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The undisputed leader in HBCU Sports and Culture.
What is up? What is up? What is up? What's up, queens and kings? Welcome back to Queens of the Yard. We celebrate HBCU's sports culture and community, and of course, putting those sheets in the seats. Tonight, we're going to have a conversation that's heavier than usual, but one that we really, really need to have, okay? Homecoming is about family, tradition, reconnecting with old friends, celebrating institutions. That means so much to us. Yet, we have these stories of violence during these weekends that raise serious questions about safety and responsibility. And what's behind these incidents? Are our schools being blamed for incidents that extend beyond the campus? Like, what roles do our city officials, our university leaders, our organizers, and broader community play? Like, we shouldn't have to choose between celebrating our culture and feeling safe, so we'll unpack that tonight. And of course, we're talking about football, we're talking about women's sports, because what else? We're talking about homecoming, and of course, sheets in the seats, so jump into the comments and let's get to it. What are you watching from? And what's your alma mater? I want to know all of the details. What are you watching from? So, before I jump into Protect the Yard, before I jump into Protect the Yard, there has been quite a bit, What's up, Troy? How you doing? So, all the social media buzz has been about Shannon Sharp and the Nightcap coming to North Carolina A&T G-Ho. And I got some thoughts about it. And you know we talk business over here. Like, our focus here is business, okay? We don't care about all of the other things. We want to talk about the business of things. So, here are Sheena's thoughts. These are the thoughts. Sheena, not to be glamorized by HBCU Game Day or anyone else. This is what Sheena thinks, right? So, Steve, do we have the actual clip of what Steve Smith, Jesus Christ, Shannon Sharp said? All right, we're going to hold. We're going to see if we can pull the clip of what Shannon Sharp said. And then I want to dig into a little bit of what we heard from the university, from other alumni. And again, my thoughts, because this is my show and we're going to hear what I think, okay? Let's see. I put Steve on the spot. I didn't tell him I wanted the actual clip, so that's my bad shit. But in the meantime, you can head over to HBCU Game Day and see the article that was written about the situation and some of the details. So, if you didn't know, right, Shannon Sharp in an ICAP podcast was supposed to come to G-HO. And according to Shannon Sharp, 10 weeks out, they had planned this situation. And then when they went to, I guess, tidy up some things, they learned that they were going to have to pay for the band, for the auxiliaries, for the D-non organizations to represent on campus. And they pulled out of it because they said they weren't going to pay that. So, here's Sheena's thoughts, okay? While Steve finds the clip, if you have not seen it today, we saw that Anka had to pull out. But had to pull out is questionable, in my opinion. And again, the purpose of this show is to address things from a business standpoint, I had to roll my sleeves up on y'all. Like, address it from a business standpoint and understanding what the benefit is to the institutions. Because if there's not a benefit to the institution, I don't want to hear it. So, right now, we're going to talk about Sheena's thoughts. Sheena's thoughts are, this is a podcast. Just like Queens of the Yard is a podcast, right? And PD is knocking his bowl around like he wants water. Anyway, so, it's loaded. In the meantime, we're going to chat through this a little bit. So, y'all know I'm not really partial to A&T. I have my own thoughts and reservations. Yes, PD is a dog, not my son. My son has gone to his cousin's for Halloween extravaganza all weekend. So, there will be no appearance of Jackson this weekend. No, Jackson's weekend. I know. I know y'all will miss Jackson. As will I, okay? As will I. I will miss Jackson's weekend. He's not here. But, back to the topic. So, I had some time to hear what Sheena Sharp had to say. I had some time to hear what the alumni had to say. I had some time for the university to say what they had to say. Here's the thing. My cap is a podcast, right? And weeks, weeks ago, I live in Greensboro. Well, I live in Gibsonville. Which is about 15 miles from Greensboro. So, it's local news for me, okay? And all of my Facebook are Aggies. Everyone that I follow are Aggies. Everyone in Greensboro is an Aggie, okay? You're an Aggie by default. If you pay taxes in Gilbert County, you're an Aggie. So, here we go. Let's go. Let's run it before I get into it. And a lot of North Carolina A&T alum that was expecting us to come and do a show from there tomorrow from one to three. Unfortunately, that will not be happening. It's not because of nightcap. It's not because of our presenting sponsor. You have to look at A&T. Normally, when we go to visits, we don't have to pay. If the cheerleaders come on, we don't have to pay a fee. If we get coaches to come on, we don't have to pay a fee. If we get faculty to come on, we don't have to pay a fee. We are not told. Well, you can't have the students. And if the students come on your show, they're going to be expelled. So, we just felt that was a bridge too far. We're not a talk show. We're an entertainment show. And fan engagement is a big part of what we do at nightcap. If anybody has seen our live events, we are very fan friendly. And we like to get the fans engaged. But, and we were told the band would not be able to perform. Now, I'm trying to figure this out, chat. Y'all have gone to a lot of homecomings. Have you ever heard of a situation where the band had a previous engagement and it's homecoming? Oh, by the way, if you make a donation, they might be available. So, I just had to... Guys, at some point in time, you have to make a decision that you say, you know what? We cannot plan our flag here. Unfortunately, it's not going to happen. We wish it could. PV was the gold standard. Whatever we asked for. Coaches, athletic director, factory, basketball coach, women, men, students were able to engage. But when you say, well, the students will be suspended if they engage. You got to pay a fee if you get this person, that person, this person to come on. I say, you know what, guys? At some point in time, it's just not worth it. And so, unfortunately, it's not going to happen. So, again, ask A&T why they chose to go this route when they knew 10 weeks in advance that we were coming and what we had requested. But that's not the hearing or there. Just ask... There's a young lady that's in charge that just basically gave us her butt to kiss. Dr. Keisha