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Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
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Post: #41
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
(07-12-2017 04:11 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 03:42 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  Here would be my simple argument if I was defending UALR that had added FBS football and let's say added back women's tennis:

is UALR really disparaging female interests and abilities in athletics any "more" than Arkansas St?? We shouldn't be looking at this like it's walking on water. Many other schools have made it work -- and by work, I mean haven't been named in a title IX lawsuit.

Then put it to a vote of the Students to pass a $10 per unit Student Intercollegiate Athletics Fee

If the women back it, fine. It not you shouldn't have football.
They are already paying $21 per hour for the athletics they have.
07-12-2017 11:07 PM
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Post: #42
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
(07-12-2017 09:35 PM)NoDak Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 08:42 PM)msm96wolf Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 08:21 PM)NoDak Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 08:14 PM)msm96wolf Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 08:03 PM)NoDak Wrote:  Is this a leverage move by UALR to get fb supporters in LR to put up or shut up. The MVC could be expanding to 12 soon, and suspect Mo St would love UALR on board. A bad study or lack of funding could cause UALR to seek other options. The MVC would actually be an upgrade if football is not in the UALR future.

Not sure what you mean? Not sure how UALR getting football helps Mo St since UALR has straight path to the FBS with the Sunbelt.

MO St would get a travel partner school in the MVC, but UALR would have to give up on FBS ambitions. It's a clear fork in the road, and UALR must choose which road to go down. FB supporters are officially on the clock.

If my suspicions are right, UALR has already been contacted by Mo St and is just going through motions that fb is not a viable pathway for them. Mbb would get renewed importance and interest in the end.

This may be a silly question, but doesn't UALR have a travel partner in the SBC Is it ASU or another school? It is not like UALR olympic sports aren't in the SBC. I could be foolishly using simple logic.

Belt BB has gone in the crapper. UALR can be the next best mbb atmosphere compared to the pigs or be a very mediocre FBS at great expanse. Which to chose?

UALR went to the second round in 2016, Sun Belt has been ahead of CUSA last two years in RPI and just missed catching the Valley this year.
07-12-2017 11:09 PM
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Post: #43
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
Comparing finances for AState's athletic department and UALR
http://www.scout.com/college/arkansas-st...k-football
07-12-2017 11:11 PM
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Post: #44
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
[Image: 5232579.png]

That would be about as regional and balanced for every team as you could get.
07-12-2017 11:25 PM
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Post: #45
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
With Wichita State gone, the MVC would be behind Sun Belt Conference. I could see Missouri State shopping themselves around for an FBS conference. I think they might be in talks with the Sun Belt Conference. This would make them 12. Could push La.-Monroe to the east if Little Rock do add football.
07-13-2017 12:24 AM
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Post: #46
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
(07-12-2017 10:45 PM)NoDak Wrote:  Again, not College Presidential thought but just name calling. Just discount his posts substantially, as there aren't worth reading.

I think MSB is a very good poster. I won't be discounting his opinions one bit.

There is also nothing wrong with you having the opinions that you do. The big problem other posters here have with you is that you pretend your opinions are facts, when they're nothing more than wild guesses. If you presented your opinions as guesses, and explained why they could make sense, then people may be less defensive about your posts.


(07-12-2017 11:07 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  They are already paying $21 per hour for the athletics they have.

For 12 credits, that's $252 for a semester. Bumping up to $31/credit, that's $372/semester.

Up to the students. They're already paying $8.6k per semester, for a resident ... is having a U of S Alabama-esque football program worth an extra $120 per semester to them? Students will vote with their dollars, it's a free market for universities and a very competitive market at that.


(07-12-2017 11:09 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  UALR went to the second round in 2016, Sun Belt has been ahead of CUSA last two years in RPI and just missed catching the Valley this year.

Interestingly, the other very competitive SB team was UTA. So, both non-FB schools.

Who have been the best football school MBB programs in the Belt, the last couple years?


(07-12-2017 11:25 PM)ChooChoo Wrote:  That would be about as regional and balanced for every team as you could get.

But that assumes UTA adding football, which as far as I've read on this board will never happen. That's not to say that UALR football will ever happen.

