For weeks, supporters of Arkansas have watched as one national pundit after another expressed shock that John Calipari would choose to leave Kentucky, a powerhouse, for small-town Arkansas. Big Blue Nation has gone completely insane on social media, even to the point of flooding any post with the terms “Arkansas,” “Razorbacks,” “Hornets,” or “John Calipari.”
Some people’s lack of knowledge about the Arkansas basketball programme contributes to their inability to understand Coach Calipari’s choice. While looking up stats for possible transfer targets, I came across this article from Busting Brackets author Mike Gambill. He describes the basketball programme and its supporters as follows:
Respectfully, I don’t believe that supporters of Arkansas basketball need to “find their basketball voices.” They already possess them.
Although Arkansas football is a beloved sport in the Natural State, the Hogs have had mixed results since leaving the Southwest Conference. There were growing pains associated with moving to the SEC. With six losing seasons, Arkansas had a terrible run from 1992 to 1997. The McFadden and Bobby Petrino years were explosive, but when Chad Morris took over, they reached an all-time low. Undoubtedly, Petrino’s comeback to the Hill is making waves in the community, but at this point in the season, football is playing second fiddle to John Calipari’s hiring and the No. 2 baseball team.
Although Arkansas baseball has enjoyed immense success, there are two factors that prevent it from being the preferred option for fans. You either love baseball or you don’t care for it. There is no better example of the fervour of Arkansas’s Diamond Hogs supporters than Charlie Welch’s game-winning touchdown against Nebraska in the 2021 Fayetteville Regional.
