Mississippi governor really wants college football, issues statewide mask mandate

Mississippi governor Tate Reeves really wants us to have college football.

Maybe a statewide mandate on wearing masks in Mississippi will help give us college football?

No, it’s not going to solve all of our issues nationwide, but it’ll surely be a big help. On Tuesday, Mississippi governor Tate Reeves issued a statewide mandate requiring his constituents to wear masks in public. A big reason for this, in addition to the overall safety of all Mississippians, is Governor Reeves really wants to watch some college football this fall. Can you really blame him?

“I want to see college football,” he said. “The best way for that to occur is for us all to realize is that wearing a mask, as irritating as that can be & I promise I hate it more than anyone watching, is critical.”

Is the threat of no college football enough to change Mississippi’s ways?

Even though the state of Mississippi doesn’t have a major North American professional sports team, it does have two Power 5 teams in the Ole Miss Rebels and the Mississippi State Bulldogs out of the SEC, as well as the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in Conference USA out of the Group of 5. College athletics are crucial to Mississippi’s economy and the state’s overall livelihood.

It wasn’t all that long ago that Mississippi State running back Kylin Hill threatened to disassociate from Mississippi State University if the state flag of Mississippi wasn’t changed. Representatives from all major public universities in the state went to the capital in Jackson to help persuade the state legislature to make the right call. Eventually, they finally got it right.

Hill was responsible for ending generations of oppression by taking a stand this summer over the racial inequality his state’s former flag represented. Now, Governor Reeves is putting forth a last-ditch effort to help ensure we will have college football this fall down south. The SEC has opted to go with a 10-game, conference-only slate, while Conference USA is finalizing its season’s plans.

Mississippi may not be the most populous state in the country, but it is crucial for college athletics. We have two incredible coaches leading the state’s two major college teams in Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss and Mike Leach at Mississippi State. 2020 is about to be the greatest Egg Bowl of all time. By issuing a statewide mandate, maybe Reeves can get everybody in Mississippi on the same page?

If we want the Egg Bowl and all its glory, please wear a mask so we can be thoroughly entertained.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.