"Fans go to support the Hogs, not the stadium"

[hobhog]

A rare great quote from Wally.

Just sayin

[WarPig88]

You have to be a big time fan to support the Hogs in that dump in LR though.

[GolfnHog]

and not trying to start another GSD but with the cost of attendance to ANY game what's lost, at times by many, is the game day experience, the amenities and what you actually get for the cost of admission to a given venue.

Conversely as much as is lacking at WMS the same could be said for AT&T stadium in Dallas but from the opposite end of the spectrum. I just don't feel what you have to pay for either venue is worth the cost so I don't attend games at either place during the course of the regular season.

It's called discretionary income for a reason. I choose to attend all Fayetteville games and one away game each year and the time and costs are factors when I'm deciding. Add to the formula is that I currently live nearly 7 hours from Fayetteville due to work obligations.

Granted, I want to attend a game where I've yet to attend so that is a mitigating factor. If the Hogs end up back in the Cotton Bowl then I'll attend in Dallas but I can use the money there instead of the SW Classic game.

[hogsanity]

It's called discretionary income for a reason.

That is the thing, right there. While people cite the stadium as why they do not go to games in LR, 99% of them just do not want to spend the ticket money plus whatever else they would have to spend to go. Same is true as to why DWRRS was not sold out last week. Not enough people wanted to take the time and money to go to fill it up. It could be the greatest stadium in the universe, but people still have to want to invest time and money to go.

I rarely go to games because I do not want to invest my TIME. I can pick up tickets just about anytime to any game for face or less, but it is the 6+ hours time investment that I do not want to make.

[DeltaBoy]

Cost and with some bad issues with Drunks at Games here in TX and in Ark I rather watch it on TV .

[HOGGISHABOUTAR]

VERY TRUE! WE ARE ALL HOG FANS! AND WE COULD CARE LESS ABOUT WMS AS LONG AS WE GET TO SEE OUR BELOVED TEAM! I WOULD WATCH THEM PLAY NO MATTER THE LOCATION.

[RazorWhacker]

I love the old school look and feel of WMS.

[hobhog]

So instead of saying it's too expensive or not nice enough, just admit it is not worth your time, inconvenience, or money to go watch the Hogs play and quit using WMS as an excuse.

It has never been an issue historically for Hog fans to fill stadiums, but now it is. And it has nothing to do with money. Just admit your are now a TV or couch fan and quit blaming other issues. Apparently Hogs don't have enough hardcore fans anymore.

Go Hogs. I'll See the other fans at the game.

[hobhog]

You have to be a big time fan to support the Hogs in that dump in LR though.

Thanks for making my point....

[ThisTeetsTaken]

Cost and with some bad issues with Drunks at Games here in TX and in Ark I rather watch it on TV .

Definitely not a family atmosphere anymore.

[hogsanity]

So instead of saying it's too expensive or not nice enough, just admit it is not worth your time, inconvenience, or money to go watch the Hogs play and quit using WMS as an excuse.

It has never been an issue historically for Hog fans to fill stadiums, but now it is. And it has nothing to do with money. Just admit your are now a TV or couch fan and quit blaming other issues. Apparently Hogs don't have enough hardcore fans anymore.

Go Hogs. I'll See the other fans at the game.

For me, PERSONALLY, it is not worth my time, 1hr drive to Fay or 21/2 to LR one way, or the time  it takes before and after the game to get from car to stadium and back.

As a PROGRAM, I have never understood not showcasing your campus, either to recruits in person or on tv. But, above all the one thing that drives me crazy about the LR games is that the school has to PAY to play there.

[RazorWhacker]

Thanks for making my point....

Yep.

I guess when our parents get old we should quit going to visit them because their house probably smells funny and they can't serve us bisquits and gravy like they used to.

It's an "all about me" world we live in today anyway.

[hogsanity]

Yep.

I guess when our parents get old we should quit going to visit them because their house probably smells funny and they can't serve us bisquits and gravy like they used to.

