Is the SEC still a “southern” conference?

[VolBallGuy]

They would include Hawaii if there was money in it so no.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

With the inclusion of Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Is the SEC still a culturally southern conference?

It's a business. Is the NFC more National and AFC more American? It's all about the business.

What's in a name? An SEC by any name is still making millions for the schools each year.

 

[Rockytoptalker]

Yes, in my opinion. While Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas (Kentucky as well) aren’t completely Southern, they’re either close culturally or have sizable portions that identify as such.

 

[the lost33]

Yes, in my opinion. While Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas (Kentucky as well) aren’t completely Southern, they’re either close culturally or have sizable portions that identify as such.

Kentucky is southern everywhere but the cincy burbs and Louisville. Not really comparable to those others, IMO. They’re majorly non-southern in culture. With a few southern pockets. Where Kentucky is majorly southern. With a few midwest pockets.

 

[vegasvolfan]

With the inclusion of Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Is the SEC still a culturally southern conference?

It was the Southeastern. Now it is Southern. We didn’t add anyone north of the states that were already in the conference. Bringing in Missouri years ago would have brought a greater argument as I believe that is considered a midwestern state.

“Missouri (/mɪˈzʊəri/ miz-OOR-ee) is a landlocked state in the Midwesternregion of the United States.”

 

[Brave Volunteer]

It was the Southeastern. Now it is Southern. We didn’t add anyone north of the states that were already in the conference. Bringing in Missouri years ago would have brought a greater argument as I believe that is considered a midwestern state.

“Missouri (/mɪˈzʊəri/ miz-OOR-ee) is a landlocked state in the Midwesternregion of the United States.”

I believe this map is pretty accurate, though I hardly think of Maryland and Delaware as "the south".

Again, IMO you need to be both east of the Mississippi River and south of the Mason-Dixon line to be a Southeastern state, not that any of it matters now. They might as well rename the conference, as there's nothing Southeastern about the SEC anymore.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

I believe this map is pretty accurate, though I hardly think of Maryland and Deleware as "the south".

Again, IMO you need to be both east of the Mississippi River and south of the Mason-Dixon line to be a Southeastern state, not that any of it matters now. They might as well rename the conference, as there's nothing Southeastern about the SEC anymore.

There's something about it being in the Southeast. Most of the teams are east of the river and all but one are south

 

[njvols]

Some folks literally never stopped fighting the civil war. I never could understand it, personally. I'm as southern as it gets. My 3x great grandfather was an infantryman with the 5th regiment of TN during the war, but I can't say I've ever felt any personal connection to the confederacy. Time moves on, but a lot of people do not.

Yep, and in the same vein, my understanding of clinging to the SEC tradition is just what I grew up with in 70's...original charter schools, less Tulane, GT and Sewanee...not knowing there were several iterations of "Southern" football conferences which eventually migrated to form the SEC...and so, the changes, like SC, ARK, MIZ, TaM, and now bringing in TX/OK are just the next changes, of which, I'm sure won't be the last.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

There's something about it being in the Southeast. Most of the teams are east of the river and all but one are south

Yeah, you're right. My remark was hyperbolic. But again, if we aren't going to bother with regional integrity anymore, why should the conference name continue to reflect it? Hell, that goes for all of the major conferences now.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

Yeah, you're right. My remark was hyperbolic. But again, if we aren't going to bother with regional integrity anymore, why should the conference name continue to reflect it? Hell, that goes for all of the major conferences now.

Name recognition

 

[robow]

Yeah, you're right. My remark was hyperbolic. But again, if we aren't going to bother with regional integrity anymore, why should the conference name continue to reflect it? Hell, that goes for all of the major conferences now.

Well, the SEC just means more! more! and MORE!-$$$

 

[EasternVol]

I had confederate family in KY and TN (grandfathers and uncles in the 6thKY CSA, 28thTN CSA, and 13thTN Cav CSA). It’s weird how people think states seceded because they felt “southern” or “northern”. It’s one of the dumbest myths about the war. It was a political decision. Based on slavery. States didn’t secede or not because they felt “yankee” or “southern”. Arizona was claimed by the confederacy. That’s not a southern state, that’s a slave territory. And it just so happened that all the slave states were in the south.


