It’s back-to-school week.

Pile in the bus, forget Hoover, we’re Nashville-bound for the end of sports writer summer. It’s time again for SEC Media Days and we’re bound to the land of bachelorette parties on petal pubs.

What was once a suburban Birmingham ritual is now a Broadway party after stopping in Atlanta in 2018 and 2022. The evolution from the Riverchase Galleria to Music City comes with a free concert from country band Midland because this is more just a gathering of poorly-dressed sports scribes.

It’s all part of the evolution of a conference and an event that never lacked self-esteem but the glow-up is unmistakable. The 14 coaches and three players per school will boot scoot through the Nashville Grand Hyatt from Monday through Thursday in the 2023 Oratory Olympics.

And, in the original idea for this piece, is where the tone shifted. The instinct to complain about the spectacle of the event outpacing its utility is hardwired.

“We’re just extras in four days of SEC Network programming,” that haggard voice says.

“Nobody says anything interesting anymore,” it continues.

“Nice shirt.”

But that’s all too easy. It inspires no original thought.

And nobody wants to hear us complain about going to work and writing about football with unlimited Dr. Pepper in the party capital of middle Tennessee.

So, this veteran former beat writer is taking a fresh approach up Interstate-65 for this first day of school. He’s not going to fall into the cynical complaints cycle and draw from the energy of the new generation.

Suddenly, I’m the old guy and a few meetings last week drove that home. In case you missed it, we’ve had somewhat of a hockey line change on our Alabama and Auburn beat writer lineups. With that, we met to discuss ideas and game plans since this will be a media days maiden voyage for a few of my talented yet youthful colleagues.

While I went full crank talking about how pointless this whole exercise has become, they read off CVS-receipt-length story idea lists.

They’re genuinely fired up.

They are the me-of-a-few-years-plus-a-decade-ago.

It’s fair to say the drumbeat of cliches in refrigerated hotel conference rooms and nostalgia for personalities of the past formed a figurative callus on the approach.

The glory days of Steve Spurrier making fun of rivals from his pulpit are over.

Ed Orgeron isn’t walking through that door.

And Phil Fulmer isn’t NOT walking through that door to avoid being served a subpoena.

Personalities have mellowed as the risk of soundbite controversy outweighs the reward of saying something interesting.

So what?

That’s the voice of the unbroken, youthful beat writer on the shoulder opposite the crank in the devil costume.

We’re going to have good attitudes and try to hit the cynic’s reset button.

We’re going to approach this like it’s the first time going to SEC Media Days with a fresh outlook.

We’re not going to make fun of the guy wearing Air Monarchs.

Definitely not.

Because it’s back-to-school week and we’re drawing from the spirit of the new generation of beat writers ready to run through a brick wall this week in Nashville.

But also ask me Thursday if any of this worked.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook