SEC: A Tradition of Excellence

These past couple of years a team from the SouthEastern Conference, whether it be Florida, LSU, or Bama, has been in the NCAA National Championship Bowl Game. At the college level where talent is in no way evenly distributed a lot of this success has to be credited to the caliber of player found in the SEC. What is it then that draws five star recruits from across the nation to the hot and humid American South? The answer to that is history. Amazingly a schools past has a major impact on its athletic future. Alabama, our 2010 National Champions, has won the most national championship titles with a total of 13. This tradition draws young talent from sea to shining sea who seek victory in the highest degree. This year the SEC is expected to dominated signing day with five schools with top ten recruiting classes. View recruits here http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/

SEC Football

It is clear that when it comes to major college football, the SEC is the most powerful conference. If you look at the final rankings from this previous season, two of the top three teams in the country came from the SEC including the national champion Alabama. I think the reason for this begins early on. Football is a major part of southern culture. Children are taught from an early age that football is the best sport and they tend to choose football when they begin playing sports. This is in contrast to in other regions of the country where baseball, basketball, and hockey pull in atheletes. I can attest to this fact due to first hand experience. My highschool was a football powerhouse. Sightings of SEC head football coaches such as Mark Richt(UGA), Urban Meyer(UF), and Nick Saban(Alabama) recruiting North Gwinnett atheletes were not uncommon. Jared Cook, now of the NFL's Tennessee Titans, played tight end for my highschool before leaving for SEC football(South Carolina) and then the NFL. South Eastern Conference dominance over major college football is a very true thing and is a product of southern culture

SEC football

I come from a UGA family. My grandpa was the first person from my family to attend college after WW2 with the GI Bill and he went to UGA. Since then, practically everyone in my family has gone to UGA..except for me of course. In this environment, its easy to see the love of football since everything revolved around gameday. The reason for the SEC domination is of course priorities. Since football is such a big part of Southern culture, high school football in the south is stressed and boosters put so much money into the schools, including my school at one point the largest booster in the state of Georgia. With the stressing of good football programs, more quality recruits are produced who intern make their way to SEC schools which also have large boosters that direct their resources at Football. It's a cycle that feeds itself. Boosters buy the best coaches Urban Meyer, Mark Richt, Nick Saban, and also afford to build the largest stadiums which attracts alumni and again feeds into the boosters.

Veterans of the Confederacy

The Sons of the Confederacy, or the Sons of Confederate Veterans, is often misunderstood as clinging to the most negative part of southern history. As posted on their website the SCV was "Organized at Richmond, Virginia in 1896, (and) continues to serve as a historical, patriotic, and non-political organization dedicated to ensuring that a true history of the 1861-1865 period is preserved. Instead of being an embodiment of rebellions past, the group honors those who died during the Civil War who are often overlooked because of the purposes which they fought. More American lives were lost during the Civil War than any war the US has been a part of and it is only right that all the lives that were lost are properly honored.

!!SEC Football!!

Growing up in Alabama you are fed Alabama football everyday for breakfeast, lunch, and dinner. For all schools in the southeastern conference football takes first dividends and is part of everday life. When an SEC school plays outside its conference 9 out of 10 times they are picked to win; why is that? Why do SEC football teams seem to have an innate advatange. Investigate this claim to see if it is derived in truth or just trash talk. This article will help you.

Response to Sons of Confederacy

Personally, I think that there is nothing wrong with preserving history as long as it is not tainted in any way. People have a right to express their beliefs, feelings etc with out having the fear of censureship. On the other hand when people see images such as the one below I would be willing to bet that most people wouldn't think by sitting there holdind a confederate flag that you would be the most friendly person to walk up and talk to. In the end the Sons of Confederacy are just passing down through the generations what is important to them making sure that memories aren't whisked away by this eraser called time.

Sons of Confedercy

http://www.scv.org/One of the things I've seen and heard about growing up are the Sons of the Confedercy. I know my uncle has joined Sons of the Confedercy and you can see their emblems on liscences plates from time to time. This organization prides itself on honoring the Southern veterns of the Civil war and Southern heritage. They also keep a strong relationship with the Military Order of the Stars and Bars. Do you see any relevance in such organizations in todays South and do you find any problems with them.

