| Monday, June 8, 2026 |
| MSU wins 5 prestigious Southeast Emmys | |
 | Mississippi State filmmakers, content creators and their digital stories won five Southeast Emmys at last month's National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' regional awards ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia. MSU'S Division of Strategic Communications, which includes the Office of Public Affairs, the University Television Center, MSU Films and the university's overall social media efforts, received 10 Emmy nominations this year from the NATAS Southeast Chapter for compelling stories from across the Magnolia State and in Starkville. "Mississippi State is blessed to have an exceptionally talented group of professional communicators who produce outstanding content that advances the university and its research," said MSU Vice President for Strategic Communications Sid Salter. "Working collaboratively, these professionals are redefining how the world sees and experiences the university. The stories they tell and the history they record are important threads in the fabric of MSU." |
| Exploding stars: Physicist earns NSF CAREER award to study stellar explosions, element formation | |
| Jaspreet Singh Randhawa, a Mississippi State assistant professor of physics, has received a prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to support a $700,000 research project on the nuclear reactions that power stellar explosions and other extreme cosmic events. Using advanced detection systems, researchers will gather data that has never been measured directly in a terrestrial laboratory, helping scientists understand how elements are formed and how these processes shape the universe. Randhawa's five-year project "Deciphering the Nuclear Fingerprints of Stellar Explosions" uses cutting-edge practices, including radioactive beams of extremely exotic nuclei that only live for a fraction of a second to a few seconds. The project will help scientists improve computer models used to study supernovae and neutron stars. |
| Brookhaven MSU student presents biological research | |
 | Carson Temple, of Brookhaven, recently presented at the Mississippi State University Under-graduate Research Symposium. A biological sciences sophomore, Temple presented "Relation Between Emotional Dysregulation and Negative Urgency: Moderation by Executive Function," in the Social Sciences category. MSU's Undergraduate Research Symposium engages students in showcasing faculty-guided research and creative activity. This biannual event includes students from diverse departments and colleges who participate in poster and oral presentation sessions, sharing their research with the MSU community. More than 300 undergraduate student projects were evaluated by faculty, graduate students and staff at the spring 2026 event. Feedback can be useful in improving current research pro-jects and preparing for future research endeavors. The event is hosted by the Office of Research and Economic Development and the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College. |
| FFAR releases 2025 impact report | |
| The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) released its 2025 Impact Report, Investing in Results for U.S. Agriculture, in accordance with the Agricultural Act of 2014 and the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018. The report highlights key accomplishments of FFAR-funded research, financial reports and upcoming opportunities. Since 2014, FFAR has awarded over 450 grants in 47 states, investing over $847 million in agricultural research with more than 550 partners. FFAR continues to garner an average of $1.40 in matching funds from non-federal partners for every federal dollar allocated to research. The report shows how FFAR investments are accelerating rapid-response research, supporting commercialization, preparing the next generation of agricultural scientists and strengthening collaboration across the agricultural research ecosystem. The report also highlights findings from independent program evaluations that are helping FFAR maximize the impact of its investments and strengthen future research initiatives. FFAR was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase public agriculture research investments, fill knowledge gaps and complement the U.S. Department of Agriculture's research agenda. |
| Shrimp season shows promise despite stormy start, Mississippi DMR director says | |
 | Mississippi shrimp season has been underway for about two weeks. Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) Executive Director General Joe Spraggins shared with WLOX how shrimpers are doing and what sizes and prices customers on the Coast should expect to see at docks and in stores. While MDMR will not have numbers describing the ongoing season until June 10, Spraggins said things look good so far. "What we are seeing is that the shrimp are a nice size and they're getting decent money. The smaller shrimp bring a little over $2 a pound at the dock, but the bigger shrimp are bringing up to $6 a pound." That is a big deal, Spraggins said. With severe weather moving through the area for a good part of the first two weeks of the season, good shrimp prices mean shrimpers can afford to go out when the storms clear. "A lot of shrimpers haven't went out because of the winds and because of the seas and everything else. But I think it'll catch back up pretty quick," he said. Last week, Spraggins testified before the Natural Resources Committee in Congress about extending the Gulf boundaries. He said extending the boundary would allow shrimpers on the Mississippi Coast to fish longer and farther in the Gulf without the requirement of a federal permit. |
