Ole Miss Rebels Effect on Integrated Sports

I believe the way that Ole Miss was integrated and the way that the school took to it greatly effected the way sports were played and viewed in this country. In the movie there were clear problems with the integrating process. There were riots and even opposition from school officials like the dean who continued to reject the presidents requests of letting James Merideth enroll. These problems continued and started to effect the schools beloved sports especially football. On a personal level we see great effect of the players. Buck Randle someone who was so feared and was so high in the Ole Miss community was effected. He couldn't stop the riots even if he pleaded with "fans." Then on a bigger level the games were effected. The people of Ole Miss wanted to protest but in a different way: The Confederate Flag. The Confederate Flag was a symbol of the racist south and was tradition at a school like Ole Miss with similar school colors and fans bringing the flags into games. Another tradition that runs through Ole Miss is the song of Dixie. This was another way of protesting integration rather than rioting. Dixie has a racist connotation due to the time period when it broke out in popularity when the South seceded from the Union however it was used at games as the "fight song." This for a time effected seasons and effected sports however as time moved on and as the school began to become more integrated, black students make up 14 percent of the school and is on the rise, the traditions began to change. For starters the mascot, Colonel Reb, has changed to a black bear. Colonel Reb was a confederate colonel and the new mascot happens to show integration. A black bear to me shows the black population at the school and in Mississippi and the hat on the bear looks like something an old white man would wear in the south. The playing of Dixie as the fight song has also changed into Hotty Toddy which doesn't have such a negative and racist connotation and relation to the old south. It is very contradictory however that the school name is Ole Miss due to old traditions that were deep rooted were changed. To me its somewhat of a New Miss with new traditions and a history that should be acknowledged and changed.