Of course, no idea what the board thought of USA football ever happening ...
(This post was last modified: 07-13-2017 10:08 AM by MplsBison.)
07-13-2017 10:07 AM
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Post: #47
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
(07-12-2017 10:40 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  http://lrtrojans.com/sports/2017/7/11/fo...study.aspx

There are three types of studies.

1. School wants to add and hires someone to prove they are right to do it.

2. School doesn't want to add and hires someone to prove it is a bad idea.

3. School is getting some gruff about needing to add it, and they want someone to price tag on it to see where the chips may fall.

Reality is UALR sponsors 14 sports and only awards the NCAA limit of scholarships in Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Baseball, and Women's Volleyball.

They would have to award all allowed aid in the other 10 sports plus two more sports in order to be FBS.

While I have to agree with you that the $$ and the interest may not be there for FBS right now, I do believe that they might seriously look into starting an FCS program with an eye towards FBS in the future. I have been a student at a commuter school (Troy University @ Dothan, which is so small, it doesn't even have an athletic department, nor does it really need one right now) and at a predominantly female college, although I am male (having lacked a lot of social skills earlier in life, I was hoping to tip the odds of me getting a girlfriend in my favor by going to a predominantly female school), and I can say without a doubt, it is extremely hard to get students to take interests in campus activities at a commuter college in general, let alone a commuter college in which males are greatly outnumbered. Life at a predominantly female school wasn't bad for me as a guy at all. I had a good time, made lots of friends, and definitely look back fondly at time I spent back there. However, other than a passing interest in soccer (which I played back in high school), had I not had made a lot of friends on the baseball team, I probably would have never went to any of my alma mater's baseball games, and didn't go to any basketball games either. Why? Nobody really acted like it was all that important except for the athletes on those teams. And if your fellow students are not going to care, why should you? Now, when I made friends with the athletes on the baseball team, then I started to care and have more interest in the games, because a friend was playing on them.
That being said, one thing that always intrigued me about my alma mater was Homecoming, which, even though we had no football team, we still had a big event to draw the alumni back to campus and bring all the students together. There would be two sides, purple & gold, my school's colors, who would compete in intramurals for a week, then would put on a musical production (think along the lines of "Oklahoma!" but more modern and up to date), making the props and the costumes themselves!! I went to Homecoming(AKA College Night) at the University of Montevallo, and I'm extremely glad I did, because it was huge, and everyone on the campus cared about it and not everyone there was big into theater, but it was a well known and liked campus tradition!!! FYI, there is an exhibit about the University of Montevallo's College Night at the Smithsonian Institution. Keep in mind, that the University of Montevallo is a residential university and definitely not your traditional commuter school, although we had a significant number of students who did choose to commute.

My point is this: if you can't get the average student to care about getting a football team, then the whole idea is a non-starter. But, if you have the support of the student body behind it, then it's much easier, and it's easier to get athletic teams started at a residential university because you have a built-in audience. At a commuter school, that doesn't really exist, and so you have to create the audience through a lot of PR, that would take up a lot of time and $$'s.
07-13-2017 10:49 AM
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Post: #48
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
(07-13-2017 10:49 AM)DawgNBama Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 10:40 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  http://lrtrojans.com/sports/2017/7/11/fo...study.aspx

There are three types of studies.

1. School wants to add and hires someone to prove they are right to do it.

2. School doesn't want to add and hires someone to prove it is a bad idea.

3. School is getting some gruff about needing to add it, and they want someone to price tag on it to see where the chips may fall.

Reality is UALR sponsors 14 sports and only awards the NCAA limit of scholarships in Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Baseball, and Women's Volleyball.

They would have to award all allowed aid in the other 10 sports plus two more sports in order to be FBS.

