Arkansas Fanbase: More Alumni or Non-Alumni?

[reddogjcss]

We are one of few States that 99.9% of citizens root for one main team. RAZORBACKS.

[lumphog]

I never went to college..I had a quarter acre farm back in the woods. :razorback: :razorback:

[NaturalStateReb]

Not really.  It just means OM has more T-shirt fans.  If the person in the state has no connection to any school they are going to pull for OM.  OM has been the traditionally stronger program.  I'm talking last 80 years not last 20.  So my grand pappy was an OM fan my pappy was an OM fan so I'm an OM fan.  Have I ever been within 100 miles of Oxford?  No. 

I lived in MS for 10 years and saw this first hand.  Some of the most ignorant non educated people I knew were OM fans even though actual OM alumni wouldn't give them the time of day.  I'd hazard a guess that if they didn't have 2 P5 schools in the state that OM's% would be in the low single digits. 

Plus, they're just smaller fan bases.  As you point out in the last line, you've got a state about the size of Arkansas split at least 2 (really more than 2, when you factor in Southern Miss and nearby schools).  Those numbers would look very different if you just had one SEC school in the state.

[Rooka]

    I have beat this dead horse many times on this issue, but in my opinion, you don't have to be an alumni to be a Razorback fan. Just the same as a Dallas Cowboys fan doesn't have to live in Dallas to be a fan or a St. Louis Cardinals fan have to live in St. Louis. I have always wanted to graduate from the U of A and I still plan to one day see my name on a sidewalk up there. (an expensive dream, I know) At the time when going to college came around I had alot of options and U of A was one, but financially it didn't make sense for me to make the move and other family issues prevented it as well so I got my degree here at ASU while I was already living in Jonesboro.
   
   I know that the comparison of pro sports teams isn't necessarily the best example, because of the fact that these teams we are talking about are tied to a university, but for the most part the sports programs are now becoming their own identity and that's everywhere for the most part. Kids didn't pick Kentucky in basketball because of there academic facilities just the same as in football Oregon/Alabama kids didn't pick that university because of it's campus.  This same disconnect is what is found in what alot of people call the "T-shirt fans" the people that just support a school because of there athletic achievements. I do have a beef with these types of fans, but then you have the fans that are long generation fans that feel that the Razorbacks represent this state and certainly represent who they are and their way of life which is 100% true and acceptable. They, in my opinion, are a just and rightful fan just as any Alumni would be, at least on the athletic side of things.

   I never got to attend the U of A, but I still love the school and the athletics. I always love talking to Alumni because most do care so much about the actual education part and they do see these players as student athletes instead of just athletes. Regardless, no matter if you graduated from the U of A or not, it doesn't make you a bigger "fan." Are you more a part of the school than I am? Absolutely. Is an Alumni considered more of a fan than my grandfather that never could of sniffed the U of A, but kept up with games in Vietnam and has never missed a game on TV/Radio since I can ever remember? No way.

(cue the "did not read" memes) 

[Cinco de Hogo]

    I have beat this dead horse many times on this issue, but in my opinion, you don't have to be an alumni to be a Razorback fan. Just the same as a Dallas Cowboys fan doesn't have to live in Dallas to be a fan or a St. Louis Cardinals fan have to live in St. Louis. I have always wanted to graduate from the U of A and I still plan to one day see my name on a sidewalk up there. (an expensive dream, I know) At the time when going to college came around I had alot of options and U of A was one, but financially it didn't make sense for me to make the move and other family issues prevented it as well so I got my degree here at ASU while I was already living in Jonesboro.
   
   I know that the comparison of pro sports teams isn't necessarily the best example, because of the fact that these teams we are talking about are tied to a university, but for the most part the sports programs are now becoming their own identity and that's everywhere for the most part. Kids didn't pick Kentucky in basketball because of there academic facilities just the same as in football Oregon/Alabama kids didn't pick that university because of it's campus.  This same disconnect is what is found in what alot of people call the "T-shirt fans" the people that just support a school because of there athletic achievements. I do have a beef with these types of fans, but then you have the fans that are long generation fans that feel that the Razorbacks represent this state and certainly represent who they are and their way of life which is 100% true and acceptable. They, in my opinion, are a just and rightful fan just as any Alumni would be, at least on the athletic side of things.

