Mar 5, 2024

LSU and the Confederate Flag

The presence of the LSU confederate flag on Southern college campuses epitomizes the racial contradictions of white Southern culture. The symbol stands as a claim to a distinct, regional history, sanitized of its legacy of slavery and as an attempt to capitalize on the African American student population that bolsters the bottom lines of the schools’ athletic programs and makes them so attractive to big money professional coaches.

Some students see a connection between the flag and the university’s rich military heritage. Its enduring significance is reflected in the War Memorial, a campus monument to those who served our country in every branch of the military, from World War II onward. Its legacy also lives in the nickname of the LSU football team, a tribute to Wheat’s Tigers, a Zouave unit composed of dockworkers that fought fiercely at Bull Run and throughout Virginia during the Civil War.

LSU Confederate Flag: Examining the Intersection of Sports and Politics

But the flag’s enduring presence at LSU also demonstrates how the school is unwilling to make any changes or acknowledge that it is offensive to some people. The NAACP’s full-field drive to ban the symbol has centered on football games, with the anti-flag movement seeming to fizzle out after the final whistle blows.

While Chancellor Sean O’Keefe has said the university will not ban the flag due to First Amendment freedom of speech issues, it has made clear that it discourages its use. That message has been echoed by football coach Steve Spurrier, who recently called for an end to the display of the Confederate flag at his stadium.