Like the rest of the country, Memphis has seen its struggles with frigid temperatures and wintry weather, none of which are the faults of the fine people at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. However, over the last 36 hours, the rumor mill started to swirl that the 2022 AutoZone Liberty Bowl matchup between Arkansas and Kansas would be in jeopardy of not being played due to the crisis. That spread like wildfire across the social media ranks as falsified reports started to surface about Memphis no longer having heat in lodging to keep people warm, running water, or even the infrastructure needed to handle an event of that magnitude. Unfortunately, as we saw with the spread of Covid-19 in 2020, misinformation was out there, causing people who have yet to make it to Memphis to rethink their decisions to travel to the 901 for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

Yet, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl did what they have been doing for over 60 years; it put together a plan to proceed with the game as scheduled. On Monday, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl issued a statement addressing the issues at hand, ” There have been significant weather challenges throughout the country, including here in Memphis. We can assure you that the 64th AutoZone Liberty Bowl between Kansas and Arkansas will be played on Wednesday, December 28th, with kickoff at 4:30 p.m. The weather forecast at game time is for temperatures in the 50s.”

So, what’s the truth? Memphis was hit hard by the artic blast that happened over the weekend. It left several pipes to burst in homes, and businesses, among other places. MLGW is working around the clock to fix said issues promptly. Out of precaution, the city has placed Memphis under a boil water advisory to further ease the minds of Memphians as they deal with the ongoing situation. Even under the boil advisory, Memphis drinking water is some of the best in the world, and the water is still safe for visitors. You can research the facts for yourself; Memphis has the best water in the world. Sure, water pressure at times might be affected; that’s to be expected when pipes burst. You might occasionally run into minor issues here and there, but nothing too major to account for during your stay in Memphis.

I would encourage each of you to exercise what you feel best. As a lifelong Memphian, I would encourage you to make the trip and enjoy our city. We’re excited to have Arkansas and Kansas in the 2022 AutoZone Liberty Bowl.