From the Bench

Is Whatever Maximizes Profit Always Best for Razorback Athletics?

Robert Shields

The opinions exploded from Razorback fans after my last column that leveled the charge that the University of Arkansas is planning to move the LSU game out of Little Rock once Jeff Long has collected his RSVP money on the April 1 deadline.

I called this move tantamount to firing the first shot in the Great Stadium Debate II and questioned why Long would even want to wade into those waters that weakened Frank Broyles stature in the state unless it is just step one to reduce the number of games in Little Rock down to one and appease his new RSVP donors in another part of the state.

I heard lots of attacks from those for moving the LSU game (and for playing all games on campus, for that matter), and I will call them attacks instead of arguments as the usual explanation was nothing but vitriolic with little reasoning behind -- proof this is still a very touchy subject in the state.

This is a hot-button issue and it sparks a lot of emotion from Eudora to Walnut Ridge, so why does Long want to take on this issue at a time when the program is prospering?

I will quickly concede that the best argument for those who want every game in Fayetteville is money. It’s a strong argument that the athletic program loses money in short-term thinking by playing in Little Rock. But decisions based purely on money are often the wrong decision on something this emotional.

It’s called greed, and it’s not a virtue, but a vice. I learned on the History Channel that basically all vices can be summed up by that one. Still, the money is a strong argument to move games, but it can be ameliorated by increasing the size of War Memorial, increasing ticket prices, or considering what playing games in Little Rock brings into the program in the long term.

Then this argument goes away, and for those that want all of the games in Fayetteville, it is simply a matter of greed.

The argument that the games need to be on campus would have weight if the previous argument didn’t matter. Since greed rules and apparently some want to run the Program like a whore house, games being played on campus don’t matter, either. It’s whatever maximizes profit.

Don’t forget because of the first argument over money, everything is for sale.

The argument that the Little Rock crowd (and those from the southeastern two-thirds of the state) only wants games in War Memorial Stadium out of convenience is partly true, but I don’t believe it to be the driving factor. Convenience is always a factor, and if it wasn’t I would be in a rock cave sharpening a spear. I have to stop to ask the question was the Michigan basketball game sold out because of people showing up from all parts of the state or only because northwest Arkansas showed up?

So convenience does matter and always has, but I believe those who want the games to stay in Little Rock believe it’s the best for the Program.

Why?

No doubt if games are pulled, there would be an enormous backlash, but the Program would live. The danger of moving games is a long-term gamble that will fail, and Long and Bobby Petrino probably won’t be here to see. As stated last week, the vast majority of Arkansans, and by extrapolation Razorback fans, have never stepped foot on campus. Little Rock provides a venue to showcase the Hogs to the whole state.

If the University of Arkansas abandons its presence in Central Arkansas, it is folly to think that media outside northwest Arkansas will always follow the Razorbacks. The biggest mistake anyone can make is assuming things will always be the same. Stations are driven by ratings, and the moment they think they can get better ratings by covering a high school game, Oaklawn race, or even Arkansas State football as the Gus Malzahn era begins with a bang with one of the best running backs in the country, University of Arkansas sports will be pushed down the list.

If the Razorbacks leave Little Rock, the one team that never wants to play the Hogs will be Arkansas State. Its best course of action would be an insipid one by making gains incrementally and generationally. By playing games with the Razorbacks, ASU would be forcing people to take sides.

As heard on the exciting world of talk radio time and again this year, some people are obviously OK supporting both. This is not good for the UA, and ASU appearing above the fold in the Central Arkansas edition of the statewide paper’s sports section frequently this year is really not good if you’re working in the Broyles Center because it’s only going to get worse with Malzahn.

If the Razorbacks vacate Central Arkansas, does the ASU coverage occur more or less? I’ll let you think about it after I remind you that the Central Arkansas television stations sent crews to cover ASU’s bowl game in Mobile as if they were the Razorbacks or something. And that was without Malzahn.

I just don’t believe the UA over time builds its base by playing in one corner of the state. It seems regressive to withdraw instead of progressive getting out in the state. I truly hope this is only paranoia on my part and Long has always intended to leave the LSU game in Little Rock, but the slow announcement of its location leaves me wondering.

The University of Arkansas has always had broad support in the state Legislature. It’s folly to assume that will always be the case when the Razorbacks leave Little Rock. Things reach their natural angle of repose gradually and over time, not instantly. Don’t think that it can’t slowly happen. There will be unintended and unforeseen consequences of abandoning Little Rock.

The Razorbacks won’t lose a single fan keeping games in Little Rock. I’ll let you think about how many fans it will eventually lose – including those from the generations to come -- if games are removed.

The value of playing in Little Rock for the UA is in the millions. It’s hard to estimate the value of when hotels and a plethora of other businesses put on their marquee or LED display welcoming the Razorbacks to town. It’s like a gift-wrapped and effortless public relations bonanza.

If you’re in the Powers That Be in the northwest quintile, you never want that sign to read “Welcome Red Wolves.”

This November when the Razorbacks play LSU, the signs in Little Rock better read “Welcome Hogs.”


Robert Shields is the bestselling author of “Scarlet Fever: A Razorback House Divided” and “The Economics of Sex” and has written the weekly “From the Bench” sports column for the last 15 years. His newest novel, “Daphne and the Mysterious Girls Secret Bathroom Society,” is part one in a series and is available on Kindle, Nook, Lulu, and now the iBookstore for $4.99. He is not the mime.

You can follow me on Twitter @rsfromthebench

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