Steve Robertson is a well-known and highly respected member of the MSU Bulldog family; he hosts a regular podcast on all things Bulldog sports. He’s also a popular Mississippi author.
Robertson has written six books, four of them written with MSU as the topic. These include Stark Villains (a book about some of MSU’s most beloved athletes), Dawg Pile (a book detailing the 2021 baseball team’s journey to the NCAA championship), and Alpha Dawgs: More Dawg Tales from the Rivalry with Ole Miss. Perhaps Robertson’s first book, Flim Flam, is the one he is most known for, at least in Mississippi.
Flim Flam detailed the Ole Miss and MSU rivalry and dove into the (at that time) NCAA investigation into recruiting practices at The University of Mississippi. The book flew off the shelves of multiple bookstores, and it catapulted Robertson into notoriety. The publication of Flim Flam would lead to the publication of the aforementioned books, as well as a book of poetry named Blooms of Oleander.
Yet, Robertson’s most pivotal work – one that he hopes will do the most good – is his latest offering, When the Bottom Falls.
You see, Robertson (sometimes referred to as “Rosebowl” in the sports world) has been writing about MSU sports since 1997. He has a massive Twitter (now X) following, and, among State fans, he is THE authority on recruiting news, coaching changes, and even injury updates.
Robertson quipped on Friday that he can’t go to Walmart on game weekends as he is typically mobbed by his fan base. It’s true; the MSU fanbase does “set its store” by Robertson’s reporting.
However, Robertson’s journey to being a trusted, authority figure on all things MSU did not come easily.
Robertson found himself at one point in life addicted to drugs and alcohol. He has an arrest record, and he went to rehab for his addictions. This all took place before Robertson reached twenty years of age.
When Steve wrote Flim Flam, he was attacked for his past, but Robertson wears his scars as a badge of honor. He went public with his personal struggles, owned it, and took accountability.
He says he wrote When the Bottom Falls because he hopes his struggles – and his 32 years of sobriety – can help someone else battling substance abuse. Robertson pulls no punches – he tells the details of his drug and alcohol use in each chapter. He admits that he hurt people he loved. He also advocates for those with addictions – reminding readers that there are usually underlying mental health issues that exacerbate a person’s addictive tendencies.
Robertson shared that When the Bottom Falls was supposed to be written first. He wrote Flim Flam first, then a sequel. Paul Brown, Robertson’s agent and publisher, wanted the recovery book written earlier in Steve’s writing career, but he kept feeling that the time just wasn’t right.
This past November, that time came. Robertson wrote the book in an astounding 27 days. “You don’t have to fact-check your own story,” Robertson said with a laugh. He asked his beloved wife, Dana, to write the foreword. Dana and Steve met at an AA meeting, and he regularly reminds his fans that Dana is never “in his shadow,” but that his wife “is the one who lights my path.”
Dana was working as a travel nurse in New Mexico, and Steve drove from Mississippi to see her as often as possible. He noted that the physical separation from his wife as she was working might have been the catalyst that finally made the time right to write the recovery book.
Robertson is not only a sports fan, but he is a huge fan of good music. He was listening to a song with “When the Bottom Falls’ as a lyric. His mind began racing with ideas for the book, and he made calls to his wife and to Paul Brown that now was the time to write.
Robertson believes that if his journey can help someone else, then his pain was not in vain. Much of the book does speak to those with addiction, but there are words of support and insight for those who have loved ones with addiction.
Robertson spoke to the group attending the author event at the Winston County Library for over an hour. His story is so captivating that time tends to fly when one listens. There were a few tears shed by those attending while hearing his story, and more than one person lamented that his story was “near to their hearts” as they too knew people who suffered from the unwieldy yoke of addiction.
Robertson encouraged attendees to pick up the book – if not for someone who does suffer from addiction, but for those who love someone with an addiction. It is his hope to shed light on this often stigmatized population of society.
Steve’s book may be found at Lemuria in Jackson, Book Mart & Cafe in Starkville and Campus Book Mart, on the campus of Mississippi State, online at Amazon, and at www.whenthebottomfalls.com.
If you or someone you love is battling addiction, you may seek help by calling or texting 988 (there are chat options when Googling 988 also). One may also call the Alcohol and Drug Services Resources Directory (sponsored by the MS Dept. of Health) at 1-877-210-8513. More information on these resources can be found at https://www.dmh.ms.gov/service-options/alcohol-and-drug-services/
