A group of 31 former college athletes who attended and competed for Mississippi colleges and universities asked the leaders of the National College Athletic Association to keep any collegiate regionals and tournaments out of the state until lawmakers get rid of the state flag, which include a Confederate battle flag symbol. The athletes wrote that the flag is "a symbol that has terrorized generations" and "a known symbol of oppression, division and hate."
"We believe it will finally push Mississippi lawmakers to join civic leaders and the business community in solidarity to take action to de-sanction the current Mississippi state flag," the athletes wrote. Here's where the real pressure will come from, though: the NCAA's Southeastern Conference told the state Thursday that it risks losing SEC championship games as long as the flag remains. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told the state "It is past time for change to be made to the flag of the State of Mississippi." He said that "students deserve an opportunity to learn and compete in environments that are inclusive and welcoming to all. […] In the event there is no change, there will be consideration of precluding Southeastern Conference championship events from being conducted in the State of Mississippi."
Leadership at the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University, both members of the SEC, agree. University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce and athletics Vice Chancellor Keith Carter issued a joint statement saying "Mississippi needs a flag that represents the qualities about our state that unite us, not those that still divide us." The president of Mississippi State, Mark E. Keenum, wrote to lawmakers Friday, asking for the change. "Since 2015, our Student Association, Robert Holland Faculty Senate and university administration have been firmly on record in support of changing the state flag," he said in a statement. "I have reiterated that view to our state's leaders on multiple occasions, including during face-to-face discussions in recent days and hours."
Postseason play in Mississippi has been banned for college football and for men's basketball, but other collegiate sports—including all women's sports, as tennis, baseball, and volleyball—don't have that post-season ban. The athletes wrote to the NCAA that the policy "must become more restrictive in order to accomplish needed change," and that "Time is of the essence. […] Because of this current climate of protest and awareness, Mississippi's legislature has spent the past two weeks reviewing and debating laws to change the state flag. Despite public support for a flag change being at an all-time high, Mississippi’s leadership looks as if they will table the issue during the final weeks of the 2020 session."
The legislature is scheduled to go out of session on June 28. Legislation that would change the flag was sidelined this week when Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann referred it to a dead-end committee, the Senate Constitution committee. Hosemann has unilateral power to determine committee assignments, and this one is bullshit. That committee considers changes to the state's constitution. The flag is established by state law, not by the state constitution and thus is not relevant to that committee. The Republican chair of the committee, Sen. Chris Johnson, said he has no intention of advancing the legislation, and thinks it should be decided by the state's voters in a ballot initiative.
Maybe being the pariah of the SEC will be enough for the state's Republican leadership to join the 21st century.