Williams-Smith. I don't really like to call people names. But you put us in a very tough spot because people are looking at us like, well, nightcap, y'all canceled last minute. Nah, ain't no nightcap canceled last minute. Dr. Keisha Williams-Smith, she canceled us last minute. And when she started making all these requests, the band, the band sent an email. We're looking forward. We're looking forward to seeing you guys. We can't wait to participate. Well, we were told you guys weren't going to be available. That's bull jive is what they said. I use the term bull jive, but that's not what they said. So, you know what, chat, unfortunately, an A&T fan and alumni, we're not going to be there. But you have to ask yourself, you have to ask A&T when we're coming to highlight your university to show what homecoming at an HBCU is all about, the pageantry. And oh yeah, by the way, and any Greek sosaros, that was going to be... And I know there are a lot... That's a lot to unpack, okay? So the idea that North Carolina A&T State University, the largest public HBCU in the country, needs a podcast to come promote them for exposure, I feel is ridiculous. Then you're talking about just logistics, right? So I found a post earlier from Mr. Campbell, the band director, okay? Because Dr. Ruff is no longer the band director, okay? Campbell is the band director over at A&T. He said he didn't know nothing about. Now, we're in an Asia NIL. You know, we talk about NIL here all the time. And if you're familiar with band participation, if they go to another school, that school pays for the band to be there. If they go to Battle of the Bands... they're paid to be there. You're talking about homecoming week. Why would you think that the blue and gold marching machine arguably one of the best bands in HBCU landscape would perform for your podcast for free? In addition to all of the auxiliaries, you want band members, you want student athletes, you want them to come sit on your show where only you are getting the benefit. Mind you, this is a YouTube podcast. This isn't like ESPN, this isn't like a nationally syndicated podcast. This is a YouTube podcast who only benefits the distributor of the podcast, which would be Shannon Sharpe, Ciao, Jessica, and Joe, right? Like the only the members of the nightcap would only, that would be the only benefit. I'm thinking that they're like, they assumed that these auxiliaries would be available because they had gone to other HBCUs and they were available. They brought in an assumption that these would be available at A&T. Again, the largest HBCU right now in the current climate, the largest homecoming, right? They thought that because they were nightcap, that they would come perform for free. Now, there's a lot of smart people over there at A&T. I think it's a lot of smart people over there at A&T. And if you get into contracts and like, mind you, I'm currently getting my graduate degree in sports management and I'm in sports law right now, right? So contracts are something that we're really into, okay? If there was a HBCU game day ticket during every time someone says largest, I'm not gonna say it anymore because I'm not gonna have y'all drunk on a Thursday. But if you think that the biggest HBCU of 107 HBCUs needs your exposure, like that's like going to a restaurant and saying, I want you to pay me $2,000, $3,000 for a real because exposure, like in any other situation that doesn't make any financial sense. And I like to think that the largest HBCU in the current landscape is more financially savvy to say we need exposure. Mind you, I live here and for months, months, right? They have talked about the capacity of the city. We are booked out, hotels, Airbnb's, apartments are booked out within a hundred mile radius of A&T. I'ma just go ahead and say that A&T does not need nightcap exposure. There are 107 HBCUs, A&T is one of them. Now, would I say that Prairie View, do they need that exposure? I would say they did. But there are 106 other HBCUs that need exposure. We have Savannah State, right? Shannon Sharpe's alma mater. We have FAMU, Ultra Cinco's alma mater that could have used exposure. But I don't think that coming to the largest homecoming in HBCU landscape is where you need to focus on exposure. Who is the exposure for, right? Like the Ballin' Gone Machine doesn't need nightcap for people to come to the thing, right? As student athletes, just, I mean, we're talking five, 6,000 people in their first man class. We're not talking about a school that needs exposure. This isn't Miles College. This isn't Xavier. This isn't, and that's not to put down anybody. This isn't Mississippi Valley State. Those schools need exposure, right? You set up this HBCU tour because you wanted something to do. It's exposure for your podcast, not for the school. There's no financial benefit for you coming to the school. G-HO is gonna G-HO regardless if nightcap is there or not. And for weeks, things have been booked out. The bonfire has been booked out. Aggies on Elm has been booked out. The vendors have been booked out. These entities have already been set in place long before, 10 weeks. That's no time. That's no time in reality. These people have already been set. Once they set the date last year, hotels were already booking out. So the idea that nightcap is bringing exposure, but exposure works for smaller entities that no one knows about. Everybody in their mama knows about A&T. And y'all know, I am not no fan of A&T. I can't believe y'all got me defending A&T on Thursday night, a week before WSSU Homecoming, two weeks after Jackson State Homecoming. Here I am defending A&T, huh? But let's be realistic here. A&T doesn't need the exposure. It was already called the greatest homecoming on earth for a reason. I have been to A&T. I've been there. You can't park. There's a food line that is two miles away from the campus that I was looking at parking at to walk to campus. A&T doesn't need exposure, especially not for free. And if you're looking at millions of views, you're the one getting views. You're the one getting the looks. Not A&T. No one's gonna say, Shannon Sharp was at A&T. So now I'm gonna go to A&T. No one did that for Samantha Sane. No one did that for AMU. And then there was an email that came out from the band director. Let me go back to the band director. They said they had no idea. Do you know what the band, again, the blue and gold marching machine, right? They got parade Saturday morning. They got campus events Friday. They got campus events Thursday. They have the games Saturday. They booked and busy. These people are not showing up for free. You're asking these students to volunteer their time time, their time and talents to your podcast. And I think that just really like even shows the idea or the misconception, like people get like really big into their ego. And it's