Man in the Hat media

Frank Martin is coming back for his 10th year as South Carolina men's basketball head coach. The news comes after two weeks of conflicting reports. LINK: Beamer hire has more questions LINK: Gamecock coaching staff young, unproven Martin is coming off the worst season under his leadership, going 6-15 and marred by arguably the worst defense of the era.  The bad year can be attributed to COVID 19, which Martin contracted twice, and the start-stop-start protocoals in place. Martin has earned one more year. Historically, Martin is one of the best coaches to march the sidelines. He is third in all-time wins with 153 (behind Frank Johnson and all-time wins leader Frank McGuire). He was also the third longest tenured coach in school history, again behind Johnson and McGuire.  Under Martin, this has been one of the best eras for Gamecock basketball. You could argue the Eddie Fogler era, with a pair of NCAA tournament appearances and a regular season conference title, or the Dave Odom...

It is no secret college athletics is a big business. By their own numbers, the industry had a revenue of nearly $19 billion . That line between amateurism and professionalism got a bit blurrier on March 11, when Michigan State announced its basketball team signed a five-year partnership with national lending company Rocket Mortgage. The agreement makes the Detroit-based company a "presenting partner" of the basketball team, and includes sponsorship tie-ins across the athletic department.  Sponsorship deals are nothing new in college athletics: uniforms, signage around stadiums, drink and beverage vendors and stadium naming rights have become common place. This is the first timeI can recall a team name being effected. According to the release, the men's basketball team will be called the MSU Spartans presented by Rocket Morgtage.  "Michigan State Athletics couldn't compete at the highest levels without the support of our corporate partners like Rocket Mortgage,...

The start of March featured the next big shot across the bow in America's long-running culture war when it was announced six books by Dr. Seuss would no longer be published for "racist imagery." The six titles are: -And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street -If I Ran the Zoo -McElligot's Pool -On Beyond Zebra! -Scrambled Eggs Super! -The Cat's Quizzer “Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ catalog represents and supports all communities and families,” the company released in a statement. “These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong." As expected, online backlash was quick, labeling Dr. Seuss Enterprises a victim of cancel culture and the continued trampling of the First Amendment.  The logic behind that being once you ban books, it is a slippery slope to what is decent, and further reinforced a world view that "Big Brother is coming." It is a sentiment I can...