For as long as I’ve been an adult, for more than 40 years now, it seems that somebody or some group has been threatening the state of Mississippi with one thing or another if it didn’t remove the Confederate battle emblem from its state flag.
And for more than 40 years, the Magnolia State has stubbornly fought off those challenges, much to its economic chagrin in some cases and an avalanche of national ridicule and condemnation in others.
But as soon as Mississippi State running back Kylin Hill, who’s pretty good at his craft, went on social media eight days ago to declare that he would not take the field for the Bulldogs this fall unless the Confederate battle emblem was removed, that 160-year symbol of hate, slavery and oppression – at least to the vast majority of Americans, though not necessarily most Mississippians – was done, swiftly voted out by the state’s lawmakers on Sunday.
It’s not quite that simple, of course. Both the Southeastern Conference and the NCAA had previously declared they would hold no more championship events in the state until the flag was changed.
The NCAA had long ago taken away pre-scheduled events such as men’s basketball regionals or national championship events in 2001. But this latest boycott was to have included, among others, baseball and softball regionals, which aren’t often assigned until a few weeks before they’re staged in order to reward those schools who are having championship-caliber seasons.