The Sights and Sounds of Razorback Football

There are a few Saturdays in the Fall when Fayetteville, and the University of Arkansas are, well, different. It has often been said that football in the South is not a game, but a way of life. Maybe that’s a stretch, but it’s hard to argue against on those select Saturdays when the Hogs have a home stand.

Unless you’re somebody special, you probably have to park a mile or so away from the stadium. You can barely see it from there, the very peak of it rising up over the what is magnanimously called a skyline. The great constructs that comprise the university campus, Baum Stadium, Bud Walton Arena, all precursors in the long walk to Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

And the people. Innumerable amounts of people, a veritable sea of red crashing through the streets of Fayetteville, invading the campus like some great army. The conversations are all the same, a fevered pitch of anticipation that only increases the closer you get to the stadium.

The perpetual sizzle of the grills is inescapable to the ear, and the sounds of tailgating, too complicated, too chaotic to discern echo endlessly through the streets. Televisions playing games, fans roaring, songs blasting through speakers, and somewhere lost in the background, the gentle laughter of children. Games are set up, themed of course. Footballs whiz through the air. It’s a father and son, or maybe a pair of brothers, or maybe just a few friends, but they’re everywhere.

Somehow there is a kinship, unspoken but palpable, that permeates through the atmosphere. And then in the stadium, one becomes all, and all becomes one. The sea is situated, restless and ready. The band gushes from the tunnel, and fight songs blare through the stadium, echoed back and forth and shouted along with by the sea. Their performance on the field, expected yet always welcomed charges the sea even more. Then, through the great “A” runs the Razorbacks. They take the field, music filling the stadium, drowned out by even more thunderous applause.

The coin is tossed. The players aligned. Leather hits leather as the ball is launched into the air. The sea rages. Football season is here.

Mendenhall Should Think before he Tweets

Let me start by saying that I am nor ever have been a slave. Okay, you knew that, but what I’m trying to say is that I have no idea what African-Americans went through in the Old South or antebellum period, not to mention the countless years they’d suffered under the peculiar institution since its cruel inception. However, I’m fairly certain Song of the South wasn’t the most historically accurate representation.

NFL Draft First Round Recap or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Von (Miller)

The NFL draft is usually the time when dynasties are born, teams are obliterated, and the landscape of professional football is transformed.

Only this year it may all turn out to be a big farce.

Sports Skit: The Game

I recently met up with a friend of mine who is a serious ping ping pong player to make a video. Originally we were just going to do a video interview with him showing different ways to play, but we decided on a more…creative route. The results were, as you’ll see, eh, well they could have been better. You can watch it here. Enjoy (or try to anyway).

A Little Perspective: Sports in South Korea

Of course, this blog is devoted, for the most part, to sports in Arkansas, or at least from an Arkansan’s perspective. Now, I’ve played organized sports before, and I’m guessing all of you have too, so I think it’s good to have a little perspective. See, we have things easy here in America. Really easy. Ever complain when basketball practice ran long and you ended up practicing more than three hours in a day? Yeah, well as you’ll hear in this interview, you could be practicing taekwondo for ten hours a day every day. Yeah. Most of you know taekwondo as some type of martial art, but in South Korea, where Tech student and assistant athletic trainer Siheon “Sean” Ryu is from, they just know it as their national sport. I sat down with Sean to talk about the differences in sports in America and South Korea. You can listen to the entire interview here.

Photos from Arkansas Tech Quidditch in Action

Here’s some photos of Arkansas Tech’s quidditch club in action against Kansas:

Interview with Steven Sola- Arkansas Tech Quidditch Club Captain

I recently sat down with Steven Sola, founder and captain of Arkansas Tech’s Quidditch Club, as well as an avid Harry Potter fan (of course). He’s been active in Tech’s Student Activities Board since his freshman year and is currently an RA at Hughes Hall. Here’s the best parts of the interview:

Remuneration: The dirtiest word you’ve never heard

This is an issue that I’ve addressed before, but as it continues to force its way into the public’s eye, it deserves to be brought upon again so I can soundly dismiss it.

There are three dirty little words you need to keep your ears open for in the world of sports for the next year or so. The first two are contraction and lockout, but you already know about those two. The last word is remuneration.

VCU, Butler should be cautionary tales

I remember just five years ago watching what I thought was the greatest mid-major run in the history of the NCAA tournament. George Mason, the little team that could, came out of nowhere to go from lowly 11-seed to regional champion and the unlikeliest final four team to date. That was unique at the time, but it seemed to open the floodgates and made Cinderella commonplace. Two years later Davidson would make a run to the elite eight behind Stephen Curry’s stellar shooting. Last year Butler compiled its march to the championship game. Since George Mason first won one for the little guy, we’ve come to expect some team to come out of nowhere to play the part of Cinderella. But, no one could have expected this.

Anderson to Arkansas: Brilliant or Boneheaded?

So, Arkansas fans finally have the man they want, but is he the man they need? We’ll see. After all, what do they have to lose (other than $2.2 million a year over 7 years with a $500,000 buyout)?