By Talbert Toole
Lifestyles Editor
talbert.toole@hottytoddy.com
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.
“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.
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.
Read “Top 100 College Football Towns in America: No. 8 Oxford, Mississippi,” for the full story.
