With the hiring of Gus Malzahn to Arkansas State has come the obvious question that has been asked throughout the years. Should Arkansas play an in-state rival?
Arkansas has a FEW amazing records that noone in the world can explain:
Arkansas is only college team in nation with 2 home fields
Arkansas is only college who hasn’t played an in-state rivalry in football.
With these two stats, a lot of debate and arguments have risen. Why is Arkansas the only school to play in two different stadiums? Why is Arkansas the only team in nation to not play in-state rivalry? The moral of the story, is the “tradition” argument, which has become the key to all in-state debates.
The problem with people proclaiming “tradition” is that NEW traditions will never arise out of the ashes of an old tradition. Traditions are just that, something to be proud of. However, Arkansas seems to be proud of things that others laugh and question about. Everyone knows change is one of the hardest things to instill in a group of people, however YOU MUST CHANGE YOUR TRADITIONS.
The day Arkansas has all games in Fayetteville (which is where the campus has always been located for 100+ years) is the day I accept an in-state rivalry game. I’m tired of the arguments and now it is time to compromise on things.
This doesn’t mean I am giving in to the idea of in-state rivalry games, this just means that I’m providing a compromise for the “tradition” hounds that seem to just get older and older and older……as a matter of fact the 50+ year old fan base seems to be main contributors to these “Traditions”.
I’ve argued this with parents, friends, and youth alike. The parental ages seem to highly advocate for “traditions” that make no sense including LR Games, while the younger ages understand the ideals of a “home base” where you have a competitive advantage. This does not include two stadiums.
What do YOU think?
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