Jackson Free Press

6:00 p.m. Final polls in Indiana/Kentucky. Polls close in Virginia. (They also close in Georgia, South Carolina and Vermont.)

Bernie Sanders has won re-election in Vermont; Virginia Senate race too close to call.

NBC calls Indiana for Romney; Democrat Joe Donnelly has slight lead with 7% reporting.

6:42 p.m. West Virginia and South Carolina both called for Romney.

6:47 p.m. Polls still open in Florida although there's some counting going on, with Obama in the lead, but close.

North Carolina polls are closed, and Obama is leading with 9% of the vote in. Exit polls seem to give Obama a shot in North Carolina.

7:00 p.m. NBC calls Georgia for Romney. 7:00 p.m.

Poll closings... Pennsylvania, Michigan, Missouri, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, North Dakota, Florida and New Hampshire. (Also non-leaners Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas.)

7:04 p.m. Interesting Senate races in this round, including Warren/Brown in Massachusetts; NBC calles Maine Senate race for independent Angus King.

7:06 p.m. New Hampshire, Florida and Pennsylvania are too close to call according to NBC.

7:08 p.m. AP: reports: Obama carried Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont and Romney's home state of Massachusetts. Also as expected, he won Delaware and Maryland as well as the District of Columbia and Illinois. Romney had South Carolina, Oklahoma, Kentucky and West Virginia in his column. He also won Indiana, a state Obama carried in 2008 but did not contest this year.

7:29 Roger Wicker wins re-election in Mississippi.

7:56 A lot still undecided; NC and FL being tough to call bodes better for Obama than Romney. McCaskill, Warren leading; CNN calls Pennsylvania for Casey, all Democrats leading/winning.

8:00 Polls close in swing states Colorado and Wisconsin, and in close-ish Arizona, Minnesota and New Mexico. (Plus: Louisiana, Nebraska, New York and Wyoming.)

8:02 Wisconsin and Colorado too soon to call; Wisconsin said to be lead by Obama. Romney gets 4 of 5 votes in Nebraska. Michigan projected quickly for Obama. Arizona too early to call and Romney leading; Minnesota too early and Obama leading.

8:04 NBC says the House will stay with the GOP. No surprise.

8:06 I just realized Orrin Hatch is still in the Senate. Good lord.

8:15 NBC calls Pennsylvania for Obama -- rust belt firewall continues to hold.

8:35 Wisconsin called for Obama; arguably first legit swing state. He's one medium-sized state away from the win.

8:37 CBS calls New Hampshire for Obama. Another swing state.

8:42 NBC calls Elizabeth Warren the winner in Massachusetts.

9:00 Polls close in Iowa and Nevada. (Also Montana and Utah.)

Again, these are two swing states (Nevada less so) both leaning toward Obama. If Obama has won New Hampshire, Colorado and Wisconsin by now and has held in the leaners (Minnesota, Michigan, Maine, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Nevada) then Iowa's swing votes (and Nevada's leaning votes) make him president of the United States. Again.

9:24 CBS says that Democrat Tim Kaine has won the Senate race in Virginia.

9:55 North …

You want to know why people are scared of Chokwe Lumumba? Here's a good place to start.

The headline that appears on a story that the WAPT web site (www.wapt.com) reads, "Lumumba wants to remove Christopher Columbus from history books."

The headline is misleading at best.

I was at the debate last Friday night when Lumumba made the comment that we need to stop teaching our children that Christopher Columbus discovered American in 1492. "Columbus didn't discover America. America wasn't lost, Columbus was," Lumumba is correctly quoted in the story as saying.

What the story doesn't do is put the quote in context. The way it reads, you'd think Lumumba was asked about education and launched into a Christopher Columbus hate-a-thon. He was asked how we can keep students from dropping out of Jackson Public Schools, and he answered that maybe if our black youth was learning a little bit more about black culture and roots, they might be a little more interested in school and have a little bit more self-worth.

Besides, Lumumba is right about Columbus and the wording "Columbus discovered America." You can't be the first person to discover something that someone else has already found. Native Americans lived here before Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean; therefore, he cannot be the first man to "discover" America. Even if you don't believe that African people from the northern part of the continent crossed the Atlantic before Columbus—and some do—you can't deny that Christopher Columbus was not the first man to set foot in the Americas.

But the story on WAPT gets worse. It clumsily tries to explain Lumumba's beliefs, saying that he believes "people from northern Africa had been traveling to the North American continent years before Columbus did in 1492," and my personal favorite line of the story: "In fact, a Google search by 16 WAPT News shows the discovery of America is a widely disputed one."

Well, at least you did your homework.

Reached by phone Thursday afternoon, Lumumba said the headline and the idea that he wants to remove Columbus from the history books is "disappointing."

