| Wednesday, August 18, 2021 |
| Staff parking lot south of IED Building, east of Longest Student Health Center closed due to construction | |
 | Due to ongoing construction of Bulldog Way, the Staff parking lot south of the IED Building and east of the Longest Student Health Center is closed. The parking lot will reopen following completion of the road connection, which is anticipated for the end of next summer. As a reminder, Staff permits are valid in any Commuter lot. Please contact Parking and Transit Services at 662-325-3526 if you have any questions. |
| Starkville High School band promotes vaccines to perform at home games | |
 | The coronavirus variant is taking its toll on high school band programs. Starkville High School's band members are doing whatever it takes to make sure they're marching on Friday nights. Since July 15th, students in the band have been putting in work to prepare for the Fridays under the lights -- a part of band many students look forward to most each year. Jane Strawderman is one of those students. She's a field commander and has been a part of the band since she was a freshman. However, with the resurgence in coronavirus cases across the state, she worries the season may come to a screeching halt. "I don't want to let other people down especially when all these people mean so much to me," explained Strawderman. Students and staff are taking every precaution to make sure they're on the field every home game. While indoors, the band is sectioned into smaller groups to practice, all instruments have coverings, and masks are required. Along with the changes to practice schedules, over 70% of the band students are fully-vaccinated. |
| 'Heartbreaking': Mississippi gets 2nd field hospital in days | |
 | In normal days, the garage is where people park while visiting Mississippi's only children's hospital, a building next door decorated with a logo of a rainbow and sun. Now air-conditioned tents with beds, monitors and oxygen fill the garage's bottom floor. By Wednesday, coronavirus patients will begin being treated in Mississippi's second field hospital opened within days on the University of Mississippi Medical Center campus. It comes as the surging delta variant of COVID-19 has overwhelmed hospitals in a state with one of the nation's lowest vaccination rates. The first emergency field hospital opened last week with federal government backing after hospitalizations began spiking in Mississippi; this one is being spearheaded by a Christian relief charity Samaritan's Purse. The North Carolina-based relief organization arrived Sunday with more than 50 more medical professionals to erect tents with 32 more beds. University of Mississippi Medical Center spokesperson Marc Rolph was somber about unfolding events. "It's unbelievable that we're doing this again within what? 6 days? Heartbreaking," he said of two field hospitals that have gone up. Mississippi's State Health Officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, knows many of those infected will be young. Unlike earlier surges, this wave is predominately impacting younger, unvaccinated people just as classes are resuming, Dobbs said. More children are hospitalized than ever, and one between the ages of 11 and 17 died just last week. "Instead of seeing women bury their parents, we're seeing women bury their children," he said on a visit Tuesday afternoon. "It's a sad and heartbreaking thing." |
| Diabetes and COVID in Mississippi forge deadly 'perfect storm' | |
 | Amid the worst pandemic in a century, Mississippi is leading the nation in increased diabetes deaths per capita, according to a just-released Diabetes Care study. "It's a perfect storm," said Tim Moore, president and CEO of the Mississippi Hospital Association. "We already have an unhealthy population in Mississippi because of poverty and lower access to health care, and now we have a population that's getting very sick." Mississippi has seen more than 7,880 deaths from COVID-19, as of Tuesday. According to the state Department of Health, diabetes was an underlying condition in 1,347 of those deaths. Researchers found that between Jan. 1 and Nov. 3 of last year, Mississippi (which has a 14.8% adult diabetes rate that trails only West Virginia) saw diabetes deaths rise 1.43 times higher than the historical level. That is the nation's highest. This revelation comes as Mississippi faces its fiercest battle in the pandemic, COVID-19's delta variant causing hospitals to be flooded with people in critical condition, including "young people, expectant mothers and newborns," Moore said. Moore said staffs at Mississippi hospitals are "completely exhausted. I don't see how they're doing it. ... We've got 1,500 fewer nurses than we had during the first wave of the pandemic, and now we're exceeding those numbers." Medical experts are urging those with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes to get the vaccine because research shows that COVID hits them harder, according to the Mayo Clinic. "With diabetes there is more inflammation in the body. And so, with COVID, that inflammatory state gets worse much more quickly, so that could be one reason." |