| From Cow-Milking Robots to Weed-Zapping Lasers, Farmers Are Embracing A.I. | |
 | Of all the industries that seem primed for an A.I. disruption, agriculture may not look like the most obvious. For all its advancements in technology and mechanization over the centuries, farming is fundamentally about growing crops and raising livestock -- and you can't digitize an ear of corn. But right now the industry is in the midst of what some are calling the fourth agricultural revolution, as driverless tractors trundle through fields, drones map moisture levels in soil and cows are outfitted with Fitbit-like devices that track their eating patterns. Yu Jiang, an assistant professor at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell, predicts that within a few years, most large American farms will have incorporated A.I. into their operations. The result, he says, will be a transformational shift not just in how farms are run but "in how we think about farming as a job." For farmers who are already engaging with A.I., that shift is underway -- and it can be complicated. |
| Business Alliance, AccelerateMS partner to strength Mississippi talent pipeline | |
| The Mississippi Business Alliance (MSBA) Foundation has entered into a formal partnership with AccelerateMS, the state's Office of Workforce Development, to support the work of the newly established Mississippi Postsecondary Attainment Council (M-PAC) through MSBA's WorkFuture Institute for Workforce and Educational Excellence. Created through Senate Bill 2524, M-PAC brings together leaders from the private sector, economic development, workforce development, and education, to develop strategies that increase postsecondary attainment while strengthening alignment between education and workforce demand. The council is charged with helping ensure Mississippi develops the talent needed to support long-term economic growth and competitiveness. The partnership was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding signed during the MSBA Manufacturers Summit on June 5, bringing together business, workforce, and education leaders committed to strengthening Mississippi's talent pipeline and long-term economic competitiveness. |
| First came Congress. Now a national redistricting battle may turn to statehouses and city councils | |
 | After a blitz of congressional redistricting ahead of the midterm elections, a national battle for partisan control is about to enter a new phase that could affect representation on everything from tax rates to social safety net programs, teacher salaries, housing regulations and local road repairs. Georgia's Republican-led Legislature will convene June 17 for a special session focused on redistricting for the 2028 elections. The agenda includes new voting districts not only for Congress, but also for the state House and Senate -- and potentially even the state's utility regulatory commission. It will mark the first time since a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling weakened minority voting protections that a state legislature will attempt to redraw its own districts. Mississippi Republicans and New York Democrats also could undertake legislative redistricting before their 2027 and 2028 elections, respectively. It remains to be seen, though, how many legislatures will follow, and whether the outburst of mid-decade redistricting will extend down to county commissions, city councils and school boards that make myriad decisions affecting people's lives. The impact could be widespread. |
| A flesh-eating pest threatens Trump's beef price hopes | |
 | A devastating parasite is threatening to upend President Donald Trump's efforts to lower beef prices ahead of November's midterms. The New World screwworm, which often kills untreated livestock, has been discovered in two calves near the Mexican border in south Texas in the past week. The pest's reemergence in the U.S. is alarming agriculture officials, ranchers and beef industry leaders who have spent months attempting to prepare for its anticipated arrival as ground beef and steaks fetch record-high sums. Administration officials insist the screwworm's return does not threaten the country's food supply and is not a hazard to public health. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told POLITICO it is not clear how the screwworm will affect beef prices, which have already skyrocketed due to high demand and a decades-low cattle herd diminished by severe weather, industry consolidation and high operating costs. A potential infestation is the latest obstacle clouding Republican goals to rein in consumers' grocery bills and calm anxiety in farm country. The average price of a pound of ground beef was approaching $7 in April, according to federal data, while a pound of uncooked steak averaged roughly $13. |
| As Trump's Support Slips, These Voters Say Why They're Sticking With Him | |