"I never said that. ... What I was really saying is that we need to add the people who came before ... . I just want the history books to accurately reflect that Columbus opened the Western Hemisphere to Europe," he said. "He did not discover it." Lumumba said he has used that line hundreds of times over the years, and said it was curious that it was just getting publicity now.

The bigger issue is that here we are, two days after Lumumba won the primary runoff, and this is the headline on local news stations. The divisiveness hit Twitter and Facebook as soon as the race was called. It hit comment sections on web sites of the JFP and Clarion-Ledger shortly thereafter. Now it is in a headline on WAPT. Where will it be in a month? A year?

For his part, Lumumba said he's …

Texas A&M University sits atop the college-sports world in total revenue in a recent report from USA Today. The Aggies earned more than $192.6 million in 2015—quite a leap from their 2014 revenue of about $119.5 million.

A large portion of the 2015 revenue came from $92 million in contributions, with ticket sales adding more than $45.8 million, rights and licensing adding about $47 million, and other revenue adding about $7.7 million. The Aggies added zero in student fees to their total.

The University of Mississippi was the top-earning school in the state last year, with about $87.6 million in total revenue, 34th place on the list of schools. The athletic department transferred nearly $2 million dollars back to the university, which is viewed as a revenue loss. In 2014, UM collected nearly $76 million in total revenue.

In 2015, UM earned more than $39 million in rights and licensing, by far the largest revenue source for the school. The Rebels added more than $22 million in contributions and more $19 million in ticket sales. UM also earned revenue in student fees and from the school before giving some money back.

Mississippi State University comes in 45th on the list with only slightly more than $75 million in total revenue, up from the more than $62 million in 2014. MSU collected the most revenue from rights and licensing at about $40 million. MSU gave $1.73 million back to the school.

The Bulldogs collected nearly $17 million in contributions and more $14 million in ticket sales. MSU also collected student fee for athletic revenue.

There is a big drop off from the state’s two SEC schools down to the University of Southern Mississippi, the next school from our state on the list. The Golden Eagles earned nearly $24 million in total revenue, placing 118th on the list.

Student fees fed the USM athletic department to the tune of about $6 million. Rights and licensing came in just below $6 million, contributions barely exceeded $4 million, and ticket sales were only about $2 million. The school gave the athletic department nearly $3 million in revenue, and other sources gave USM nearly $3 million. USM athletic department didn’t give any money back to the school.

The Golden Eagles collected less than $500,000 more in total revenue than they did in 2014.

Jackson State University comes in 100 spots behind Southern Miss at 218th place, with about $8 million in total revenue. The Tigers’ main source of revenue was student fees at about $3 million.

JSU earned nearly $3 million from public funds, about $1 million from ticket sales, about $500,000 in rights and licensing, and just about $800,000 from other sources.

One interesting note on JSU: The athletic department claimed zero dollars on contributions. JSU made just above $7 million in total revenue in 2014.

Alcorn State University came in 222nd place with about $7 million in total revenue. The Braves’ athletic …

Here is a nice trivia question you can ask your friends next week: Do you know who was the first 2016 NFL Draft player to sign with his team?

If you said Moritz Boehringer, then you would be right. The rest of you might be saying, "Who’s Moritz Boehringer?"

Funny thing you should ask that, because depending on his success, he could have started a trend.

Boehringer is the first player in NFL history to be drafted directly from Europe. The Minnesota Vikings drafted him with the 180th pick in the sixth round.

The 22-year-old, 6-foot-4-inch wide receiver was the 2015 German League Rookie of the Year, who became interested in American football after watching highlights of Vikings superstar running back Adrian Peterson.

But Boehringer isn’t the only player from the Germany to find his way to a NFL training camp this summer. Griffin Neal played Division III football at Concordia College who graduated in 2015 and headed to Hildesheim, Germany.

Neal went to Germany after an invitation from an American coach and ended up playing for the Invaders, a second-tier team in the German Football League. He also worked with a quarterback coach that helped get him an invite to Tulane’s Pro Day.

That invite to a pro day was helped by rain that forced the Tulane players to workout at the New Orleans Saints' indoor practice facility. All the Saints decision makers were there instead of just one scout. Neal impressed the New Orleans big wigs enough to get another workout. He aced that workout and earned a contract for camp later this summer.

If the sport of football is going to keep growing, that growth has to come outside of the country. Every major North American team sport has already gone global.

Soccer, can be traced back 2000 years ago but England took the sport around the world, is the world’s biggest sport. Basketball and baseball are well-known around the world. Hockey is limited by weather in most of the world, but it is still more global than American football.

The German Football League started in 1999 and is still trying to grow in terms of talent and fans. Boehringer and others explained during the draft that most German players aren’t ready to play in the NFL, much less the Arena Football League.

Germany isn’t the only place where American football is trying to take hold. There's the Amercian Football League of China, and why not try to get American football in the country with the world’s largest population?

The sport is also making inroads in Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Australia, England and other places. The International Federation of American Football says there are 80 countries with some level of organized football.

