Are We (Hopefully) Coming to End of Wasted Trip to Little Rock?

Going to Arlington for game with A&M ends in 2024, maybe Little Rock follows

Author:
Andy Hodges
Updated:
Aug 26, 2023 3:32 AM EDT
Original:
Aug 25, 2023

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's no secret I haven't been a particular fan of Arkansas playing games in Little Rock for several decades. Others have disagreed (strongly, at times), but don't pull the "you don't know the history" argument at me. The odds are pretty good I've seen more games there than you. Being old gives you that.

War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock served a purpose in the 1940's through a big part of the 1970's. The atmosphere was just different. Yet, when I saw games in the SEC it became clear late in that decade the Razorbacks needed to be playing games on campus.

Now the rules make it more important than it ever. The Razorbacks can't use playing games there anymore for the recruiting advantage it was years ago. Razorback Stadium in larger and has more for fans, plus the bathrooms work more consistently and you don't have game wardens trying to provide security.

It's a dead weekend financially and for rounding up future players, which has become the most important aspect of college athletics. If someone is still threatening the donation reduction, it's probably a bluff because many of the people's ego won't let them stop. Making a 2.5-3 hour trip up the interstate to Fayetteville isn't that big of a deal and many of them can fly in just because they have the plane and it's a write-off.

My biggest question over the last 20 years has been what advantage is there to playing games in War Memorial. Nobody has an answer worth agreeing with. Tradition is just a fond look at history. Nothing is the same around War Memorial anymore. The stadium is a relic that should have been imploded decades ago, but that's a question for others to solve.

The last game there just may be against Arkansas State in 2025. I've heard some fans tell me they should stop claiming to be the state's team if they don't play games in Little Rock, but there is an arms race coming in college football and it doesn't have a thing to do with fans.

What's coming is all about money, which is the driving force behind all of these conference re-alignments and it's not going to change. The SEC is no different because everybody always wants more. Whatever I think of chasing the money doesn't matter because they aren't going to stop.

It's way past time to make games in War Memorial Stadium simply great memories of a time gone by. They'll play the community college from Jonesboro there in 2025 so everybody can stop jumping up and down over that and end the book with a big finish few Hogs' fans could have predicted 20 years ago.