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The NCAA has (finally) done something... right?!?

Mizzou News for Friday, July 31

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Y’all, it may be fleeting, but the NCAA has finally earned a big ol’ thumbs up from me

Who would have thunk it? I question a lot of the decisions the NCAA makes — because as a Mizzou fan, how could you NOT — but they got this right... So right.

So what did they do correctly?

Well, Shams Charania shared this on his Twitter account Thursday morning:

This is big, and I must say, I LOVE that the NCAA is looking to what pro sports leagues are doing and permitting this. Also, kudos to them for taking it one step further by expanding upon what the student-athletes can have patches for. While the NBA had a pre-determined list of what the players may use in place of their names, and the WBNA as a whole adopted “Say Her Name” for the season, the NCAA is (surprisingly) being more open-ended.

According to the release, student-athletes will be allowed two spots on their uniforms, one on the front and one on the back “to express support and voice their opinions.”

The patch on the front, which most sports already allowed, as authorized by the school or conference, may be a commemorative/memorial patch (names, mascots, nicknames, logos and marks) intended to celebrate or memorialize people, events or other causes.

The patch must not exceed 2¼ square inches and must be placed on the front or sleeve of the uniform. While not all team members are required to wear the patch, they must be identical for those who choose to wear them.

So, if I am interpreting this correctly, it sounds like on the front, the patch (if agreed upon to be worn), will be the same among all members of that team.

As for the second location, on the back, the release said:

The second location is on the back of the uniform where the player name is traditionally located and, as authorized by the school or conference, will allow names/words intended to celebrate or memorialize people, events or other causes. The names or words may vary by team member.

I LOVE all of this. The patches on the front? Great idea. The chance to really say something on the back of your jersey? Super (expletive redacted) cool. The statements on the back, of course, must be approved by the school or conference, but that doesn’t make this announcement any less awesome.

How does this impact Mizzou athletes, you wonder? Well, we don’t know just yet how they will use this new platform they’ve been given. I would imagine some will utilize this to memorialize family members and close friends who have passed, while others (I hope), will utilize this opportunity to showcase their support and advocacy for similar causes as the NBA players you undoubtedly saw during Thursday evening’s restart. Those included such words/phrases as Education Reform, Freedom, Say Her Name, How Many More, Respect Us, and Enough, as well as countless others.

I am so, so, so, so, so, glad that the NCAA is taking this step, because there’s something just really.... icky... about telling athletes to stick to sports during a time like this.

And I was worried that getting a really late start on the links would leave me with nothing to talk about! I feel like the NCAA delivered this news to me wrapped with a big ol’ black and gold bow with a gift tag reading, “To Karen, You’re Welcome.”

How I feel about the NCAA’s decision. Oh, and watch Draymond on the TNT’s The Arena.... it’s really awesome.

On to the Links! Happiest of Fridays to you all :)


Yesterday at Rock M


More Links:

Football

  • Interesting thoughts from The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel:
  • Cool graphic from Mizzou Football. The graphics department just continues to churn out really top-notch content.

Other Mizzou Sports/ #Mizzoumade Player News

  • NBA basketball is back! Torrence had a message for all the guys in the pros.
  • Looks like Coach P’s squad is getting involved in the women’s empowerment challenge that has been taking place on Twitter & Instagram. Love it.

Interesting/Non-Mizzou News

These are some of the best sports stories & tidbits I found regarding some goings-on in sports and the world— Enjoy!

  • Nike continues to make the BEST damn commercials. I want to run through a wall.
  • Also thought this was really well done. As someone who used to watch those Wonderful World of Disney specials on the weekends, this was like a familiar little remembrance of my childhood.
  • And I’ll leave you with this, sent to me by a friend of mine. As a former teacher, this made me laugh way too much.
  • If you’re looking to sign up for ESPN+, Rock M Nation now has an affiliate link: click Here for ESPN+ Now! (** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)