like, oh, my mommy podcast, like what I look like, I got a podcast too, right? This is a podcast, right? This is a thing. What I look like going to school, I'm like, I want you to show up for free for my podcast. I'm gonna give you an exposure, exposure. An underfunded school by nearly a billion dollars in the state of North Carolina does not need exposure. They need funds. They need money, okay? So my assumption of how the contract went was they said, okay, we're gonna come on campus. We're gonna do this show. And then when they followed up to say, hey, we're coming on campus. These are the things they want. Dr. Keisha said, okay, well, if you want these things, this is what it's gonna cost. As it should, these are businesses. These institutions are businesses. They charge a tuition. They charge athletic fees, healthcare fees. They charge the students for everything. Why would they not charge you for some of their biggest auxiliaries on campus? You want entire D9 organizations to come be behind you on a podcast? Like, I'm frustrated. It's got me frustrated. I've been frustrated all day. I try not to say anything on social media all day. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to go back and forth. This is Aggie business. This is somebody else's business. I'm a mom. I ran business. That's what I've been trying to do all day. But baby, exposure? A&T is the last school that needs exposure, okay? A&T is the last school that needs exposure. And then the Compared to Prayer View, well, Prayer View gave us everything they wanted. Like, we only know about Prayer View because they went to the celebration bowl last year. And they got a real hot mic. Other than that, no one's like, let's go to Prayer View. And if you are concerned with exposure, if you wanted those ones, well, he talked about A&T. Did you donate to A&T? Did you donate to the athletic program? Did you donate to the... gold marching machine because if you didn't, I really don't want to hear. I really don't want to hear. I don't want to hear. If you didn't put any money like, okay, exposure is fine. You could tell all your followers about this school, but if they didn't donate to anything, what is exposure really? Because you're not, this isn't a combine. This isn't a spring game. Scouts are not there at the podcast looking at these athletes to give them NIL or to give them some type of benefit, right? This only benefits you as a podcast platform. So that's why I stand. And A&T didn't need Nightcap to be there. And A&T is going to gee-ho regardless if Nightcap is there or not. Now it's just another blip in the content. Now it's just another part of the conversation of how important A&T really is. Cause now we got Shannon Sharpe talking about A&T. A&T did me wrong. Okay. A&T did me wrong. They charged me for a class that I didn't attend. Like, okay, join the club. But the idea that you can go and do these things for free, and then people want to say, oh, they want to charge college game day. If you think that the college game day is going to these schools for free, you are sadly mistaken. You have no idea about the business of college institutions because it is a business first and an institution second. So that's where I'm at. That's where I'm at. Tell me what you think in the comments. You think Shannon Sharpe was right. You think Shannon Sharpe was wrong. Tell me what you think. Jonathan said, I'm okay with charging, but don't put down other schools. 100%. Cause there are 106 other HBCUs that need exposure, that need the notoriety, that need the conversation. I find out about a new HBCU every day. A&T is not one of them. That brand bad wagon and backfire is badly on Shannon. 100% Alonzo. What's up, Steve? Steve got some work. Steve said he wasn't coming on then. I said I wasn't playing Umar and there is no Umar. Oh, but I was close. Let's see what Steve has to say from a journalism standpoint. Well, yeah, so just, you know, on that, obviously I didn't watch Nightcap last night, but I woke up to this fervor. So, you know, the way that things go now in journalism, Shannon Sharpe says this says this is automatically becomes news. However, you know, so we didn't write it up and we didn't make it clear that this was his side of the story. And we allowed, well, I emailed a couple of the folks in comms over at North Carolina A&T around 11, 11 30 a.m. You know, just doing, doing my due diligence as a journalist. As of now, I have not heard from them. You know, we have seen the different bits and pieces. I mean, I've seen what the, the current interim band director has said. And so it's just, it's just interesting. I'm going to disagree. I'm not going to say that North Carolina A&T doesn't need exposure. Like they absolutely, like, I mean, you know, they absolutely do. They've spent a lot of time, effort, and energy in promoting G-hole 100 to the point where even here in Winston-Salem, where I live, where, you know, Winston-Salem State literally is in the backyard. They literally had a whole team. They had a local news TV special. So I do think that they need exposure. Everybody needs exposure. And we're not going to act like the biggest homecoming in the country is not news. That's the news is job. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know, it's, um, I think, you know, yeah, should they have 10 weeks? I'm thinking for sure. This is just my opinion. They, the nightcap underestimated, you know, how they underestimated G-hole. I do think that they underestimated G-hole. You know, I mean, if you don't know anything else about North Carolina A&T, you know that they take homecoming seriously. You know, that's literally the only thing I knew about them forever. But they, you know, they always have, and it's just on 1000. And then when you have, of course, 100, they're going to be even more so like that. So, you know, I'm sure he thought that, you know, for most homecomings, 10 weeks probably, I mean, as, uh, as Alonzo alluded to in the chat, 10 weeks is probably, is probably, yeah, it's probably still a little bit too close for comfort in terms of logistics. But, you know, of course, the band is, I actually think that they underestimated, you know, everything with G-hole. Now, according to him, they paid the fee and then they were asked to pay another fee for the extras. I do think, and, and apparently that was done recently. According to them, now again, still waiting for A&T to give us their side of the story if they choose to at all. But, you know, right now we only have them saying that. Yeah, but I mean, it is a national story. And this is what they have people, they get paid money to do is to, you know, it's, it's, it's, you know, because A&T, obviously a huge brand, look, the biggest school HBCU there is. So, obviously it's a brand, but Shannon Sharp has a brand as well. Nightcap has a brand. And