It's an "all about me" world we live in today anyway.

Is it going to cost me $200+ and a full day to go and see them? Will I have to wade through puke, and sit by drunks to get to them? Can I sit home, watch them on my couch, while I eat my food and use my own bathroom? 

Or maybe I will go pick them up and let them come stay with me for a couple of weeks, and I will make biscuits and gravy for them in my own house.

[hobhog]

Definitely not a family atmosphere anymore.

Ridiculous....

[hobhog]

Is it going to cost me $200+ and a full day to go and see them? Will I have to wade through puke, and sit by drunks to get to them? Can I sit home, watch them on my couch, while I eat my food and use my own bathroom? 

Or maybe I will go pick them up and let them come stay with me for a couple of weeks, and I will make biscuits and gravy for them in my own house.

Again, thanks for making my point.

[AugustaHog]

Fans should support the Hogs regardless of where the game is played.  If you love the Hogs, you love them if they are in Dallas, Fayetteville, or even Little Rock.  Surely Hog fans won't let their disdain for Little Rock and WMS affect the way they root for the team.  Obviously none of this affects me because I live ridiculously far away and am stuck watching on TV.  However, if I lived in NWA, I would be in LR this weekend rooting on the Hogs to spank the Rockets (no innuendo intended here).  Woo Pig!

[hogsanity]

Again, thanks for making my point.

My dad grew up in a house that was really nice for the times, 40's and 50's, but compared to similar sized houses of today, even he says the house he grew up in is now not very nice at all. It had a storm sewer pipe running right through the basement at shoulder level. Had no A/C and really old furnace that did not work half the time.

[RazorWhacker]

For me, PERSONALLY, it is not worth my time, 1hr drive to Fay or 21/2 to LR one way, or the time  it takes before and after the game to get from car to stadium and back.

As a PROGRAM, I have never understood not showcasing your campus, either to recruits in person or on tv. But, above all the one thing that drives me crazy about the LR games is that the school has to PAY to play there.

Back in the day, it was critical to the program to play there so fans from other areas of the state could see them play. It was so vital to the program they OFFERED to pay WMS to play there. It was a beneficial arrangement for both parties.

Times have changed and it appears that storied part of our program is nearing it's end. It's childish and disrespectful to lots of people to call it names.

Youth is wasted on the young.

[DoctorSusscrofa]

You have to be a big time fan to support the Hogs in that dump in LR though.

No. You just have to be a loyal Hog fan who considers any Hog stadium with Hog fans to be our home.

[Atlhogfan1]

WMS week brings out so many overreactionary emotional statements as well as selective memories.

It hasn't been very family friendly for a while.  Not quite NFL-like especially night game NFL.  And it depends on who sits around you and who you park by and vice versa.  I don't care personally as long as nobody falls on me or spills on me or starts a fight around me. 

College football attendance has been declining off and on for several years.  We have this discussion in basketball too. 

I didn't read or hear Wally's quote for context.  Just taking it by those words:  when the GSD started and Frank tried to rip off the bandaid instead of this slow bleed out of removing the games, many what I call "conditional" fans made their threats of withholding support for the Hogs if games were moved.  Perhaps they were more fans out of convenience or the stadium or their own gain by having Hog games in LR.  Now that it is coming close to an end, a central Arkansas Sports Columnist makes this comment about being fans of the Hogs and not the stadium.  Where was this when the GSD started? 

[hogsanity]

Back in the day, it was critical to the program to play there so fans from other areas of the state could see them play. It was so vital to the program they OFFERED to pay WMS to play there. It was a beneficial arrangement for both parties.

Times have changed and it appears that storied part of our program is nearing it's end. It's childish and disrespectful to lots of people to call it names.

Youth is wasted on the young.

I am not calling it names. I do not even think they have to pull all the games from there. I am fine with 1 game a year, but it should be a rent a win. I also wish they had never agreed to the A&M deal in Jerryworld, as that removes a home game from campus every other year.

