We need 3 things. !!!!!!!!!!

[Inhogswetrust]

One of the first sports teams to utilize tarps was the Seattle Sounders in MLS.  They were selling out at around 35,000 in the Seahawks' stadium for 67,000.

Basically every year since they started in 2009, they've opened up more of the stadium because demand keeps outpacing the supply........which they have managed by placing tarps over most of the upper decks.  They open up the entire stadium for a few games a year.

And yes, they do look cool.  Sooooo, basically exactly what I said earlier.

The first one I remember was Baylor in Floyd Casey Stadium years ago. They do not look cool. You might think they look cool but you can't speak for me and others. Covering up seats does not lessen demand or create it. It is a byproduct or reaction of weak demand beforehand. You yourself are contradictory by saying they open them up when demand is high enough for a few games a year. Demand is a function of desire for tickets. IF those seats are not desired then might as well cover them up. The capacity is only temporarily limited since all they have to uncover them in reaction to increased demand. Tearing out seats and/or remodeling is the only way to permanently reduce capacity. That's what Kentucky did at Commonwealth Stadium and Tennessee did at Thompson Bowling arena. The only team I've seen come close to covering seats in a more permanent manner is the Redskins at Fedex Field. They Boxed them off and then put covers over the boxes. I bet though those boxed off seats are still there under the box frames and could be put back in service very fast.

P.S. Here's a part of an article about Baylor removing their tarp a few years ago for a game:

Baylor University employees stripped Floyd Casey Stadium of its tarp Thursday to allow for more seating in the south end zone during the Bears' matchup with the University of Oklahoma on Nov. 7.
Baylor has about 3,500 general admission seats available in the south end zone for the 6:30 p.m. nationally televised game between two teams ranked in the top 10 of the Bowl Championship Series. The Bears are No. 6, while the Sooners are No. 10.
The tarp has remained in place since Oct. 28, 2006, when Texas A&M University beat the Bears, 31-21, before a Floyd Casey Stadium-record 51,385 fans.

[JayBell]

It is a byproduct or reaction of weak demand beforehand. You yourself are contradictory by saying they open them up when demand is high enough for a few games a year. Demand is a function of desire for tickets. IF those seats are not desired then might as well cover them up. The capacity is only temporarily limited since all they have to uncover them in reaction to increased demand.

It's not contradictory.  You can open up 67,000 seats and maybe sell 40,000 or you can limit it to 35,000.  That creates demand beyond the 40,000.  Yes, part of it is covering up empty seats, but you cover up more than you have to in order to create demand.

I can't speak for you or others, but the tarps can look pretty good when done right with good graphics.  Obviously if you just throw some large plastic tarps across them that look like trash bags it will look...trashy.

IMO, these definitely do not look trashy:

[Inhogswetrust]

It's not contradictory.  You can open up 67,000 seats and maybe sell 40,000 or you can limit it to 35,000.  That creates demand beyond the 40,000.  Yes, part of it is covering up empty seats, but you cover up more than you have to in order to create demand.

I can't speak for you or others, but the tarps can look pretty good when done right with good graphics.  Obviously if you just throw some large plastic tarps across them that look like trash bags it will look...trashy.

IMO, these definitely do not look trashy:

Yet removing tarps is so easy there is NO limiting of demand. IF there is enough demand BEFORE the game then simply remove the tarp. That's happened before as I posted. The tarp does not effect demand or change it one way or the other, it is a reaction to it. Besides that your math is wrong. Temporarily limiting seats to 35,000 would NOT create demand for 40,000.

[Inhogswetrust]

It's not contradictory.  You can open up 67,000 seats and maybe sell 40,000 or you can limit it to 35,000.  That creates demand beyond the 40,000.  Yes, part of it is covering up empty seats, but you cover up more than you have to in order to create demand.

I can't speak for you or others, but the tarps can look pretty good when done right with good graphics.  Obviously if you just throw some large plastic tarps across them that look like trash bags it will look...trashy.