I think that there are other people that would have learned more or would have had, you know, I think that would, it would have shot the light on it. It's unfortunate for both sides that it couldn't be on. I know a lot of people are upset because he mentioned a doctor and I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't have the recollection, but the doctor, I think her last name was hyphenated. So, you know, I know, I know a lot of people have said that, that he mentioned her, you know, so I don't know. Again, I'm curious on my end to see if the school says anything. They just kind of let it die down. I think, you know, everybody cares about homecoming and their homecoming and they want to protect it. I mean, obviously, you know, I've seen people from all different schools, you know, um, rallying to, you know, rally to the aid of North Carolina A&T. Um, that's nice. I would like to see some of our other smaller HBCUs get rallied behind as well when they get in some, in, in some stuff. But you know, the end of the day, uh, you know, the G-hoes will keep G-hoing and the nightcap will keep nightcapping and everybody will go on. But I think for sure, this will be a lesson for anyone, for anyone, like all of these things that are in motion, they've been in motion for a long time and you know, just have your, everybody's need to have their stuff together because we're all one moment away from being put on that summer jam screen. So we know that too well. Yeah. So there's that. And with that, I will relinquish and, uh, we will move on if there's nothing further. Thank you so much. Got all these rams defending A&T a week before our homecoming. All right. I had to say that. All right. I'm out. Peace. All right. So that's as much energy I'm going to give today. Y'all have a safe and happy G-ho. I'm so excited for you guys. Do all the things, meet your alumni, spend your money in the city, do all of the things. So I'm going to transition away from G-ho and maybe not too far because I want to start this next conversation about home safety with the conversation about the work that North Carolina A&T, campus police, public safety, um, Guilford County Sheriff's Department and Gibsonville Police Department, in addition to the city of Greensboro, they have come up with a very intricate plan for public safety to accommodate the amount of people that come into the city for homecoming this year. So if you've never been to G-ho, you will find that there are snipers on the roof. Okay. They are up there. There are flat cameras all over the campus. There are private camp, like cameras. You are being watched once you step foot in the vicinity of North Carolina A&T. And I want to talk about public safety because last week we heard about a situation at FAMU where a 15-year-old opened fire at what is arguably FAMU homecoming, which we later found out was just in vicinity of the campus, but wasn't necessarily on campus. How does that impact the conversation that we have about how safe homecoming is? That is a big question for alumni. How can we protect the homecoming experience without criminalizing the celebration? Right? So again, we had FAMU 2006. We had home Tuskegee. Had a shooting in 2004. South Carolina State had violence. So like these aren't things that are anomalies. These are things that happen when you gather a lot of people in one place. And if you're from, you know, you guys know about homecoming. only do the alumni come home, not only do the students participate, but your locals also participate. I was doing some research this week and I found that 14% of the violence that happens during homecoming are done by actual alumni or students. The other, what 86% are done by local people. So we have to bring into question what is causing this. We've got like personal disputes that are escalating, especially when firearms are present. We know that here in America firearm violence is way bigger than it should be. We see it in schools, we see it in grocery stores, we see it everywhere. So firearms are a huge part of discourse when we talk about the American experience, right? So we have large gatherings that are unofficial, off-campus, late night, unclear responsibility, or yeah, responsibility for safety. And then you have campuses that respond with campus curfews. I know many of them close their campuses down at 8 p.m. You have to be off campus, which is kind of a new thing, right? Then you also have gaps in staffing, intelligence, lighting. Lighting plays a huge part in violence. I have a degree, a whole degree, okay, in interdisciplinary studies with a focus in justice studies and criminal justice, right? So this is something I've researched and I've become passionate about and the things that generate crime. Crime isn't just a thing where people are just being bad. There are things that cause crime. Lighting is a huge proponent in the things that cause crime. Traffic plans, emergency coordination. So not only do you have a crime that is being committed, you also have the responsibility to coordinate what happens to the rest of the people that are impacted. Fourth of July, Greensboro, there was a young man shot and that young man is my son's cousin. So I'm very familiar, like I literally saw him today when I dropped Jackson off. Jackson, that y'all say every week, the young man that was shot, downtown Greensboro, July 4th last year, is his like first cousin. Like Jackson and him are this close. So violence is not something I'm unfamiliar with, right? In addition to having a whole degree in it from an HBCU. So we dig down into the different parts of what happens and why crime happens. And it takes a broader community to recognize these violence patterns, to recognize these things. It's not just because people come together for a homecoming, because we know we live in the cities that we live in and we know that violence happens in general. But then when you have a large congregation of people, you now have the ability for more people to get hurt, more people to be injured, and more need for an evacuation plan and emergency preparedness plans. So my bigger question this week is, what are we doing as universities and local communities to combat the crime that does happen and not necessarily just blame the action of homecoming as a factor of violence in itself? So proximity to a university does not self-establish university responsibility or student involvement or connection to the homecoming program. So we got to keep in mind that, okay, there are a lot of people in one place. So that gives you the heightened potential for crime to exist. It is not necessarily a representation or causation for crime to happen. Does that make sense? I don't know if that makes sense. If that makes sense, put it in the chat. So here are some things that local organizers and authorities can do. One