Many a SEC fan who's never been to Missouri has offered serious thoughts about what a poor fit for the SEC Missouri might be. From one Tigers fan's defense:
SEC country provides fewer pro alternatives than any other region really. Almost all SEC schools are the only game in town. Another often untold part of the "SEC passion" story is that fan attention isn't diluted by pro sports because local/state media is focused solely on the college team.
A smarter insight into southern sports that the one usually offered by northerners -- the one about Atlanta being a bad sports town and southerners being too crooked or simple to appreciate pro sports. The answer's pretty simple.
We didn't get a major pro team until the '60s, by which point Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama and others had laid roots seven decades deep. No wonder this is a college sports region. Pro sports waited way too long to give us a chance.
We'll also overlook the quoted item's slander against pulled barbecue meat.
Worth noting the St. Louis Cardinals (of Missouri, for our newcomers) were the Southeast's pro team of choice for many decades before the Atlanta Braves arrived. Full circle?
For more cultural studies, visit Missouri blog Rock M Nation.