Blog Topic: Sports

Culture Briefs: RIP Georgia Superfan Mike 'Big Dawg' Woods

By Blake Aued | January 4, 2017 11:09pm

Photo Credit: UGA Football Live via Twitter

You know who I'm talking about—the bald guy with the bulldog painted on top of his head who's ubiquitous on Athens gameday Saturdays.

Georgia superfan Mike "Big Dawg" Woods died earlier today, according to several sources. UGA Football Live appears to have broken the news:

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Culture Briefs: Georgia Will Play TCU in the Liberty Bowl

By Blake Aued | December 4, 2016 5:07pm

Photo Credit: Emily Selby/UGA Athletics

Book your hotel in Memphis, Georgia fans. The Bulldogs received a bid this afternoon to play in the Liberty Bowl Dec. 30 against Texas Christian University.

TCU was considered a potential playoff contender in August, but stumbled to a 6-6 record that included wins over Texas and No. 17 Baylor and losses to Arkansas, No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 12 West Virginia.

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In the Loop: The Party's Back On at Frat Beach

By Blake Aued | October 27, 2016 1:35pm

Photo Credit: UGA News Service

Glynn County workers and volunteers clean up "frat beach" after the Georgia-Florida game in 2012.

Glynn County, GA has decided to Make Frat Beach Fratty Again. Sort of.

Authorities at the beach community that’s a notorious party spot for UGA students on the Georgia-Florida football weekend have decided to scale back the police presence after cracking down on rowdy students last year, the Golden Isles News reported.

Last year’s “zero tolerance” approach will still be in effect, but police won’t be out in force on St. Simons Island roads like they were last year.

“Last year may have been a bit of overkill,” County Commission Chairman Richard Strickland said last month, according to the News. “We were trying to get their attention, to make them understand. We appreciate them being here, but at the same time we have laws and we want you to behave yourselves. But we are more than happy to have them here.”

Last year, after getting fed up with partiers trashing the beach, Glynn County commissioners sent a stern letter to UGA and Florida students warning them to behave themselves. They didn’t this year. Apparently coastal merchants complained that the heavy police presence hurt their business.

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In the Loop: Graduate Hotels Honor Athens First Responders After UGA-Ole Miss Bet

By Kat Khoury | October 24, 2016 11:43am

Photo Credit: ZoomWorks Photography

When Devin Heath and Mike Hoover made a friendly wager on the UGA-Ole Miss football game, first responders in both cities reaped the benefits.

Heath, general manager of the Graduate Athens hotel, and Hoover, GM of the Graduate hotel in Oxford, MS, struck a deal: The loser would travel from their respective hotel to the other, along with a culinary team prepared to serve the first responders of the winners city a meal that reflected the local flavor.

After Georgia lost to Ole Miss, Heath and his team packed up and made the seven-hour trip to Oxford, serving dishes like peach ribs and Southern baked beans. In friendly fun and rivalry, Hoover donned Heath in an Ole Miss jersey, hat and a bib that proclaimed “I’m a lil’ Rebel.”

In a show of good sportsmanship however, Hoover decided the first responders of Athens deserved a good Mississippi meal as well.

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In the Loop: Chris Conley: Stop Calling Trump's Offensive Comments 'Locker Room Talk'

By Blake Aued | October 10, 2016 2:04pm

Photo Credit: Jim Hipple

Chris Conley, Flagpole’s all-time favorite Bulldog, wants you to know that “grab them by the pussy” isn’t locker-room talk.

The former UGA receiver, who now plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, shot off a few tweets lasrt night aimed at those who’ve been dismissing Donald Trump’s controversial comments made on the “Access Hollywood” set in 2005.

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Culture Briefs: Georgia Fan Gets a Little Too Turnt After Win

By Blake Aued | September 19, 2016 3:08pm

Photo Credit: Jeff Moore via Twitter

Like all of us, Athens resident Michael DiNardo was pretty psyched about Jacob Eason's touchdown pass to Isaiah McKenzie that beat Missouri Saturday night.

Some might say he took it a bit too far.

DiNardo's roommate, Jeff Moore, posted a video to Twitter of DiNardo celebrating the epic play—a celebration that included putting his head through a pane of glass. The video went viral as an example of just how boneheaded Georgia fans can be.

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In the Loop: Greyson Lambert Will Start Against North Carolina

By Blake Aued | September 1, 2016 12:20pm

Photo Credit: John Kelley/UGA Athletics

While Georgia fans may be clamoring for Jacob Eason, head coach Kirby Smart has opted to start senior Greyson Lambert against North Carolina on Saturday, according to the AJC.

Lambert, a transfer from Virginia, started 12 games for Georgia. He set an NCAA record for highest completion percentage against South Carolina last year, completing 24 of 25 passes, but otherwise was mediocre and briefly lost his job to Faton Bauta, who’s since left the program.

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Culture Briefs: Bulldogs Cleaned Up at the 2016 Summer Olympics

By Kat Khoury | August 22, 2016 12:08pm

Photo Credit: screencap via NBC

Shaunae Miller dives over the finish line.

Between swimmer Gunnar Bentz’s involvement in LochteGate, sprinter Shaunae Miller’sfamous dive and UGA athletes winning more medals than most countries, it was a memorable Olympics for the Bulldawg Nation.

Current and former University of Georgia athletes brought home 10 medals: five gold, two silver and two bronze, contributing six to the U.S.’s world-leading overall medal count of 121, two for Canada and one for the Bahamas.

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Culture Briefs: CCRG Upset the Tallahassee RollerGirls Saturday

By David Eduardo | July 19, 2016 10:50am

Photo Credit: David Eduardo

What transpired Saturday night at Akins Arena inside the Classic Center was, without hyperbole, the most thrilling display of grit and athleticism in the decade-long history of women’s flat track roller derby in Athens. The largest regular-season crowd in recent memory held its collective breath for two 30-minute halves as the visiting team from Tallahassee and our hometown Classic City Rollergirls battled with every ounce of their being in a slugfest for the ages.

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Culture Briefs: Writers: The Dawgs Are Gonna Be Mediocre This Year

By Blake Aued | July 15, 2016 3:29pm

Photo Credit: Emily Selby/UGA Athletics

"Third place? Really, guys?"

New UGA football coach Kirby Smart knows he needs to win and win in a hurry to keep the fan base happy.

Unfortunately for him (and us), the media doesn’t have a whole lot of faith.

At the SEC Media Days conference in Hoover last week, sportswriters picked Georgia to finish third in the East, behind predicted division winner Tennessee and Florida.

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