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Oxford Selected as No. 8 Football Town in America by HeroSports
By Talbert Toole
Lifestyles Editor
talbert.toole@hottytoddy.com
Photo by Talbert Toole.
The Ole Miss football team and fan base have faced consequences on and off the field recently from smackdowns by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to a mixture of opinions on the university’s new mascot—Tony the Landshark—resulting in an internal shift.
However, Oxford was recently ranked eighth in the nation as one of the top best college towns by HeroSports.com.
Photo via HERO Sports
“With a team that struggles to win consistently, the bright spot in Oxford is right outside the stadium,” the article states.
The article stated that like most college towns, the city of Oxford is reflective of its university rather than the university being reflected of the town it resides in.
Outside of The Historic Square’s ambiance, the author of the article, Wai Sallas, looked at Oxford and Ole Miss from two different angles—the good and the bad.
Photo via HERO Sports
The Good
Sallas described the wonderful area that Ole Miss fans and LOU residents have come to love and celebrate the Rebels football victories and their loses—The Grove.
“Nothing compares to the 10-acre plot of land with a university budget,” he stated. “Mississippi is so infatuated with the idea of having a good time that its fight song and/or rallying cry is Hotty Toddy.”
The Bad
Sallas the downside to Oxford and Ole Miss is its connection with the Confederacy and Southern Heritage.
“The racial undercurrent that flows through Ole Miss and the history that has been embraced and attempted to be exposed rather than hidden can sometimes give off a palpable tension that is sometimes uncomfortable,” Sallas stated.
Photo via HERO Sports
Read “Top 100 College Football Towns in America: No. 8 Oxford, Mississippi,” for the full story.
| Sat, Aug 31 |  | vs Furman | W, 76-0 |
| Sat, Sep 7 |  | vs Middle Tennessee | W, 52-3 |
| Sat, Sep 14 |  | @ Wake Forest | W, 40-6 |
| Sat, Sep 21 |  | vs Georgia Southern | W, 52-13 |
| Sat, Sep 28 |  | vs Kentucky | L, 20-17 |
| Sat, Oct 5 |  | @ South Carolina | W, 27-3 |
| Sat, Oct 12 |  | vs LSU | L, 29-26 (2 OT) |
| Sat, Oct 26 |  | vs Oklahoma | W, 26-14 |
| Sat, Nov 2 |  | @ Arkansas | W, 63-35 |
| Sat, Nov 16 |  | vs Georgia | W, 28-10 |
| Sat, Nov 23 |  | @ Florida | 11:00 AM ABC or ESPN |
| Sat, Nov 30 |  | vs Mississippi State | 2:30 PM ESPN or ABC |
Patrice Adcock
August 22, 2018 at 7:41 pm
Mr. Toole,
It is sad that we Mississippians let other states and people that do not live in Mississippi act like we are the only state with racial problems. They need to come to Mississippians live here and see that we two races live together better here than many states. It is time to let this myth go and we Mississippians let others know this. Just because the south believes in their heritage does not mean we are racial. Most of the men that fought in the war between the states were poor and was fighting for state rights, not to have slaves. Even then war was about money and power.
I walk around Oxford and all I see is respect between all the races are here. I am proud to be part of Oxford and of the South. We are not the evil racial people want us to be.