But, recent games in LR have shown, the people there do not just wat A hog game, they will only sell it out for A BIG hog game.

But, more importantly, attendance at most games all over college football has been falling in recent years. Not talking about tickets sold, but actual human beings passing through the gates. IF you watched many games last weekend, you saw lots of stadiums with half full upper decks. I am not talking about turkey burger tech vs humus u either. Northwestern, with a huge population to draw from, and a top 25 team in town to play, had huge empty corners in the upper deck.

It is just so expensive and time consuming to go to games. Even if you live next door to the stadium, it is a 4 hour commitment.

[mizzouman]

I moved to Little Rock in the late 80's.  When I first got here and saw that the Hogs played several games in Little Rock, I was surprised.  I was thinking that if I were a student in Fayetteville, I would be pissed.

But then, I started to realize that Fayetteville, back then, was one tough place to get to.  Also, it was isolated from the rest of the state due to the fact that the campus isn't in the middle of the state.  So, by playing games in Little Rock, it made it more affordable for fans to watch given the proximity of Little Rock.

But now, all games are on TV.  So the fans that couldn't afford to go to Fayetteville but could go to Little Rock are now staying home to watch it on TV.  It's cheaper, a lot cheaper.

What schools need to do is make the fan experience better than watching it at home.  Make the games to where fans want to go instead of sitting at home.  That's the challenge for ALL schools.

[RazorWhacker]

Is it going to cost me $200+ and a full day to go and see them? Will I have to wade through puke, and sit by drunks to get to them? Can I sit home, watch them on my couch, while I eat my food and use my own bathroom? 

Or maybe I will go pick them up and let them come stay with me for a couple of weeks, and I will make biscuits and gravy for them in my own house.

You missed the point.

Not going to the game because you don't like the stadium is sissified.

Not going because of financial reasons, travel time etc. are legitimate and understandable.

[hobhog]

I am not calling it names. I do not even think they have to pull all the games from there. I am fine with 1 game a year, but it should be a rent a win. I also wish they had never agreed to the A&M deal in Jerryworld, as that removes a home game from campus every other year.

But, recent games in LR have shown, the people there do not just wat A hog game, they will only sell it out for A BIG hog game.

But, more importantly, attendance at most games all over college football has been falling in recent years. Not talking about tickets sold, but actual human beings passing through the gates. IF you watched many games last weekend, you saw lots of stadiums with half full upper decks. I am not talking about turkey burger tech vs humus u either. Northwestern, with a huge population to draw from, and a top 25 team in town to play, had huge empty corners in the upper deck.

It is just so expensive and time consuming to go to games. Even if you live next door to the stadium, it is a 4 hour commitment.

Apathy. Got it. Again, thanks fir making my point.

[hobhog]

I moved to Little Rock in the late 80's.  When I first got here and saw that the Hogs played several games in Little Rock, I was surprised.  I was thinking that if I were a student in Fayetteville, I would be pissed.

But then, I started to realize that Fayetteville, back then, was one tough place to get to.  Also, it was isolated from the rest of the state due to the fact that the campus isn't in the middle of the state.  So, by playing games in Little Rock, it made it more affordable for fans to watch given the proximity of Little Rock.

But now, all games are on TV.  So the fans that couldn't afford to go to Fayetteville but could go to Little Rock are now staying home to watch it on TV.  It's cheaper, a lot cheaper.

What schools need to do is make the fan experience better than watching it at home.  Make the games to where fans want to go instead of sitting at home.  That's the challenge for ALL schools.

Exactly.

[RazorWhacker]

I am not calling it names. I do not even think they have to pull all the games from there. I am fine with 1 game a year, but it should be a rent a win. I also wish they had never agreed to the A&M deal in Jerryworld, as that removes a home game from campus every other year.

But, recent games in LR have shown, the people there do not just wat A hog game, they will only sell it out for A BIG hog game.

