THIS IS PART ONE SO CHILL IF WHAT YOU WANT ISN’T MENTIONED YET.
Razorback sporting events used to be such a cool thing to go to. Especially football and basketball games. No matter how good or bad the teams were, there was a sense of coolness & uniqueness to it. Made you feel like you were experiencing something you couldn’t get anywhere else in college sports.
Until recently.
Man, the atmosperes just have gone downhill over the past decade. I just don’t feel like I’m watching or experiencing a “Razorback Game” anymore. It feels like I’m experiencing a cookie cutter exhibition game in the NBA. It’s awkward, uncomfortable, confusing, loud, and unorganized.
So I have decided to take to the written word to express some small FIXABLE things that could happen in order to make Razorback game day atmospheres great again.
LET ME BE CLEAR BEFORE YOU START YELLING. I know that winning is the most important thing. But these are just a few things that come to mind to help when winning isn’t always there.
I am sure you will think of more than what I have. I am also sure that you will disagree with some of these things because you hate it. All of that is totally fine. Some of these things may not even be possible. But that’s why I am throwing them out there and seeing what sticks.
Let’s have fun with it shall we?
Give Hog Fans What They Want
One of my biggest complaints since I was a student at the U of A has been bringing in marketing & game day experience people who know nothing about Arkansas.
Good people I am sure. Hard working as well. But if you bring in people that have no clue what Razorback fans want to do/not do at games, then what do you do? Ask the fans what they want?
Nope.
You look at studies & research on what works at NBA games or minor league baseball games or soccer games. So what happens when you do that?
You get the lame and awkward segments that you are seeing now.
I get it. You have sponsored segments that need to be done. I’m all for that and understand it. My BUSINESS is based on sponsorships and advertising.
But that doesn’t mean every sponsorship has to be a particular segment that involves a game, or a fry toss, or a smile cam, or just yelling about something no one can understand.
Nothing, I mean NOTHING, takes fans out of a game quicker than going on a big run with momentum that forces the opposing team to take a timeout & the 1st thing that happens after a Hog Call is Homer & Jethro fighting over placement of a tic-tac-toe game.
Then once it ends, what happens? No one knows. “Ummmm, hey! DJ play Chicken Fried real quick before we come back to action. Everyone loves that!”
It’s dull. It’s lame. It’s cliche. It sucks.
Arkansas is one of the most unique programs in college sports. From the mascot, to the fight song, to the Hog Call, it’s OURS. No one elses. We don’t care what people think or what “translates” well on TV. We are Arkansas. Let us be Arkansas.
You don’t have to be from Arkansas to do this job, but you do have to UNDERSTAND Arkansas before you try certain things.
More Hog Calls. More War Pigs. More NFL Today. More William Tell Overture. More awareness of when & when not to do certain things. Play the hits & the fans will get it.
Start “Wooing” Then “Pig Sooie” As The Game Begins
Arkansas fans will begin the Hog Call right before every kickoff with “wooing” until the ball is kicked. As soon as the kicker lets it fly, Hog fans then go “Pig Sooie!”
So why not do the same thing in the other sports every time?
When the ball is about to be tipped in basketball. Woo. Ball is tipped. Pig Sooie.
When the 1st pitch is about to be thrown. Woo. Pitch is thrown. Pig Sooie.
When the 1st serve is about to happen. Woo. Serve is made. Pig Sooie.
This is literally the easiest thing that can be done. Takes zero effort from anyone other than just simply organizing it & being consistent with it. In fact, the more Hog Calls the better. Always.
Make Arkansas Tailgating Culture A Thing
I am fully aware of the limitations the U of A has on tailgating setup due to how landlocked they are on a hill. It’s not easy and I fully respect that.
But it feels like most tailgates that Hog fans want to have are in the Revel XP tailgate tents that cost an insane amount of money but are purchased by corporations that never use them consistently.
There is no party atmosphere. There is no comraderie. There is no feeling of “oh man Arkansas knows how to tailgate like an SEC school!”
Just tents here and there unless you purchased a parking pass from a 3rd party and did it on your own. EVEN THEN it’s made difficult as far as organization goes.
I would love to see the Old Main Lawn a place used simiarly to what The Grove does at Ole Miss.
Tents across the entire place. Vehicles pulling up on Arkansas Avenue and having staff help them with carrying their tailgating equipment. Have red & white tents all same size & brand. Have everyone be fun with their customization of their tent and setup. And most importantly…
MAKE IT AFFORDABLE FOR THE COMMON FANS!
It’s far away enough from the stadium that it shouldn’t cost the same as the closer tailgate setups. Make it $100 a game (just throwing out a number) where you provide only the tent & the staff. Let them setup early, stay out there during the game if they want, and keep the party going because they are going to be right next to Dickson.
The more it grows, the more packed it gets, raise the price from there. But start low so it can build into something cool that everyone wants to check out.
Bacon Bits
Just some random things that don’t need entire paragraphs to explain:
- Play the Razorback Radio broadcast in the bathrooms while people are doing their business
- Tell all the fans sitting in the upper deck to come down to the lower deck (when sparce) at the under 8 timeout in the 1st half. Let people be closer to the action.
There will be many more additions to this story, don’t worry. Throw your ideas into the comment section & share with your friends. It would be a nice gesture.
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