Football: The Passion of the South

When I look at the culture of the south, I think about the food, the hospitality, the people, but more importantly high school and college football. The hotbed for football talent is in Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and California (four of the five mentioned are southern states). Almost every year the best football players in the country are from the south, proven by an image in the 2009 Sports Illustrated article "The State of Recruiting" by Andy Staples. For college football in general, the Southeastern Conference (Teams include: Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Miss. St, South Carolina, Florida, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Arkansas) is usually the best conference in Division 1 football. It is also the conference with the most passionate fans and biggest tailgaters. I read the book "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer" by Warren St. John a few years ago, which composes actual stories from St. John's travels with Alabama tailgaters. There are some unbelievable people in the book who give up everything for six months to follow the Alabama football team to every game in their RV's. St. John describes how he went to talk to fellow Alabama fans at their different tailgate parties and before he knew it, he was offered some beer and food. It is unique that St. John was able to walk over to a stranger's tailgate and strike up a conversation just because he was an Alabama fan. I can't tell you how many times I have given high fives or fist pounds to strangers around me at football games. Just like Lior said in her topic intro, Southern hospitality is included at football games because they allow strangers to become immediate friends.

I recently came across an article online, Football: North vs. South, which compares the two regions and the difference football has on each culture. My favorite part of the article is:

Getting to the stadium

North: You ask, “Where’s the stadium?” When you find it, you walk right in.

South: When you’re near it, you’ll hear it. On game day, it becomes the state’s third largest city.

(from http://www.collegecharlie.com/fbnvs.html)

I find this humorous because on game days in Morgantown, WV, at the University of West Virginia, a sold-out game will make the stadium the biggest city in the state. Check the article out to read some funny, but true comparisons between both regions.

I think the main reason football is so huge in the south is we have one of the best climates in the country. Our mild climate allows a November day at a football game to be enjoyable because the temperature is usually in 60's or higher. A fan can make a football game an all day event if it is warm or cool outside in the south, but not many people want to tailgate and freeze all day if 40 degrees is the high temperature for the day. The south also has the greatest tradition with football. There are programs like Ohio State, USC, Michigan, and Nebraska with great traditions, but football in the south is where the roots of this great game exist. Get that passion back... Spring ball is just around the corner!!

Throw the Pigskin

Football, especially college football has become an intricate part of southern identity. It represents the passion of a group of people, the history of amazing athletes, and provides stories for generations to hear. College rivalries create competition between the people in the south and the connection that some fans of the same college have creates an instant connection between people in the south. Football serves as a catalyst for many things. Football is the sport of the south. The SEC and ACC represent the two college conferences of the south and thereby represent the teams that most of the south is affiliated with.

I remember here at Georgia Tech I met a friend who could relate to me through football. Both of our parents went to the University of Tennessee. As soon as both of us realized this connection we began to tell the stories our parents told us about the, "good old days" of Tennessee Football. We were both Yellow Jackets now but because of the strong emphasis that football plays in the south the stories our families had passed down were similar. Our families came from completely different backgrounds but because of football we had something in common.

Economically football is a good thing for the south. The emphasis that is placed on football in the south makes a majority of the teams in the region strive for excellence. This means that more tickets are sold and more revenue is made. Here in the south one of the largest aspects of football comes in the form of tailgating. The amount of money spent on tailgating is ridiculous and because of it a lot of money is spent and made. Football is not only and intricate part of the culture and tradition of the south but also the economy.

Here is an interesting paper on the economic impacts of college football on Michigan. It's interesting to see how much money is being spent and made.