While I have to agree with you that the $$ and the interest may not be there for FBS right now, I do believe that they might seriously look into starting an FCS program with an eye towards FBS in the future. I have been a student at a commuter school (Troy University @ Dothan, which is so small, it doesn't even have an athletic department, nor does it really need one right now) and at a predominantly female college, although I am male (having lacked a lot of social skills earlier in life, I was hoping to tip the odds of me getting a girlfriend in my favor by going to a predominantly female school), and I can say without a doubt, it is extremely hard to get students to take interests in campus activities at a commuter college in general, let alone a commuter college in which males are greatly outnumbered. Life at a predominantly female school wasn't bad for me as a guy at all. I had a good time, made lots of friends, and definitely look back fondly at time I spent back there. However, other than a passing interest in soccer (which I played back in high school), had I not had made a lot of friends on the baseball team, I probably would have never went to any of my alma mater's baseball games, and didn't go to any basketball games either. Why? Nobody really acted like it was all that important except for the athletes on those teams. And if your fellow students are not going to care, why should you? Now, when I made friends with the athletes on the baseball team, then I started to care and have more interest in the games, because a friend was playing on them.
That being said, one thing that always intrigued me about my alma mater was Homecoming, which, even though we had no football team, we still had a big event to draw the alumni back to campus and bring all the students together. There would be two sides, purple & gold, my school's colors, who would compete in intramurals for a week, then would put on a musical production (think along the lines of "Oklahoma!" but more modern and up to date), making the props and the costumes themselves!! I went to Homecoming(AKA College Night) at the University of Montevallo, and I'm extremely glad I did, because it was huge, and everyone on the campus cared about it and not everyone there was big into theater, but it was a well known and liked campus tradition!!! FYI, there is an exhibit about the University of Montevallo's College Night at the Smithsonian Institution. Keep in mind, that the University of Montevallo is a residential university and definitely not your traditional commuter school, although we had a significant number of students who did choose to commute.

My point is this: if you can't get the average student to care about getting a football team, then the whole idea is a non-starter. But, if you have the support of the student body behind it, then it's much easier, and it's easier to get athletic teams started at a residential university because you have a built-in audience. At a commuter school, that doesn't really exist, and so you have to create the audience through a lot of PR, that would take up a lot of time and $$'s.

Thing is, if you are interested in football as a part of the college experience, you aren't at UALR. You are 32 miles down the road at UCA or 48 miles away at UAPB, 61 miles away at Henderson State, 77 miles away at Arkansas Tech, 95 miles away at UA-Monticello, 133 miles at Southern Arkansas, 138 miles away at AState or 188 miles to UArk, not to mention the privates.

Selling football when the student body had football options nearby, three that can even be closer depending on where you live in the Little Rock metro area, won't be easy.
(This post was last modified: 07-13-2017 11:24 AM by arkstfan.)
07-13-2017 11:21 AM
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Post: #49
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
(07-12-2017 10:20 PM)NoDak Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 09:56 PM)MissouriStateBears Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 09:36 PM)NoDak Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 08:34 PM)MissouriStateBears Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 08:21 PM)NoDak Wrote:  If my suspicions are right, UALR has already been contacted by Mo St and is just going through motions that fb is not a viable pathway for them. Mbb would get renewed importance and interest in the end.

Your suspicions are wrong. We don't want UALR in the MVC.
That would have validity if it came from your president, but it doesnt.

Our school doesn't want UALR in the MVC. They do nothing for us. MVC doesn't want them either. It's about as stupid as your Montana to the Summit League crap. Which you got owned in that thread so bad.
Am an investor who frequents many investor message boards that spout crap about small companies as they are short sellers who don't want it to go up. Frequently been told my ideas were worth crap by short sellers, but later make ten fold gains if I show patience over years. This is just another example. My ideas were never refuted by thoughts on a Presidential level, but just by posters on viciousness with lies about the premises. This board, as most are, is full of con artists that think they know everything when they don't know crap. But they sure yell and scream at you and degrade you all they can but in the end their wrong. Meanwhile, I just make bank deposits and the screaming is just confirmation that I'm on the right track. Sometimes posters do have very good legitimate points so I do back off, but not very often. My WAC FBS idea was made null and void by deregulation, which is occurring everywhere in the business world, and I adjust my expectations.

Mo St president spouted off to the media that he was going to get a close proximity rival in the next two adds. Possible picks are UMKC, ORU, or UALR. UMKC and ORU simply haven't performed recently. UALR could be the pick for the MVC in a southern expansion strategy.

