Bud Walton Will Never Be As Exciting As It Used To Be

[Svrdhd]

My kid plays in a pep band at a small university. The game atmosphere is better with a tiny crowd and a horrible team because the band is keeping the crowd in it and brutalizing the opposing team. It's a fun environment even when they lose.
  Don't underestimate the power a good pep band can have.

[Bogghawg]

I'll say again, the refs have hurt the atmosphere more than anything. EVERY game I've been to, the fans are rabid. The atmosphere is so loud at times, I can't hear anything going on on the court. Then, the ref calls a touch foul and we sit down.

After qualls dunked from the SEC logo against Mizzou, it was louder than I've heard it in years. Many years. But guess what? A touch foul was called immediately after.

I can promise you, there is nothing wrong with the fans or the music. I would like to see some different ways to get the crowd involved during timeouts to keep em going, and I agree that smart phones have the attention of a lot of people. But when it is time to get loud, BWA hasn't failed in a while.

I can see that as an old (49) person I am subject to ridicule when I post about the olden days, but I am promising you, there is something wrong with the music and the crowd.  I know the difference.  We would never have let a ref's touch foul or anything else sit us down.  The Hogs would start a run and the crowd would go beserk and the opposing coach would call a time out to settle us down.  The band would go to work and by the time play resumed we were twice as loud as when the TO was called.  We were literally not there as the audience; as observers.  We had a job to do and we participated in every win and played a role.  There is nothing remotely like that at BWA.  And we can just make fun of folks who know it can be better, we can say we miss those times but there's nothing we can do to regain it, or we can set out to recapture the formula that worked and made Arkansas basketball famous.  I was there Wednesday, and if the roar after Qualls' dunk was really the loudest it has been in years, the problem is even worse than I thought.  The constant roar used to be that loud, and when something really great would happen the building would shake.  I remember Todd Days' thunder dunk against texas... the decibels literally made my teeth hurt.  You should never, ever be able to hear things going on down on the court.  Wednesday night I could hear the players sneakers squeaking from the upper deck. 

[Cresthog]

The biggest crowd of the year and best atmosphere led to us getting blown out.

Go figure.

The problem will fix itself if we keep winning and we win at home with big crowds. Beat A&M and run LSU out of the building and next year will be a lot of fun.

[MountieDawg]

Only as long as they keep electronically playing music over the PA speaker system during timeouts instead of the band controlling the crowd. It's such a buzz kill and literally kills the energy and momentum. It happens every game now, we'll get on a run and the opposing team will call timeout because the crowd starts to become a factor- but instead of segueing directly into an exciting pumped up band song like William tell overture (or something similar like they used to) now they just play some stupid song over the speakers and the crowd just looks perplexed and sits down and goes back to being quiet. Who made these changes and why were they made? It really makes a noticeable difference. As long as this problem is not addressed and fixed bud Walton will never be as exciting as it used to even if we're consistently a top 25 team year after year

They changed because Bud Walton became more and more empty and they needed that to draw fans. They tried to make it a show because the basketball wasn't drawing fans. Winning brings fans and atmosphere, this years team is creating that. 20 years with very little basketball success is why it changed.

It's easy to play the athletic department now but they were trying anything to put butts in the seats. They didn't take away tradition, rather tradition died. The kids in college now never saw a game that had that tradition years ago. It can go back to the old way, but the students will have to make it happen.

[LaDecima]

The regular season atmospheres are pretty much the only thing College Hoops has on the NBA outside of March Madness.

So thats everything lol. What's left?

[razorback93]

It feels like a bunch of 60 year old men sitting around and saying, "What do kids these days like? That rap music thing? Ok, let's throw some of that in there."  I understand what people say about the band needing some new music.  However, I do think they need to be involved more.  It really adds to the atmosphere.

[Blutoblutarsky]

I haven't read the whole thread. But something that stands out to me that we do not do anymore is play William Tell before announcing our starters. I know they do it right before tip off now. But always had goosebumps when BWA was packed and William Tell was played right after the opposing starters were announced.

[O-Town Hog]

Growing up in NWA during the 80s and 90s, I remember how special it was for me to attend the few games each year when my family was able to get tickets. Each game was an experience that could not be forgotten. The Hogs Win, the Band plays, and the Crowd rocks the house! This formula did not deviate. I remember watching the band and Jim Robken every time there was a pause in the action to see what was coming next then hearing the crowd get crazy. I remember asking my dad which band member he thought would break from the crowd and start running up and down the stairs amongst the crowd. These were great moments of my childhood.

