Southern Miss followers are buzzing forward of this weekend’s matchup towards Jackson State, however not the entire pregame chatter has been about soccer. A Fb publish circulating from an account titled Eaglepost has drawn heavy criticism for its condescending tone and thinly veiled racism towards Jackson State supporters, lots of whom proudly signify the HBCU custom.
The publish, written beneath the title Rye Stanford, outlined so-called “guidelines for JSU followers for the USM sport.” What adopted was a laundry checklist of stereotypes directed at Jackson State followers, starting from accusations about littering “rooster packing containers” and “swisher candy wrappers” to mocking their vehicles, music, and habits at tailgates. One line even instructed followers to “preserve your home windows up and your rap down,” a press release that reads much less like game-day etiquette and extra like coded language steeped in racial bias.
Condescension Disguised as Humor
The try at humor within the publish lands as patronizing and insulting. By singling out rooster, rap music, and Dodge Chargers, the author leans into caricatures typically used to demean Black tradition. The publish continues its mockery by portray Jackson State followers as clueless about assigned seating, hooked on smoking “skunk weed,” and incapable of tipping at eating places.
It’s one factor for followers to commerce good-natured trash discuss earlier than an enormous sport, however the tone of this checklist will not be playful banter. As a substitute, it performs straight into stereotypes about Black followers and HBCU tradition, decreasing a complete fanbase to a handful of ugly clichés.
The HBCU Context
Jackson State is among the crown jewels of HBCU soccer, with a protracted historical past of manufacturing NFL expertise and drawing among the largest crowds within the Soccer Championship Subdivision. Its passionate fanbase will not be solely loyal but in addition a key a part of the broader HBCU tradition that has formed American sports activities. For Southern Miss followers to belittle that neighborhood with racialized “guidelines” sends a troubling message.
Including to the irony is the truth that Southern Miss head coach Charles Huff is himself a product of an HBCU. Huff, who took over the Golden Eagles program in 2024, performed school soccer at Hampton College, one other traditionally Black establishment with a proud athletic custom. The concept that followers who will cheer a Southern Miss program led by a Black man who got here by means of the HBCU system whereas making such ‘posts’ is appalling — however not stunning.
The Bigger Downside
This episode underscores a bigger drawback in school athletics: the persistent lack of respect for HBCUs and their supporters. Whether or not it’s tv protection, playoff alternatives, and even pregame commentary, HBCU applications and their followers are too typically handled as lower than their predominantly white counterparts. The Fb publish in query is solely one other instance of the informal racism that these video games convey out.
Simply because Southern Miss is a punching bag for SEC colleges doesn’t imply it has the proper to “punch down” at JSU. Although JSU is an HBCU and has by no means obtained its correct funding, it has a a lot richer soccer historical past and is at the moment a nationally-ranked Division I (albeit FCS) program. Maybe Southern Miss followers would do higher to help their traditionally underachieving program beneath its new chief than to take pictures at Jackson State.