Sunday Brunch

     In the South, large elaborate home-cooked brunches are a part of the culture. Brunch can be a weekly tradition or an occasional celebration, but it is almost always a grandiose feast of savory dishes. Because brunch is a combination of lunch and breakfast, it offers a wide variety of food; omelets, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, fried okra, cornbread, green beans, hush puppies, pork chops, and grits can all be included.
      Many restaurants in the Atlanta region also offer brunch as part of their menu. The Flying Biscuit, Murphy's, J Christopher's, and The Nook all serve Southern comfort foods daily.
     Not only is brunch a delicious meal, it also serves as a time when families can spend time together and bond. Because many Southerners carry the tradition of having Sunday brunch, family members get a chance to relax and have conversations over a meal. Could brunch be the reason why Southern families are usually so close-knit?

Below is a video of Watershed Restaurant's chef, Scott Peacock, demonstrating his version of Southern brunch.

Southern Food

In Augusta, Sconyers is the premier barbque restraunt. Originally established in the 1950's, Sconyers has stayed open with great pulled pork and great hash. On weekends, the parking lot is always full and you must order several days in advance on special holidays like the Fourth of July. During the Carter administration, Sconyers also catered for the White House.

Southern Food

Because Igrew up in a large Italian family, I understand the importance of food to a culture. If you read my proposal, you would know that this is why I have chosen to base my research this semester on food as it relates to southern identity. That leads to the the following video clip.


Paula Deen is a great representation of southern identity. She lost both parents befor the age of 19 and suffered from agoraphobia. She used the comforts associated with cooking southern food to cope with these hardships. This eventually led to her becoming an expert in southern food which led to her current position with a popular Food Network show. This leads to my question and the topic of this weeks blog: Find another example in todays society about how southern food affects southern identity.

No South: Urbanization

I think the notion that southern identity is being destroyed by urbanization and turning the South into the "No South" is true to a certain extent. I have lived in metro Atlanta for seventeen of my eighteen years on this earth. Despite this fact, when most people first meet me they assume i was born and raised in New York. I think this is mostly because of the fact that my parents are both transplants from New York. The urbanization of Atlanta and other parts of the south has led to an increased incidence of this. For example, two of my fathers high school friends from a small town outside of New York City live within 10 miles of us today(completely coincidentally). Also, if you attend Atlanta sporting events like I do(season tickets for the Falcons) you will notice how attendence swells when popular teams from other regions come to town(Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Yankees, etc.) This fact that Atlanta is a very diverse place filled with many non-southerners is a major reason why i do not have a very good grip on southern identity even though i grew up in the south. Therefore, because I have seen this in Atlanta, i agree with the Author of Teresas article somewhat because i can't speak for the rest of the south.

You can take the boy out of Dixie but you can't take the Dixie out of the boy

"We've had the Solid South, the Old South and the New South. But are we heading toward a "No South"?" - Is the South now losing its own individuality due to urbanization?

Urbanization will never take away what makes a person truly southern. With the South's diverse terrain it is hard to say that a suburban or country lifestyle defines Dixie. It is not where you live but the intangibles like the values, food, and the music that determines who you are. Southerners are recognized as hospitable and the all around nicest folk you'll have the good fortune of passing time with.They have been depicted as such in popular tv shows from Andy Griffith to Family Guy*. We are raised to always show respect to elders and kindness towards strangers. I can remember from my childhood being taught to say yes and no ma'am to adults and use please and thank you more often than periods. And no matter how urban the South gets a city will never be able to change the regions love for boiled peanuts, sweet tea, BBQ, peach cobbler, dirty south rap, or good ol' country. When it comes down to it, it's not about what you surround yourself with but what you fill yourself with that makes you southern.

*Episode

Southern Identity

This article claims that southern identity is becoming less and less prevalent, slowly heading toward a "No South". It brings up many points, including a specific perspective on identity, cultural mindsets, and religion. Write about your opinion on one or more of the author's following assertions and whether or not you agree:

"We've had the Solid South, the Old South and the New South. But are we heading toward a "No South"?" - Is the South now losing its own individuality due to urbanization?

"The South has become "sort of like a lifestyle, rather than an identity anymore," James Cobb [..] would argue." - The author makes a reference to Martha Stewart's housing development in Raleigh based off of her neighborhoods in New York and Maine. Is the idea of the 'South' similar to New Orleans/Mardi Gras, just an unrealistic concept marketed to consumers?

"When the local paper recently ran a landfill story with the headline "N.C. set to become Yankee dump," he fired off an angry letter wondering when we'd finally get beyond the Civil War references." - Are people still holding onto the Civil War and that strong feud between North vs. South? If so, why?

"And what about the so-called Bible Belt? Are Southerners really more religious than other Americans?" - Do you think that religion plays a bigger role in the lives of Southerners?

Sorry there are a ton questions, you don't have to answer them all... but since I'm still trying to figure out and understand these Southern cultural ideas, your responses would help a lot!