I no longer live in NWA but still watch every game. It pains me to see this team give maximum effort through the whole game and only be able to hear the crowd get loud 2 or 3 times during the game. I think what bothers me even more is the lack of persistent noise once the crowd does get loud. The crowd gives up so easily. It's like the crowd is just looking for any excuse to stop making noise and sit back down in their seat. I am just glad that our team doesn't give up so easily!

[Danny J]

Growing up in NWA during the 80s and 90s, I remember how special it was for me to attend the few games each year when my family was able to get tickets. Each game was an experience that could not be forgotten. The Hogs Win, the Band plays, and the Crowd rocks the house! This formula did not deviate. I remember watching the band and Jim Robken every time there was a pause in the action to see what was coming next then hearing the crowd get crazy. I remember asking my dad which band member he thought would break from the crowd and start running up and down the stairs amongst the crowd. These were great moments of my childhood.

I no longer live in NWA but still watch every game. It pains me to see this team give maximum effort through the whole game and only be able to hear the crowd get loud 2 or 3 times during the game. I think what bothers me even more is the lack of persistent noise once the crowd does get loud. The crowd gives up so easily. It's like the crowd is just looking for any excuse to stop making noise and sit back down in their seat. I am just glad that our team doesn't give up so easily!

Things started going downhill after Robken was let go. Need to find another Robken PLUS replace those POS TV's on our scoreboard. That is old outdated garbage. Put up some bigger ones that are HD.

[Cresthog]

Danny J (or anyone who can tell the story),

Why was Jim Robken let go? 

Can you please do a search.

There has only been 50,000 threads on this. Literally.

Robken is not coming back, he's at some obscure school now and like 95 years old.

If you went to the Texas, Oklahoma, Syracuse and Michigan games you would know Bud Walton has no problem getting buck.

We need the SEC to get better and our team to get better. If you win, they will come. Playing a disgrace for an SEC team Mizzouri, in the middle of the weak, you get what you get....

[Inhogswetrust]

They changed because Bud Walton became more and more empty and they needed that to draw fans. They tried to make it a show because the basketball wasn't drawing fans. Winning brings fans and atmosphere, this years team is creating that. 20 years with very little basketball success is why it changed.

It's easy to play the athletic department now but they were trying anything to put butts in the seats. They didn't take away tradition, rather tradition died. The kids in college now never saw a game that had that tradition years ago. It can go back to the old way, but the students will have to make it happen.

Last time I checked students made up the the cheerleaders, pom squad and pep bands members so WHY not let them be more involved and get rid of the canned music and other things all the time..........

[Pancetta]

Check out GMU Green Machine band. Maybe if the PTB would give the band freedom and hire someone like this then the BWA experience would be such that there would once again be a season ticket waiting list.

[Potosihog]

Is it just the difference in Fox Sports and SEC Network audio levels or was Mississippi State's 3000 fans louder than our 15000?

[Paul]

Take a look at Kentucky's fan base. At least as old as the BWA crowd.

You're right & the crowd at Rupp the times I've been there is way overrated

[Hogsfan1981]

Our problem is

[Break & Run]

Cameron Indoor has maybe 12k fans? And they're always louder than our 18k fans. And that's a dang shame.

[SooiecidetillNuttgone]

College basketball should work harder to differentiate itself from the NBA as well.

In that case, I have an idea.  Let's reduce the shot clock to be approximately what the NBA uses so everyone has to play the same style.  Teams like Princeton will disappear and others will have to conform to an NBA-esque type game.  Oh Wait.........

/Sarcasm

[SooiecidetillNuttgone]

I'm sorry but what hurts college basketball is too much NBA influence. Instead of letting defense dictate the speed of the game they do everything they can to favor offense. Instead of defense causing more possessions they want to shorten the shot clock.

What Hogball is meant to be is the Hogs imposing their will on the other team while we played defense. The Hogs took the fun out of the game for our oppnents before the whiners like Coach K got rules changed on hand checks. We didn't care what offense the other team wanted to run, our defense dictated the game. Our offensive output was dictated by our defense.

Now college ball wants to be a game of HORSE, like the NBA. Horse is a good way to practice shooting but it is not exciting to those watching.

+1