Murray St is almost assured, but Mo St likely doesn't want Milwaukee and will be pressing hard for its closer choice. The MVC also needs a baseball power to replace the Shockers. The Trojans could be considered, and then Mo St wouldn't be the furthest outlier. Not saying it would happen, but at least UALR has a possible alibi to leave when the FBS study doesn't pass muster.

Another thing to take into consideration: rivalries. Once again, I look back on my student experience at the University of Montevallo, a predominant female college. When I went to intramural games at the University of Montevallo, or to the Montevallo Falcons baseball team's games, the logos of the Gulf South Conference and its member institutions were very visible around the arena and the baseball stadium. The athletes and even other students told me about some of the rivalries that my school had with other teams in the conference, and it made for some very interesting conversation. However, after I graduated from Montevallo, the university decided to leave the Gulf South Conference, made up of primarily Div 2 football schools, although there were some schools that didn't sponsor football in the conference, in addition to my alma mater for the Peach Belt Conference which was a conference primarily consisting of schools that did not sponsor football. While my university did very well in that conference, there was something lacking: rivalries. The university president noticed that, and inquired to the Gulf South Conference if the University of Montevallo could rejoin. The GSC said yes, and so, probably next year, my alma mater will be back in the GSC once again, not because of an institutional fit, but because of a rivalry fit.

Most, if not all UALR rivalries are in the Sun Belt Conference. Take that away from them, and they're starting all over again, which can be very, very hard for both the athletes and the students.
07-13-2017 11:22 AM
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Tom in Lazybrook Offline
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Post: #50
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
This is doable for UALR on some levels.

1) They probably can get the stadium for free
2) They probably can get some sponsorships from the LR community
3) If Louisiana and Alabama can sustain five FBS programs, Arkansas can probably sustain three
4) They have a place to play
5) They're located in a larger city, with no real local competition for the local sports dollar

This is going to be tough on other levels.

1) They have a small enrollment for FBS
2) They have a large number of commuter and non-traditional students
3) They don't have lots of money to burn
4) Arkansas could simply return to LR for a game a year to try to cut off their program

I'd be surprised if they actually pulled the trigger on this one. Unless they feel the only way to compete for students is to have a FBS team.
07-13-2017 11:23 AM
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Post: #51
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
(07-13-2017 11:21 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  Thing is, if you are interested in football as a part of the college experience, you aren't at UALR. You are 32 miles down the road at UCA or 48 miles away at UAPB, 61 miles away at Henderson State, 77 miles away at Arkansas Tech, 95 miles away at UA-Monticello, 133 miles at Southern Arkansas, 138 miles away at AState or 188 miles to UArk, not to mention the privates.

Selling football when the student body had football options nearby, three that can even be closer depending on where you live in the Little Rock metro area, won't be easy.

This isn't exactly accurate, because the LR game played by Arkansas is supposed to be like the "football team" for UALR students. That's how one alumni told me it was supposed to work, in the past. Sure, only one "home game" sucks ... but that's what they had.

Now there won't be any. So it is a change.


(07-13-2017 11:23 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  1) They have a small enrollment for FBS
2) They have a large number of commuter and non-traditional students

Looks like UALR 11-12k students, while USA is 16-17k students.

A fee-paying student is a fee-paying student, regardless where the student lives or how old they are. You could even spin it as: they pay the same fees, and they don't take up space at the stadium ... so more tickets to sell to the public.

(07-13-2017 11:23 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  4) Arkansas could simply return to LR for a game a year to try to cut off their program

But if they'd just commit to that in the first place, then the conversation wouldn't even need to be had. So that doesn't make sense, IMO.

(07-13-2017 11:23 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  Unless they feel the only way to compete for students is to have a FBS team.

My guess is that the school doesn't feel this way .... it's more being driven from the city and stadium folks, who feel they are losing Razorback game.
07-13-2017 12:05 PM
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Post: #52
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
(07-13-2017 11:23 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  This is doable for UALR on some levels.

1) They probably can get the stadium for free
2) They probably can get some sponsorships from the LR community
3) If Louisiana and Alabama can sustain five FBS programs, Arkansas can probably sustain three
4) They have a place to play
5) They're located in a larger city, with no real local competition for the local sports dollar

This is going to be tough on other levels.

