A Pleasant Reminder To Stop Having School Soccer Video games Off Campus

This is a disturbing pattern that must be nipped within the bud.

If you are a longtime (or even a short time) reader of my stuff at OutKick, you know how much I love college football.

I don’t make it a secret that it’s my favorite sport, and some of the things I love the most about it are the traditions.

Playing the games in the home stadiums on the campuses of these storied schools is what makes college football so great.

Hell, I even made a ranking of some of the most intimidating stadiums in the country, so you know I’m a fan of all the outstanding venues the sport has to offer.

Unfortunately, today marks another instance of two teams playing a neutral site game for no reason other than a shameless cash grab.

This afternoon’s victims are the Michigan and Northwestern fanbases, as the Big Ten decided to host yet another game at nearby Wrigley Field in Chicago.

And before you go trying to dunk on me about how Northwestern’s stadium is under construction, just remember they have played multiple home games at Martin Stadium.

While Martin has a capacity of only 12,000 seats, the majority of fans at Wrigley today are there to see Michigan anyway.

Regardless of the reasoning, it’s not like Northwestern is the only team to play at a neutral site.

Texas A&M and Arkansas have famously played at AT&T Stadium for no discernible reason other than Jerry Jones is a Razorback alum, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta has hosted a ton of teams with awesome home stadiums just because college football wants to pimp their product out as much as possible.

Stop playing these games at neutral sites when there are perfectly fine – even great – home stadiums that can accommodate them.

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: tradition is what makes college football unique.

If we keep sending college games to soulless NFL stadiums or decrepit, old baseball venues that aren’t built or equipped to house a football game, then we are ruining what makes this the best sport on Earth.

Unless we are talking about the Red River Shootout or the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, we should be playing the bulk of our college football games on campus.

I know my pleas will fall on deaf ears, just as they did when I opposed an expanded playoff, or an unregulated transfer portal, but I just want to keep my favorite sport intact.

I feel like that’s not too much to ask.

What do you think? Are you tired of seeing college football games being played in pro stadiums? Or do you want to see more? Let me know at austin.perry@outkick.com.