With the agreement for Arkansas to continue playing a few games in Little Rock, the time has come to move on.
That decision is made. Debating it now is pointless.
There were some arguments made that probably weren’t quite what they were made out to be:
• Since an ever-increasing number of students at the UA are from Texas, it’s questionable how many will go to a game in Little Rock.
• It’s also questionable how many big-time donors would pull their contributions if no football game is played in Little Rock. I don’t doubt the threat was made, but I do question whether they would follow through with it. Big business people are negotiators and many people start by making a ridiculous claim they know they won’t follow through with to establish their end of the parameter.
• Not playing in Little Rock will hurt Central Arkansas recruiting doesn’t really matter in today’s world. Maybe 20 years ago, yes, but not as things are today.
• Most fans south of the Bobby Hopper Tunnel wouldn’t abandon the Razorbacks if a game is never played in Little Rock again. They’ll still watch on television, buy officially licensed apparel and read the information. Today’s world of college athletics is more about selling luxury boxes at games, the television contract and apparel sales than filling out the seats. Nobody will admit that, of course.
The bottom line to ALL of this is none of it matters if the football team wins 9 or 10 games in a season every few years.
And that’s what nobody wants to say publicly. Everyone has to play the political game.
This latest agreement is written so everyone can say, “well, we gave it our best shot and it’s somebody else’s fault.”
The state and War Memorial Stadium folks can blame it on the athletic department in Fayetteville, who can blame the SEC or even the NCAA.
As in most agreements, look at the money.
The UA is guaranteed $2.1 million in 2019, $2.3 million in 2021 and $2.5 million in 2023 and there has to be a minimum of 47,000 tickets sold per game.
If these benchmarks aren’t met, the two parties agree to negotiate “in good faith” for 60 days to resolve the issues.
The same goes with the stadium having to make improvements that are not going to be cheap or easy to complete.
If there is good news, it’s that the stadium has about 18 months to hit these benchmarks. Far be it from me to put a number on what that’s going to cost.
Playing a single game in Little Rock every other year the weekend after Thanksgiving won’t bring the football department to it’s knees financially … if the revenue benchmarks are met.
As for potential losses in recruiting, well, that’s a story we won’t know the answer to until near the end of the agreement. Remember, the Hogs can’t host recruits at games in Little Rock and who knows if a waiver is even possible.
From a political standpoint, this was the best solution possible.
There will be folks on both sides of the issue that say it isn’t enough.
But there is now a path for the UA to not play any games that count in Little Rock.
Whether that path widens or shrinks is now clearly in the hands of the fans, particularly those in the parts of the state wanting the games to continue at War Memorial.
If the fans are willing to buy the tickets, the games will continue. That is very, very clear in the agreement.
And it said nothing about coming in off the golf course when the game starts.
