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Question for hog fans
Posted on 6/21/25 at 11:16 pm
Posted on 6/21/25 at 11:16 pm
This isn’t a troll attempt just curious. Why doesn’t Arkansas produce boat loads of talent like the other southern states do in football? I can only remember 2 5 stars coming out of Arkansas going back to the Dyer days. There’s only like a handful of 4 stars each year too.
4
Posted on 6/21/25 at 11:20 pm to hughfreezehotline
black residents
MS: 37.8%
GA: 33.2%
LA: 32.6%
AL: 26.6%
FL: 16.9% (obviously a much bigger population though than Arkansas)
AR: 15.6%
MS: 37.8%
GA: 33.2%
LA: 32.6%
AL: 26.6%
FL: 16.9% (obviously a much bigger population though than Arkansas)
AR: 15.6%
Posted on 6/21/25 at 11:25 pm to GoGators1995
Good point, but you would think Little Rock would be putting them out left and right. Little Rock is barely smaller than Baton Rouge and you could find 22 starters every year in Br.
Posted on 6/22/25 at 6:26 am to hughfreezehotline
Basketball is more popular for our small set of minority population
Posted on 6/22/25 at 11:05 am to GoGators1995
quote:
black residents
This is largely the reason. You get north of Little Rock, especially to NW, there are very few black people. Football isn’t quite as big either in most of Arky compared to LA, MS, and AL. Baseball is huge there though. They will eventually get some CWS titles.
Posted on 6/22/25 at 11:17 am to hughfreezehotline
quote:
Good point, but you would think Little Rock would be putting them out left and right. Little Rock is barely smaller than Baton Rouge and you could find 22 starters every year in Br.
As Lefty said...basketball is the sport chosen in the LR area more than football.
Also, poorly funded football in high schools in Central and South Arkansas.
Posted on 6/22/25 at 11:56 am to hughfreezehotline
quote:
Good point, but you would think Little Rock would be putting them out left and right. Little Rock is barely smaller than Baton Rouge and you could find 22 starters every year in Br.
To borrow from Shakespeare... therein lies the rub. At one point Little Rock was one of the top football cities. There are multiple Little Rock teams that can lay claim to the mythical " high school national champions" title and deserved it.
That, however, was then. This is now and Little Rock football has been on a decline for decades. Basketball has greatly eclipsed football in Central and Eastern Arkansas, baseball in Western Arkansas (plus some of Central Arkansas) and football, despite being reasonably popular, doesn't have the athletes it used to get.
We produce an unusual amount of basketball and baseball talent for our size but for everything else we recruit nationally. Our women's soccer team, for example, was built by looting Oklahoma (and Texas) of their players and getting the rest from around the country.
Posted on 6/22/25 at 12:21 pm to hughfreezehotline
The Little Rock school district, which at the time consisted of only one high school, was infamously desegregated in 1957. In 1984, a local clown lawyer sued the LRSD, by that time consisting of several high schools and about 68% black, for somehow "resegregating" the district. That mess rolled on for over 30 years and cost over $1 BILLION. Hell, a federal judge even threatened to halt the expansion of Interstate 30 toward Benton and Bryant from two lanes to four to prevent "white flight".
The LRSD, in its infinite wisdom, increased the minimum GPA to 2.5 for eligibility while the Arkansas Activities Association minimum GPA was 2.0. In addition, as all this money was being sucked out of the district, drastic cuts had to be made and athletics, football in particular, took the hit.
Central used to have rosters of 100 or more. Last year it was 69 and has been as low as the 50s. And Central plays in the largest classification in the state with teams whose rosters regularly exceed 100.
Then the 90s gang thing happened and the LRSD school district, which regularly produced 6-8 high caliber players per year, went to zero players per year. There's your answer. Plus private schools have taken over.
The LRSD, in its infinite wisdom, increased the minimum GPA to 2.5 for eligibility while the Arkansas Activities Association minimum GPA was 2.0. In addition, as all this money was being sucked out of the district, drastic cuts had to be made and athletics, football in particular, took the hit.
Central used to have rosters of 100 or more. Last year it was 69 and has been as low as the 50s. And Central plays in the largest classification in the state with teams whose rosters regularly exceed 100.
Then the 90s gang thing happened and the LRSD school district, which regularly produced 6-8 high caliber players per year, went to zero players per year. There's your answer. Plus private schools have taken over.
Posted on 6/22/25 at 1:41 pm to hughfreezehotline
Preciate it gents, was always curious about that.
Posted on 6/22/25 at 1:46 pm to GoGators1995
If Arkansas needs some black residents we could send you New Orleans and North BR
Posted on 6/22/25 at 2:04 pm to GoGators1995
The death of Little Rock public schools and the population of Southeast Arkansas drying up.
Posted on 6/22/25 at 2:09 pm to hughfreezehotline
The same reason crime is so low in arkansas.
This post was edited on 6/22/25 at 2:10 pm
Posted on 6/22/25 at 2:09 pm to hughfreezehotline
Small population of blacks and a high percentage of good white athletes don’t participate anymore.
Posted on 6/22/25 at 2:19 pm to Arksulli
High school consolidations destroyed communities.
Posted on 6/22/25 at 2:22 pm to Themicah86
Take a trip to Helena and it will change your mind.
Posted on 6/22/25 at 2:29 pm to woodhog14
I watched an Elkins and Helena football game last year in the playoffs.
Helena had loads of talent but poorly coached.
Helena had loads of talent but poorly coached.
Posted on 6/22/25 at 2:34 pm to Demonbengal
Bentonville went to state last year.
Fayetteville went toe to toe with one of the best football teams in Texas last year.
Fayetteville went toe to toe with one of the best football teams in Texas last year.
Posted on 6/22/25 at 2:41 pm to hughfreezehotline
quote:
Good point, but you would think Little Rock would be putting them out left and right. Little Rock is barely smaller than Baton Rouge and you could find 22 starters every year in B
It used to. Our ‘06 team for example had the entire starting defensive line from Little Rock.
As others have said, its mainly a basketball city nowadays
Posted on 6/22/25 at 9:31 pm to Fan1958
Now Bryant is a football dynasty.
20 years ago they struggled with Sheridan.
Unbelievable.
20 years ago they struggled with Sheridan.
Unbelievable.
Posted on 6/22/25 at 9:51 pm to GoGators1995
quote:That certainly hasn't helped Ole Miss or Miss.State.
black residents
MS: 37.8%
GA: 33.2%
LA: 32.6%
AL: 26.6%
FL: 16.9% (obviously a much bigger population though than Arkansas)
AR: 15.6%
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