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re: Arkansas fans, Little Rock?
Posted on 10/12/11 at 2:11 pm to SLC
Posted on 10/12/11 at 2:11 pm to SLC
quote:
BTW, I am proud of the University (flagship) and support it well. My position does not compromise that support.
I know YOU do. You've been around forever and I know that much. But it's not the blue collar (okay, we're really all white collar but not compared to Stephens) fans that are the problem. It's the ones whose support hinges on the LR games that I have a problem with. They have ulterior motives. That should be a HUGE red flag for anyone with a pulse, particularly those that are in charge.
You give them power over the program by allowing that kind of activity to continue. For now, it's games in LR. Well what if the Fayetteville big money people decide THEY want something (Tyson, Hunt, Waltons, etc). There's a precedent set that if you threaten to withhold your donation, the University will let you get your way.
Maybe it's nothing all that important. But it's a slippery slope when you start letting people whose own self interests are their primary motivator dictate crucial aspects of your program. It's not all that dissimilar to the impact lobbyists have on Washington.
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Posted on 10/12/11 at 2:16 pm to ocelot4ark
Once again, you all got trolled into this debate.
Posted on 10/12/11 at 2:23 pm to wmr
quote:
Once again, you all got trolled into this debate.
I like talking about it. I'd talk about it all day, everyday. Please, sir. May I have another GSD?
Posted on 10/12/11 at 2:26 pm to ocelot4ark
I liked the guys idea earlier to have ASUvsUCA @ 11am then have Ark vs Nonconf @ 6pm
That would be a pretty sweet day
That would be a pretty sweet day
Posted on 10/12/11 at 2:30 pm to Hubbhogg
quote:
I liked the guys idea earlier to have ASUvsUCA @ 11am then have Ark vs Nonconf @ 6pm
That would be a pretty sweet day
It would be kinda fun to make fun of the Red Wolves all day.
Posted on 10/12/11 at 2:36 pm to Broke
quote:
We must be talking about an assload of money.
Warren Stephens runs the largest private brokerage firm not located on Wall Street. Joe T. Ford started Alltel (with his father-in-law) and sold it to his son, who then sold it to Verizon. As part of my job, I was privvy to the amount of stock he liquidated at his retirement, which was but a fraction of what he still owns. It boggled the mind - the commas and zeroes in that figure.
If you're a golfer, you have seen Joe T. Ford. He is the guy that opens the Masters broadcast every year welcoming viewers and telling us about limited commercial interruptions. We are talking guys with unusual clout, cash and swagga.
Warren Stephens' father, Jackson used to be the chair of Augusta, National. The legend goes that there was a guest there one day playing cards in the lounge after a round. The members were playing for small change - $5 per hand or so. This guy is mouthing off about them being pussies and how they should play for some REAL cash. Jack Stephens had finally heard enough of it, so he says to the guy, "what's your net worth?" The guy puffs out his chest and says "over $100 million." Stephens slaps down a deck of cards and says, "Cut you for it."
So...we're talking about the kinds of wealth that can sustain or break a program. Now...from what I can see of Jeff Long, since he has gotten to the Hill, he has tried to diversify our revenue so that we are no longer held hostage and so dependent on those few GOB donors. I suspect the economics of the situation will dictate in the not-too-distant future that we have all games in Fayetteville. I have no idea if this figure is true, but I was once told that if no tickets were sold to a Razorback game in Fayetteville, and only one game's worth of revenue generated from the luxury suites were counted, the game in Fayetteville would make more money than a sellout in Little Rock. No idea if true, but I've heard it before.
This post was edited on 10/12/11 at 2:46 pm
Posted on 10/12/11 at 2:42 pm to Porky
quote:
Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville didn't have lights for the field until the 1990's,
FIFY I was there at the Baylor game in 1991 when we brought in portable lights because of a late kickoff that would likely go beyond sundown. That game was cold as hell
Posted on 10/12/11 at 2:49 pm to BenHOGan
Very interesting.
I just wish we knew how much they were donating. I don't think it's nearly enough to warrant so much influence.
I know that if they were the types of donors who would immediately step up and cover the costs of things like the football operations center, then it'd be another story. That was a total price tag of what? 20-30 million? Well, by god, between all of these LR bigwigs, why doesn't one of them step up and say, "I'll pay for this. Just name it Stephens operations center" or something like that.
Long is being very smart about everything, given the deck of cards he was handed. He's GOT to identify core earnings and not be held hostage by a few people. He seems to have identified that and that's why I think it's only a matter of time that we tell these LR "boosters" that their interests no longer supersede those of the program.
I just wish we knew how much they were donating. I don't think it's nearly enough to warrant so much influence.
I know that if they were the types of donors who would immediately step up and cover the costs of things like the football operations center, then it'd be another story. That was a total price tag of what? 20-30 million? Well, by god, between all of these LR bigwigs, why doesn't one of them step up and say, "I'll pay for this. Just name it Stephens operations center" or something like that.
Long is being very smart about everything, given the deck of cards he was handed. He's GOT to identify core earnings and not be held hostage by a few people. He seems to have identified that and that's why I think it's only a matter of time that we tell these LR "boosters" that their interests no longer supersede those of the program.
