One Man’s Opinion: The SEC and Me

By Bill Crane

Thankfully, as a nation, we still have sport and play and rivalries and school spirit, which reward and embrace us, giving us new experiences and memories atop layers of the old. I am biased and favor college football as a small handful of sports of choice, but in many ways, I can never get too much of our Southeastern Conference, particularly SEC Football. Mary L. Crane, my maternal grandmother, gifted my brother and me with childhood trips to see the then-expansion NFL franchise Atlanta Falcons play at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The stadium was designed for baseball; the baseball diamond spent most all of fall and winter as a muddy patch across the then-real grass football playing field. Though I would follow the Falcons and the NFL all the way out of high school, the NFL fell off the radar for me roughly 2-3 strikes ago.

College football is tribal, laden with traditions, legend, and unparalleled fandom and mascot antics. And our SEC has more than just the sunbelt, winning coaches, and the world’s most beautiful co-eds going for us to coax Missouri, Texas A&M, and now Oklahoma and Texas to leave their respective conferences for the greener pastures and greener TV contracts of the SEC. Georgia’s first National Championship win came in 1980 during my sophomore year at the University of Georgia.

Road games are also part of this experience, making most every meeting of Georgia vs. Auburn, the South’s oldest college football rivalry since 1980, and attending a significant majority of the Georgia/ Florida games (The World’s Largest Cocktail Party) in Jacksonville, Florida as well. In the SEC East, I have not ventured into Kentucky’s stadium in Lexington, but I will get there. In the SEC West, I have not yet seen the Aggie’s home turf at Texas A&M, and though I’ve always enjoyed Little Rock, Arkansas, I’ve not yet made it over to Fayetteville. But I plan to be in Austin and the University of Texas for the Dawg’s first in-conference home game with the Longhorns. As of now, I don’t have Norman, Oklahoma on my bucket list.

But the winds of change are blowing as the Big 12 becomes 14 (with some new team back-filling) and our SEC balloons to 16. The SEC East and West divisions will soon cease to be. The four new teams would all geographically fall west of the Mississippi River, and the conference divisions would be imbalanced. The SEC Championship will remain on the first Saturday in December, but the match will no longer feature the champions of the East and West divisions. Fixed positions on rival team schedules are about to fade as cross-team contracts come up for renewal. For the 2024 season, only Georgia/Florida and Georgia/Georgia Tech, the latter being the home state championship and the Saturday after Thanksgiving, have fixed positions on the Dawgs season calendar.

You will hear of marriages ending in divorce, with a pair of SEC team tickets being among the most hotly contested joint marital assets. You may have the pleasure of meeting families with children, grandchildren, and occasionally even great-grandchildren running around with them at tailgates. Hotel rooms in almost every college football town in the SEC sell out, at incredibly inflated rates, requiring a minimum two-night stay nearly a full year in advance.

There is something about hearing your alma mater lilting through the air, with the force of a big brass band, followed by cheerleaders, your school team, and the raucous and celebratory atmosphere of a game day. And though I am clearly partial to Athens, Georgia, the Grove in Oxford, Mississippi, the Quad and campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, nose-bleed seats at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, overlooking the Tennessee River – and other impressive sites and gatherings including some incredible posture by both the athletes and each campus and their co-eds – make even the game road trips that we lose worthwhile.

So, while it is nice to dream of the potential Three-Peat and another year at the top, the SEC and my Dawgs have yet another fan for life. I never played and I don’t bet on the outcome, so though the game always matters, it is also just part of the great show. Georgia football reawakened itself recently. If we let Those Dawgs out for the rest of this season, I will end 2023 with another smile. Loran...what have you got?

Bill Crane owns the full-service communications firm CSI Crane. More information at www.CSICrane.com

Small Business Matters: The Importance of Supporting Small Businesses

By Our Town Gwinnett Staff

In the charming corners of our community, small businesses stand as the heartbeat of our local economy. These enterprises are not just mere brick-and-mortar structures; they embody dreams, hard work, and the unwavering spirit of entrepreneurship. As we navigate the modern world of convenience and big-box retailers, it is crucial that we recognize and actively support these small establishments that enrich our lives in ways beyond measure.

Small businesses bring a unique flavor and character to our community. Whether it’s the cozy cafe where you start your day, the family-run bookstore that sparks your imagination, or the boutique shop where you find that one-of-a-kind treasure, these businesses create an ambiance that chains cannot replicate. Their offerings are often carefully curated to reflect our community members’ distinct tastes and preferences. When you walk into a small business, you’re not just another customer, but a valued neighbor, and your experience matters.

Moreover, the economic impact of supporting small businesses cannot be overstated. Every dollar spent at a local establishment directly and immediately affects our community. Unlike large corporations that funnel profits elsewhere, small businesses reinvest significant earnings within our town. This circulation of funds stimulates

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