thing, again, I have, you know, highlighted how I thought, how well City of Greensboro PD, Guilford County Sheriff's Department, and A&T Campus Security have done like a pre-event planning and pre-event marketing to say what their plan is to secure these locations. Because we're talking about 500,000 people coming into the city for A&T Homecoming. We also have to consider how do we keep all of these half a million people safe, right? We have to involve city-county law enforcement. We have to bring law enforcement for other locations. I've seen even figures up until eight, you know, eight figures to make sure that we can have the, you know, public safety that we need, EMS, travel, venue operators, and student alumni leaders to make sure that the public safety plan is intact to protect every single one of those people that come into Greensboro and into your local organizations. I was like, I was in Jackson and I was saying the only police that I saw in Jackson were the ones that were coordinating traffic like an hour after we had sat in traffic to get into the stadium. Tailgating, there were no police. There were no police outside of the stadium. Like, I didn't see a single law enforcement officer around there and that had me concerned. Not because I'm like scared because I'm in Jackson, but like there are a lot of people here. We saw, we were in the numbers last week. We're re-enchasing the seats. There were 44,000 people at that game. There should have been a larger police presence there, right? So we create a shared incident command plan, liaison contacts, multiple aid triggers, and coordinated public alerts. How do we let everyone know in this vicinity that something is happening? We have emergency alerts like our Amber alert system and our weather alert system that we can utilize to say, hey, there's something happening. You need to get to safety right now. And I'm going to say, you know, as a resident here in Guilford County, as someone here, have a plan. I know we want to go out to have a good time. I know we want to have, you know, fun tailgating and meeting our, you know, friends, alumni, but have a plan. When you get to where you're going on the plots, when you get to where you are, always have an escape plan. Mind you, I'm prior military. So situational awareness is my jam. I also have an degree in military science. And one thing that we really harp on in the military is your situational awareness, how you can get out of a situation or how you can diffuse the situation if you're in the middle of it. So while you're coming together at the largest homecoming or any homecoming, always have an escape plan. Always be aware of your surroundings. Be looking at the people around you. Be looking at how you can get out of these situations because we want you here. Okay. We want you with the next homecoming and the next homecoming and the next homecoming. Maccaboo hotspots. If you know like how cell phone service works, you go somewhere and there are a lot of people hitting those towers. Now, mind you, again, I'm going to bring my accolades in here. I worked 18 years for AT&T and cell phone service is something that I know. You can only have so much traffic on one designated tower, right? And these schools have gotten smart. They brought in cows, your temporary towers to be able to accommodate the amount of people that are on these cell phone networks. And as we've gotten advanced in our cell phone networks, it's gotten a little better. But if you go to AT&T and you try to use your cell phone during G home, you can. So you have alternate opportunities like walkie talkies, like push to talk, like the text messaging WhatsApp that don't necessarily depend on your cellular network. They can link to a hot Wi-Fi. They can link to a hotspot. They can have other forms of communication so you can let people know where you are in the event that something happens or just in general conversation like I'm over here in the tailgate area on Laurel. Oh, I'm over here in the tailgate area about the stadium. Be cognizant of where you are and let the people know that you're with where you are, right? Set clear rules for section events and communicate what the university does and does not control. You only have so many campus police, right? You only have so much staff that you can dedicate to a certain event, which is why they bring in all of these other entities to support that. You have Greensboro PD, you have the Sheriff Department, you have Alamance County Sheriff, you have Guilford County Sheriff, you have Gibsonville police, Winston police, you have all these other police from other areas to come to make sure that you are safe. Okay, prepare your medical access routes. And that's another big thing that I want to talk about. If you have a medical condition, diabetes, making sure that you have supplies on hand on your person, carry a backpack. Okay, I know these companies like these stadiums have clear bag policies, but put you some sugar supplies, put your glucose tablets, put your insulin in those backpacks. So in the event that you can't get back to where you need to be at the time you need to be there, you have the additional things that you need in the event of an emergency because it's going to be much harder to get to you if an actual emergency happens. So you want to be prepared as you're going out into the yard, into the tailgate areas. Be mindful. I know we're real big at WSSU is like hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, drink more water, water, hydrate with water. Okay, hydrating with vodka or the Q's punch is not going to be it. You got to be careful. You got to hydrate with water. Make sure you're drinking a water in between all those drinks that cup that somebody has. You don't know what it is. You just take it back, drink a water after that. And then before you go to the next tailgate, drink a water after that. Make sure you have ample hydration before you try to tackle the day. You're parked miles away from your car before you're able to get to the tailgate. Make sure you are hydrated. Make sure you are safe and you're taking care of your medical needs first because you know what you need before anyone else does. Okay. So publish a transparent. So here are things that the local public safety entities can do. They can publish a transparent after action summary and track improvements and measures. Jiho is not new. This is the 100th Jiho, right? So they are familiar with what needs to happen on a situation by situation basis to be able to alleviate the amount of emergencies that they have to deal with. And you, it's your personal responsibility. Like I said, go out have fun. I'm not telling you to have fun, but mind you, you're a person first. You have children at home. You have spouses at home. You have mothers and fathers and family at home that you have to