But, more importantly, attendance at most games all over college football has been falling in recent years. Not talking about tickets sold, but actual human beings passing through the gates. IF you watched many games last weekend, you saw lots of stadiums with half full upper decks. I am not talking about turkey burger tech vs humus u either. Northwestern, with a huge population to draw from, and a top 25 team in town to play, had huge empty corners in the upper deck.

It is just so expensive and time consuming to go to games. Even if you live next door to the stadium, it is a 4 hour commitment.

I never said you called it names. You took something personal that was directed at the poster that called it a dump.

So, did Fayetteville say they don't want Hog games at DWRRS because it didn't sell out? No. Not anymore than LR says that when WMS doesn't sell out.

Take off the blinders.

[hogsanity]

Apathy. Got it. Again, thanks fir making my point.

Apathy would be not caring about the team one way or another. Many more people watch the team on tv or listen on the radio than ever attend games.

For many people it is PRIORITIES. It is not a priority for me to spend the time and money to go to the games, BUT it is a priority to watch the games with my kids ( and often with others we invite over ). IF I was apathetic, I would not care at all. 

[Atlhogfan1]

I moved to Little Rock in the late 80's.  When I first got here and saw that the Hogs played several games in Little Rock, I was surprised.  I was thinking that if I were a student in Fayetteville, I would be pissed.

But then, I started to realize that Fayetteville, back then, was one tough place to get to.  Also, it was isolated from the rest of the state due to the fact that the campus isn't in the middle of the state.  So, by playing games in Little Rock, it made it more affordable for fans to watch given the proximity of Little Rock.

But now, all games are on TV.  So the fans that couldn't afford to go to Fayetteville but could go to Little Rock are now staying home to watch it on TV.  It's cheaper, a lot cheaper.

What schools need to do is make the fan experience better than watching it at home.  Make the games to where fans want to go instead of sitting at home.  That's the challenge for ALL schools.

It is in both football and basketball which will take significant financial investments.  This goes back to arguments we have had for 10-15 years in a state like Arkansas which is poor relative to many others and low populated.  Making the investments in two stadiums to use to about half of their potential each season unfortunately for WMS never made much sense.  It is why the NFL doesn't usually overbuild in terms of capacity.  It is why new basketball arenas outside of an exception like Louisville are becoming smaller. 

[Atlhogfan1]

Again, Wally finally got it right and something that needed to be said by someone with a voice in central Arkansas years ago. 

[Count Hogula]

I moved to Little Rock in the late 80's.  When I first got here and saw that the Hogs played several games in Little Rock, I was surprised.  I was thinking that if I were a student in Fayetteville, I would be pissed.

But then, I started to realize that Fayetteville, back then, was one tough place to get to.  Also, it was isolated from the rest of the state due to the fact that the campus isn't in the middle of the state.  So, by playing games in Little Rock, it made it more affordable for fans to watch given the proximity of Little Rock.

But now, all games are on TV.  So the fans that couldn't afford to go to Fayetteville but could go to Little Rock are now staying home to watch it on TV.  It's cheaper, a lot cheaper.

What schools need to do is make the fan experience better than watching it at home.  Make the games to where fans want to go instead of sitting at home.  That's the challenge for ALL schools.

Good post, mizzouman.

[hogsanity]

What schools need to do is make the fan experience better than watching it at home.  Make the games to where fans want to go instead of sitting at home.  That's the challenge for ALL schools.

And how is ANY school going to do that? How can being there ever be better that being at home with a 60inch HD tv, capabilities to pause, rewind, etc. Own food and drinks, no lines for those or for the bathroom. No one climbing over you 15 times a game to get food or go to the bathroom. You can control who you sit with. It is not too sunny or too cold or to rainy or snowy. Can tune into other games that are going on, and you get all that for pennies on the dollar compared to the cost of going to a game.