Topic: Southern Sport

Football is a sport that is mainly played in America, and it seems to have become part of the southern culture. It is respected spectator sport that is present in many colleges and has both brought both money and publication to the schools. There are a few Northern schools that have successful football teams such as Boston College, but when I think of a football school I think of schools in the South. People seem to live from one football game to the next as they cheer for their favorite teams and follow their statistics. Football players are extremely respected in the South and many college football players get scholarships due to their athletic achievements. The SEC and ACC football leagues are the most competitive college football teams and they seem to have an affect the South as a whole. In my view, football has promoted the idea of southern hospitality in the South. People bond over the football games. Many people have family gatherings and hosts parties to watch the game together and meet people through tailgating before games. Furthermore, football brings a sense of pride to the South and to the people who have grown up following college football. When I was at my friends house for the Super Bowl, a few Georgia Tech football players came with us and her aunt, uncle and grandparents told them stories about football back in the days and the great experiences that they had watching the sport. Whenever I talk to my friends at Georgia Tech and their parents, they have memories that revolve around football and their love for the sport. It seems that it is creating history.

What do you think? Describe a personal experience that shows how football has affected the atmosphere and culture in the South? Do you feel that it has become a main part of people’s lives? Additionally, how does football affect the South economically?

Plantations

Living in Charleston, South Carolina, I have noticed the preservation of the southern plantation home. The South has tried to get rid of its history of slavery and racism, but they still preserve places that are affiliated or linked to those topics. In Charleston, plantations are huge tourist attractions. For example, Drayton Hall (pictured left), is one of the most popular in Charleston and people are willing to pay $15 to see it. That blows my mind because the house is the only neat attraction on the property. The tour shows the visitors some of the slave huts and marshland, but it is not worth $15 dollars in my opinion. Plantations are historical in both good and bad ways. The good is that the south has always been a major contributor to agricultural production. In the 1800's the economy and country depended on the plantations for vegetables, tobacco, cotton, etc. The country, today, still needs the south for agricultural production. To whites, this property represents history of early agriculture in the south. To African-Americans, these properties remind them of what their ancestors went through. I guess that is why most of the plantations visitors are white and not african-american. If cities had to get rid of whites only signs and integrate schools, why do plantations still exist? I am not against having them at all, but they do represent slavery. Plantations are a main of southern culture and history, which is why they remain a popular tourist attraction.

The Confederate Flag

A holdover that I have noticed since attending a school in the south is the presence of the southern pride and history through the Confederate flag. I was not exposed to the history of the South in high school, but when I went on a trip to several southern states a few years ago, I saw cars with Confederate flag bumper stickers, Confederate flags on peoples porches, and people wearing clothing displaying the Confederate flags from popular stores such as Dixie Outfitters. The mission statement on the Dixie Outfitters website states, “Dixie Outfitters is proud to be Southern and proud of our ancestors who fought and died in the War for Southern Independence.” This store is trying to educate people about the flag and is keeping this flag present in order to advertise their feelings about it. The Confederate flag still exists in many television shows and there are even people in the North who wear clothes with the Confederate flags from Dixie Outfitters. When I lived in Massachusetts I would see people wearing clothes that displayed the Confederate flags from Dixie Outfitters because they thought that they looked cool, but they did not know about the flags origin and what it stands for. The Georgia flag was changed due to its connotation with racism, discrimination and slavery, but many people in the south fight to bring back the original flag. In 2003, Georgia changed its state flag again to a flag that is very similar to the original Confederate flag. Some people believe that the Confederate flag is a sign of the southern history and the right of the people to govern themselves. Even though it is not the Georgia Flag anymore, people still display it in order to raise awareness and show that they still support their idea of what this flag stands for. People claim that this flag represents all confederates regardless of race and gender.

Topic of the Week - Holdovers from Years Past

In the past weeks, we have discussed a number of social and societal characteristics of the South, some of which are historical holdovers still in existence in one form or another today. For example, Southern hospitality is still with us, whether it be through daily life in the South or through representations in advertisements or magazines, such as Southern Living.