get back to. So we love homecoming, but just be safe. Be mindful. Keep your situational awareness at the top of your priority when you're going amongst 500,000 people. Okay. So question who should pay for safety footprint when universities and visitors and businesses, municipalities all benefit from homecoming. Like who puts the bill for that? So we think of, you know, funding agreements, permit requirements, security standards. Who do you think should foot the bill? And how are you taking personal responsibility into making sure that not only you are safe, people around you are safe. Okay. I'm going to come off of my homecoming thing. Okay. Can they use metal detectors? I think metal detectors are a good idea for centralized locations. But if you're thinking about a college campus, there are so many entry points into a college campus. The idea, like metal detectors, like guns, like literally firearms aren't your only problem, right? You have so many different things and so many different weapons, like violence isn't your only problem. You have medical emergencies. You have so many other factors that go into it. So I do think metal detectors can be a benefit. Like if you're going into the stadium area, but if you're looking at, you know, the entire campus in itself, there are so many entry points into a campus, you know, where you can tailgate because some people aren't coming to the tailgate. Some people are going to the plot. Some people are walking past the library. Some people are going, you know, by their old dorm room. It is not reasonable or logical to have metal detectors at every single entry point. I mean, we're looking at 100 acres for some of these college campuses. It's not, it's just not realistic to have metal detectors at every single entry point to a campus to say that that is a viable way to make sure that everyone is safe. If you have like very, you know, concluded single points of entry, I think that that is a thing. How do they deal with underage drinking? That's a great question, Angela. Honestly, I think that they watch, they pay attention, but you can't rule out all things, right? I think it's our responsibility as alumni, as students, as people, as a community. I think that's a community responsibility is to make sure that our youth is not partaking in things that would be detrimental to them, right? I think that is also a community responsibility. We can't put all of the responsibility on public safety, on the university. Like I think we, we as a community, if I see someone that I feel is underage drinking, I'm going to say something, right? Like I'm going to say something and it is my responsibility to then report it to someone else. This person is giving this person a drink. I think it takes a village and I don't think that is excluded when we have that alumni, college, homecoming conversation. We're still a community. It's still our responsibility to watch over those that are younger than us. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't want to jump in at the wrong time, but I just wanted to say you were cooking. I just wanted to say you were cooking and let me. It's what I got my degree in. Shout out to Mississippi State. Thank you. Um, yeah. Um, you know, all your research, all of that, uh, definitely on point the, the city planning. Yes. She, I said, I said it in the chat. Sheena serves on a board in her town, you know, so she, so she's, she's for real in this. And again, she's been in the military. She's, she's for real. So I think you made a lot of great points. So policing is something that, uh, the black community traditionally has done a good job of because we know that we can't always trust people outside of us nowadays. You know, it's a little, it can be a little bit hairy, but I still think I still am in spaces where I see self policing for the most part knowing how to handle people and talk to each other. Uh, I think that goes a long way because I think you made a great point. Uh, you know, you got the cameras police, you got all the, the people that's ancillary that they bring in, but still, you know, a lot of it has to be self policing, um, and, and, you know, community policing and even in those spaces, uh, to the metal detector situation. Yeah. Most places, like at A&T it's just not going to work. Like at A&T it's not going to work. At Winston it's not going to work, but there are some schools, there are a couple schools that do that have that do work. And those are schools that have the, that are properly gated. Uh, I know living stone, you know, a couple of years ago, they started having charging the wristbands that everybody had to get, get in. And, and so they have metal detectors there. And I also know that North of state, uh, cause I went to their homecoming last year, they have a lot of, they have, they have the walls and the gates and they have those control points of entry. So you do have to go through a metal detector there as well. But yeah, at A&T, at a, at a WSSU, some of these campuses where there's no, no, no gate that really separates it. It's, it's tough to do. So, but, um, I just really wanted to point that out cause you, you really cooked and brought some adults in the room conversations that I don't think we're having enough in these spaces. So kudos to you. And, uh, yeah, I'm going to bow out. Thanks Steve. So yeah, at the end of the day, she wants you to be safe. I want you to fill those seats up. I want you to go to the games. I want you to tailgate, but I want you to be aware of your surroundings. I want you to be safe and I want you to be mindful of the things that are going on around you for yourself and the people around you, because it takes a community. Like we're an alumni. We're a family. We call it Ramly. Um, fam, you cause it family. Like we're all a part of this thing together. And if we want to continue to see success at these events, we have to take the responsibility. Um, especially as alumni, while we're watching over the students, while we're watching over the local patrons to take again, the responsibility to say, I'm going to watch out for myself and for others. So that is Sheena's take on homecoming. It has taken 53 minutes for me to talk about home cake. That is not all on our agenda today. Let's do a quick rundown of our sports. Okay. Let's, let's talk about football a little bit. Cause I'm y'all know, I love me some football. I can't get off air without talking about football. Let's talk about some notable ones, bro. Jackson state loss of the doom cookman. I'm gonna tell you, I haven't been so pissed off in my whole life, bro, bro. I'll tell you what Sheena watches football. Okay. I be, I be balls deep into the football and I'm not surprised. Okay. I'm not surprised. I think our recorders way better than it reflects. But if we look at the actual action of play, if we look at