I know lost of people who had season tickets, and once they had kids or once the kids go to be or older, they gave up their tickets. Some because they had better things to do with the money, some because of the time factor. Also, if your kids play pee wee football, at least here in our area, many of the games are on Saturday morning/early afternoon, so what do you do, tell your kid he can't play football because YOU want to go to the Hog games?

[mizzouman]

It is in both football and basketball which will take significant financial investments.  This goes back to arguments we have had for 10-15 years in a state like Arkansas which is poor relative to many others and low populated.  Making the investments in two stadiums to use to about half of their potential each season unfortunately for WMS never made much sense.  It is why the NFL doesn't usually overbuild in terms of capacity.  It is why new basketball arenas outside of an exception like Louisville are becoming smaller. 

My point is that hard core fans will show up to the games, regardless.  They will always show.  Good fans will show occasionally.  Other fans will just watch on TV.

The challenge schools have is that they have to make the fan experience better at the stadium than it is at home to attract the good and other fans.

It's different in the NFL.  Games will be locally blacked out if not enough tickets are sold.  Plus, they have revenue sharing.  A different model.

[NaturalStateReb]

Wally Hall's article, or really half-article, since it didn't take up that much of the column, was wrong.  Not only is it wrong, it didn't even half-heartedly attempt to support its premise:  that Central, South, and East Arkansas fans are alienated, and therefore do not buy tickets.  Arkansas sold out in Fayetteville only once last season--against Alabama--and on average left about 6,000 tickets per game unsold.  For homecoming against UAB, it was something more like 10,000 unsold tickets.  Those tickets didn't go unsold because Northwest Arkansas fans were "alienated."

Let's talk about the real reason these tickets, and tens of thousands of other tickets at other schools, are going unsold.  Let's say the word that AD's just can't bring themselves to talk about:  price.

College football ticket prices are simply too high.  There exists a price point beyond which consumer demand for tickets diminishes, and we have passed this price point.  In the mid-90s, an average face-value ticket to an SEC game was about $25; now it's about $60.  There aren't many other commodities that have more than doubled in price; even current gasoline prices don't show that kind of increase.  Neither is inflation to blame--a dollar doesn't have less than half of the buying power it had 20 years ago.

The reason for these outrageous ticket prices is simple:  good old fashioned greed, plus a ridiculous belief that demand for college football tickets is inelastic (people will basically pay whatever price).  Demand for college football is insatiable, but demand for college football tickets isn't.  For a family of four to see a college football game at face-value (we'll assume $55/ticket here), the price for seats alone is $220.  Tack on another $20 for parking, $40 for gas, and $50 for concessions (if you're lucky), and you're in for $320 before the car backs out.  This also assumes that you don't need to spend the night, eat additional meals, or make donations for the privilege of buying tickets. 

The average weekly wage in Arkansas was $738 in 2010.  $320 represents a significant chunk of money for most working people.  Assuming you're pretty average, at those rates we're asking a person to give up over 10% of their monthly income to take his or her family to go see a single game.  Anyone want to give up over 10% of their monthly income to go take in Nicholls State?  How about UAB?  No wonder people don't do it.  After you consider the fact that you're going to be attacked by Adzilla everywhere you turn, and proliferation of games on TV and HDTV, it's really a wonder that we're able to convince 60,000 people to show up. 

It's not just an Arkansas issue; it's pretty much an everywhere issue.  In an era where college athletic departments are seeing obscene amounts of money pouring into their coffers--mostly public coffers--ticket prices are just too high.  The market is sending that signal loud and clear.   

[DeltaBoy]

I moved to Little Rock in the late 80's.  When I first got here and saw that the Hogs played several games in Little Rock, I was surprised.  I was thinking that if I were a student in Fayetteville, I would be pissed.

But then, I started to realize that Fayetteville, back then, was one tough place to get to.  Also, it was isolated from the rest of the state due to the fact that the campus isn't in the middle of the state.  So, by playing games in Little Rock, it made it more affordable for fans to watch given the proximity of Little Rock.