 | Bill Knapke says he was unbothered when he lost several thousand dollars after President Trump rattled markets by saying that cattle ranchers had "to get their prices down" last year to combat rising beef costs. The third-generation farmer who raises hundreds of steers on his Mercer County, Ohio, farm said he was willing to take the short-term hit because he trusted Trump, whom he believes has the country's best interests in mind. "We took it on the chin, but we're fine," said Knapke. "We'll give Trump plenty of time to accomplish what he needs to. He's got a plan." Trump's approval numbers nationally have tumbled in recent months, hurt by worries about the economy and uncertainty about the Iran war. His standing with GOP voters is slipping as well, with Republicans who strongly back Trump dropping to 57% in May from 75% in January, according to a Wall Street Journal survey. But within that group are Trump die-hards whose unshakable support for the president helps maintain his grip on the party in Congress and on the campaign trail. Democrats have a shot at taking back a Senate seat in Ohio, boosted by growing doubts about the president's policies. But in interviews in this deep red part of the state, voters still firmly in Trump's camp say the president has delivered on key promises that he campaigned on in 2024, such as tackling illegal crossings at the southern border and reducing crime, as well as what they see as his effort to shift America's culture rightward. |
| GOP nominee for governor did the unthinkable in Iowa: Attack Big Agriculture | |
 | Before narrowly clinching the GOP nomination for Iowa governor, Zach Lahn took a stance once unthinkable for Republicans in the Corn Belt: Big Agriculture is making Americans sick. The message, which aligns with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again movement, helped Lahn deliver a rare defeat over a candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump. "Too many politicians from Washington, D.C., to Des Moines have had their heads stuck in the sand while Big Ag and Big Pharma printed money," Lahn said at his victory speech after winning his June 2 primary. "This will not go on when I'm governor." Lahn -- a businessman, sixth-generation Iowan who moved back full-time in 2023, farmer and former Montana state director for the conservative Americans for Prosperity -- ran a populist campaign that also appealed to conservative activists. In an interview, Lahn confirmed that he met Kennedy last summer and they talked "a little bit about the race" when he was considering running, but mostly about agriculture. While MAHA champions view Lahn's win as a boon for their causes, their nascent movement has been tested in recent months with frustration spilling out on social media. |
| Should Southern Baptist women be pastors? Battle reignites | |
 | Should Southern Baptist women be allowed to preach to their congregations or teach Scripture? The issue has been a perennial thorn for the Southern Baptist Convention, whose delegates will once again confront the matter at the group's annual meeting June 9-10 in Orlando. The question won't linger much longer if one prominent Southern Baptist theologian has his way, and his answer is a resounding "no." On May 18, Albert Mohler, the longtime president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, announced online that he intended to propose a constitutional amendment at the event explicitly banning churches allowing women to serve in primary leadership roles within the nation's largest Protestant denomination. Delegates – or messengers, as they are known – at the 2025 gathering in Dallas narrowly rejected a constitutional statement that would have similarly prohibited women pastors, with proponents failing to gain ground on a contentious issue rooted in differing biblical interpretations. The controversy has triggered the departure of multiple congregations from the convention -- one of the most influential religious groups in the United States -- as some congregations espouse more egalitarian views on women in ministry rather than "complementarianism," which assigns varied but hierarchical roles for men and women. |
| Retired general to lead new U. of Alabama school | |
 | Parker H. Wright, a retired U.S. Air Force major general with decades of experience in national security, policy-making and other leadership roles, including stints at NORAD, the Department of Defense and Montgomery's Maxwell Air Force Base, will guide new generations of movers, shakers, and makers of law as first dean of the new University of Alabama School of Leadership and Policy. "Maj. Gen. Wright is an accomplished leader with a proven ability to develop people, shape strategy and drive innovation at scale," said UA President Peter J. Mohler, in a written release. Announced last Nov. 7 after a UA Systems board of trustees vote, the School of Leadership and Policy will become the first new UA school in 60 years, although other colleges have been named or renamed, or evolved from earlier disciplines, since then. Wright will begin in the post Aug. 1, just as UA plans to begin recruiting students in fall of this year, and spring 2027. He'll be on campus to observe a $40,518,500 renovation of the school's home at Farrah Hall, which will reach its centennial next year. |
| Auburn University Board of Trustees dissolves faculty governance, approves Presidential Academic Advisory Council | |
