Playing in-state teams is fine but playing in LR needs to go
The fact that the Razorback fan base is still having the ‘Great Stadium Debate’ in 2021 is mind-boggling to me.
Arkansas defeated UA-Pine Bluff 45-3 yesterday in front of 42,576 fans at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
It is the only game in the capital city this year, after there wasn’t one in 2020 because of the coronavirus.
Regardless, this needs to be extinguished when the contract is up in 2025. Not because of attendance or the stadium in Little Rock or because of which city supports the team better or any other myriad of reasons.
The campus is in Fayetteville. In order to speak to and interact with recruits on game day, the games NEED to be in Fayetteville.
How does Sam Pittman get the program to be a consistent winner? Recruiting. Plain and simple.
Before the new millennium, it made sense to maintain a consistent presence in Little Rock.
Northwest Arkansas had not exploded, it was not easy to get to Fayetteville, and the stadium actually seated less people than War Memorial did.
All of that has changed since 2000. The only thing that hasn’t changed is playing games there.
I get the reasons people want to. The tradition, stuff like ‘Miracle on Markham’ and nostalgic feelings are tied to it.
But at the end of the day, the program itself has to look forward, not backward.
Hunter Yurachek, assuming he is still the athletic director in 2025, will have a hard decision to make.
The right decision will be what is best for the University of Arkansas’ football program, and that is to play all home games in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