1) They have a small enrollment for FBS
2) They have a large number of commuter and non-traditional students
3) They don't have lots of money to burn
4) Arkansas could simply return to LR for a game a year to try to cut off their program

I'd be surprised if they actually pulled the trigger on this one. Unless they feel the only way to compete for students is to have a FBS team.

Stadium won't be free. The state handed the stadium over to the Department of Parks and Tourism to increase the revenue.

They SHOULD be able to get decent funding from the community but it is a problematic market.

The local market is Hog-centric. There are multiple stores that sell only Hog merchandise. Two of four stations have dedicated Hog sport segments (one does ZERO local sports, NOTHING, on the night of the British Open nothing about the Open, the lead sports story was a former UArk golfer tied for 20th in an LPGA event. Did nothing before last summer Olympics on athletes from the state unless they went to UArk, but had features on UArk athletes participating but not from Arkansas).

Enrollment is an issue because UALR has a large overall enrollment (by Arkansas standards) but many more are part-time. If you look at Student Semester Credit Hours enrolled for, UALR is the fourth largest university in Arkansas and may be 5th by the time the 2016-17 numbers are available (Arkansas Tech is likely to pass them).

I don't think UArk will bring in games back to spite UALR because financially it isn't worth it.

Getting the alums and students mobilized is the challenge. Arkansas offers official state license plates with school logos and money goes to the schools for scholarships. Unsurprisingly UArk leads the way by a large margin.

AState is second, with more than #3 UAPB and #4 UCA combined (and UAPB is 3rd by a wide-margin). UALR is 11th in plates issued behind two private schools and every four year state school except UA-Fort Smith which has only been a four year school for about a decade.

Now football presumably would help but right now people willing to pay an extra $35 to display the UALR logo and send money to the school is a smaller group than any of the Division II schools in the state and one small private Division III.
07-13-2017 12:06 PM
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Post: #53
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
arkst,

If it's the city and stadium owners (parks) pushing this, how much $$$ are they willing to commit to help the program get going?

That has to be the question.
07-13-2017 12:26 PM
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RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
(07-13-2017 12:26 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  arkst,

If it's the city and stadium owners (parks) pushing this, how much $$$ are they willing to commit to help the program get going?

That has to be the question.

City will do somewhere between little and nothing in financial support. Been a terrible year for the city on the crime front, they have something like 30 unfilled officer positions and are trying to figure out if they can afford to boost pay. Fairly decent argument to be made that the city can't spend money directly to help out of general revenue under the Arkansas Constitution.

They might skim some money out of the Convention and Visitors Bureau but they just committed a big piece of money to bonds for Robinson Auditorium and expanding convention meeting space. I think there could be some funneled from the CVB's food and hotel tax but nothing big.

The state, can't imagine the General Assembly appropriating anything. Legislators from 74 of the 75 counties tend to campaign on the idea of not letting Little Rock run things. More importantly unlike most states, Arkansas higher ed funding has been flat instead of declining and there is some new money coming into play tied to academics, but they aren't likely to touch the idea of helping UALR add football because they know everyone else in the state will then stick their hand out and ask for money for athletics.

Now there is some serious money in the region. You've got Axiom and Dillards Department stores, and just down the road a bit Riceland Foods (but Riceland tends to be more AState), and you have Stephens Investments the largest off-Wall Street bond trader in the US.

So the potential private money absolutely exists.
07-13-2017 12:50 PM
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Post: #55
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
(07-13-2017 11:21 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  
(07-13-2017 10:49 AM)DawgNBama Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 10:40 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  http://lrtrojans.com/sports/2017/7/11/fo...study.aspx

There are three types of studies.

1. School wants to add and hires someone to prove they are right to do it.

2. School doesn't want to add and hires someone to prove it is a bad idea.

3. School is getting some gruff about needing to add it, and they want someone to price tag on it to see where the chips may fall.

Reality is UALR sponsors 14 sports and only awards the NCAA limit of scholarships in Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Baseball, and Women's Volleyball.

They would have to award all allowed aid in the other 10 sports plus two more sports in order to be FBS.

