Arrange annual game

Being a lifelong resident of Northeast Arkansas, all of my life I’ve had to put up without receiving any sign of respect from the rest of the state, in particular the central part of the state, for the football program at Arkansas State University. Because of that slight, I have to admit that I took no small amount of pleasure in seeing the latest preseason rankings of NCAA Division I football by CBS.

If you will take the time to see that ranking, you will see that ASU is ranked 54th in the nation and that the University of Arkansas is ranked 64th. I am not implying that this ranking necessarily means that ASU would or could beat the U of A, but I am inferring that the rest of the nation is starting to recognize the caliber of football that ASU is capable of playing. Unlike the majority of states around us where the top-tier teams will play the mid-level teams in that state, Arkansas still refuses to move out from the shadow and the philosophy of Coach Broyles, who thought there could only be one major football team in each state.

Since the U of A will not play ASU I would submit to the citizens of central Arkansas, because for the most part the U of A has stopped playing games in Little Rock, that it is time for ASU to start playing one game each year in Little Rock. Teams like Tulsa, Missouri or Ole Miss, all teams that have or will have played ASU by the end of this year, would more than likely come to a larger venue like Little Rock to play Arkansas State. This could be a winwin for the state, as it would enlighten the central part of the state to the level of football that ASU is capable of and would bring in much-needed revenue.

I therefore issue a challenge to those in charge of scheduling events at War Memorial Stadium and to Arkansas State’s athletic director to arrange such an annual football game. Try it; I think you will like it! ROBERT E. GARDNER Jonesboro