Improvements to Bud Walton Arena

[Eric Cartman]

my question to everyone is: What could be done to improve the atmosphere (outside of the team's performance) in BWA?

my three suggestions are:

1. Take out the press row in front of the student section and move the s.s. down to right on the floor. this will give them more of a presence in the game and would make it tougher on the opponents.

2. Improve the floor. We should update the hog at center court to the new hog used in advertising. i know it would be tough to see it go, and maybe we could leave it. Another thing is improve the red color on the floor. the red is really dull looking and could be improved to a more glossy and shiny red. The wood also tends to look yellow, and making it a lighter color would improve the look as well. changing the lighting in the arena would help with this as well. Improving the floor makes us look better on tv which would improve recruiting.

3. Turn the jumbotron off while the team is playing! Keep it black (or put a logo up there) and only use it for replays, etc.


any new suggestions? feel free to improve or edit mine.

[TRUHOG718]

Ive got a suggestion. Just Win...  Nothing else matters.   

[mbgrulz]

the student section idea is as plain to me as day. we have gotta get them closer to make up for a lot of the wine and cheesers in the expensive seats.

i'd leave the hog as it is. it is classy, and the new one just doesn't do it for me.

gym floors just get yellow with age and coats of wax. a new one may be in order soon.

[Eric Cartman]

deleted accidently

[sugartownhog]

my question to everyone is: What could be done to improve the atmosphere (outside of the team's performance) in BWA?

my three suggestions are:

1. Take out the press row in front of the student section and move the s.s. down to right on the floor. this will give them more of a presence in the game and would make it tougher on the opponents.

The student section needs to be moved to behind the basket where the opponent is at in the second half.  Either that or in a ring around the floor like OSU does.  I think its Oklahoma State anyway.  Just my opinion.

[Eric Cartman]

Agreed, the student section needs to be moved to optimize its effectiveness in the game. How about right behind the opposing teams bench? jk.

[HogBusGuy]

The floor was refinished about 30 days ago.

[Eric Cartman]

The floor was refinished about 30 days ago.

hows it look?

[pignatious]

Ring the floor with the students. Get the noise on top of the players and it will impact the game. See Duke and their fans. We don't need as many blue hairs sitting up front as they are now. Money should not be the only thing that is important to Arkansas. How about fan atmosphere and winning? We need to get the arena competitive again with other national venues as far as tough places to play. 

Get a new freaking band director. Memo to our new athletic director, our band director completely sucks. We need someone who knows how to play the fight song and the William Tell Overture at the right time. That will get the crowd into the game better than just about anything.

[Eric Cartman]

Get a new freaking band director. Memo to our new athletic director, our band director completely sucks. We need someone who knows how to play the fight song and the William Tell Overture at the right time. That will get the crowd into the game better than just about anything.

god i hate it, but look how oklahoma uses their fight song, even tennessee. they play the fight song after every big play. the oklahoma band only plays their fightsong, which probably shows their too stupid to memorize any other song.

but out fight song needs to become one of those songs that opposing fans hate to hear.

[McKdaddy]

The red colors on the court definitely need more vibe to it -- needs to be brightened as it has looked faded for a really long time.  I'd assume that each time the floor is recoated to remove the yellow look from the wood (I think this was done about 2 years ago, in addition to the one 30 days ago) that the red is retouched as well.  However, having said that the red has looked faded for a very long time.

I'd like the new hog on the court as well, but given the uproar about 6 years ago this fall over that issue, I'm not vocalizing it anymore than this post.  Yes the slobbering, mouth-breathing Hog is unique and traditional--and I DON'T dislike it.  But the new one looks meaner and less drugged-up.

[LordStanleysHog]

this is tough one for donors, but you move the student section down to the floor and all the way down one length of the court, like duke, Mich. St., etc... make the trough the length of the floor, BWA would be a very hard place to play (even more so than now).

[Eric Cartman]

Imagine this hog in red at center court:


The red in the paint as a glossy, shiny red.

The Floor a light wood color, bringing out the red.


On TV, we dont look very good. the court looks out of date, tacky at times, and just not impressive.
But with some improvement, recruiting could be boosted!

With the Student Section around the court, the atmosphere would be greatly improved as well.

[mbgrulz]

Imagine this hog in red at center court:


The red in the paint as a glossy, shiny red.

The Floor a light wood color, bringing out the red.


