Is The Ole Miss Regional Site In Jeopardy? NAACP Asks NCAA To Move Site

Is The Ole Miss Regional Site In Jeopardy? NAACP Asks NCAA To Move Site

NAACP asks NCAA to move Ole Miss softball regional tournament to another site due to state flag.

May 17, 2017 by Chez Sievers
Is The Ole Miss Regional Site In Jeopardy? NAACP Asks NCAA To Move Site
The NAACP is putting pressure on the NCAA to move the Ole Miss regional site. The Washington Times reported that the civil rights group is asking the NCAA to move the regional tournament because the Mississippi state flag contains the Confederate battle emblem.

Mississippi is the only state to keep the Confederate emblem in its state flag. The Confederate emblem is considered to be a "racist hate symbol" to many Americans.

Ole Miss is scheduled to host its first regional in school history in Oxford, MS, on May 19-21, 2017. The Rebels also won their first SEC Tournament Championship as the No. 8 seed.

Since 2001, the NCAA has not scheduled a "pre-selected championship," such as a football bowl game, in a state where the Confederate flag flies prominently. However, the NCAA allows schools in those states to host events in which the team earns a home-field advantage. That is why the Mississippi State women's basketball team hosted NCAA tournament games in Starkville in March.

"Championships where student-athletes earn the opportunity to play a championship on their own campus are not covered in the Confederate flag policy," NCAA spokeswoman Gail Dent said Tuesday. "This distinction is consistent with the NCAA's commitment to student-athletes."

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