the plays, the play calling, the play action, it makes sense that we lost it, but then cook, man. Okay. I'm gonna just say that. So hopefully, like we got to buy this week. Hopefully we take our time, reset a little bit and come back into it. Cause I would love to see us in the celebration bowl this week. I see where we're knocked out of the poll this week from the celebration, but old prediction. I ain't going to talk about it. Okay. We ain't going to talk about it. Okay, bro. Another game that surprised me freaking Bowie state beat Jackson. I mean, Johnson C Smith, I'm going to Johnson C Smith Saturday, Washington play Virginia state. Cause that's some CIA double E hotness right there. It is high in the CIA double A. Okay. The top five are fighting. And I'm excited to go to that game, but I will be watching Bowie State. I mean, excuse me, Jonathan C. Smith on Virginia State. But I was really surprised. You know what? It just pains me to say I'm not. Because Bowie State been playing ball. Clarence, just shut up, OK? I've already agreed with you once today. Don't say nothing about me. I can't believe you stayed there, actually. Because, y'all, I am in pain, OK? Marcy, I got laid. My Winston-Salem state. Rams won against Lincoln P.A. 21 to 14. And then Virginia Union, y'all know Virginia Union got a soft spot for me. Be sharp. I mean, what the ass. 49. And so we don't have the capacity. Too lucky that wasn't Dr. Cooper. And so we don't have. Let me tell you, Virginia Union is on a roll. Virginia Union, I thought they were really going to slack off after last season, after they lost my boy. But they on a roll, OK? So I'm excited to see what they do this week. Who else? What other notable games did we have this week? South Carolina State beat Norfolk State. I want to say Norfolk State was homecoming, right? That was Norfolk State's homecoming? If I'm not mistaken. 22 to 7. Elizabeth City State beat Livingstone 34 to 26. Tuskegee, y'all know I always got my eye on Tuskegee. He beat Allen 26-23. And Wubarter showed out against Clark Atlanta, 62 to 14. I know that's right. Howard beat Morgan State at their homecoming, 26 to 20. Arkansas Prime love beat Florida A&M. Florida A&M, what y'all going to do this season? Other than lives? What y'all going to do? Because I be low key rooting for y'all. And it's because of the Marching 100. I'm so tapped into the Marching 100. Like, I want y'all football team to do better. But y'all going to be doing better. Bro, Queenie, what you doing down there? OK? I don't know. I don't know. Southern lost to Texas Southern, 21-24. I mean, Southern y'all been sticking to that too. I don't know what y'all got going on. Virginia Lynchburg lost again to Newberry. And then Prairie View A&M beat East Texas A&M 30 to 19. I'm really looking forward to football this week. There's a lot of good football happening this week, OK? We got South Carolina State. No, yeah. Oh, that's all right now. Holy shit. I'm missing the game for y'all. South Carolina State versus Morgan State, they're up 14 to 7. South Carolina State is up 14 to 7 against Morgan State. That's a maniac battle right there. I'm interested. Interesting. Fort Valley State is beating miles 14 to 13. We got Virginia Union against Lincoln PA. We got A&T playing Eon and G-Hoe, Hampton playing Townsend, and Bluefield State versus Shaw. I'm a little key interested in that game because Shaw been sticking it up. And y'all know at the beginning of this season, I was all on Shaw Bam wagon. But I don't know what the hell they got. Madigail, what you got going on over there? Tighten up, OK? And Morgan, you know I love you too. So tighten up. I don't know who I want to win that game. I don't know who I want to win that game. Winston Salem State sees Elizabeth City State I swear to God, Tori Woodbury, if you don't beat Elizabeth City State, I will never talk to you again, OK? I cannot handle. My soul cannot handle a loss to Elizabeth City State. Please, please. Let's continue this role that we on and beat Elizabeth City State. All right. Dr. Sis is my first ever dream say, I don't know who I want to win that. I really don't know who I want to win that. I want to see that game. I'm lucky enough to be able to see that game in person. I think that's just going to be a really good game, OK? Bayville State versus Bowie State, I hope both of y'all lose. I don't like either one of you guys. Let's see, who else am I very interested in? Howard Place, North Carolina Central. Go Howard. Go Howard. Who else? Edward Waters. Yeah, ever since Edward Waters' coach came on last season, I've been a fan of Edward Waters. So go Edward Waters, right? Mississippi Valley State plays all-porn. I'm going for Mississippi Valley State because Mississippi holds a very special place in my heart, OK? Southern versus A&M. A&M, show up. Fight back, OK? That's the boss. I would love for y'all to beat Southern, OK? Skiggy, y'all know I'm rooting for y'all, OK? Grammarly versus Texas Southern. I'm going to have to go with Meg The Silent on this one. Go Texas Southern. All right, that's the rundown. We have run down the rundown that I can do, OK? The wheels have fallen off of Morgan State. Let's see, who? I will never talk to you again, though, for real. Yes, do not piss me off. Don't piss me off. So Angela said, fam, you football team needs to go back to study hall and get them grades up. Girl, uh-oh, I done closed the tape. I don't know what fam you got going on this season, honey. I don't know what. Other than the March of 100, I don't know what the fam you got going on. Because Quinn, I was hoping for, but you know what? I'm going to take it back because this is your first season, OK? I'm going to give you a little lean and see why you build your program. But next year, you better act like you got some sense, OK? Because I'm going to root for y'all. I'm a Florida girl. Y'all know if it's my Florida, it's Virginia for me. So I need you to act like you got some sense. Please. All right, let's roll some cheeks and the seats. Where are we at? Where are we at? Who had the seats? Who had y'all cheeks and the seats this week? Steve, you still with me? Steve, are you with me? Oh, yeah. Yes, we still here. Florida A&M versus Arkansas Pine Bluff had the most attendant. It was Florida A&M's homecoming. The family leave was there with 51,000 in the seats. We packed it out. We sold it out for homecoming. I know that's right. South Carolina State versus North East State also saw a crowd with 42,000. Over 10,000 projected at capacity. How did y'all fit all those people over there? Hampton, y'all got it in there on Hampton. 