While I have to agree with you that the $$ and the interest may not be there for FBS right now, I do believe that they might seriously look into starting an FCS program with an eye towards FBS in the future. I have been a student at a commuter school (Troy University @ Dothan, which is so small, it doesn't even have an athletic department, nor does it really need one right now) and at a predominantly female college, although I am male (having lacked a lot of social skills earlier in life, I was hoping to tip the odds of me getting a girlfriend in my favor by going to a predominantly female school), and I can say without a doubt, it is extremely hard to get students to take interests in campus activities at a commuter college in general, let alone a commuter college in which males are greatly outnumbered. Life at a predominantly female school wasn't bad for me as a guy at all. I had a good time, made lots of friends, and definitely look back fondly at time I spent back there. However, other than a passing interest in soccer (which I played back in high school), had I not had made a lot of friends on the baseball team, I probably would have never went to any of my alma mater's baseball games, and didn't go to any basketball games either. Why? Nobody really acted like it was all that important except for the athletes on those teams. And if your fellow students are not going to care, why should you? Now, when I made friends with the athletes on the baseball team, then I started to care and have more interest in the games, because a friend was playing on them.
That being said, one thing that always intrigued me about my alma mater was Homecoming, which, even though we had no football team, we still had a big event to draw the alumni back to campus and bring all the students together. There would be two sides, purple & gold, my school's colors, who would compete in intramurals for a week, then would put on a musical production (think along the lines of "Oklahoma!" but more modern and up to date), making the props and the costumes themselves!! I went to Homecoming(AKA College Night) at the University of Montevallo, and I'm extremely glad I did, because it was huge, and everyone on the campus cared about it and not everyone there was big into theater, but it was a well known and liked campus tradition!!! FYI, there is an exhibit about the University of Montevallo's College Night at the Smithsonian Institution. Keep in mind, that the University of Montevallo is a residential university and definitely not your traditional commuter school, although we had a significant number of students who did choose to commute.

My point is this: if you can't get the average student to care about getting a football team, then the whole idea is a non-starter. But, if you have the support of the student body behind it, then it's much easier, and it's easier to get athletic teams started at a residential university because you have a built-in audience. At a commuter school, that doesn't really exist, and so you have to create the audience through a lot of PR, that would take up a lot of time and $$'s.

Thing is, if you are interested in football as a part of the college experience, you aren't at UALR. You are 32 miles down the road at UCA or 48 miles away at UAPB, 61 miles away at Henderson State, 77 miles away at Arkansas Tech, 95 miles away at UA-Monticello, 133 miles at Southern Arkansas, 138 miles away at AState or 188 miles to UArk, not to mention the privates.

Selling football when the student body had football options nearby, three that can even be closer depending on where you live in the Little Rock metro area, won't be easy.


Privates:
Harding -Searcy
Ouachita Baptist- Arkadelphia
Hendrix-Conway
Lyon-Batesville
Arkansas Baptist-Little Rock

You left the other public school off the list. University of Arkansas-Monticello

John Brown is also thinking of adding football.

UAFS, Crowley's Ridge, University of the Ozarks, Central Baptist, Philander Smith and Williams Baptist do not have football. Those are all four year schools.

Arkansas at Morrilton and University of the Ozarks still have their football stadiums. Morrilton do not sponsor sports anymore.
07-13-2017 01:07 PM
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MplsBison Offline
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Post: #56
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
arkst, thanks for the input.

Your argument about there being so many other higher-ed options in Ark for students to choose if they want football, could also be turned around and used by UALR to push football. "We have to stay competitive in the Arkansas market, and we can no longer offer football as part of our student experience with Arkansas no longer playing a home game in Little Rock."

But -- what this ultimately boils down to, anyway -- money doesn't grow on trees.
(This post was last modified: 07-13-2017 01:45 PM by MplsBison.)
07-13-2017 01:44 PM
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Georgia_Power_Company Offline
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Post: #57
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
(07-12-2017 09:35 PM)NoDak Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 08:42 PM)msm96wolf Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 08:21 PM)NoDak Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 08:14 PM)msm96wolf Wrote:  
(07-12-2017 08:03 PM)NoDak Wrote:  Is this a leverage move by UALR to get fb supporters in LR to put up or shut up. The MVC could be expanding to 12 soon, and suspect Mo St would love UALR on board. A bad study or lack of funding could cause UALR to seek other options. The MVC would actually be an upgrade if football is not in the UALR future.