| U.S. Calls for Covid-19 Booster Shot for People Fully Vaccinated With Pfizer, Moderna | |
 | The Biden administration on Wednesday called for a third Covid-19 shot starting in the fall for Americans who were fully vaccinated with the two-shot regimen, citing the threat from the highly contagious Delta variant and heightened concerns over data showing initial immunity wanes over time. The announcement on Wednesday means that booster shots will soon be available for the more than 155 million people in the U.S. who have been fully vaccinated with messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer Inc. and partner BioNTech SE or from Moderna Inc. The booster shot would be administered about eight months after the second dose of the vaccine. The government said it is preparing to offer booster shots beginning the week of Sept. 20. Authorized vaccines appear to work well against the new strains that have emerged so far, especially protecting people against severe Covid-19, according to studies. Yet the shots don't appear to be quite as effective against the Delta variant as they were against the original virus, many studies indicate. Some other, preliminary research suggests that the protection conferred by vaccination wanes over time. |
| About 20,000 Mississippi students in quarantine for COVID-19 exposure, health official says | |
| A top Mississippi health official said Tuesday that about 20,000 students are currently quarantined for COVID-19 exposure in the state -- 4.5% of the public school population, according to the state's latest enrollment figures. The data comes from reports made by 800 schools to the Mississippi State Department of Health last week, Mississippi State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said during a call with state pediatricians. "These disruptions ... are going to continue for a while," Byers said to members of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. At least five Mississippi children have died since the coronavirus pandemic was first reported in the state in March 2020. The school outbreaks have resulted in many school officials rethinking their policies after beginning the academic year without restrictions such as mask mandates. Around 600 schools have now implemented universal masking for indoor settings, Byers said. But there are still many settings where restrictions that could keep kids and teachers safer are not being implemented consistently. To prevent transmission in schools, there needs to be a mix of masking, vaccinations and testing being done on a regular basis, Byers said. "What we're finding is in a lot of schools are picking and choosing through these recommendations in a cafeteria-style approach," Byers said. "The intent of this is really it needs to be all of these layers in order to prevent transmission." |
| 'Center of the maelstrom': Election officials grapple with 2020's long shadow | |
 | The nation's secretaries of state used to be little-known, wonky bureaucrats who operated in near-anonymity. But after the 2020 election, they are now on the frontlines of the battle over trust in American democracy. Since the last time they gathered in person more than a year-and-a-half ago, the secretaries of state have seen their jobs -- and U.S. elections -- change completely. And they are still grappling with how to respond. Interviews with a dozen state chief election officers at the National Association of Secretaries of State summer conference here, along with panel discussions and conversations with other conference attendees, paint a picture of a radically different American election system post-2020, reshaped by a once-in-a-generation pandemic on one side and a near-unprecedented wave of misinformation on the other. Now, those officials -- who in many states also manage bureaucracies around things like business registration and licensing barbers and hairdressers -- find their jobs dominated by elections. They have been besieged by conspiracies about what happened last year, and they're increasingly being targeted personally by those same misinformation campaigns. "I can't help to think that it undergirds everything we're doing here," Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, a Democrat first elected to the office last year, said of the 2020 election and its aftermath. "It has just changed the game." The conference also made clear that the shadow of 2020 was still hanging over their offices for the foreseeable future. |
| National Park Service still waiting for Biden to pick a director | |
