THE SID IS GONE! LONG LIVE THE NEW SID!

Maybe I’m naive in thinking this, but possibly, just possibly, we might be able to get more credibility coming out of ETSU moving forward. And with it more coverage.

East Tennessee State sports information director Kevin Brown has left his post.

In doing so Brown has received much praise from his former co-workers at ETSU, and the criticisms I have of the Buccaneers’ sports information department generally don’t concern him as he primarily dealt with coverage of the men’s basketball program.

But make no doubt, the ETSU sports information department is rife for criticism.

And I have no doubt for writing this column I will be vilified by ETSU, which traditionally doesn’t take constructive criticism well.

ETSU culture demands those perceived as their “fair haired boys” receive unjust praise to the point of absurdity and woe be it the entity that calls them out on it.

For example, consider the unspoken mantra former President Paul Stanton simply could not be criticized.

I once wrote a piece during my short stint as a sportswriter for the Elizabethton Star merely stating the truth that since Stanton cut the ETSU football program, Buccaneers fans didn’t hold him in the same reverence as many inside ETSU did.

It was shelved by then-sports editor Wes Holtzclaw. Too controversial (!).

And so following his tenure as ETSU President Stanton was elected to Washington County council.

That’s like Art Modell being elected mayor of Cleveland.

But these shortcomings need to be mentioned.

Because if the following circumstances aren’t changed by the new Sports Information Director, one can be sure ETSU will just continue to spin their wheels and never really grow as so many of their former rivals have surpassed them in status and prestige.

FIX THE MEDIA GUIDES

In researching the history of ETSU sports I have noticed the media guides are overrun with errors.

Past schedules have games listed out of order or with the wrong scores.

For example, prior to 2023 the Buccaneers’ last victory against Carson-Newman was on Oct. 15, 1955.

The Bucs won 22–7. The media guide lists the final as 22–13.