Sports is more than the final score to me. It’s a microcosm of humanity (with more precise rules.) You can, as ABC’s Wide World of Sports used to say, see the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” I love to see my team win. But I really love to see the human drama play out on the court or field. I love to watch athletes who work their butts off to overcome odds and succeed.
I went to a school outside of Mississippi. My general take on Mississippi sports is that I always pull for a Mississippi team (unless they are playing my college team — I spent too much money there.) If two Mississippi teams are playing, I pull for the underdog. It’s a philosophy that has served me well over the years.
I say that to point out that I’m not a homer for Ole Miss. Or State. Or Southern Miss or Jackson State or Belhaven or Virginia College’s chess team. Nor do I dislike any of the teams. I have met Scott Stricklin, the AD at State and am personally impressed with him. And after listening to the press conference yesterday, I think Archie Manning, Mike Glenn and the rest of the search committee found an impressive counterpart for Ole Miss. Ross Bjork walked into the room and laid out the principles on what Ole Miss football would stand for –it will be build on a foundation of excellence. I liked it when he said the coaches would never take the logo off. That they would represent the University at all times. And that the program would be built on integrity. It was a strong first impression.
Like I said, sports is a microcosm of the world around us. And Bjork’s principles, work ethic and track record show he is poised to set a powerful example of how to be successful. I look forward to watching his career in Mississippi and learning a thing or two.