Not sure what you mean? Not sure how UALR getting football helps Mo St since UALR has straight path to the FBS with the Sunbelt.

MO St would get a travel partner school in the MVC, but UALR would have to give up on FBS ambitions. It's a clear fork in the road, and UALR must choose which road to go down. FB supporters are officially on the clock.

If my suspicions are right, UALR has already been contacted by Mo St and is just going through motions that fb is not a viable pathway for them. Mbb would get renewed importance and interest in the end.

This may be a silly question, but doesn't UALR have a travel partner in the SBC Is it ASU or another school? It is not like UALR olympic sports aren't in the SBC. I could be foolishly using simple logic.

Belt BB has gone in the crapper. UALR can be the next best mbb atmosphere compared to the pigs or be a very mediocre FBS at great expanse. Which to chose?

Just an FYI if you remove Wichita St from the MVC the Sun Belt's RPI is higher. Okay good talk...
07-13-2017 02:36 PM
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arkstfan Away
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Post: #58
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
(07-13-2017 01:44 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  arkst, thanks for the input.

Your argument about there being so many other higher-ed options in Ark for students to choose if they want football, could also be turned around and used by UALR to push football. "We have to stay competitive in the Arkansas market, and we can no longer offer football as part of our student experience with Arkansas no longer playing a home game in Little Rock."

But -- what this ultimately boils down to, anyway -- money doesn't grow on trees.

Absolutely could argue that and argue that the lack of football is why there is so little interest in spending $35 to purchase a UALR logo license plate from the state.

Unless they plan to do this half-cocked they need an absolute minimum of $15 million in capital improvements and to do it right more like $25 million and it also means their baseball team stays at a city ballfield the school pays to maintain (city of Little Rock gives nothing away) that is the 10th, 11th, or 12th worst baseball facility in the Sun Belt depending on who you ask because the only place to build a football practice facility, offices and weight rooms is where they planned to build the baseball field.

I feel much more confident in the ability to get the capital funds raised than the operating funds.
07-13-2017 03:07 PM
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MplsBison Offline
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Post: #59
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
Guessing you're thinking next to the Events Center?

What about south of the track? Lot of swampy looking land down there ... though don't think University owns much south of track throwing area.
07-13-2017 03:26 PM
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DavidSt Offline
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Post: #60
RE: Arkansas Little Rock Football / Marching Band Study
(07-13-2017 03:07 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  
(07-13-2017 01:44 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  arkst, thanks for the input.

Your argument about there being so many other higher-ed options in Ark for students to choose if they want football, could also be turned around and used by UALR to push football. "We have to stay competitive in the Arkansas market, and we can no longer offer football as part of our student experience with Arkansas no longer playing a home game in Little Rock."

But -- what this ultimately boils down to, anyway -- money doesn't grow on trees.

Absolutely could argue that and argue that the lack of football is why there is so little interest in spending $35 to purchase a UALR logo license plate from the state.

Unless they plan to do this half-cocked they need an absolute minimum of $15 million in capital improvements and to do it right more like $25 million and it also means their baseball team stays at a city ballfield the school pays to maintain (city of Little Rock gives nothing away) that is the 10th, 11th, or 12th worst baseball facility in the Sun Belt depending on who you ask because the only place to build a football practice facility, offices and weight rooms is where they planned to build the baseball field.

I feel much more confident in the ability to get the capital funds raised than the operating funds.


Little Rock U. already raised money for improvements on their sports teams that they do have. If more Sugar Daddy's aka wealthy local business leaders, they could raised the funds. Montana State - Billings got a sugar daddy who donated money for the school to add football, but the school needs more. The sugar daddy donated after the school announced that they will not add the sport. But, the donation would be a start. As for the Parks? If they helped paid for the feasibility study? That could mean that the stadium will be used for free with sharing of profits. Profits from tickets, parking, food, you name it.
07-13-2017 03:39 PM
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