The people of Benton County Mississippi can finally say that football has arrived. The newly formed Ashland Buccaneers will be playing their first game this upcoming week. This game will be the precedent and beginning of a long wait for the initiation of America’s most profitable sport.
The Buccaneers were not granted to the town of Ashland without some very consistent, hard, and determined work. The citizens of the town and the county put in their highly devoted time, year after year, in hopes of providing the kids with football.
The establishment known as the Ashland Raiders helped initiate the charge for football in Benton County. Parents, showing their drive, came out and devoted their time and hard earned dollars to the town’s children pursuing the sport. For about a half-decade, supporters like Corinthian Cole, Sherwin Thomas, the man everybody knows as “Big Joe”, Charles Williams, Terry Henderson, and Curtis Hoyle put in a collaborated coaching effort. They were not alone in the efforts, as from time to time different football fans and parents would come out to show their support.
The proverbial “blood, sweat, and tears” that were laid down by those past volunteers have now turned into tears of joy. Football has indeed arrived, bringing with it optimism and a new joy. The people of this area finally attained something they wanted. There is finally big news in the county outside of a massive voter fraud bust and false STD information.
However, it also brings curiosity. No matter how much people of any race try to deny it, this town is still segregated. Black kids do not go to school with white kids and vice versa. I shall not talk about the reasoning for this separation of the races, simply because I already have and we all know the real reasons.
This football team is not just a football team, it is the first thing blacks and whites of Benton County, MS have done together in recent memory. Whether both sides actually want to or not is out of the question. The want for football is greater, and has so far prevailed. The curiosity comes in when there has to be a wondering to how long this will last. Not saying that blacks and whites are at each others’ throats, we all get along for the most part. However, we have not worked well together. In fact, we have barely worked together at all.
How long will this last? Hopefully this will be something unprecedented. Hopefully this will do something even the great Dr. King could not completely do. With the right attitudes and a winning environment, little black boys can definitely play with little white boys. In the brotherhood of football, that is definitely a possibility. My only issue with it is, what in the hell took so long?!