But now, all games are on TV.  So the fans that couldn't afford to go to Fayetteville but could go to Little Rock are now staying home to watch it on TV.  It's cheaper, a lot cheaper.

What schools need to do is make the fan experience better than watching it at home.  Make the games to where fans want to go instead of sitting at home.  That's the challenge for ALL schools.

This is a fact that Long needs to write on his tablet and think long and hard about.  Cause I had beer and soft drinks spilled on me and I have been cussed out by folks for asking them to sit down.
At Home I get all I want to eat for about 15 bucks, I have a nice chair , clean bathroom and I can stop the game and go to the head and not miss a thing.

[Atlhogfan1]

My point is that hard core fans will show up to the games, regardless.  They will always show.  Good fans will show occasionally.  Other fans will just watch on TV.

The challenge schools have is that they have to make the fan experience better at the stadium than it is at home to attract the good and other fans.

It's different in the NFL.  Games will be locally blacked out if not enough tickets are sold.  Plus, they have revenue sharing.  A different model.

I'm agreeing with you. 

My point with the NFL is by limiting the capacity, they create both a sense of urgency and demand to buy tickets by limiting what is available while also investing in amenities vs capacity.  I'm aware of the blackout.  Jax uses tarps to try and get around it.  At some point, I wonder if these mega stadiums in college football will reach the point of being too much.  Tenn and Michigan have both renovated with luxury instead of bleacher additions.  Colleges have to invest in the amenities from the available restrooms and concession choices to seat comfort and tech additions. 

I will add that not all hardcore fans will show these days.  If they are local, yes. 

[ricepig]

This is a fact that Long needs to write on his tablet and think long and hard about.  Cause I had beer and soft drinks spilled on me and I have been cussed out by folks for asking them to sit down.
At Home I get all I want to eat for about 15 bucks, I have a nice chair , clean bathroom and I can stop the game and go to the head and not miss a thing.

How many Fayetteville games have you been to? How many in the last 10 years? Trust me, they aren't worried about getting you to a game.

[duckman]

Definitely not a family atmosphere anymore.

I have attended games at both stadiums, there are just as many drunks at both.  There are plenty of places that are kid friendly at both.  There are kids all over the golf course in LR playing football, Baggo etc.  Any public environment has a select amount of A-Holes, it is your job as a parent to provide a barrier.

[TrueBlue]

You have to be a big time fan to support the Hogs in that dump in LR though.

Proves you are NOT a fan.

This issue is your WHOLE agenda - you never stop. Anyone that looks at your post history will agree.

Very tiresome to see your worthless drivel.

[hobhog]

Apathy would be not caring about the team one way or another. Many more people watch the team on tv or listen on the radio than ever attend games.

For many people it is PRIORITIES. It is not a priority for me to spend the time and money to go to the games, BUT it is a priority to watch the games with my kids ( and often with others we invite over ). IF I was apathetic, I would not care at all.

Pretty much how I view Dallas Cowboy games. Their fans don't consider me a fan I am sure...my point is the Hog fanbase that physically support Hogs has dwindled. Nothing to do with stadium.

[bphi11ips]

Again, Wally finally got it right and something that needed to be said by someone with a voice in central Arkansas years ago. 

Fans (and alumni who grew up attending LR games and who still live closer to LR than Fayetteville) don't feel marginalized because games are played in Fayetteville.  They feel marginalized when they feel unappreciated.  The administration, in my opinion, has done a horrible job of PR where the issue is concerned.  Message board nonsense fans the flames, but I don't know how many attitudes are actually affected by the incredible insults we see here.

I, for one, would not want to run into some of you at a Hogville tailgate.  The vitriol spewed here is simply too much for me to overlook. 

If mods can ban discussion of non-Razorbacks topics in MMQB, surely they can ban all things GSD.

