Tupelo football deserves better fan support

Nov. 22—Ty Hardin shouldn't have had to post that video on Sunday.

The Tupelo High School football coach took to Twitter that morning asking fans to come out for Friday's Class 6A North final against Starkville.

"We need you here this Friday night," Hardin said, pointing to the home bleachers behind him. "These kids deserve it. This community deserves it. This school deserves it."

Those kids, who have carried the Golden Wave to a 13-0 record, certainly deserve better than what they got last Friday. A paltry, tepid crowd saw Tupelo roll over reigning state champion Madison Central, 28-7, tying the program record for wins in a season and setting the stage for a showdown with its biggest rival.

I don't have an attendance figure, but the home side couldn't have been more than half full. And many of those fans trickled in around kickoff, because Tupeloans rarely show up on time to social events. And that's what Tupelo football games have long felt like — just a place for people to hang out, sitting on their hands, the game serving as mere background noise.

I've been here 20 years, and it's always been this way. Simply put, Tupelo is not a football town.

Listen, I think it's great that Tupelo High excels in so many sports, from baseball to tennis to swimming to soccer to cross country. Everybody wants a well-rounded athletics program, and Tupelo has long had one of the best in the state.

But when your football team is having a historic season like this, there should be an overflow of support. I'm talking about standing room only on Friday nights. Tupelo is widely considered the best team in the state, and do you realize how much college talent is on that field each week?

I've covered most of Tupelo's games this season, and it is a tremendously fun group to watch. The Wave have been especially good at home, outscoring opponents 303-17. Hardin has pushed all the right buttons in his three seasons here, and this sort of success will be the norm for as long as he stays.

I'm sure Hardin is frustrated with the fan support. He can look up in the stands and see all the empty seats, and so can the players. I understand this problem is not unique to Tupelo; I've been to plenty of stadiums where the fan turnout was surprisingly low given the product on the field.

And I do want to recognize the real fans who do support Tupelo. I see their faces every Friday as I climb the stands up to the press box. And Tupelo has one of the best student sections around, led by the Tupelo Boys.

I've heard from some of these fans, and like me, they can't fathom why the stands aren't packed every Friday. Well, y'all have a chance to change that this week as Tupelo tries to reach the state championship game.

People don't normally like bandwagon fans, but right now, Tupelo will take what it can get.

BRAD LOCKE is senior sports writer for the Daily Journal. Contact him on Twitter @bradlocke or via email at brad.locke@journalinc.com