 | The last time the National Park Service had a Senate-confirmed director, Joe Biden was vice president. Yet seven months after being sworn in, President Joe Biden has not nominated a candidate for the position, which sets the direction and policy for the management of animals, lands and people in 423 National Park Service units ranging from parks to wilderness areas and historic sites. In between was the Trump administration, which relied on acting directors to fill the role, as it did with many of the other leadership positions within the NPS. That gave former Interior Secretaries Ryan Zinke and David Bernhart de facto control over agency decisions. "Never in the 104-year history of the NPS has the agency gone through an entire administration without a permanent director," Paul Anderson, president of the Association of National Park Rangers, wrote to Shannon Estonez when she was on the Biden transition team. She is now the assistant Interior secretary for fish and wildlife. "While we know our colleagues in long-term acting positions professionally did the best they could, given the unusual circumstances, there is no doubt that this chorus of acting assignments created confusion and chaos within the agency," Anderson wrote. "A vacuum in leadership at best causes stagnation within an organization, and at worst a decline in the ability to achieve the mission." Anderson is not the only person concerned about the lack of a confirmed director. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Joe Manchin III, D-W. Va., on July 27 told Interior Secretary Deb Haaland he was disappointed no nominee had been named. "I urge the president to send us a nomination so that we can get this position filled as quickly as possible," he said at a hearing on the administration's fiscal 2022 budget request. |
| Census data offers insights into changing face of the state | |
 | The latest installment of 2020 U.S. Census data offers some important insights for state and local leaders on how the region's demographics are shifting and how to battle the trend of declining population within Mississippi's borders. Unlike the first release in April, this data includes demographic characteristics – including ethnicity, race, voting age and housing occupancy – at all geographic levels, said Anne Cafer, director of the University of Mississippi Center for Population Studies and the State Data Center of Mississippi. This latest information will be used to redraw both congressional and state legislative districts. "While this data has significant implications for redistricting, the important take-away here is that Mississippi is losing population," Cafer said. "We were one of only three states nationally to lose population, and current projections have us losing federal representation in the next census." This data also includes important housing information. Mississippi had a little more than 1.3 million housing units in 2020. Of these, 87.7% were occupied, with only 12.3% vacant. Across the board, the state experienced an increase not only in housing units but also in occupancy and vacancies. |
| JSU offers vaccines, takes extra precautions as students return | |
| Welcome week at Jackson State University is underway and the school is taking extra precautions amid the latest COVID-19 surge. JSU officials strongly encourage students to get vaccinated and they're making it even easier by having their own vaccination site on campus. For students who choose to get the shot, the school is offering an incentive of $500 off on-campus housing per semester. Students who are not vaccinated are asking to provide a negative COVID-19 test. "The ultimate goal is to have zero positive cases on campus but the reality is if we do, we will quarantine students and work with them just as we did last year and just keep it safe," said Dr. Susan E. Powell, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. Students at one of JSU's vaccination clinics said they are motivated to have a smooth semester. "I see a lot of people getting sick and ending up in the hospital and I just want to make sure I'm safe," said student Kennedi Sheriff. JSU starts classes on Aug. 23. |
| USM professor named 'Top in Tech' by Mississippi Business Journal | |
 | An assistant professor for the University of Southern Mississippi was honored by the Mississippi Business Journal for her contributions to the field of technology in the state. Dr. Anna Wan, USM assistant professor of mathematics and director and founder of the Eagle Maker Hub, was recently named a "Top in Tech" leader. "This recognition should not go to me alone, but this team I belong to here at USM," Wan said. The "Top in Tech" award honored 22 individuals and companies that innovate, create jobs and contribute to Mississippi's economy, coming from an industry, government, education, health care, security or other sectors where they are tech leaders and innovators. Wan's research to integrate digital fabrication to teaching and learning mathematics helped create the Eagle Maker Hub in 2016. The Eagle Maker Hub ran by a small group of volunteers who are USM students and is the first public "maker space" available at a Mississippi university as it provides access to tools for digital fabrication, rapid prototyping and coding and has since branched into other content areas like science and engineering. |