IMO, these definitely do not look trashy:

Looks obvious there wasn't enough demand BEFORE hand and perhaps the place was built too big to begin with for that sport. But we all know it wasn't really built for soccer. It was built for the Seahawks first and foremost. Economically speaking the one thing those tarps CAN do is provide a place to sell advertising. It still doesn't limit demand. Also don't assume the price will be different for any seat not covered up by having other seats covered up.

It's basic economic principles. The total supply of the number of seats does not change by covering them up. It only changes if they are permanently removed.

[Ex-Trumpet]

So, what we need is tarps.  Okay.  Sounds cheaper than buying out a multi-million dollar contract...

[JayBell]

It's basic economic principles. The total supply of the number of seats does not change by covering them up. It only changes if they are permanently removed.

That makes no sense at all, but feel free to keep babbling on.  It doesn't matter if supply is limited permanently or temporarily.  Meanwhile Seattle's season ticket sales and attendance have increased every single year, without fail.  I guarantee you that does not happen if they start year one by opening up the entire stadium.

They managed supply and drove demand.  It is actually very, very simple.

[JayBell]

So, what we need is tarps.  Okay.  Sounds cheaper than buying out a multi-million dollar contract...

It's not an either/or.  Bud Walton is just too big for the modern era.  You can sell a lot of tickets and have a few sellouts, but you're left with a lot of underwhelming home crowds only because they're smaller than the overall capacity.

There's ways to manage it.  You just have to be open to other ideas.

[Ex-Trumpet]

It's not an either/or.  Bud Walton is just too big for the modern era.  You can sell a lot of tickets and have a few sellouts, but you're left with a lot of underwhelming home crowds only because they're smaller than the overall capacity.

There's ways to manage it.  You just have to be open to other ideas.

It begins with the product...ya gotta have something someone else wants!  Less seats for sale does not sell more seats.

Your scenario would work if there was a product people wanted to see...make fewer seats available and raise the price.  We could give seats away at this point and the attendance probably wouldn't be a lot different than it is.

[Inhogswetrust]

That makes no sense at all, but feel free to keep babbling on.  It doesn't matter if supply is limited permanently or temporarily.  Meanwhile Seattle's season ticket sales and attendance have increased every single year, without fail.  I guarantee you that does not happen if they start year one by opening up the entire stadium.

They managed supply and drove demand.  It is actually very, very simple.

But the supply is not limited simply by tarps. Even IF if the seats are covered they can open them up so fast to sell tickets there is no supply shortage. The supply is ONLY limited by the permanent capacity of the stadium. They didn't manage supply. What makes demand is the total supply (and in sports the quality of the product). They've had some pretty decent teams spot ticket sales should be good. The stadium still is too large for soccer. That's why the tarps. By the way I read where their attendance was down this year 4%. Do you figure that demand restriction of having tarps effected that.

[Inhogswetrust]

It begins with the product...ya gotta have something someone else wants!  Less seats for sale does not sell more seats.

Your scenario would work if there was a product people wanted to see...make fewer seats available and raise the price.  We could give seats away at this point and the attendance probably wouldn't be a lot different than it is.

He forgot the relationship between supply and demand AND PRICE and shifts in curves. I'm thinking he didn't take any Economics classes.

[moses_007]

Other than Macon and Hannah's, we don't have shooters.  That's the biggest problem with this team.

[BigHog396]

When I look at the student section for a place like Iowa State on TV, then I think of what BWA looks like...



Congratulations Jeff Long, you've managed to finish the job the rednecks started when they alienated Nolan all those years ago. 

Students, and overall crowd, started disappearing well before Nolan was finally shown the door.  Nolan himself was responsible for the start of the downhill slide.

Get lost with your "redneck" BS.

[JayBell]

He forgot the relationship between supply and demand AND PRICE and shifts in curves. I'm thinking he didn't take any Economics classes.