On TV, we dont look very good. the court looks out of date, tacky at times, and just not impressive.
But with some improvement, recruiting could be boosted!

With the Student Section around the court, the atmosphere would be greatly improved as well.

the square outline around the hogs doesn't do it for me. i like the hog standing alone. a lighter floor would definately emphasize the cardinal red better.

[Porkranger]

#1--Get the students closer to the floor.

#2--Shake up the band, same ol' EVERY year.

[Hoggie24]

 I'm all for Getting the students closer to the floor that's if they show up for the games. The student section was half full for most of the games and this would be a big embarrassment on TV games when you are looking at empty seats.

[Ross U (HDHF)]

I think the student section should at least be across from the opposing bench instead of the home bench.  I do like having it run the entire length of the floor too though.  We need the decibel meter back and a new band director.

[JohnsonHog]

Bring Jim Robken back!!  Enough said

[Smithian]

People don't realize one thing about the student section rapping around; it would be about three students deep.

The student section is not good and pending a deep Final Four run, probably won't grow.

[Scout Team Defense]

Bring back the SOUND POLE!!!

[VenturaHog]

Disagree strongly about changing the center court hog, agree with everything else though, the student section needs to be on the floor.

Re: poor turnouts at BWA, I predict Pel's style will be filling those seats a lot better than the Heath years.

[hawgtime]

does anyone have the pics of the new boxes?

[alltimeqb]

I agree about the sound poll.  Why was that ever taken away?  The fans would always get louder to get the red lights to go off.  It would always get the fans going.

[aaron_c]

How about this- I see many student sections in all sports that have all students wearing an identical shirt, distributed by the university.  Tell students that they have to buy the red t-shirt to get into games, but once they buy it, they can get into every game for the year free.  Here at ULM, we have 'maroon platoon' t-shirts, but not everyone buys them (the only benefit is that you get free rags to wave and stuff if you have the shirt on, you get in free anyway).

All the student sections I've seen on TV (NC, Duke, etc.) look awesome when they are one solid color- it makes them look more like one unit instead of just a group of people....you know?

[Sonofahog]

Student section on the floor,  YES
New Band leader,  YES
Different Hog,  NO

Winning games will help ALOT with the atomosphere.  I bet it is MUCH improved this year.

[Marshfieldhog]

1. FIRE the band director
2. Bring back the sound pole
3. Get the students on the floor
4. Improve the lighting...it's terrible
5. Improve the floor
6. WIN
7. FIRE the band director, gotta start with that....Gunter is terrible.

[zebra]

Exciting, winning basketball, may make you remember we have the nicest arena in the country.  Hopefully Pel can pull it off.

[slopinhogs]

need another cheer leader as band director. i loved it when he ran the floor and in the stands and the band responded.

[Porquer4life]

Hanging another championship banner in the rafters would be good.

[Blutoblutarsky]

I cant wait for the day i see Gunter roll his ankle while he jumps up and down every song.  That has to change

[Ross U (HDHF)]

How about this- I see many student sections in all sports that have all students wearing an identical shirt, distributed by the university.  Tell students that they have to buy the red t-shirt to get into games, but once they buy it, they can get into every game for the year free.  Here at ULM, we have 'maroon platoon' t-shirts, but not everyone buys them (the only benefit is that you get free rags to wave and stuff if you have the shirt on, you get in free anyway).

All the student sections I've seen on TV (NC, Duke, etc.) look awesome when they are one solid color- it makes them look more like one unit instead of just a group of people....you know?

Actually we get the shirts for free when we buy tickets.  They just don't require that you wear them to get into the game.  I like the idea of using them for admission to games, but I know there would be blowback from people who want to be all dressed up at a game (why, I'll never understand).

[PorkerOinker]

When we say moving the student section to the floor are we also talking of extending it all the way down that side from end to end of the court I personally think that would be a good idea.

[Bama Hog™]

1. Dont Touch the HOG!
2. Win!
3. Make all the REDs worn match. Team wears maroon, cheerleaders wear fire engine red, dance team wears Cardinal. Looks really tacky. No other major school that I am aware of butchers their color scheme more than us.

[mopork]

Definitely get the students on the floor, and definitely bring back the sound pole.

Playing the right music at the right time would help too.

[hogblade]

improve the lobby pictures that are all faded out.

[bd93]

Get the students near the floor.