Other properties of the South, such as slavery and associated Jim Crow laws, have largely been eradicated in the South, as well as the rest of the United States. Additionally, stereotypes of the South exist, many of which stem around racism and ideas of “dumb rednecks” and are oftentimes either outdated or grounded entirely in fiction, rather than reality. A good example of this would be the inbred backwoods rednecks depicted in the movie, Deliverance. Having been born and raised in south Georgia, I have seen my fair share of ignorance and signs of inbreeding, but nothing coming anywhere near the depictions illustrated in Deliverance. A good example of pitiful stereotyping can be taken from our readings during the first week of class - the AJC article on Senator Voinovich and Mencken’s analysis of the South in Sahara of the Bozart.

One very interesting, controversial, and thought-provoking holdover from Jim Crow laws of old actually involves gun laws in Georgia. I considered omitting this, as gun laws are always a controversial topic, but being an avid firearms enthusiast, I always find it amusing (reads: annoying and exasperating) when people refer to the “loose” gun laws of the South. In this report, the history of how Georgia’s gun laws are rooted in racism and why they are surprisingly strict still today is explained in sufficient detail, including an objective explanation of the 1906 Atlanta Race Riots. For anyone interested, it is a good read.

For this week’s blog discussion, I would like for each of you to try and find some property or characteristic of the South - either good or bad - which exists today as a holdover from the past. Feel free to elaborate on any of the broad topics I have brought up, but try and find a few specific examples to reinforce your argument.

Influential Artist: Johnny Cash

Welcome to the Future

In true Southern fashion, I think I’ll be polite and refrain from comment on Usher and his Braves cap collection. Not a word.

I’d like to focus on Brad Paisley’s Welcome to the Future, a song which really reflects on the transformations of the United States, and in particular, the South, over many decades. He brings up so many great images, from childhood recollections that really bring out how far technology has progressed (and how technology can make you feel really dated), to other experiences which highlight the breaking down of cultural boundaries, noting WWII and Japan in particular.

I feel like this song is particularly relevant to the South, as Southerners often gets a bad rap, IMHO, for being dumb rednecks, generally. This type of a message coming from a Country music singer is at the least, a statement.

The one thing about this song that really bugs me, though, is when he says, “Wake up Martin Luther.” Clearly, he’s referring to Martin Luther King, Jr., but his effort to make that particular passage rhyme makes me grit my teeth, because he’s technically calling out the M.L. of the Protestant Reformation, rather than MLK, Jr. We get the point, though.

Can you Hear the Change?

When I consider my knowledge about the south, I see that I know some things really well and others not at all. The topic when it comes to southern identity that I feel I know least about is southern music. The south was home to many famous singers that have made an impact on not only the country but also helped define southern identity. Try and pick one singer or songwriter that you believe has greatly influenced music in the south and has helped to define southern identity. Explain why you picked your choice.

Another aspect of southern music that I also would like some opinions on is the transformation that is going on in the south. I feel as if the current south is changing from the usual country music listening region into a more diverse music scene filled with hip-hop, rap, and R&B. You may not feel this way, but explain why or why not a new transformed musical south is forming. If you believe that a transformation is occurring or has already occurred explain what this transformation is and why it happened.

I think the south was this...

But now is also this...

But wait, I forgot about Jazz...

"Sweet Southern Comfort"

When I think of the south, I think of sweet tea, country music, and southern hospitality, just to name a few. Hospitality is one of the many great aspects of the south and it is highly praised. I once heard on an NPR newscast that Japanese and Southern people smile the most compared to the rest of the world. Every time I travel outside the south, I immediately notice the difference in how people act and treat a stranger. The youtube video exaggerates how many southerners act, but people do go out of the way to acknowledge or smile at a stranger on the street. When I walk into a restaurant in the south, I usually get a smile and "Hey, how are y'all doing today." I do not feel the same when I travel to another region like the north, but maybe I have a biased view, since I have lived in the south all my life. Just look at Buddy the Elf in his visit to New York City and how the people ignore his friendly nature.