| At its June 5 meeting, the Auburn University Board of Trustees (BOT) unanimously voted to dissolve any current university senate, university faculty or faculty governance body, including faculty officers. Its replacement will be the Presidential Academic Advisory Council (PAAC) at Auburn University, which aims to "strengthen Auburn University's model for meaningful academic consultation by creating a direct, structured and professionally responsible channel for faculty perspective to the president, provost and senior academic leadership." The policy, which also applies to the university's regional campus, Auburn University at Montgomery, dismantles any previous faculty governing bodies. This means that any rules, bylaws, constitutions, committee structures or governing documents are rescinded and will be replaced with policies or principles found in the PAAC or any other Board policies. Some faculty members expressed concern with the Board's handling of the policy, saying that faculty were not sufficiently included in the conversation, nor were they aware that the change was happening. |
| Auburn Board Takes Full Curricular Control, Dissolves Faculty Senate | |
 | The Auburn University Board of Trustees on Friday gave itself complete control over course offerings, curriculum, degree requirements and academic credentials while eliminating shared governance at the Alabama land-grant university. Faculty say they have serious concerns about the policies and a host of unanswered questions about what the changes will mean in practice. The two policies, passed unanimously without discussion, mimic what Alabama House Bill 580 will require of other public institutions when it takes effect in October. As a land-grant institution created and governed by the state Constitution, Auburn isn't explicitly bound by the law, but lawmakers have made veiled threats to punish noncompliance anyway by withholding state funding for offending institutions. The university appears to be taking a page out of Texas public institutions' playbook by pre-emptively overcomplying with new state law, experts say. Effective Friday, the existing Faculty Senate is dissolved. It already held an advisory-only role, but its replacement -- the Presidential Academic Advisory Council -- "is a shift from faculty-led governance to administratively controlled consultation," the Auburn American Association of University Professors chapter wrote in a statement. |
| Auburn student's death in Japan 'tragedy felt across our entire community' | |
 | Alabama officials and community members are mourning after James "Weston" Higginbotham was found dead in Japan after going missing on a family vacation. Weston's mother, Nancy Higginbotham, announced Saturday that her son was found after he was reported missing in the country May 29. Weston, 20, was an environmental engineering student at Auburn University and an honors graduate from Spain Park High School in Hoover. Alabama senators Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville both posted on X, saying they were saddened to learn Weston's fate and offering condolences to his family. "We are deeply grateful to the countless people across the United States, Japan, and around the world who shared Weston's story, prayed for our family, offered encouragement and helped in the search efforts," Nancy said. "The outpouring of kindness and support has carried us through the darkest days of our lives." |
| Ten Commandments go up on college campuses across Louisiana | |
| Days after most Louisiana university students left campus for the summer, schools across the state began posting the Ten Commandments in vacant classrooms. The posters, donated by the conservative organization Louisiana Family Forum, have been posted in classrooms across the entire LSU System, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System and at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. A spokeswoman for the Southern University System has not yet responded to a request for comment sent Wednesday as to whether they have been posted in their classrooms. University of Louisiana System spokeswoman Katie Dawson said all of their campuses have received the posters and would have them posted by the beginning of the fall semester at the latest. The statue requires a specific version of the Ten Commandments, one that's popular among evangelical denominations, to be printed on 11-by-14-inch posters, at minimum, and up to 18-by-24-inches to ensure readability, according to guidance from Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill. The posters should only be put up if they are donated or privately funded, according to her guidance. |
| Mizzou chatbot identifies struggling students through flagged messages | |
 | The University of Missouri invested $117,100 per year in a three-year contract for a chatbot to improve student communication. In its first year, Roary identified struggling students who had previously gone unnoticed. The chatbot, which texts undergraduate students and answers questions about campus resources, also flags responses that may require follow-up from an outreach team. Data from those interactions is used to track engagement, identify common concerns and guide outreach efforts. Since its rollout the system has flagged hundreds of student messages each semester that require human intervention. Roary was purchased by the university after the provost engaged the National Institute for Student Success to conduct an audit of student success at Mizzou four years ago. The institute evaluated technologies, data and student success infrastructure, then developed a playbook of recommendations to strengthen student success efforts. One of the earliest and strongest recommendations was to enhance communication with students by adopting a text-based chatbot. Finances are the leading reason students drop out of Mizzou, and Roary can help connect students with available financial support. |