I took economics on the hill.  I didn't forget anything.  I'm saying it's a strategy I have seen work in real life.  You ignore it all you want.  I never said Arkansas should copy the exact formula.  I just said it's something they could look at because thousands of empty seats is detrimental to the home atmosphere.

[Ex-Trumpet]

I took economics on the hill.  I didn't forget anything.  I'm saying it's a strategy I have seen work in real life.  You ignore it all you want.  I never said Arkansas should copy the exact formula.  I just said it's something they could look at because thousands of empty seats is detrimental to the home atmosphere.

Seats with tarps on them are still empty.

[nwahogfan1]

1) a new coach

2) a point guard

3) a power forward

Ice,  I totally agree with you 3 points.  Your 3 points should be done first.

Then we should do something like find ways to get students to games.    A coach who could go to pep rally's and student unions to excite the kids again would really help I think.  Let the kids know we need them.  Free tickets to the first 5,000 who show up until the thing takes off. Also, I like putting them under the baskets.  Give them the bottom 20-25 rolls under one of the baskets and if that is not enough expand it to the other basket.  We need their excitement close to the floor.  Try to come up with a way to make a game a really fun happening place for them.  Kids want a party like atmosphere.  We need to give that to them.  If we could start averaging 5000 students a game it would really help.

[nwahogfan1]

Other than Macon and Hannah's, we don't have shooters.  That's the biggest problem with this team.

Lots of good teams only have 2 shooters.  It is how you use them and who else is on the team to support them.  We need bangers and inside scorers to put more pressure on the other team's defense so when we get the ball inside they have to sink to help and then we can kick the ball out to our shooters.  Right now no team respects our inside scorers because we do not really have any.

[JayBell]

Lots of good teams only have 2 shooters.  It is how you use them and who else is on the team to support them.  We need bangers and inside scorers to put more pressure on the other team's defense so when we get the ball inside they have to sink to help and then we can kick the ball out to our shooters.  Right now no team respects our inside scorers because we do not really have any.

Also, Beard actually has a better 3-point shooting percentage than Hannahs too...

Out of everything, one of the absolute weirdest aspects of this team is that they don't utilize the outside game *nor* the inside game enough.  I don't know how that's possible.

They have the second-best 3-point shooting percentage in the SEC, but take the second fewest 3's.  They also don't feed Kingsley enough.  He averages less shots per game than about 40 other players in the SEC alone.  Those are two problems that one team isn't supposed to be able to have at the same time.

[ballhogger]

I go to all of the games as well and it seems to me the college kids could care less about razorback basketball. I am 55 years old and I look around during the games and see many, many many older fans than I am. Nolan captured magic in a bottle and fans came from everywhere to the games. Now the students do not even attend in significant numbers. It is sad but this will probably be my last year as a season ticket holder. It is neither fun or entertaining any longer.

There are ton's of kids that just are not that into sports anymore.  It is not the most entertaining thing out there anymore.  The current state of our program is not the best but we could still salvage it.  It would take an absolute miracle at this point, but it could be salvaged.

[1highhog]

1.  A new coach. !!!!     2.   Most of you won't agree with me on this--- but we need to make all the lower level seats for the college kids only .   3.    Get the craziest , wildest band director you  can to bring back the fun.

I agree with 1. and 3.  But number 2., no way!  The bottom bowl would only have 500 people in it.  I don't particularly care for how the students even show up for the Football games much less basketball.  They'll show up for football at the start of the game, but after halftime, 2/3's are gone midway through the 3rd quarter at least, not even half full by the start of the 4th quarter.

[The Pocahontas Porker]

On number 2 , I was only saying that if an when we could get back to winning . That wasn't meant to be anything negative towards the older crowd considering im 50.. He was more in line to where if we started winning an got the kids back , that they would or at least hopefully would bring back the rowdy crowd---standing an HOLLERING NONSTOP during the games.   I sure miss the barnhill days an the awesome crowds ...

[Athog]

Winning cures all.  When the wins come so will the fans. However it will never be the past. Style has changed, competition is better. It is not the arena.