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re: The stands look empty.
Posted on 9/2/18 at 9:27 pm to ArHog
Posted on 9/2/18 at 9:27 pm to ArHog
Along with regionalizing our program and leading our football program to profound lows, the expansion is one of the lasting legacies of Jeff Long's disastrous tenure. Not exactly a good idea to expand the capacity of a stadium you can't fill in in an already problematic era for college football attendance, in which the future outlook does not look good as attending a game in person becomes both cost- and time-prohibitive.
Same here.
I flew back in town on Friday after being out of town for a week on a business trip, and was completely unaware that the next day was week 1, who we were playing, and what time kickoff was. I was offered tickets by a few different people, one of which was in SOC. I politely declined, choosing instead to watch in increments at home while flipping back and forth between other games.
Maybe it's because I'm in my 30s, have two kids and am fairly busy, but the Bert era absolutely made me hit the wall as a fan where I had the "I've got better things to do than care about this shite" epiphany. As an alumni and lifelong fan since I was a kid, I'll always care about this program, but the Bielema/Long era basically made me come to terms with both the floor and limitations of Arkansas football.
Bert turned me into a detached, cynical, detracted fan. Maybe it's for the better, because it sure seems healthier. I would've been breaking stuff during the first quarter in years past.
I also read approximately zero practice reports and haven't listened to local radio since the CWS, so I haven't heard any of the run of the mill, manufactured preseason bullshite from the media. You tend to take the good with the bad much better when you haven't been witness to the local Razorback Pravda farting rainbows at you about specific players, coaches or schemes.
quote:
Bert broke me.
quote:
Biggest for me is I feel like the fanbase is just worn out because of JLS and then BERT. For me personally, I am not really excited about this football season. Probably the first in a while where I am sort of like "meh" lets just see how this all unfolds. I guess the easiest way to put it is that I am Razorback football drained at this point.
Same here.
I flew back in town on Friday after being out of town for a week on a business trip, and was completely unaware that the next day was week 1, who we were playing, and what time kickoff was. I was offered tickets by a few different people, one of which was in SOC. I politely declined, choosing instead to watch in increments at home while flipping back and forth between other games.
Maybe it's because I'm in my 30s, have two kids and am fairly busy, but the Bert era absolutely made me hit the wall as a fan where I had the "I've got better things to do than care about this shite" epiphany. As an alumni and lifelong fan since I was a kid, I'll always care about this program, but the Bielema/Long era basically made me come to terms with both the floor and limitations of Arkansas football.
Bert turned me into a detached, cynical, detracted fan. Maybe it's for the better, because it sure seems healthier. I would've been breaking stuff during the first quarter in years past.
I also read approximately zero practice reports and haven't listened to local radio since the CWS, so I haven't heard any of the run of the mill, manufactured preseason bullshite from the media. You tend to take the good with the bad much better when you haven't been witness to the local Razorback Pravda farting rainbows at you about specific players, coaches or schemes.
This post was edited on 9/2/18 at 9:36 pm
3
Posted on 9/2/18 at 10:18 pm to Feral
Winning cures everything. Chad has a lot riding in his shoulders as to the future of this program. A few mediocre seasons and we will be lucky to pull 40k for an SEC game.
An 9 win season would cure a lot of things in regards to attendance.
An 9 win season would cure a lot of things in regards to attendance.
Posted on 9/3/18 at 1:17 am to Feral
quote:
Not exactly a good idea to expand the capacity of a stadium you can't fill in in an already problematic era for college football attendance, in which the future outlook does not look good as attending a game in person becomes both cost- and time-prohibitive.
Long actually 100% understood this which is why we did the expansion how we did it and not the way it was originally proposed. We only added around 4K seats but they’ll sell because they’re premium seats. He knew expanding up to 80k+ was a recipe for disaster as you are noting. Now we have a bowled in stadium and can start converting to chairbacks if attendance across the board ever starts to decline.
Posted on 9/3/18 at 1:40 am to TheCheshireHog
I was surprised when I switched some of my seating to lower level that those seats closest to the field were already chair back seats. I chose those. Literally row 1 or A as they are called.
I prefer a few more rows up, but dang. Chairbacks are a plus for me over bleachers.
I prefer a few more rows up, but dang. Chairbacks are a plus for me over bleachers.
Posted on 9/3/18 at 7:39 am to pioneerbasketball
Guess Bert still has money in the bank
Posted on 9/3/18 at 9:03 am to TheCheshireHog
quote:
Long actually 100% understood this which is why we did the expansion how we did it and not the way it was originally proposed. We only added around 4K seats but they’ll sell because they’re premium seats. He knew expanding up to 80k+ was a recipe for disaster as you are noting. Now we have a bowled in stadium and can start converting to chairbacks if attendance across the board ever starts to decline.
I've made this point ad nauseum. Don't simply expand capacity, but amend or reduce it where it makes practical sense. Chairbacks need to be the next renovation. Hell, at one point I was in favor of removing the corner portions of the 500 sections some they're almost always empty.
I'm also not a fan of the design leaving the east corner of the NEZ open. It just makes the stadium have an unfinished look, like the Death Star from Return of the Jedi.
Posted on 9/3/18 at 9:28 am to Feral
quote:
You tend to take the good with the bad much better when you haven't been witness to the local Razorback Pravda farting rainbows at you about specific players, coaches or schemes.
So far there hasn't been very much of that. Oh sure, don't get me wrong, there will always be a bit of sunshine pumping, but it doesn't seem as prevalent as previous years.
I believe most folks, even the Arkansas media, have very modest hopes for this season. Its not that we are bad per se, I think the team is playing better then they were last year, its that even with a relatively light schedule this year the SEC as a whole looks to have bounced back from the doldrums. Its going to be a bear fighting our way to bowl eligibility unless some squads start falling by the wayside.
Posted on 9/3/18 at 1:05 pm to Feral
Speaking of Long, his Kansas Jayhawks got beaten by perrineal powerhouse Nicholls State this weekend.
I guess Kansas isn't a beat FCS teams at all costs program.
I guess Kansas isn't a beat FCS teams at all costs program.
Posted on 9/3/18 at 2:21 pm to Feral
quote:Their current coach is 3-34.
I guess Kansas isn't a beat FCS teams at all costs program.
2 of those wins are against FCS ball clubs.
Their one win vs. a FBS program?
The Texas Longhorns (when they were coached by Charlie Strong)
Posted on 9/3/18 at 2:44 pm to hilltophog
quote:
2 of those wins are against FCS ball clubs.
He is currently... I shite you not... 2-2 against FCS teams. He has a .500 mark against lower division teams.
Jeff Long's first action upon being named AD should have been to shite can this guy. Bielema put us in a hole, don't get me wrong, but he wasn't 3-34 for Christ's sake.
If it had been Julie "Icepick" Cromer Peoples hired for that job do any of us doubt she'd have fired the coach during her initial press conference accepting the job? Long didn't want to rock the boat and he's doomed the school to what may very well be an 0-12 season.
Posted on 9/3/18 at 2:49 pm to Arksulli
quote:maybe they'll beat Texas again
the school to what may very well be an 0-12 season
Posted on 9/3/18 at 3:56 pm to Feral
I dont think Long went to Kansas because of their football program.
Hes gone, lets all move on.
Hes gone, lets all move on.
Posted on 9/6/18 at 5:49 am to momentoftruth87
Jeff Long was born for Kansas football
Posted on 9/7/18 at 12:40 pm to Stonehog
quote:
63,342 official attendance. Not what you want when you just expanded the stadium.
But only 44,000+ actual
Sad
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