Jason A. Peterson
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781496808202
- eISBN:
- 9781496808240
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781496808202.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Media Studies
This chapter analyzes the press coverage of Mississippi State’s 1958-59 SEC championship season and the subsequent debate surrounding the team’s possible entry into the integrated NCAA tournament. ...
More
This chapter analyzes the press coverage of Mississippi State’s 1958-59 SEC championship season and the subsequent debate surrounding the team’s possible entry into the integrated NCAA tournament. From the team’s February 9, 1959, victory over basketball juggernaut The University of Kentucky until MSU president Ben Hilbun’s February 28, 1959, announcement that the Maroons would decline the invitation to the NCAA tournament, journalists and editors in the Magnolia State debated the merits of MSU entry into college basketball’s postseason. Despite the progressive efforts of Jackson State Times sports editor Jimmie McDowell, most journalists supported Mississippi’s white way of life and gave little credence to the athletic and, more importantly, the social justification for integration.Less
This chapter analyzes the press coverage of Mississippi State’s 1958-59 SEC championship season and the subsequent debate surrounding the team’s possible entry into the integrated NCAA tournament. From the team’s February 9, 1959, victory over basketball juggernaut The University of Kentucky until MSU president Ben Hilbun’s February 28, 1959, announcement that the Maroons would decline the invitation to the NCAA tournament, journalists and editors in the Magnolia State debated the merits of MSU entry into college basketball’s postseason. Despite the progressive efforts of Jackson State Times sports editor Jimmie McDowell, most journalists supported Mississippi’s white way of life and gave little credence to the athletic and, more importantly, the social justification for integration.
Jason A. Peterson
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781496808202
- eISBN:
- 9781496808240
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781496808202.003.0003
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Media Studies
This chapter details the press coverage of the 1960-61 Mississippi State basketball team, which won its second SEC championship and spurred another press-based argument over integrated athletic ...
More
This chapter details the press coverage of the 1960-61 Mississippi State basketball team, which won its second SEC championship and spurred another press-based argument over integrated athletic competition. As detailed in this chapter, during the final month of the 1960-61 college basketball season for the SEC champion Maroons, Mississippi’s journalists supported and enforced the unwritten law and the Closed Society. While a similar argument existed for journalists in the Magnolia State in terms of the merits of the unwritten law, in total, the passion and commentary from Mississippi State’s 1958-59 season was lacking as only a select few argued for the Maroons to participate in the postseason, much less acknowledge the opportunity lost. Despite this level of neglect from the majority of Mississippi’s reporters, a degree of social progress could be found in Mississippi’s sports sections Vicksburg Daily News' Billy Ray and Dick Lightsey of the Biloxi-based Daily Herald, who joined the crusade of Jackson State Times’ Jimmie McDowell’s against the unwritten law, albeit for the chance at postseason glory.Less
This chapter details the press coverage of the 1960-61 Mississippi State basketball team, which won its second SEC championship and spurred another press-based argument over integrated athletic competition. As detailed in this chapter, during the final month of the 1960-61 college basketball season for the SEC champion Maroons, Mississippi’s journalists supported and enforced the unwritten law and the Closed Society. While a similar argument existed for journalists in the Magnolia State in terms of the merits of the unwritten law, in total, the passion and commentary from Mississippi State’s 1958-59 season was lacking as only a select few argued for the Maroons to participate in the postseason, much less acknowledge the opportunity lost. Despite this level of neglect from the majority of Mississippi’s reporters, a degree of social progress could be found in Mississippi’s sports sections Vicksburg Daily News' Billy Ray and Dick Lightsey of the Biloxi-based Daily Herald, who joined the crusade of Jackson State Times’ Jimmie McDowell’s against the unwritten law, albeit for the chance at postseason glory.
Jason A. Peterson
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781496808202
- eISBN:
- 9781496808240
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781496808202.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Media Studies
During the civil rights era, Mississippi was cloaked in the hateful embrace of the Closed Society, historian James Silver’s description of the white caste system that enforced segregation and ...
More
During the civil rights era, Mississippi was cloaked in the hateful embrace of the Closed Society, historian James Silver’s description of the white caste system that enforced segregation and promoted the subservient treatment of blacks. Surprisingly, challenges from Mississippi’s college basketball courts brought into question the validity of the Closed Society and its unwritten law, a gentleman’s agreement that prevented college teams in the Magnolia State from playing against integrated foes. Mississippi State University was at the forefront of the battle for equality in the state with the school’s successful college basketball program. From 1959 through 1963, the Maroons won four Southeastern Conference basketball championships and created a championship dynasty in the South’s preeminent college athletic conference. However, in all four title-winning seasons, the press feverishly debated the merits of an NCAA appearance for the Maroons, culminating in Mississippi State University’s participation in the integrated 1963 National Collegiate Athletic Association’s National Championship basketball tournament. Full Court Press examines news articles, editorials, and columns published in Mississippi’s newspapers during the eight-year existence of the gentleman’s agreement, the challenges posed by Mississippi State University, and the subsequent integration of college basketball within the state. While the majority of reporters opposed any effort to integrate athletics, a segment of sports journalists, led by the charismatic Jimmie McDowell of the Jackson State Times, emerged as bold and progressive advocates for equality. Full Court Press highlights an ideological metamorphosis within the press during the Civil Rights Movement, slowly transforming from an organ that minimized the rights of blacks to an industry that weighted the plight of blacks on equal footing with their white brethren.Less
During the civil rights era, Mississippi was cloaked in the hateful embrace of the Closed Society, historian James Silver’s description of the white caste system that enforced segregation and promoted the subservient treatment of blacks. Surprisingly, challenges from Mississippi’s college basketball courts brought into question the validity of the Closed Society and its unwritten law, a gentleman’s agreement that prevented college teams in the Magnolia State from playing against integrated foes. Mississippi State University was at the forefront of the battle for equality in the state with the school’s successful college basketball program. From 1959 through 1963, the Maroons won four Southeastern Conference basketball championships and created a championship dynasty in the South’s preeminent college athletic conference. However, in all four title-winning seasons, the press feverishly debated the merits of an NCAA appearance for the Maroons, culminating in Mississippi State University’s participation in the integrated 1963 National Collegiate Athletic Association’s National Championship basketball tournament. Full Court Press examines news articles, editorials, and columns published in Mississippi’s newspapers during the eight-year existence of the gentleman’s agreement, the challenges posed by Mississippi State University, and the subsequent integration of college basketball within the state. While the majority of reporters opposed any effort to integrate athletics, a segment of sports journalists, led by the charismatic Jimmie McDowell of the Jackson State Times, emerged as bold and progressive advocates for equality. Full Court Press highlights an ideological metamorphosis within the press during the Civil Rights Movement, slowly transforming from an organ that minimized the rights of blacks to an industry that weighted the plight of blacks on equal footing with their white brethren.