| Auburn University's Honors College finishes out Week of Service | |
| The Honors College at Auburn University has worked to educate its members on poverty awareness, stemming from Auburn University's mission to serve the unaddressed needs of at-risk populations. According to recent data provided through Alabama Possible, Alabama is the fifth poorest state in the U.S. Over 800,000 citizens live below the poverty line. Additionally, 15 of Alabama's 67 counties have poverty rates that exceed 25%. "The Week of Service presents an incredible opportunity to expose students to the realities of poverty, its causes, effects and efforts to combat it during their first time away from home," said Maggie McGuire, junior in biomedical sciences and pre-optometry pursuing a minor in philanthropy and nonprofit studies. "Consistently, students who participate in the Week of Service exit the week with a new, informed, and empathetic perspective on poverty." Last week, from Aug. 9-13, the Auburn University Honors College engaged with the surrounding community in its eighth annual Week of Service. Each service day took place in Auburn, Opelika and the surrounding Lee County Area, involving almost 100 incoming freshmen. "I really fell in love with the program as a participant and simultaneously started seeing the wonderful vision and opportunities within the Honors College which encouraged me to get more involved," McGuire said. "It is easy to want to dedicate time and efforts to an organization that truly seeks to help you become your best self and accomplish any goal you present." |
| Clemson, U. of South Carolina Require Masks After State Supreme Court Ruling | |
 | South Carolina's two largest universities announced mask requirements Tuesday evening, following a ruling from the South Carolina Supreme Court that the University of South Carolina and other public colleges could order face coverings on their campuses after all. The flagship institution, which announced a mask requirement in late July and then retracted it after the Republican state attorney general issued an opinion stating that the legislature had intended to prohibit public colleges from requiring masks, announced Tuesday evening that it was reissuing the indoor mask mandate as a result of the court ruling. "Ultimately, it is the responsibility of all members of our Gamecock community to help protect ourselves and others by adopting sound public-health practices as we continue our efforts to safeguard our campus against this still-evolving health concern," Harris Pastides, the interim president, said in a statement. Clemson University followed by mandating masks on campus for three weeks, meant to coincide "with the greatest risk predicted by our public health team's modeling of the disease." Some Clemson faculty had planned to walk out of class on Wednesday morning -- the first day of the semester -- in protest of the administration's decision not to require face coverings, before the Supreme Court decision was announced. |
| Colleges in Undervaccinated Areas Sweat a Return to Campus | |
| A summer surge in Covid-19 cases is complicating return-to-campus plans for U.S. colleges, particularly for schools in undervaccinated areas or where state laws bar them from implementing key mitigation measures. All schools face a delicate task in updating pandemic-related protocols amid the spread of the delta variant. The young people they serve have been relatively slow to take up vaccines, with only 45% of 18-to-24 year-olds fully vaccinated, compared to 59% of all eligible Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of those students will be looking to let loose in social settings after a year of Zoom school. But certain colleges have it especially hard. At Clemson University in South Carolina, state rules prohibit it from requiring masks or vaccines, and like many public schools across the South, it is located in an area where vaccination rates are low overall. Still, it plans to operate its facilities at full capacity, offering guidance for students that "strongly encourages" vaccination and says masks are "strongly recommended'' in university buildings. Physical distancing guidelines will not be in place. That has Katelynn Bortz, 20, worried about her school's football games, student events and large lecture halls. Even the small political science and women's leadership seminars she's taking this fall are newfound sources of anxiety. "If I'm sitting in a room with 20 people, I don't know, realistically, how many are vaccinated," said Bortz, a Clemson junior. "I'd feel a lot safer if I did." |
| College advisers scramble to catch the most vulnerable students | |