23K, or excuse me, 28K over at Hampton. Texas Southern versus Southern, y'all probably in there. Blue State versus Joss C. Smith. That was a homecoming game. I love it. Y'all better show up up in there in Maryland. OK, y'all got some action. So it's just really interesting now how people are competing for these homecoming attendance things. We've been monitoring that for years. And last year, people kind of gave north of State Hill because they had reported 48,000 in their homecoming. And they were just counting everybody they got on campus because you had to buy a ticket. But now we see FAMU and it's 51,000. Their capacity is like 30,000. Like their thing. So now even Bowie State, 24,000. Now I promise you know Umar, but I had one there. But I'm not going to do it. You allowed one. You could get one in there. Let me hear it. I probably mean really. Who believes that? Because if you believe that, I need to go and get my psychological assessment kit. If you believe that, I need to go and get my psychological assessment kit. And you need an intelligence test right now. I need to give you the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. That's what I need to give you. Let's see what that IQ. Thank you, Dr. Umar. All right, there we go. But yes, but seriously, it's just really funny how in 17,000 at Lincoln, you know what? The numbers are the numbers. Everybody's getting creative because now everybody wants the biggest, the biggest, the largest. Because they put 24,000 people in there. They're probably going to have the biggest CIAA homecoming because of that, even though their stadium literally seats, I think 4,000 people. Yeah, so all right. Well, let's see what kind of reindeer games we can play next week. All right, I'm out. Thank you, Steve. So I'm very interested to see what we do. Like I said, we reported on a lot of homecoming. It's homecoming season, so our alumni are coming home. Students are there. Local folks are there. Families, all the people are there. Let's see, I wonder who Tuskegee is going to get as head football coach after the determination of Aaron James during the season? Ooh, nothing pisses me off like the termination of a head coach during a football season. Oh, oh, did you even get the man a chance? Did you even get the man a chance? It pisses me off. It pisses me off. So we going to be on the watch for Tuskegee football coach, OK? We're going to talk about it. As soon as I find out, make sure you follow the socials because I'm going to find out, OK? Oh, God. I mean, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh. There is, like, unless there is, like, malicious inte- or criminal activity, I just wait the season out. Y'all already suck. Like it ain't gonna get no better getting to know that coach in the middle of the season. Your defense coordinator is not gonna do any better than your head coach was doing. I don't wanna hear it. I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't just, ah, ah, Hirono said UAPV, University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, Mississippi Valley, Fithin-Cookman, Arcosm, let me tell you, I got my damn eye on Mississippi Valley State. They've been causing chaos all season long, okay? I got my eye on Mississippi Valley State. I got my eye on Mississippi Valley State. So I'm with you on that. But through Cookman have too. I got my eye on them. Pine Bluff, I'm not as familiar. I have to get familiar. But I'ma tell you, that thing on Mississippi Valley State never through Cookman. I got my eyeballs on them and swag, okay? Cause you know, swag's from Texas State University, okay? Swag, CIAA over here. What I care about, okay? But yes, what are we talking about? Well, football is, okay, football, hoo hoo hoo. We got one more week in the CIAA. This is our last week for regular season before we head, oh, no, no, no, no. Two more weeks in the CIAA before we head over to CIAA Championship. I'm very excited. I will be there, be sure to tune in to all of the other things that Sheena got going on at Sheena, or not Sheena, Jesus Christ. Tended too, right? On Instagram, TikTok, HBCU Game Day, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, all the HBCU Game Day platforms, YouTube. We're gonna definitely bring in some content from CIAA Championship. And then I'm headed back to Mississippi for some linear time. Just so you know. But yeah, that's about all I can get for football. Woo, I'm tired. We are rounding up into cross country championships. Cross country is doing this thing right now. Again, if your alma mater did their business in cross country, put it in the chat. I wanna know whose cross country did it anything. Hope family helped their coach. Honey Angela, girl, they ain't giving Quinn no-to, okay? They're not giving Quinn no-to. My boy is trying his damnedest. Over there at FMU and ain't nobody helping him, okay? Nobody helping him. I don't know who he need to fire or get rid of or what, but Quinn needs some help over there. Time change, yes, we lose an hour this weekend. Do we lose an hour or do we gain an hour? I think we fall back. So we go back, we gain an hour this weekend. Yes, we gain an hour this weekend. I'ma be in my bed, I don't care. I don't gain no hour cause I'ma be in the bed no matter what. I'ma be in the sheets, snowed up like a cuddle bunny, knocked out for an extra hour. I will not be in the streets. If you will be in the streets, fried cheese in the streets, that's exactly where I'm gonna be, okay? If you will be in the streets, be safe, call an Uber. Don't add to the statistic, okay? You can't drive, you can't drive with one eye. You don't know your way back to the hotel. Be safe, okay? Call an Uber, call a friend. Make an exit plan. If you didn't learn nothing from this podcast today, I don't care where you are, what you are doing, be aware of your exit plan first, okay? Situational awareness. Sheena stands for situational awareness. Be aware of where you are the moment you walk in, before you have the drinks, before you do the drugs, before you do all the things. Know how to get out safely, okay? Y'all enjoy y'all weekend. I'm not gonna even cover nothing else, okay? We didn't talk a billion hours. I feel like I've been talking and talking and talking. Let me look at my notes, make sure I'm not missing nothing. I really just wanted to dig into, one, the G-Hope Shannon Sharp content, and then really safety while you're out in the seats. Got your cheeks all over the place. Keep your cheeks safe, okay? Sheena's here for the safety of the cheeks. Homecoming is bigger than a football game. It's legacy, it's family, music, friendship, and memories. Protecting that experience takes preparation, accountability, and partnership. Not just reactions when something goes wrong. Let's not react. Let's be proactive in the safety that we provide ourselves, okay? Let's protect the culture, protect the people who make it special. Thank y'all so much for walking with kings of the yard. Like, I appreciate y'all. All my queens, all my kings, keep supporting HBCU athletics, keep showing love to our women athletes.