One Hog Fan?s Perspective

When I was growing up in Southeast Arkansas, I never thought of the Arkansas Razorbacks as a Fayetteville team or a Little Rock team. It just never occurred to me that the Hogs might belong to one part of the state or the other.

We saw the Razorbacks as “our” team. When I hear the word “Razorbacks,” I automatically think of “Arkansas.” I don’t think of “Northwest Arkansas” or “Central Arkansas.” When I think of the Razorbacks, I think of a team supported by an entire state.

An economic decision

Economically, this statewide support has been extremely important to the University of Arkansas. Now the UA Board of Trustees is about to make a decision that could have a serious economic impact on the university. When they make this decision, I hope the board will do everything possible to retain the statewide support of the university.

Like Gov. Mike Huckabee, I believe the plan to reduce the number of games in War Memorial Stadium from three to two is the beginning of the end for the stadium. War Memorial simply cannot survive on two games. It cannot be expanded and maintained in a top-class fashion. When the stadium is no longer up to the quality expected for SEC teams, all of the Razorback games will be moved to Fayetteville.

For more than 50 years, War Memorial Stadium has been a key generator of statewide support for the University of Arkansas. The Razorbacks’ presence in Little Rock has drawn millions of dollars into the UA’s coffers from the residents of central, southern and eastern Arkansas. If the games are moved 190 miles to the north, fewer of these people will be able to attend. The great distance between them and the Razorbacks, will contribute to a gradual fading of overall support for the university from the lower two-thirds of the state.

The Razorbacks and revenue

In addition, the Razorback Foundation is likely to see an immediate decrease in its revenue streams. Razorbacks supporters who buy tickets must also contribute to the Razorback Foundation in order to get priority seating at Little Rock and Fayetteville games. Essentially, that provides two different revenue streams, since ticket buyers can choose between the stadiums. With only one stadium, things would change — after all, there are only so many seats available between the 30-yard lines.

If the games are moved to Fayetteville, it is likely that the revenue stream generated by War Memorial will dwindle to a trickle. The supporters from central, south and east Arkansas who are now eager to contribute to the foundation to get good seats in War Memorial will not be so eager to make contributions for seats in far-away Fayetteville. The foundation will be closing off one of its most important revenue streams. They will simply be hurting themselves.

This proposal to reduce the games comes at exactly the wrong time. The statewide support for the Razorbacks is at an all-time high, with both stadiums packed. When the Razorbacks are gone from Little Rock, they will leave a void. And since all voids are filled sooner or later, I am wondering who the University of Arkansas will want to fill that void.

Because the Razorbacks have been as close as War Memorial Stadium, Arkansans have felt like they had an “ownership” of the Razorbacks, a special “closeness” to the team. This special relationship will be lost if the games are reduced. When people lose this relationship with a team, they lose the excitement and the drive that once made them arrange their work and family schedules around Hog games — the same drive that made them get out their checkbooks and contribute to the Razorbacks.

Out of sight, out of mind

The Razorbacks have helped to keep the university familiar in the minds of these residents. This familiarity led many families to send their children to the university. As these families begin to feel disconnected from the university, they will look to other schools for their education. In the long term, this will have an impact on alumni donations and scholarship funding.

It has been reported that the UA Board of Trustees will consider first and foremost the economic impact that a change in the number of games will have on the university. To me, it’s as simple as the old law of supply and demand. If the UA decides not to supply its goods to the people who demand them, then somebody else will. The money is still there, either way. It just won’t be going into the university’s treasury. The board should give great consideration to this economic impact before it makes its decision.

Lunsford Bridges is president and chief executive officer of Metropolitan National Bank.