| As millions of students descend on college campuses across the country this month, the pandemic may once again be dissuading some of the most vulnerable young people from higher education. Economic uncertainty and a chaotic transition to online learning spurred by Covid-19 shoved more than 727,000 undergraduates off the college path in 2020. And 2021 is charting a similar path. The number of federal student aid applications completed, a key metric used to track college ambitions among low-income students, is down for a second year in a row -- more than 100,000 forms as of July. It's an early sign of another potential dip in enrollment after the class of 2020 saw a steep drop-off last year. For public high schools where more than 50 percent of students are Black or Hispanic, the decline is nearly four times that of majority white schools. College and career advisers are scrambling to connect with at-risk students who may be choosing low-paying jobs over a college education that could set them up for more lucrative careers. But higher education experts worry a rebounding economy, prevalence of Covid-19 vaccines and in-person learning won't be enough to draw students who have turned their backs on postsecondary education. Student decisions this month could widen an already existing income gap, potentially exacerbating inequities for a new generation. First-year students may not be the only ones falling through the cracks. Students who dropped out of college because of the shift to online learning or to help support their families by working are facing significant administrative hurdles as they try to get back into school. |
| In-person welcome weeks return after remote year | |
 | As colleges and universities prepare for the new academic year, they're also planning for a return to in-person welcome weeks for new and returning students. After a year of mostly virtual welcome weeks due to the pandemic, student affairs administrators have been busy organizing and arranging for in-person events. But even as they prepare for students to come to campuses, institutions across the country are also revising or restoring their vaccination and masking requirements and ramping up vaccination drives as infection rates of the much more easily transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus continue to climb. The University of Texas at Austin announced last week that all students would be required to get a COVID-19 test before the first day of classes, but they will not be required to wear masks or be vaccinated. Kayleigh Damphousse, a transition coordinator for Longhorn Welcome, said her team is encouraging masking indoors and outside in crowded spaces and promoting the university's health services guidance. Damphousse has been planning Longhorn Welcome since January, but her team aims to remain flexible as the path of the pandemic takes unexpected turns. "We're excited and we're glad to greet our students, but we know that things can change at any moment, so we're kind of waiting for if things might change and kind of thinking of backup plans as we go," Damphousse said. |
| Yik Yak, The Anonymous App That Tested Free Speech, Is Back | |
 | After a four-year break, Yik Yak, the once-popular anonymous messaging app blamed for cyberbullying and hate speech, is back. This time, the new owners are promising to take a stronger stance against abuse. The new owners purchased the rights to redevelop the location-based app from its original maker in February, calling it "the same Yik Yak experience millions knew and loved." Launched in 2013, Yik Yak swept the nation as it became popular across college campuses as well as in middle and high schools. The app allows users to post messages anonymously on its platform within a 5-mile radius of their location. The messages could be upvoted or downvoted by users. In April 2017, the company announced the app would be shutting down following a decline in its engagement from users -- by the end of 2016, user downloads had dropped 76% in comparison with 2015. Before shutting down, Yik Yak was the subject of hate speech and cyberbullying across high school and college campuses. But with the newly launched app, the owners say they're committed to taking a strong stance against threats and other abuse. The app's return drew mixed responses on Twitter, with some people worried it would prompt more "toxicity in the world" and others joking about being able to complain anonymously about college life. |
| Unconscionable not to protect children | |
 | Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: "A year ago, we were protecting the vulnerable immunocompromised and elderly. Yet with this (Delta) strain, the children in my arms are part of the vulnerable I am trying to protect." So laments a Mississippi mom in her blog. Protecting vulnerable children from the surging Delta variant is a priority for governors in some states. Not yet in Mississippi. Though this sudden surge has alarmed health care officials. "The risks to children are real," state health office Dr. Thomas Dobbs told reporters. "We are seeing numbers more than we ever have before of healthy children that are getting hospitalized," said Dr. Alan Jones, UMMC associate vice chancellor for clinical affairs and COVID-19 clinical response leader." Just in Jackson, UMMC's Children's Hospital has no more beds available for children with serious COVID cases. This accompanies the overall upswing in COVID cases in Mississippi. Last week state cases surged past its previous one-day record. Doctors say the Delta strain is as contagious as the chicken pox. ... Yet, Mississippi has implemented no overall strategy to protect children from the virus. Decisions are left up to school districts and local officials in what has become a highly politicized controversy. |