| Colleges Are Building A.I. Degrees, Hoping Students Will Come | |
| Artificial intelligence degrees are no longer just for the universities that teach tech geniuses. Only five schools offered A.I. majors in 2021. Now, universities are setting up programs so quickly that researchers are struggling to track them. At least 74 A.I. majors and 89 minors are available on American campuses, according to Northeastern University's Center for Inclusive Computing. At least another dozen schools, many of them far from Silicon Valley, are poised to debut majors this year, reflecting the frenzy around the technology and academia's urgent ambition to be seen as essential in the A.I. age. The idea is to keep schools and students alike competitive as A.I. reshapes the global economy. The new programs, though, vary widely in their details, with some emphasizing the inner workings of A.I. and many others more focused on how to use it. And it is unclear how students who earn the degrees will fare as companies recalibrate. Academia's stampede toward A.I. programs is challenging the perception that higher education is plodding. It is also inviting questions about whether colleges are sacrificing quality in a rush for relevance. |
| Why has youth unemployment risen so dramatically? It may not be AI. | |
| Remote work may explain up to 64% of the recent rise in unemployment among recent college graduates, according to an analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Researchers compared unemployment rates among younger and experienced workers in "remotable" jobs -- those that can easily be done remotely -- and "non-remotable" jobs, finding that younger workers' unemployment rate went up one percentage point in remotable jobs, while older workers' unemployment rate in those jobs slightly declined. Younger workers' unemployment rate fared better in non-remotable occupations, researchers found. The dynamics at play suggest the rise in remote work has hurt younger workers by making training and mentorship more difficult, authors Natalia Emanuel, Emma Harrington and Amanda Pallais wrote in the "Liberty Street Economics" blog. The researchers' analysis may be unexpected, given both employers and workers pointing toward artificial intelligence as a major driver behind sluggish hiring. Researchers noted, however, that the rise in youth unemployment "predates the rapid diffusion of AI," and that "even when we hold occupations' exposure to AI constant, we find that the differences between younger and older workers persist in both remotable and non-remotable jobs." |
| Alan Alda's Solution to Eroding Trust in Science: More Improv | |
| Neuroscientist Annalisa Scimemi is in her element at her laboratory, where she works with mice and sophisticated instruments to better understand brain cells. So she was well outside of her comfort zone on this May afternoon when she had to improvise a pitch for a made-up, nonsensical product called a "hammer humidifier." It was part of an improv exercise aimed at helping scientists amp up their presentations. "It's the top-rated humidifier in Arizona!" Scimemi exclaimed as she leapt forward, earning a big laugh from a classroom full of colleagues. "And it can be used for self-defense!" Trust in science has plummeted. Can improv turn the tide? Scimemi is one of more than 35,000 scientists and researchers who have taken classes led by professional actors to help them earn their audiences' trust and understanding. It's the brainchild of Alan Alda, who helped start what is now called the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Long Island's Stony Brook University more than 15 years ago. After his run playing surgeon Hawkeye Pierce on "M*A*S*H," Alda eventually shifted his focus from acting to science. |
| US universities boost market risk as financial pressures mount | |
| US university endowments are taking bigger market risks to boost investment returns, as schools face growing financial pressure from Trump administration funding cuts and weak private equity performance. Eight of the top 20 US university endowments by assets under management, including Harvard, increased their exposure to technology stocks or cryptocurrency-linked ETFs in the first quarter of this year compared with the end of 2025, according to public filings, despite concerns over stretched valuations and market volatility. The efforts come as Princeton University's endowment this week scrapped its policy of divesting from publicly traded oil and gas companies, marking a retreat from a climate-related investment pledge adopted four years ago. Elite university endowments' increased risk appetite underscores the pressure they face to boost returns as federal funding cuts and private-market strains weigh on their finances, leaving them more exposed to market swings. "There could be pressure from the endowment board or university administration to take a bit more risk and stretch the returns," said Philip Casey, founder of Institutional LPs, a technology company that works with endowments. "But that could come at a cost if there's a market correction." |