   I never got to attend the U of A, but I still love the school and the athletics. I always love talking to Alumni because most do care so much about the actual education part and they do see these players as student athletes instead of just athletes. Regardless, no matter if you graduated from the U of A or not, it doesn't make you a bigger "fan." Are you more a part of the school that I am? Absolutely. Is an Alumni considered more of a fan than my grandfather that never could of sniffed the U of A, but kept up with games in Vietnam and has never missed a game on TV/Radio since I can ever remember? No way.

(cue the "did not read" memes) 

Great post! +100

Your distinction between the lifelong fan and the T-Shirt fan is what we are really talking about.  Maybe a lot of the Alumni are from out of state and they don't comprehend that it's an Arkansas THING to be a Razorback.

And that's exactly what I'm am, a Razorback.  Not just a fan but a Razorback and that's what I tell people.  I don't say I'm a Razorback fan.

[hoghiker]

    I have beat this dead horse many times on this issue, but in my opinion, you don't have to be an alumni to be a Razorback fan. Just the same as a Dallas Cowboys fan doesn't have to live in Dallas to be a fan or a St. Louis Cardinals fan have to live in St. Louis. I have always wanted to graduate from the U of A and I still plan to one day see my name on a sidewalk up there. (an expensive dream, I know) At the time when going to college came around I had alot of options and U of A was one, but financially it didn't make sense for me to make the move and other family issues prevented it as well so I got my degree here at ASU while I was already living in Jonesboro.
   
   I know that the comparison of pro sports teams isn't necessarily the best example, because of the fact that these teams we are talking about are tied to a university, but for the most part the sports programs are now becoming their own identity and that's everywhere for the most part. Kids didn't pick Kentucky in basketball because of there academic facilities just the same as in football Oregon/Alabama kids didn't pick that university because of it's campus.  This same disconnect is what is found in what alot of people call the "T-shirt fans" the people that just support a school because of there athletic achievements. I do have a beef with these types of fans, but then you have the fans that are long generation fans that feel that the Razorbacks represent this state and certainly represent who they are and their way of life which is 100% true and acceptable. They, in my opinion, are a just and rightful fan just as any Alumni would be, at least on the athletic side of things.

   I never got to attend the U of A, but I still love the school and the athletics. I always love talking to Alumni because most do care so much about the actual education part and they do see these players as student athletes instead of just athletes. Regardless, no matter if you graduated from the U of A or not, it doesn't make you a bigger "fan." Are you more a part of the school that I am? Absolutely. Is an Alumni considered more of a fan than my grandfather that never could of sniffed the U of A, but kept up with games in Vietnam and has never missed a game on TV/Radio since I can ever remember? No way.

(cue the "did not read" memes) 

This. Arkansas is a Razorback nation. Most didn't attend U of A. Never once in my life have I considered a non-grad a lesser fan. They bled red just like me. I've meet some knuckleheads but most are solid, hard working people that settle in every Saturday and cheer on the Hogs. Just like me. Maybe a beer, well probably a beer, a grill and a few friends. Some of my favorite times.

[bphi11ips]

I was a Razorbacks fan long before I was an alumnus, because I am an Arkansan.  Had I never gone to school in Fayetteville, I would be just as big a fan as I am today.  The Arkansas Razorbacks are special because they belong to the entire state, and if you are an alum, you should hope that never changes.

[WilsonHog]

I was a Razorbacks fan long before I was an alumnus, because I am an Arkansan.  Had I never gone to school in Fayetteville, I would be just as big a fan as I am today.  The Arkansas Razorbacks are special because they belong to the entire state, and if you are an alum, you should hope that never changes.

True. In my case, I'm an alum because I grew up a Razorback fan. Looking back on it, that's probably the sole reason.

[Inhogswetrust]

I never went to college..I had a quarter acre farm back in the woods. :razorback: :razorback:

I know some college students that may have bought some of your agricultural products..........................................

[Rison Razor Hog]

I know some college students that may have bought some of your agricultural products..........................................

Hey, those are legitimate "pharmaceuticals" now in certain jurisdictions, no longer simply "herbs."

[bphi11ips]

True. In my case, I'm an alum because I grew up a Razorback fan. Looking back on it, that's probably the sole reason.

I hadn't thought of it this way, but I couldn't wait to get to Fayetteville for the same reason - I was a lifelong Razorbacks fan.  It's not so much about sports, or success, it's about where we belonged.  We were indoctrinated, socialized, maybe even brainwashed, to live and die with the Hogs.  And for me, that's a good thing.  Life's a long road with many twists and turns and ups and downs, but the Hogs are always there.  If I'm having a bad day, there's usually one game or another, or one season or another, to look forward to.