UA student researches perceived value of high school football

Ryan White wants to know how strongly people in Fort Smith and Alma believe high school football “gives the community the opportunity to temporarily escape life’s problems.”

He also wants to know how strongly folks in the two cities believe high school football helps the local economy.

Seriously.

White is a graduate student at the University of Arkansas who is trying to develop a “Community Sport Benefit Scale” that attempts to measure how members of a community view the importance of high school football to the community.

The Texas native, who wants to work as a strength and conditioning at the college level, is no stranger to high school athletics.

“I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, where football reigned supreme,” White said.

He recently asked members of the Alma Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Smith Rotary Club to complete a survey of 21 questions and five demographic identifiers. The two cities provide White with a small city and large city component within the same region. On the 21 questions, the participant is asked to rank a statement based on a scale of 1 to 8, with 1 “not at all descriptive of me,” and 8 being “very descriptive of me.” Selecting 4 or 5 reflects a “neutral/indifferent” response.

The questions include:
• High school football gives the community the opportunity to temporarily escape life’s problems;
• High school football provides the opportunity for local businesses to make money;
• High school football can increase a community’s self-esteem;
• High school football games provide a welcoming social atmosphere; and,
• High school football games attract large numbers of people into the community.

The idea for the survey was birthed in 2007 when Fayetteville High School won the state football championship in its class. White was then an assistant volunteer football coach at FHS. White said the victory failed to improve local enthusiasm for the sport.

“Fayetteville won a state championship in 2007, and yet we have a very weak following of our football program as compared to Bentonville or to Rogers Heritage,” White explained.

White said one theory is the University of Arkansas “detracts in Fayetteville,” with local support directed more to the Razorbacks than the Fayetteville Purple Dogs.

The Dogs, having defeated the Southside (Fort Smith) Rebels on Friday (Nov. 27), will travel again to Little Rock to play for a state championship. Ironically, Fayetteville will face Bentonville in the championship game.

White said his research found that previous studies on the issue focus on fan motivation, and why they identify with a particular team.

“There are a lot of sociological studies between the relationships of football or sport and the fans in a community, but there is nothing on this,” White said.

White said the report, including survey results should be complete by Dec. 1. The thesis will be published by the university library, he said.