| DOJ Alleges 15 Med Schools Admit Students Based on Race | |
| Less than a month after declaring that medical schools at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Yale University had violated federal law by considering race or "racial proxies" in admissions, the Department of Justice is expanding its crackdown on the institutions that train America's physicians. The DOJ announced Thursday it had launched 15 new investigations regarding "potential race discrimination in medical school admissions." The department did not name the institutions in its news release, and when Inside Higher Ed requested clarification, the department did not respond. For now, all the public knows is that the Trump administration is broadening its attempt to "make medicine great again" through civil rights investigations. In a statement to Inside Higher Ed, Alison Whelan, chief medical officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges, responded, "It takes more than test scores to become a good doctor. The AAMC has long advocated for and continues to support medical schools in using mission-aligned selection to consider test scores along with experiences and applicant context to identify applicants most likely to thrive and contribute to the mission." She noted that the Medical College Admission Test is just one part of a holistic review that medical schools typically undertake in admitting future doctors, and that diverse classes tend to produce better medical practitioners. |
| Detained immigrants must be treated humanely | |
 | Columnist Bill Crawford writes: The Bible is rife with stories of man's cruelty to his fellow man. Rising above such behavior has been the great challenge of civilization. Since its founding the United States has progressed -- though slowly at times -- from a legal order that practiced subordination and harsh punishment to one that outlawed cruelty to women, children, prisoners, and other vulnerable groups. The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1791, banned "cruel and unusual punishments" reflecting the nation's sincere commitment to justice and humane treatment. In this context, it is hard to fathom the reasons for our government's rampant cruelty exhibited in the arrest, detention, and deportation of illegal immigrants. Indeed, everything ICE does could be done humanely if so ordered by the President. Instead, as Associated Press investigations show -- supported by court filings and government inquiries (DHS OIG and GAO) -- ICE's treatment of immigrants exhibits a systemic pattern of cruelty. |
| Mississippi building 21st century blue economy | |
| U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) writes: It's been "Ocean Week" on Capitol Hill, and coastal states like Mississippi have taken the opportunity to showcase their contributions to the blue economy. Waterways have always been a key part of Mississippi commerce. Tourists are flocking to our beaches, lakes, and fisheries, and we have exported Mississippi ships and seafood across the globe. But in the last decade, we have also become a hub of 21st century maritime science and innovation. Mississippi hosts a network of researchers, scientists, military officials, entrepreneurs, and manufacturers, all developing the latest oceanographic technology. Analysts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are building data models for precise weather forecasts. Researchers at the Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center are developing the latest aquaculture farming methods. ... All of Mississippi stands to gain. The blue economy creates research opportunities for students and professors across the state. New companies bring high-tech job opportunities for those students after graduation. Aquaculture farmers are benefiting. Artificial intelligence tools improve fish stock and water quality readings, and drones now help monitor illegal fishing |
SPORTS
| MSU comeback effort falls just short, Bulldogs eliminated in super regional | |
 | Freshman Jacob Parker took a swing, missed, and almost fell to his knee before walking out of the batter's box in the bottom of the 10th. Parker had two home runs on the day, fueling an unbelievable comeback for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs had trailed by five runs, before battling and taking a 9-8 lead in the eighth. Georgia forced extras, but State was in it. He took a home run hack at a high fastball with two runners on and two out, but couldn't send his third ball over the wall. UGA players ran out of their dugout, they were going to Omaha. MSU's dugout looked on, shattered, blank stares painted on their tired faces. Their season was over. UGA took game two of the Athens Super Regional 11-9 in extras on Sunday, fending off a comeback effort from the desperate Bulldogs. "I'm proud of our guys, I'm proud of this guy (Parker). I know he hurst cause the game ends with his at bat, but we wouldn't be where we're at without his and his teams contributions," Head Coach Brian O'Connor said. |
| McMahon joins as MSU athletics beat writer | |
