Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders calls for Razorbacks to play Arkansas State regularly in Little Rock
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
Arkansas (2-0) and Arkansas State (1-1) played against each other for the first time ever last Saturday, with the Razorbacks coming out on top 56-14 in Little Rock. If Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders had her way, the in-state rivalry would be a more frequent occurrence.
During an appearance on the Chuck & Bo Show, Sanders called on Arkansas and Arkansas State to continue the series at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Sanders responded to a question about having games at the Razorbacks Stadium in Fayetteville. Arkansas State plays its home games at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro.
“You have, again, it’s a part of accessibility and that opportunity to bring some tourism and excitement to our largest city, to our capital city, that frankly, the success of our capital city impacts all of our states. And it matters for Fayetteville,” Sanders said. “It matters for Jonesboro, it matters for Mena, for Little Rock to do well. And so it is a catalyst for many other things.”
Sanders sees a neutral site in the state’s capital as a more valuable option.
“And so I think that is a part of the conversation not to be ignored or left off of the table, but it also gives a neutral site to two Arkansas universities to come together, but still have a huge fan base in that location,” Sanders said. “And it allows, again, I think people from every corner of our state to come together to celebrate our state’s two biggest universities, our two most competitive football programs, and do so in a way that benefits our entire state, including our capital city.”
Sanders believes continuing the series in Little Rock is mutually beneficial for both programs.
“Why not let that be an Arkansas team? Keep that money in our state, grow both teams’ fanbases,” Sanders said, after listing past Arkansas nonconference games at War Memorial. “I don’t think that you can make the argument that there’s not some recruiting that can take place by seeing the crowd come together and cheer on two Arkansas teams.”
Next up for Arkansas is its SEC opener at No. 17 Ole Miss. Arkansas State hosts No. 14 Iowa State on Saturday.