| Medicaid expansion in Mississippi remains a highly partisan conundrum | |
 | Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann used his Neshoba County Fair political speaking time to kick the political ant hill of making public health care more affordable and accessible in Mississippi. "The time for simply saying 'no' to our options for working Mississippians has passed," Hosemann said in a speech prepared for delivery at the Neshoba County Fair. "When a cancer diagnosis can bankrupt a family, we have a responsibility to help. Further, no Mississippian should be further than 30 minutes from an emergency room." Hosemann said "everything is on the table" in that ongoing debate. He has been talking about public health care for some time now based on two motivating factors. One, Hosemann simply believes that Mississippi is at a crossroads on the subject -- particularly in looking at the financial future of rural hospitals across the state. Second, Hosemann sees the handwriting on the political wall if the Medicaid expansion issue is left to Mississippi voters through some form of direct initiative. ... Hosemann did not expressly express support for Medicaid expansion at Neshoba, but he talked about the consequences of the state staying on its current path. |
SPORTS
| Bulldogs Football Camp: Increased depth could make secondary primary asset | |
 | Mississippi State nickelbacks coach Tony Hughes knows playing defensive back in the Southeastern Conference typically requires playing through some pain. But Hughes and the Bulldogs got more than they bargained for last season as safety after safety went down with an injury. Fred Peters, C.J. Morgan, Janari Dean and Dylan Lawrence all got hurt, forcing Mississippi State to dig deep into its rotation. Often, that cost the Bulldogs to the tune of big plays and points on the board. It wasn't easy for MSU's healthy defensive backs, either. "Last year, it's hard when you look sideways and it's a new person every game," cornerback Martin Emerson said Friday. But in 2021, the Bulldogs believe they have the players to not only stay healthy but excel in the defensive backfield. With a strong duo on the outside and a host of 14 safeties, including a talented transfer, Mississippi State's secondary can become its primary asset on defense. "The more depth we have, the better for everybody," Morgan said. "That'll help us out a whole bunch immediately and as far as longevity goes." For Emerson and fellow cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, players like Jaylon Reed and Esaias Furdge are ready to help. So is sophomore Decamerion Richardson, who has made significant improvement, Emerson said. |
| 'Aaron is gonna be special': How Aaron Brule became Mississippi State's defensive leader | |
 | His son's youth football coach is sprinting off the field looking for the man responsible for raising the kid who just made one of the most spectacular plays he's ever seen. Playing linebacker, this 7-year-old is not only timing snaps perfectly, but he's hopping over offensive linemen, tackling both the quarterback and the running back and recovering the fumble he forced. Take away the hair worthy of a Head & Shoulders commercial, and you'd think this is a young Troy Polamalu. It's actually a young Aaron Brule -- Mississippi State's current redshirt junior linebacker and defensive leader. Brule, despite being a child, was a veteran on the field by this point. When he was 2 or 3 years old, he was on the sidelines with his brother's team -- which required you to be 6 years old to play -- wearing a New Orleans Saints uniform, mimicking their reps and learning along with the players. "He really thought he was on the team," Brule's mom Christine Duplessis says. To make a play like that at such a young age, one can have all the experience but still lack the athleticism and training required for its execution. That's why his youth coach is making a mad dash toward his father, Albert Brule, to give Albert the affirmation of something he already believed. "Aaron is gonna be special," he says. |
| Polk, Calvin join Heath in Spurrier's explosive position group | |
