Ole Miss Football: Grove Grinder, Dismal numbers point to problem

This past weekend coach Matt Luke and Ole Miss football finished the spring in the 2019 Grove Bowl in front of a very sparse crowd.

Saturday we watched the future of the Ole Miss football program in the 2019 Grove Bowl and on the field the Rebels looked good. In the Vaught Rebels fans were absent. While the annual spring scrimmage was extremely vanilla we did see some great football and some big plays on both sides of the ball. We also saw a relatively empty stadium for something which should be revered.

OHT tries to avoid major issues like politics when it comes to amateur college athletics. However, as a die-hard fan for everything Ole Miss there is no more denying the obvious. We already know the U of M has had some hard times over the years and it seems we have finally lost our way in the new PC culture which revolves around Oxford.

We’ve Lost A Lot

Ole Miss Rebels

Over the years we have seen Colonel Reb taken off the field. Also gone are the days of the Rebels battle flag and ‘From Dixie With Love’ all of which were icons for all Ole Miss fans. Over recent seasons we have seen 2 new mascots which most Rebels fans have thought to be embarrassments. The black bear didn’t make it long and now the Ole Miss admin are pushing ‘Tony the Landshark’ down our throat.

The new PC culture surrounding the University of Mississippi hasn’t been pretty and during the basketball season there was negative attention drawn towards a great season with the confederate monument removal protest and subsequent kneeling by Ole Miss basketball players during the National Anthem.

While we may not like what the new world has suddenly become  you can’t deny its effect on Ole Miss fans and we watched it Saturday. Rebels are tired and rightfully so. Lack of numbers suck and we all know it.

Where Does It Stop?

This leaves most Rebels fans in a terrible conundrum. I’ve been a Ole Miss fan for 53 years and have seen the progression of the PC culture for myself. I’ve seen everything which has happened to our beloved flagship and it truly hurts. Seeing our traditions and our own culture stripped away doesn’t make this an easy ride.

It’s not fair and it surely isn’t right to be on either side of the ordeal when it comes to where we came from. But in our case at Ole Miss there have been few students or alumni who’ve had a chance to truly deal with it. The changes which have been forced on us have been the choices of a select few and it is apparent. The whole thing stops when Ole Miss fans quit throwing their money at the Oxford coffers or somebody in Oxford suffers from a guilty conscience.

Oxford Elite, Wake Up

My own personal opinions are not really what counts here. It’s the incredible power of donations which come into the picture which should be your concern. Way before Ed Meeks’ name was taken off the Ole Miss Meek’s School of Journalism the U of M had quit receiving my ticket renewals. I actually stopped my ticket purchases when Vitter and Bjork threw Hugh Freeze under the bus and didn’t renew AK’s contract. I’m surprised it took some of you this much.

I don’t blame Jeff Vitter or AD Ross Bjork for the matters. Both were doing exactly what they were instructed to do by the powers that be. When you look at the Freeze situation you have to believe it was the same people who hired him who ultimately had the final say in what his future would be. When it comes to AK, well apparently he isn’t doing too bad right now. While one or both programs may be headed into better directions you have to admit both coaching situations were handled wrongly. You know its true.

I may get taken in as a pawn but I will never be a pawn in a richer mans game and apparently most Ole Miss football fans woke up for the 2019 Nissan Grove Bowl because it was a sad turnout.  Blame the Oxford weather or just slap us across the face. Either way the numbers of Rebels butts in the seats were very bad and this will likely continue. None of us like to have our noses rubbed in manure, but sadly we have. We await to see where it bleeds among other Ole Miss Athletics.

While one Ole Miss fan estimated around 9K in the Vaught for the 2019 Grove Bowl there was maybe half that number at best. April 1st we learned ticket sales were down by almost 9K and the annual spring game was evident. Apparently those 9,000 Rebels sat at home and may have watched but we doubt it. With what I saw and what recently has happened tells me they were probably working in their yards on Saturday. What matters most to the bottom line in 2019 should certainly tell us. Hotty Toddy!