| Jake McMahon has joined The Dispatch as its beat reporter for Mississippi State athletics. McMahon, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, graduated from Western Kentucky University with a degree in journalism, a minor in broadcasting and a certificate in sports communication. Along with serving as editor-in-chief for WKU's student newspaper, The College Heights Herald, his senior year, McMahon has held positions at the Bowling Green Daily News and the Lexington Herald-Leader, where he got his first taste of SEC coverage while covering Kentucky Wildcat sports. In his role on the MSU beat, he will provide comprehensive coverage of Bulldog athletics, from game stories, features and player profiles to enterprise stories related to the university's sports programs. McMahon started the role May 25, though MSU softball's historic run to the Women's College World Series left him little time to settle in. |
| Greg Sankey pushes back on SEC-Big Ten Super League talk: 'We have not had a conversation' | |
| SEC commissioner Greg Sankey on Friday pushed back against suggestions from Capitol Hill that his league and the Big Ten are threats to join forces and leave the rest of college sports behind while calling out the private equity firms that have been lobbying federal lawmakers. "It's one of those strange twists right off the bat that somehow we're being pointed out as the people pushing super leagues when we've spent years resisting those ideas, but that's the kind of crazy world we live in, right?" Sankey said on the "Paul Finebaum Show." The Senate bill introduced this week by Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas-R) and Maria Cantwell (Wash.-D) specifically targets the Big Ten and SEC, placing limits on the conferences' ability to add members and prohibiting them from merging. The SEC and the Big Ten have withheld support for the Protecting College Sports Act, but have expressed interest in working with lawmakers on revisions. Cruz and Cantwell have said the bill is intended to promote a more level playing field across Division I, thwart future conference realignment and prevent the consolidation of the biggest brands and wealthiest schools at the expense of smaller schools -- a theoretical Super League. Sankey said the SEC and Big Ten have no interest in that concept, and he and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti conveyed that to Cruz in a meeting earlier this week. |
| In the clubhouse with Christ -- the ministry of MLB chaplains | |
| When Father Richard Rocha quit coaching high school football to enter seminary, he thought he would be stepping away from athletics for good. But in 2005, a few years into his priesthood, Bishop Robert Finn, who was then bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, asked him to take on two additional assignments: to serve as chaplain for Kansas City's major league baseball and football teams, the Royals and the Chiefs. While it seemed like a unique assignment, Rocha learned that he was joining a small, but organized group of professional athletics Catholic chaplains. Evangelizing and ministering to athletes means they are themselves better equipped to do the same. "Athletes have an amazing ability to evangelize with a soapbox that most people don't have," Ray McKenna, an attorney who serves as president of Catholic Athletes for Christ, said. Father Burke Masters has witnessed this first hand during his 13 seasons ministering to the Chicago Cubs. He said forming players in the clubhouse and meeting them where they are helps equip them to proclaim the Gospel. Masters knows the life of a baseball player well -- he played college baseball for Mississippi State University, helping lead his team to the college world series. Master said that in recent years, he's observed that many professional athletes have become more vocal about their faith lives, especially in post-game interviews. |
| The New College Football Millionaires Spending $80,000 on Their High School Proms | |
| Xavier Payne, a freshman offensive lineman at the University of Colorado, never went to a dance at his Orlando, Fla., high school. "We didn't have the money to spend," said Payne, 17, who was raised by a single mother with three younger children. But last month, flush from a six-figure Name, Image and Likeness, or NIL, compensation package, Payne returned to Florida to attend the Jones High prom with his old classmates. He arrived in a $180,000 Mercedes wearing a $2,500 custom suit, $1,100 Christian Louboutin shoes and vintage Cartier watch he said was worth about $40,000. "A lot of people said they didn't recognize me," he recalled. Welcome to prom in the NIL era. Young superstars are remaking the high school rite of passage into a cultural phenomenon all their own, part victory lap and part personal branding opportunity. Opendorse, the NIL marketplace and tech company, projects that freshman athletes across all sports will rake in $780 million in the next school year. "There's like this -- I don't want to say competition -- but everyone's thinking about how big they can go and how flashy they can be," said Justin Giangrande, a sports agent based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| NCAA panel tweaks D-I eligibility plan, could vote on it in late June | |