Currently the most talented players are in Germany. That would make sense if you remember the old NFL Europe that folded in 2007, which had several teams in Germany to expose fans to American football. …

Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott was truly impressive in the preseason, as he racked up 454 passing yards on 39 of 50 passes. He threw for five touchdowns and didn’t throw an interception while rushing for two more scores.

When Tony Romo went down, Prescott was named the starter, and Dallas didn’t panic into getting another single caller. The Cowboys are prepared to hand the reins over to the rookie in week one against the New York Giants.

While Prescott was nearly flawless in the preseason, that is rarely the case once the regular season starts. Defensive starters play the entire game, and defensive schemes get more complex.

The Giants will do everything they can to try to confuse Prescott and disguise coverage. The rookie quarterback will be well-prepared, but nothing is the same as game experience.

There are a few things the Cowboys can do help Prescott.

Scott Linehan's play-calling:

Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan will be a big part of the success Prescott has early in the season. It will be his play-calling that will help ease the rookie into the game.

Linehan will know what plays Prescott is most comfortable with and which plays he doesn’t like to run. The offensive coordinator will need to get Prescott in a rhythm throwing the ball early.

Play-calling is one of the most important parts of the offense. When it works, no one notices it, and when it doesn’t work, it is the story the next day.

Linehan has to make sure that Prescott’s play at quarterback is the story, not the play-calling. He has to put Prescott into situations and plays where the quarterback can succeed.

Letting Prescott run on designed plays will be a big part of Linehan’s job. Prescott can be effective in the read-option and on quarterback runs.

Offensive line and running backs:

Last season when Romo was injured, the rushing offense slipped from second the previous season to ninth. Defenses were able to stack the box to stuff the Cowboys’ running game and force the quarterback to beat them.

The offensive line and running backs will have to be able to get yards in the run game. Getting rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott going will be a major factor.

Elliott can take pressure off Prescott if he keeps the offense ahead of the chains. That means being in second and short and third and short. Being in second and long and third in long typically favors the defense.

The whole offense is open on second and short and third and short. That means the defense can’t just key in the passing game in later downs.

The offensive line has to protect Prescott and give him time to make reads. Depending on which Cowboy makes protection calls, the center will have to help the rookie get protection right on passing plays.

Prescott will have a …

by Tyler Edwards

As a society, we love to project feelings and analogies on to big cultural events—the Patriots coming from behind for a shocking last-minute win the Super Bowl is just like Donald Trump winning the election, right?

Well, the Academy Awards are no different. The nominees all seem to represent some part of our current culture: America’s growing diversity in the African American and queer “Moonlight,” the plight of poor white America in “Hell or High Water,” the escapism of “La La Land,” the Trumpian patriotism of “Hacksaw Ridge” and the hard fought battles women of color face in “Hidden Figures.”

Despite living in tougher times post-election, this year’s batch of Oscar nominees are actually an encouraging beacon of diversity. After last year’s #OscarSoWhite controversy, the Academy decided to acknowledge an incredible slate of talent and diversity this year.

And while most of the awards appear to be “La La Land”’s to lose, don’t count out of some of the dark horses! So here is a handy guide to help you not lose your office Oscar-pool.

Best Picture

Predicted win: “La La Land” Dark Horse: “Hidden Figures”

Winning Best picture seems like a foregone conclusion for the hit musical “La La Land.” Despite being a movie about jazz staring two white people, “La La Land’s” escapism and joy—and Hollywood loving to award movies about itself—this is the safest bet for the night’s most coveted award. “Manchester by the Sea” and “Moonlight” are stunningly beautiful and poignant films, but they just aren’t going to have the popular appeal that “La La Land” does to bring home the Best Picture award. If anything does have a chance at upsetting “La La Land,” my money would be on “Hidden Figures.” While not the best film of the year, it’s the highest grossing of all the nominees and the way the best picture voting works could allow it to slip in under the radar.

Best Actor

Predicted win: Casey Affleck (“Manchester by the Sea”) Dark Horse: Denzel Washington (“Fences”)

This award was in the bag for Casey Affleck and his incredible performance in “Manchester by the Sea,” but some late breaking sexual assault allegations have put a damper on some of his award-season buzz. While still the front-runner, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Denzel Washington take home the award for “Fences.”

Best Actress

Predicted win: Emma Stone (“La La Land”) Dark Horse: Natalie Portman (“Jackie”)

“La La Land” is going to rack-up on the lion’s share of the awards, but the only acting recognition it is going to get is for Emma Stone’s sure-fire win for Best Actress. Natalie Portman’s turn as Jackie Kennedy was the front-runner early on, but all the buzz around her performance seems to have faded. That being said, it’s never smart to count out Meryl Streep!

Best Supporting Actor

Predicted win: Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight”) Dark Horse: Dev Patel (“Lion”)

“Moonlight” was probably my favorite movie of the year, and while I would love …