Posted on 10/12/11 at 3:17 pm to ocelot4ark
quote:
I just wish we knew how much they were donating. I don't think it's nearly enough to warrant so much influence.
I don't think it's that much at this time. But I can't be sure. Obviously, they have not given at the level of the Willard and Pat Walker Foundation or the DWR Foundation in recent years. Still...they hold considerable clout, and I seem to remember Stephens, Inc. supports the program in ways of sponsorships and other things. Another LR family to remember in all this is the Dillard family. They have been big sponsors of the coaches' shows and given our coaches their wardrobes. And they have wanted to keep games in LR.
I also have to wonder if there is also some kind of agreement with the state legislature to keep games in LR. Historically the state legislature has kept its hands out of the athletic program's business. They have never pushed the issue of making us play the red-headed stepchild in Jonesboro. I'm sure if we pulled games from LR, they might get a bit more meddlesome out of spite.
Posted on 10/12/11 at 3:26 pm to BenHOGan
quote:
I also have to wonder if there is also some kind of agreement with the state legislature to keep games in LR. Historically the state legislature has kept its hands out of the athletic program's business. They have never pushed the issue of making us play the red-headed stepchild in Jonesboro. I'm sure if we pulled games from LR, they might get a bit more meddlesome out of spite.
And if I was a U of A representative I would immediately draw comparisons to the Texas legislature and how they meddle with athletics in regards to UT, Baylor, A&M, etc. "Do you really want to behave like Texans?"
Posted on 10/12/11 at 3:42 pm to ronnielee54
quote:
ronnielee54
You are a fricking douchebag.
Posted on 10/12/11 at 4:48 pm to BenHOGan
quote:
FIFY I was there at the Baylor game in 1991 when we brought in portable lights because of a late kickoff that would likely go beyond sundown. That game was cold as hell
I was thinking the university had installed lights during the stadium expansion of the Lou Holtz era, but I really wasn't sure. I had always attended daytime games in Fayetteville anyway. Interesting.
Posted on 10/12/11 at 4:49 pm to Clemens
quote:
You are a fricking douchebag.
But at least I don't live in LR, so all is not bad.
Posted on 10/12/11 at 4:51 pm to lsutiger2
Don't know if everybody knows but State and Ole Miss used to play LSU and Alabama in Jackson.
When I was a kid I worked as an usher at Ole Miss Miss State & Jackson State games there.
I think they quit doing it because of the recruiting disadvantage. Aren't on campus games the only ones where recruits can make official visits?
When I was a kid I worked as an usher at Ole Miss Miss State & Jackson State games there.
I think they quit doing it because of the recruiting disadvantage. Aren't on campus games the only ones where recruits can make official visits?
Posted on 10/12/11 at 4:57 pm to ronnielee54
quote:
ronnielee54
You live in Van Buren, Arkansas. I'm guessing you have maybe one bar and four streets.
You are just a dumb racist redneck not unlike the majority of Northwest Arkansas.
Posted on 10/12/11 at 4:58 pm to geauxjudge
quote:
Back in the day in Jackson, MS. Ole Miss and MSU used to play a double header. OM v OOC and MSU v OOC
In the 70's there was an Ole Miss vs LSU and Alabama vs Miss State double-header every other year in Jackson..
Posted on 10/12/11 at 5:02 pm to Clemens
Nothing like the GSD to get Arkansas fans to turn on one another.
frick all of you cock suckers
frick all of you cock suckers
Posted on 10/12/11 at 5:08 pm to ronnielee54
I've lived in Little Rock and Fayetteville. I enjoyed living both places. Since I have always enjoyed outdoor activities such as hiking, float trips, camping, biking, and etc., both places have a lot to offer. Just outside Little Rock, I would go for long hikes in the Winona National Forest. I've floated the Little Maumelle River and other rivers just a short drive away. There were many biking trails. I always liked driving over to Hot Springs to the various lakes and the horse races. I could go on and on...
That doesn't mean that there's no crime. That's the case with almost any significantly large metropolitan area.
IMO, Little Rock wasn't a bad place to live...not by a long shot. I lived in a nice area, so I can't complain. I really don't mind if all of the games are in Fayetteville. Everyone has their own opinion, but I can't really say Little Rock is/was a terrible place to live. In fact, I liked it better than I did living in NWA.
That doesn't mean that there's no crime. That's the case with almost any significantly large metropolitan area.
IMO, Little Rock wasn't a bad place to live...not by a long shot. I lived in a nice area, so I can't complain. I really don't mind if all of the games are in Fayetteville. Everyone has their own opinion, but I can't really say Little Rock is/was a terrible place to live. In fact, I liked it better than I did living in NWA.
This post was edited on 10/12/11 at 5:29 pm
Posted on 10/12/11 at 5:10 pm to ocelot4ark
This
Posted on 10/12/11 at 5:16 pm to Clemens
quote:
You are just a dumb racist redneck not unlike the majority of Northwest Arkansas.
You're getting your blanket, inflammatory statements backwards.
NWA = Wine and cheese crowd
Rest of Arkansas = racist, natty lite drinkin' rednecks
I think that's how this normally goes.
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