[hogsanity]

This is a fact that Long needs to write on his tablet and think long and hard about.  Cause I had beer and soft drinks spilled on me and I have been cussed out by folks for asking them to sit down.
At Home I get all I want to eat for about 15 bucks, I have a nice chair , clean bathroom and I can stop the game and go to the head and not miss a thing.

Again I ask, how is Long, or any other AD, supposed to be able to compete with what I can have at home?

[Atlhogfan1]

Ticket prices aren't going down anytime soon with football at so many programs relied upon to pay for so much else.


RRS has roughly 50K bleacher seats available to the public when you take out the 12K available to students.  Not going to bother with taking out the visiting team allotment.  And I'm not factoring in the end zone or club levels.  Just the bleachers for the "everyday" fan.

At $60 per ticket and with 8,000 unsold for a non conference rent a win, ticket sales for these seats would be $2.5 million.  What would the magic number be to sell 50,000 vs 42,000?  $40?  That would be $500K difference.  Concession revenue maybe would make up some of it. 

Some have gone to dynamic pricing similar to how the airlines do it.   

Long is trying some little things:
http://www.thv11.com/story/sports/ncaa/university-of-arkansas/2015/09/03/food-prices-reduced-razorback-stadium/71644002/


http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/vols/2015/01/13/comparing-sec-football-ticket-prices/21723825/

According to the Tennessean story, we are at the top of the SEC in season ticket costs.  Things we have to keep in mind for our program is expenditures on things like recruiting budget for our sports as they tend to be among the highest in the SEC along with Tennessee because our staffs have to travel out of state so much more recruiting than other programs.  If we want to compete in the SEC, we have to pay for it. 

[hogsanity]

  If we want to compete in the SEC, we have to pay for it. 

Fans want porterhouse quality and flank steak prices.

[Atlhogfan1]

Fans (and alumni who grew up attending LR games and who still live closer to LR than Fayetteville) don't feel marginalized because games are played in Fayetteville.  They feel marginalized when they feel unappreciated.  The administration, in my opinion, has done a horrible job of PR where the issue is concerned.  Message board nonsense fans the flames, but I don't know how many attitudes are actually affected by the incredible insults we see here.

I, for one, would not want to run into some of you at a Hogville tailgate.  The vitriol spewed here is simply too much for me to overlook. 

If mods can ban discussion of non-Razorbacks topics in MMQB, surely they can ban all things GSD.

What is making them feel unappreciated? 

What could the administration have done? 

Wally's words I am endorsing aren't directed at Hog fans. 

[Cresthog]

How many Fayetteville games have you been to? How many in the last 10 years? Trust me, they aren't worried about getting you to a game.

Sorry for partying.

[ThisTeetsTaken]

I have attended games at both stadiums, there are just as many drunks at both.  There are plenty of places that are kid friendly at both.  There are kids all over the golf course in LR playing football, Baggo etc.  Any public environment has a select amount of A-Holes, it is your job as a parent to provide a barrier.

I wasn't singling out either stadium.  I was speaking to the atmosphere inside the stadiums.  It's sad you can't take lady or a child to a game without someone sitting next to you screaming profanity.

[duckman]

I wasn't singling out either stadium.  I was speaking to the atmosphere inside the stadiums.  It's sad you can't a lady or a child to a game without someone sitting next to you screaming profanity.

That is true, and I have lost it a couple of times at a few people. 

[bphi11ips]

What is making them feel unappreciated? 

Toledo and the expectation that the last two will be similar, after decades of support when the shoe was on the other foot.

What could the administration have done? 

Educate and publicly express appreciation for the century plus of fans outside of NWA.  Bret Bielema's comment that LR is essentially a road game didn't help.  He's trying to fix that, I think, but his attitude may have infected his team to some extent.  He probably didn't understand that the Razorbacks had two homes until very recently. 

