During the past 15 years, Ole Miss has taken a number of steps to remove certain routines during sporting events that have been long connected to the confederacy.
The school took another step Friday. Going forward, the Ole Miss marching band will no longer play ‘Dixie’ during sporting events. The move to remove the song commonly associated with the confederacy was reportedly made “well before” Friday, according to athletics director Ross Bjork.
Bjork said that the move is a way to make sure all feel included at Rebels’ sporting events. Until the 2015 season, the band played the song before every football game and after every Ole Miss touchdown. During this past season, the band only played the song in its pregame routine.
There has been plenty of reaction surrounding this decision. So far, the words from those who play the song have been positive.
The decision to stop playing “Dixie” didn’t surprise senior Megan Walls, a color guard member who said the band, called The Pride of the South, learned the news when members reported for camp last Saturday.
“Just me as a person, not (speaking on behalf of) the band in general, I was just expecting it after the (state) flag came down and how everything’s going on, period,” she said. “I just kind of figured (no longer playing Dixie) was going to be next.
“The athletic department, they decide what’s best for the school, and we do as we’re told. As long as it’s going to help the community and help the school better itself, I’m going to do whatever they tell me to.”
But of course, there are some that are critical of the school for banning the song. Because on the Internet, there always has to be two sides to every story. Of course Clay Travis has a strong opinion on the matter!
https://twitter.com/sbpdl/status/766772830696534016
In reality, this move shouldn’t surprise many. The school has made a number of decisions in recent years to try and get away from past traditions that coincided with confederate tradition. One of the first moves came in 1997 when the school banned sticks from football games in an effort to curtail fans from bringing confederate flags into games. Ole Miss has taken other steps such as remove Colonel Reb as a mascot and stopped selling merchandise featuring the former mascot.