Generally, the south has a laid back culture and I believe it translates into how we treat one another. The north has more of a blunt and quick paced culture which translates into how they converse with people and how they drive their cars. Since the south has a warmer climate year round, I think that translates into warmer and more friendly people. I work at a coffee shop back home and over winter break I served a lady from Akron, Ohio. While I was making her drink, she asked me a few questions. When I answered them, I responded with a yes ma'am or no ma'am before every question. She stopped after one question and said, "I enjoy coming to the south because I love hearing ma'am, sir, and y'all. Up in Ohio, you never hear any of that." Since I serve many northerners every year, I enjoy showing them some true southern charm.

Three years ago I moved from Davidson, NC (about 45 minutes north of Charlotte) to a community thirty minutes outside of Charleston called Seabrook Island. Seabrook is a hot bed for retirees, especially those from northern states like Ohio and New York. When we moved into our neighborhood in Davidson, our neighbors came over to introduce themselves and they usually brought a baked good with them as well. When we moved to Seabrook, the exact opposite occurred. Only one or two of our neighbors came to introduce themselves. Last year we met a neighbor who lives two houses down and they had not realized that we had been in our house for two years. That shows the effort she made in knowing the people around her. I believe that not knowing your neighbors takes away from the community feel and makes you feel isolated. If Seabrook was a typical southern community, I would know all the neighbors around me and their names. I enjoy traveling to other regions of the United States, but I always look forward to coming back home to the south. I love southern hospitality and I hope it continues to improve.

My Idea of Southern Hospitality

When I think of southern hospitality I think of my life in Israel. I lived in Israel up until fourth grade and then I moved to Massachusetts. We were friends with all of our neighbors and when a new neighbor moved in we always made baked goods and gave them a housewarming gift. If anyone ever needed a place to stay the doors were always open and there were always people willing to help. Furthermore, before moving to America I did not know that TV dinners existed. There was always a home cooked meal where ever I went. When I moved to Massachusetts, no one came to welcome us, and till this day I do not know most of my neighbors. When I go over my friend’s houses their parents order takeout and are much more distant. Their doors are not always open, and it is a lot more difficult to ask for a favor. People are always in a hurry and don’t have time for anything. When my mom and I first came to visit Georgia Tech, we were amazed by how nice people were. When we went into a store people asked us how our day was going and if we asked someone for directions, several people stopped to help. When I think of southern hospitality I think of big dinners, neighbors helping each other, and people welcoming their friends and treating them as family. A few years ago, I went on a trip to several states in the south and we stayed with host families. When we were at their house we became part of the family and the community. If anything was wrong they were there to help, and they cleared up their schedule to spend time with us. I have not experiences hospitality like this since I moved to Massachusetts. I still keep in touch with the families. I think that southern hospitality still exists and people who practice this meet people who they would not have met otherwise, and form long lasting connections.

Southern Hospitality: More than a Phrase

When I hear the phrase, “southern hospitality” I see visions of people welcoming people. I see people bringing food for neighbors who have moved in, lending a hand on those everyday tasks, and welcoming people they have just met into their homes. Southern hospitality is something that I believe could change the world if everyone adopted it.

The south was built on old southern values. Southern hospitality stems from the strong sense of community and respect. Some sociologists do say that southern hospitality is just a way to brush away the bad history, but in my opinion even if it is true it doesn’t matter. Even if the phrase was just used as a PR response, it has become part of the south. People in the south are hospitable and that makes it one of the nicest regions in the U.S.

I have seen southern hospitality, but I have only seen it in small towns. In the bigger cities this word is just another phrase thrown around to describe the old south. The new large southern cities have become machines. There is no need for this much emotion. The cities have become dog eat dog. Traditionally the north has been urbanized and has never developed this hospitality.

I remember being in the small town of Shelbyville, Tennessee and seeing southern hospitability in progress. I saw a man carrying a large amount of building materials out of the local Home Depot and another man was walking in. He saw the first man couldn’t handle all of the material and volunteered to help him carry his materials back to his truck. I’ve seen someone help the casual wonderer pick up something, but to help the person load it into their vehicle I think is just another small glance into southern hospitality. I know it’s more than a phrase because I choose to live my life with southern hospitality in mind.

Topic of the Week: Southern Hospitality