[mizzouman]

Wally Hall's article, or really half-article, since it didn't take up that much of the column, was wrong.  Not only is it wrong, it didn't even half-heartedly attempt to support its premise:  that Central, South, and East Arkansas fans are alienated, and therefore do not buy tickets.  Arkansas sold out in Fayetteville only once last season--against Alabama--and on average left about 6,000 tickets per game unsold.  For homecoming against UAB, it was something more like 10,000 unsold tickets.  Those tickets didn't go unsold because Northwest Arkansas fans were "alienated."

Let's talk about the real reason these tickets, and tens of thousands of other tickets at other schools, are going unsold.  Let's say the word that AD's just can't bring themselves to talk about:  price.

College football ticket prices are simply too high.  There exists a price point beyond which consumer demand for tickets diminishes, and we have passed this price point.  In the mid-90s, an average face-value ticket to an SEC game was about $25; now it's about $60.  There aren't many other commodities that have more than doubled in price; even current gasoline prices don't show that kind of increase.  Neither is inflation to blame--a dollar doesn't have less than half of the buying power it had 20 years ago.

The reason for these outrageous ticket prices is simple:  good old fashioned greed, plus a ridiculous belief that demand for college football tickets is inelastic (people will basically pay whatever price).  Demand for college football is insatiable, but demand for college football tickets isn't.  For a family of four to see a college football game at face-value (we'll assume $55/ticket here), the price for seats alone is $220.  Tack on another $20 for parking, $40 for gas, and $50 for concessions (if you're lucky), and you're in for $320 before the car backs out.  This also assumes that you don't need to spend the night, eat additional meals, or make donations for the privilege of buying tickets. 

The average weekly wage in Arkansas was $738 in 2010.  $320 represents a significant chunk of money for most working people.  Assuming you're pretty average, at those rates we're asking a person to give up over 10% of their monthly income to take his or her family to go see a single game.  Anyone want to give up over 10% of their monthly income to go take in Nicholls State?  How about UAB?  No wonder people don't do it.  After you consider the fact that you're going to be attacked by Adzilla everywhere you turn, and proliferation of games on TV and HDTV, it's really a wonder that we're able to convince 60,000 people to show up. 

It's not just an Arkansas issue; it's pretty much an everywhere issue.  In an era where college athletic departments are seeing obscene amounts of money pouring into their coffers--mostly public coffers--ticket prices are just too high.  The market is sending that signal loud and clear.   

BINGO!!!

[ricepig]

Ticket prices aren't going down anytime soon with football at so many programs relied upon to pay for so much else.


RRS has roughly 50K bleacher seats available to the public when you take out the 12K available to students.  Not going to bother with taking out the visiting team allotment.  And I'm not factoring in the end zone or club levels.  Just the bleachers for the "everyday" fan.

And 60,000 x 8000= 480,000.

At $60 per ticket and with 8,000 unsold for a non conference rent a win, ticket sales for these seats would be $2.5 million.  What would the magic number be to sell 50,000 vs 42,000?  $40?  That would be $500K difference.  Concession revenue maybe would make up some of it. 

Some have gone to dynamic pricing similar to how the airlines do it.   

Long is trying some little things:
http://www.thv11.com/story/sports/ncaa/university-of-arkansas/2015/09/03/food-prices-reduced-razorback-stadium/71644002/


http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/vols/2015/01/13/comparing-sec-football-ticket-prices/21723825/

According to the Tennessean story, we are at the top of the SEC in season ticket costs.  Things we have to keep in mind for our program is expenditures on things like recruiting budget for our sports as they tend to be among the highest in the SEC along with Tennessee because our staffs have to travel out of state so much more recruiting than other programs.  If we want to compete in the SEC, we have to pay for it. 

Where were there 8000 unsold tickets, do you have a link to this? Also, season tickets weren't $450, I guess you didn't purchase any this year? I agree we have to make money, it's part of the business.

I also think 90% of the banter is message board fun, each side knows what upsets the other. Like all decisions involving my alma mater, I'll leave it to those who are well paid, and to those chosen to serve on the BOT.

And, 60,000 x 8000= 480,000.