think they'd let their daughter date one? Nope.

still a True Blue KY BBall Fan. . .

But what I say IS true. I still have relatives and former friends there. And they're prejudiced. Prejudiced as hell. Everyone they know is prejudiced. Oh some SAY they're not, but deep down, they are.

I just won't have my son put in the position of living with them. And yeah, I will have a lot of say in where he goes to school. I'm his MOM and I don't care how old he will be, he'll still respect what I have to say.

a schedule, a map, an hour's head start and a sherpa guide. Send your kid someplace he'll get a decent education.

The rare kid who actually makes it to the NFL has a average career of two and a half years. Just shy of enough time to get a health plan and a pension, fwiw. A shocking percentage of them are broke and divorced within a few years of leaving the league.

you couldn't be further from the truth.

Athens has a reasonably progressive contingent and UGA is a great school academically.

Lots of relatives in and around Atlanta as well as further south. Maybe Athens is different, but I d be curious where the kids grew up. Black and white.

I was extra saddened by that riot. The south is pretty red, and Ole Miss is a school full of upper class people, so the fact that they are upset over Obama's win is not that surprising; however, the way it was handled was, well, just bad. Many were upset over this, and that riot did not speak for the whole school. My brother lives there, and while he did support Romney, he was disgusted by this. I hope people remember these students don't speak for Ole Miss. Of course I am aware that many here hold views that the south is racist, so I am sure I might as well be talking to a wall.

And please remember, we are not talking about a spirited protest here. This was a full on race riot, rife with all of the hatred and bigotry that goes with that. I'm certain there are some outstanding students and faculty at Ole Miss, just as I am certain that racists can be found on campuses in every corner of the nation, but when you have a crowd that large, acting that poorly, you have a problem that goes beyond what can be found at most other schools. Denying that is exists, or that it is indeed worse at Ole Miss than at say, Stanford, is just going to make matters worse.

Over 20,000 people attend that college, so I was keeping it in perspective. I live in MS, so I am quite aware that is wasn't a spirited protest among many. All 400 weren't rowdy and racial. There were several though, and there is no excuse for it. None. I won't make excuses for it. I also won't sit back and allow the whole college or the whole state to be bashed.

who wanted to see who the idiots on campus were.

What the hell??????

Where did you get that? There were no injuries, no vandalism, 4 arrests for misdemeanors, and the crowed dispersed when asked.

They burned a campaign sign in an area that regularly has bonfires, etc.

If that was a "full on" riot, I would hate to see what you call Watts, Kent State, the Rodney King riots, or the actual riots at Olemiss in '62.

Arizona, the last state to make MLK day a holiday, but not after some NFL players refused to play the Super Bowl in Tempe unless the state rescinded it's decision to ban MLK day.

Yes, the same Arizona that targets Latinos for their papers.

Phoenix, a bastion of Mormons, there is no such thing as an intellectual Mormon.

Tucson, a city so proud, they decided to name the Latino portion "The South City Of Tucson" when it's actually surrounded by Tucson proper.

That Arizona.

Tucson has always been the blue part politically of admittedly crazy Arizona. It always has dem mayors and and congresspersons. Rep. Raul Grijalva, who advocated a boycott of the state because of SB 1070 (Tempe), and Gabby Giffords are from there. Also, the sheriff in Tucson said that his officers were going to be too busy to enforce SB 1070. The Udalls from back in the day were from there. Long-time Democratic Congressman Mo Udall ran for President back in the 70s and came in 2nd in a couple of primaries against Carter. His brother Steward Udall was Secretary of the Interior under Kennedy and Johnson. And South Tucson is not the "Latino" portion of Tucson. It has always been a separate city abutting Tucson that Tucson has grown around. And btw, Latinos, a very sizable part of the population, live wherever they to want all throughout the city of Tucson and surrounding county, including in South Tucson. Phoenix, two hours north, is right wing central. And the cities have a long-standing rivalry. Until recently the Tucson School district had a very popular Latino Studies program until the repugs in the Legislature up in Phoenix cancelled it. Get your facts straight.

I've been to Tucson at least a hundred times. It's a very racist city. I've seen it while there.

One example. I once went to a football game between New Mexico State and Arizona, I'm not for either team, I was invited by some friends that live in the city. Anyway, after the game we were walking to the car near the chartered bus that was taking NMSU players back to Las Cruces, U of A fans started pelting the bus with rocks and cans and shouting racial epitaphs at the players on board. I have never seen anything like that before or since. That's just one example and I have several but I'm not going to get into it.

My son has also experienced racism in Tucson.

. . . happened in Tucson also. Of course there are racists there as in any other city in the country but it still is politically the bluest part of the state. I've been there many times and and spent time there and haven't run into what you described.

seriously?

Why take a chance when you could play for a school that isn't so overtly racist?

blind sided

It is part of the agony of being an Ole Miss fan.

Here in the Pacific NW, we have Huskies, Cougars, Ducks and Beavers.

suggested that any student athlete or "attractive coed" considering going to Ole Miss should consider the University of Memphis instead!


rocktivity

We used to be called the Berkley of the south.

I left a couple of years ago. Decided to come back and give it a try after the elections. I forgot how extreme so many here are. It is as if they live in a parallel universe. Anyway, I guess after being gone for so long, I forgot how the regional bashing is so widely accepted on DU. It is pretty gross.

from North Carolina and know about racism in my state. So why are you so sensitive about the truth? I actually think those students should be ex spelled. I wish more Black Athletes would do the same even if it was at a North Carolina school. If that were Black students I'm pretty sure they would be disciplined. So how many white people voted for President Obama in Mississippi? I think North Carolina had 31 percent this time. And I do think it was based on race.

but it's "expelled." I think Obama got 14% of the white Mississippi vote.

He should take his talents elsewhere.

..I hope he finds a good fit for him.