A new and bigger PopStars: Best of MSPreps
Posted on: January 30,2015
Today, The Clarion-Ledger published news of a Best of MSPreps program, a massive investment to honor the top Mississippi high school athletes.
The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fames’s annual PopStars awards, which has for 13 years honored the state’s top high school athletes in every sport, will fold into the newspaper’s program. A portion of the proceeds from Best of MSPreps will benefit the Hall of Fame.
The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum applaud The Clarion-Ledger’s initiative and look forward to being very much involved.
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, which has sponsored PopStars in the past, is a major sponsor of the Best of MSPreps, along with Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center, Baptist Health Systems and Entergy, all of which have lended support to the MSHoF in the past.
“All of us at The Clarion-Ledger are excited about Best of MSPreps,” said Jason Taylor, president and publisher of the newspaper. “There are so many great stories in Mississippi high school athletics, and this program will give these student-athletes more of the recognition they deserve.This is a major example of our renewed commitment to high school sports. We know our readers and communities are passionate about high school sports, and this will be the pinnacle of recognition for these athletes.”
Taylor, who has brought new energy to The Clarion-Ledger, approached the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum about incorportating the PopStars into the newspaper’s event. Indeed, the top two award-winners will be PopStars. PopStars was named after W.C. “Pop” Allen, the late, longtime athletic director for Jackson Public Schools.
Taylor instituted a similar high school awards program in Tennessee that was wildly successful.
The Orley Hood Award, for excellence in high school sports journalism, also will be included in the Best of Mspreps program.
For today’s newspaper coverage, click here.
Leave a Reply