It’s no different than red and blue states today.

But yeah, people can’t move on. Lee wanted all the statues torn down, flags to be tucked away.

If it was based just on slavery then Tennessee, Arkansas, North Carolina and Virginia would have seceded with the other Confederate states instead of later and in reaction to Lincoln calling for troops. That might be a topic for another thread.
And to address the thread topic, the SEC's still culturally Southern.

 

[Fatman Photos]

Southern but not Southeastern

 

[SpookyAction]

Missouri has always been a state with a foot on each side. Missouri was settled by southern farmers until @1840. Then the people moving there were Northern farmers. Kansas City and St Louis today are midwestern/northern cities. The places in-between have the Midwestern Plains culture. It is a lot like the Tennessee outside of Memphis and Nashville, just not southern culture. The bootheel and Ozarks are places you will find grits and sweet tea on the menu. They are the only real southern areas today.

KY used to be more mixed. I had family living in KY near Evansville, IN. That area was not southern at all as far back as the late 70s. They were Yankees.

 

[JohnWardForever]

You could make an argument that it's not southeastern but it's not like we went and added a team on the west coast and call it the Atlantic Coast Conference or something

Yep that's ridiculous, (Stanford & Calif in the ACC) but so is Austin in the South Eastern. But Texas is so big, they qualify with Beaumont? lol

 

[bigorangepoppa]

Based on a map....yes. Why wouldn't Texas and Oklahoma be culturally southern? Missouri is an anomaly

If you draw a line from the coast of North Carolina to Texas, Missouri and Kentucky are the only states above the line.

 

[Vol865]

Yep that's ridiculous, (Stanford & Calif in the ACC) but so is Austin in the South Eastern. But Texas is so big, they qualify with Beaumont? lol

Well if you split the US into 4 quadrant, at least Austin is fairly close to being in what would be considered the southeast quadrant lol

I think it's still central time zone so at least we stayed in only 2 time zones

 

[Vol865]

If you draw a line from the coast of North Carolina to Texas, Missouri is the only state above the line.

Well Kentucky also but I'd still say some of the appalachian states are still southern culturally at least to a degree.

I wouldn't mind dropping Missouri and picking up WVU

 

[05_never_again]

Of course it is. Among the states represented in the SEC, the only state that doesn't "feel" Southern in my opinion is Missouri. It's the one exception. It very much is a midwestern state.

Oklahoma is an interesting fusion of midwestern, southwestern, and southern into a single state.

 

[first time caller]

It's more of a Southern Conference than the ACC is an Atlantic conference.

 

[first time caller]

It's a southern conference but not a southeastern conference.

 

[Volanta]

culturally it depends on where in Missouri you are- some of the state is culturally southern and the other parts mid west culture.

 

[Savannahbayvol]

With the inclusion of Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Is the SEC still a culturally southern conference?

Better ? is the ACC still an Atlantic Conference with Cal and Stanford?

 

[BruisedOrange]

Anything Americans decide as individuals is complicated. We also underestimate how opinionated Americans were in the 19th Century over political philosophy. A broad sample of opinions submitted to newspapers around the U.S. will reveal how well-read people were back then, and how astute their understandings.

My father's side of the family came out of northern Indiana. Four brothers in 1861 -- two fought for the Union, two fought for the Confederacy. I can only assume that for the latter two it was a states' rights issue, as they certainly had no correspondence with slavery as part of an economic or agricultural system in Indiana (or in Pennsylvania, from which earlier family had emigrated).

Evil begets evil. Removing evil by earthly means usually results in fresh expressions of evil. Ultimately, I think these battles are best fought on spiritual battlefields, attacking the source rather than the humans that evil manipulates and exploits.

 

[DonDiego]

I believe this map is pretty accurate, though I hardly think of Maryland and Delaware as "the south".

Again, IMO you need to be both east of the Mississippi River and south of the Mason-Dixon line to be a Southeastern state, not that any of it matters now. They might as well rename the conference, as there's nothing Southeastern about the SEC anymore.

Good map, although I agree Maryland, Delaware, and W. Virginia aren't really part of the South.