| Makai Polk is the guy to watch for Mississippi State fans who are excited to return to Davis Wade Stadium this season. A transfer from California, Polk has made play after play in fall camp. He's the new guy in an offense that's prides itself on repetition, yet every practice he's making it look as though he invented Mike Leach's Air Raid offense for himself. Polk caught another touchdown from Will Rogers in team drills during Tuesday's practice. When he hasn't been in the endzone, he's been catching 20-to-30-yard passes down the right sideline. His connection with the quarterbacks looks smooth and exciting -- maybe not for Decamerion Richardson who has been tasked with defending him throughout camp -- during this near seamless transition to Mississippi State. "I feel at home," Polk says, "and I'm performing well." It was Polk's turn to meet with reporters after practice Tuesday, though the usual huddle of media members featured a new face this time. Steve Spurrier Jr. listened and learned more about his new receiver as Polk fielded questions from reporters. Spurrier stayed quiet for the most part until Polk started sharing his thoughts on the adjustment moving from California to Mississippi. "It's very different," Polk was saying. "I like it. It's quiet. I'm able to just focus on my craft and focus on the grind." "Still getting used to that humidity, though," Spurrier chimed in. |
| SEC expansion timeline: Greg Sankey calls criticism of league 'inaccurate, imprecise' | |
| For about a month, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has listened to the wide range of reactions to his conference's impending expansion, the most pointed being Washington State president Kirk Schulz's referring to the SEC as "predatory." Now Sankey has a response. "I certainly like the president at Washington State," Sankey told The Athletic. "I think he's forgotten that in 2010 the conference in which he currently resides recruited half of the Big 12 members to join its league." Sankey went on to point out that the Big 12 contemplated expanding in 2016, the Big Ten added Nebraska in 2011 and Maryland and Rutgers in 2014, and the ACC raided the Big East in the mid-2000s by adding Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College. "In this circumstance, the SEC didn't initiate this contact," Sankey said, doubling down on those reports. "The two universities reached out to us. We've not been active in seeking members. I think President Schulz's description is inaccurate, imprecise and is not representative of the history of conference membership expansion." So, how did the most seismic conference additions in ... well, perhaps ever, go down? Quickly and quietly. |
| New Report Shows How Attractive College Sports Fans Are To Brand Marketers | |
| LEARFIELD, a provider of media, data, and technology in college sports, has leveraged the data and analytics it has from its partnership with 110 colleges and universities to release its inaugural Intercollegiate Fan Report. The report delivers insights on the approximately 182 million college sports fans worldwide to assist marketers, business leaders and athletic departments better understand the marketplace. The report includes the specific demographic and sociographic data from over 20 million "Known Fans," who are fans with a direct relationship with the school through direct ticket purchases, donations, sign-ups and other transactions. In addition, more than 130 million additional "digital" or "anonymized" fans who have engaged with athletic department websites are included in LEARFIELD's "Fanbase" database. "This report allows marketers and business leaders, at the national and local level, to see how their customer audiences can be addressed in college sports," said Jennifer Davis, chief marketing and communications officer at LEARFIELD. "With this publication, brands can see the power of college sports not just on game day, but as an everyday part of the overall marketing mix." |
| Saints won't refund ticket holders who refuse vaccine or COVID-19 test | |
 | The New Orleans Saints said that fans who won't abide by the team's health and safety protocols to attend games at the Caesars Superdome this season will not be eligible for refunds. "We've received all necessary local and state approvals to host a full stadium of fans and with that in mind, we are not offering a refund or opt out option this season," Saints vice president of communications Greg Bensel said Wednesday in a statement to WDSU. "We remain optimistic that, with our community's help and as vaccination rates increase, these restrictions will no longer be necessary as the season progresses." On August 12, the team announced that, based on new rules implemented by the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana, indoor sporting events will be allowed to have full capacity, provided that spectators meet certain conditions. The City is requiring fans to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR test that is taken within the 72 hours before the event starts. The state is requiring masks to be worn at all time, except when eating or drinking. On Monday, the Las Vegas Raiders became the first team in the NFL to require proof of vaccination to attend games this season at Allegiant Stadium. Under that policy, the team is not requiring fans to wear masks because of the vaccination status of the attendees. |
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