LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A little more than 2,100 fans were spread sparsely behind both sidelines of Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium on Wednesday night.
Fighting the cold and wind, those fans took in the 2023 National Junior College Athletic Association Division I national championship between East Mississippi Community College and Iowa Western Community College, an eventual 61-14 win for the Reivers.
Amongst the empty bleachers, however, sat someone decked head-to-toe in MoneyLion gear, ready to experience a game between two teams he’d never seen before on junior college football’s biggest stage.
Little Rock was stop No. 48 on Rodger Sherman’s cross-country journey to experience all things college football. What started as curiosity – using the internet to map out travel times to various college football destinations – has blossomed into a quest to see it all.
“I think college football is a sport you have to see in person,” Sherman said. “My job was writing about college football, but not going to the games in person. … I never considered it as a possibility until last year. There was a guy, Ben Chase, who’s doing the same thing I’m doing, and he went to as many games as he could, and that got me thinking, ‘What if I did this?’”
A former writer at The Ringer, Sherman ended his seven-year tenure with the site in August to pursue this journey, one that’s taken him from the snow-covered fields of Orange City, Iowa, to the final (as of now) Bedlam in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to the pomp and circumstance of Army-Navy in Boston.
A football junkie, his final article with The Ringer, published on August 23, ranked all 42 New York Jets quarterbacks since 1990.
Sherman took a big risk – leaving a steady job with an established online outlet where he had developed a strong following over the years – to pursue an idea that has become an obsession. By the time he reaches the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship in Houston, he might have to rank all 62 college football games he attended this season.
“I just decided to do it,” Sherman said. “See where I could see. Go where I could go. … I just wanted to take a year, see all these places, see all these things. It’s very strange being a place you’ve seen on television before, but you haven’t really been there. I’m getting to experience that every week and see what these places are like, what the fans, the atmosphere is like.”
But the New York-based writer-turned-content-creator isn’t the only one who embarked on a college football road trip this season.
Michael Barker, the man behind College Football Campus Tour (@CFBcampustour on X), has been doing this since 2017 and anticipates going to 90 games this season, a record – as far as anyone can document – for most college football games attended in a single season.
The two have gone to the same game multiple times this season, but have yet to cross paths, something Sherman hopes to change before season’s end.
“I’ve been following him as well and I think he does a better job than me of documenting each place he goes,” Sherman joked.
As much as he’s enjoying the journey, constantly being on the road wears on Sherman. He covers thousands of miles per week, often driving 6-8 hours each day. He recently returned to his New York home for some much-needed R & R.
“It was at home for most of the last week and it was really incredible how my happiness shot up actually being with my wife, with my dogs,” Sherman said. “I can enjoy life. … (The travel) takes its toll on you after a while, but the football is still fun every time.”
As Sherman documents his stops to his now nearly 105,000 followers on X and other social media platforms, he’s garnered the attention of those willing to help, including sponsors.
Sherman started up a Patreon – a subscription-based service through which he can monetize his content – during his trip, and by late October, ‘Road Rodge’ was being proudly presented by MoneyLion, a mobile banking app that sports fans might know from their wraps on NASCAR vehicles driven by Bubba Wallace, Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski, among others.
“I was hoping someone would show up and sponsor me,” Sherman said. “I was thinking it would be a rental car company or something, but I was surprised that a company that sponsors NASCAR drivers reached out to me. … It’s less legit than the NASCAR drivers, but I feel like we’re both people who drive places, so it counts.”
Sherman’s aim is to enjoy college football in its purest form, embracing the unique atmospheres that exist around the country, and not break the bank while doing it.
What places stand out amongst the rest?
Stillwater and Missoula, Montana, stand out as two of Sherman’s favorite destinations so far: two completely different places separated by thousands of miles but united by the same undying passion for the sport.
“It’s so different place-to-place,” Sherman said. “… I tried to seek out the rivalry games. … (Bedlam) was easily one of the best days of the trip. The people in Stillwater, they needed that moment with the way that rivalry was going away. … When you get some place that’s a little out of the way, they care very much about football and it’s always an awesome experience.”
Sherman has also paid his respects to games and conferences that are disappearing thanks to the latest rounds of realignment, like Bedlam and the Pac-12, highlighted by the final conference championship game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Dec. 1.
In a battle for a College Football Playoff berth, then-No. 3 Washington defeated then-No. 5 Oregon, 34-31, but that almost felt secondary to the book being closed on a century of football on the West Coast.
Two weeks ago, Sherman attended multiple Power Five conference championship games that could have decided a future national champion, but this week, he’ll travel from Arkansas to Salem, Virginia for the Division III title game on Friday to the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta for the HBCU national title.
Sherman’s odyssey has brought him across the country multiple times, but no matter where he goes, he’s struck by the passion and tradition that surrounds college football. Once this season is over, you just might see his story fleshed out in the form of a book.
“Football is everywhere in America,” Sherman said. “Even though the game is the same, the people are a little bit different every time. … It’s just me and a car. There’s no restrictions on what game to go to. … The amazing thing is, 50 games in, I’m not tired of the football.”
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 46 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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