| The NCAA Division I cabinet put off a vote on the age-based eligibility model it is considering and instead made minor adjustments to the proposal Friday. The cabinet removed language about starting an athlete's eligibility clock after their high school graduation. The proposal now says the clock will start upon initial full-time enrollment in college or at the beginning of the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. The adjustment would apply to all sports and comes after recommendations from stakeholders in men's ice hockey, men's basketball and the service academies. The NHL and NHL Players' Association announced this week they had raised concerns with the NCAA because players are often older when they enroll after first spending time at the junior level or at a prep school. Once the college eligibility clock starts, the athlete will be allowed five seasons of competition over five years. |
| Between the Knicks and the Pope, Villanova Finds the Spotlight | |
| Villanova University has produced plenty of notable alumni in its 184 years, but it has never had a moment quite like this. From the N.B.A. finals court to the Catholic church, current and former students are seeing navy and white everywhere. The New York Knicks -- with three Villanova alumni playing key roles -- are up 2-0 in the finals and returning to Madison Square Garden on Monday night. And another grad with even more devotees, Pope Leo XIV, has been making waves with his warnings about artificial intelligence and his brief feud with the Trump administration. It's unmistakable: Villanova is in the spotlight. So, with attention trained on the Catholic university of 6,700 undergraduates in the Philadelphia suburbs =-- where spring semester classes ended a month ago -- Villanova Wildcats are reveling. Shannon Kaplan, a 19-year-old Villanova student from Rye, N.Y., in Westchester County, was walking on campus on Saturday with her boyfriend, who is from San Antonio --- home of the Spurs, the Knicks' opponent in the finals. She said that Pope Leo may be partially to thank for the Knicks' success. "Luck is hard to justify, so this would be a miracle if they win it all," Ms. Kaplan said. "Is this glory for Villanova, and therefore glory for Leo XIV? I say amen." The Rev. Joseph Mostardi, 76, the pastor of Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish in Bryn Mawr, Pa., near Villanova's campus, presided over Mass on Saturday evening and later reflected on Villanova's cultural moment. "As a Villanova graduate, the pope experienced what these Villanova players now on the Knicks experienced," he said. "It's all part of their success, no matter if it's at the Vatican or Madison Square Garden." |
| Donald Trump, Knicks fan, heads back to New York to root on his team | |
| There was a time when Donald Trump was just another celebrity sitting courtside at New York Knicks games. He was famous, but not yet flanked by Secret Service agents or defined by the politics that have left him deeply unpopular in his hometown. Now, more than a decade after attending his last Knicks game at Madison Square Garden, Trump is making a rare trip back to New York City as president to cheer for them in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. Invited by Knicks owner James Dolan, he will be the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game. The Knicks are seeking their first championship since 1973, when Trump was 26 and a relative newcomer to the family real estate business that vaulted him to wealth and fame. Two years after that triumph, the team's owners at the time hired him as a consultant as they looked to sell the arena. Trump is an avid sports fan, but the affinity he professes for the Knicks is different. It speaks to the Republican president's identity as a New Yorker and harkens to a bygone era where a front-row seat at a Knicks game was a chance for him and other boldface names to see and be seen. In a city whose wealthy gatekeepers largely turned their noses at Trump's brash personality and playboy image in the 1990s and 2000s, the Garden's Celebrity Row was one club where he felt at home. |
| He has run marathons in all 50 states, and you won't believe what's next for Mike Knobler | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: These fingers last typed about my good friend and former Clarion Ledger co-worker Mike Knobler in February of 2022. Mike had returned to Mississippi to run in the Mississippi Blues Marathon, which he completed, making Mississippi the 36th state in which he had successfully run a 26.2 mile race. You can read that column here, and it will give you some needed background about why I write about him again today. You see, that's when Mike, a former sports writer-turned-international tax attorney, told me he was getting close to his goal of running marathons in all 50 states. Thirty-six down, 14 to go, he told me. And that's when I told him that should he make it to 50, I'd be there. So here we were, on a sunny Friday morning where Mike, at age 62, finished the hilly Bear Lake Idaho Marathon course, all 26.2 miles with a view of the lovely, aqua waters of Bear Lake and with the scenic Bear River Mountains serving as a backdrop. The race was run at an elevation of 6,000 feet, adding to the course's difficulty, but Mike finished smiling and raising a triumphant fist. He won the 60-70 age group's first prize, finishing in 3 hours, 56 minutes. ... If he has been a curiosity until now, wait until you learn what is next for Mike Knobler. |
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