The UA Has Gone Overboard with In-Game Advertising. But The Kicker Awaits.

Hunter Yurachek, Bud Walton Arena, augmented reality
Photo Credit: Arkansas Athletics / TheNextWeb

“Hype” as been a theme throughout this Arkansas basketball season so far. There was, of course, plenty of it coming into the year with a shiny new coach and all the blue-chip players coming to Fayetteville alongside him.

Somehow, it’s persisted even though the team currently sit at 1-6 in SEC play after losing three of its first four conference home games. While program has consistently struggled to fill up the arena, the fans who do show up have been forced to keep enduring overselling, this time in the form of mind-numbing advertising gimmicks meant to generate more revenue for the athletic department. On top of it all, the Arkansas athletic department unveiled a plan this week to overhaul the seating arrangements for basketball season ticket holders. This new system will require fans to pony up a lot more cash if they want to (possibly) keep their current seats or the same number of tickets.

The move will help add a projected $4-6 million to the UA coffers to help cover the $25 million or so that the school will be on the hook for when revenue sharing is implemented. The musical chairs in Bud Walton Arena will certainly help make a dent in that number, but there’s still a long way to go. Further progress could of course be made by plastering sponsorships onto every last corner of the viewing experience inside (and outside) the arena. not mention eventually slapping a corporate name in place of “Bud Walton” itself. Buckle up, folks.

Fans are already subjected to an extended advertisement at nearly every timeout that’s usually accompanied by a stupid game of some sort, like two uncoordinated students playing giant tic-tac-toe on the court.

Newsflash: nobody wants to watch stuff like that when the Hogs are down by double-digits to an unranked opponent. And they certainly don’t want to watch a middle-aged man stand up and attempt to play an air guitar.

You aren’t crazy — it didn’t used to be this way. In the past, the PA announcer would just read out a quick message during a timeout about how Johnsonville Sausage was the official meat sponsor of the Razorbacks, or something like that. It’s now this whole horse-and-pony show.

The reshuffling of the hierarchy indicates the athletic department continuing down the same path of commercialization that has angered so many fans in recent years. The price hikes are sure to cause a number of Razorback supporters to opt to stay home and instead watch the games on streaming services like ESPN or YouTube TV.

Next Step on Arkansas’ Slippery Corporate Slope

There’s no putting Pandora back into the box at this point. So, the next best thing is for the UA to take a page from these TV services and introduce its own form of a “tier system.” Netflix, Hulu, Paramount Plus and most other streamers now offer users the choice between a budget-friendly price point with advertisements or the more expensive ad-free version.

This allows these corporations to have their cake and eat it, too. They make a boatload of money off the advertisements, and they get a bunch of cash from people who want to dodge the ads and go premium.

The ultimate power move by the UA to add even more money to its coffers would be selling a new add-on to Razorback season tickets: augmented reality glasses to be worn in Bud Walton Arena that or would erase those obnoxious ads from the viewers’ experience of reality. Add in some reclining chairs in the rich-folk section and we’ll be pretty close to WALL-E’s dystopian prediction for our future.

Just think about it. By slipping these glasses on you get to avoid having to see any part of the Whataburger Fry Shuffle altogether. No Coca-Cola t-shirt toss. No Delta Dental “Smile Cam” when the Hogs are losing by double digits. For a small donation of – checks notes – almost 70% of the statewide median household income, this blissful experience can be yours!

Marketing Team Failing to “Read the Room”

Some of the damage to the atmosphere is self-inflicted by the UA with its numerous marketing stunts.

Rather than just having the PA do the ad-reads, Bud Walton Arena’s patrons have to endure a pair of designated “hosts” that function almost as MCs, going on the court with microphones during every break in play and encouraging fans to “stand up and get loud” for a t-shirt toss. They also lead an “H-O-G-S” spell out that’s a carbon copy of Ohio State’s “O-H-I-O” stadium chant. It’s the complete opposite of authentic, and nobody really engages with it.

The same goes for when these hosts try to lead the classic “Arkansas…Razorbacks” chant or start a Hog call…it all comes across as really lame. These basketball games aren’t award shows. They don’t need an MC. The entertainment that everyone came for is the basketball team, not the Whataburger Tic-Tac-Toe.

Maybe these augmented reality goggles could instead treat high-paying patrons to a montage of retro Razorback highlights from the Nolan Richardson and Eddie Sutton eras to distract them from this so-far catastrophic season.

The music choices from the arena’s designated DJ are often wide of the mark, as well. When Arkansas takes the lead and the crowd is roaring heading into a timeout, that energy often dissipates as a slow-tempo country song plays during the break. It’s equally corny when songs like “Why Can’t We Be Friends” ring out after an on-court scuffle. The music is also so loud you can’t hear yourself think most of the time.

It should come as little surprise that the loudest the crowd got during a timeout against Oklahoma was one of the few breaks in action where the fans weren’t bombarded with an advertising gimmick. The band blasted out a tune, and then the DJ played the stadium classic “Jump Around” that got the student section engaged again.

Less is more. Arkansas fans have proven that they will make noise without being goaded into doing so. When the team shows them some signs of life and competes, Bud Walton Arena gets noisy on its own volition. Look no further than the Georgia game. The Hogs gritted out an ugly win, showcasing more effort than they had all season to earn their first SEC victory. The fans responded accordingly, giving that energy back to them.

It’s also the little things with the atmosphere. The scoreboard graphics and hype videos often don’t deliver the energy that they should. There’s head-scratching examples of mistakes, such as when a graphic panel telling fans to “make noise” was left up while DJ Wagner was shooting a pair of crucial free throws against Georgia. Here’s a pic of the UA getting caught flagrante delicto:

It’s not difficult. In fact, the recipe for resurrecting Bud Walton Arena is pretty simple. Play some music that people actually respond to. Cut down on the corny advertisements that make commercialism the center of attention instead of the team. And most importantly, give the fans some space to make noise on their own accord. Everything else will take care of itself.

“New Blood” in Bud Walton Will Only Worsen Problems

Athletic director Hunter Yurachek acknowledged that many fans won’t be happy with the changes, but he believes that there will also be people who support the chance to bring some new folks into the picture.

A frequent complaint has been season ticket holders not showing up this season, and not making enough noise when they do. Reshuffling the cards and getting some different fans into the building may help in that regard. Charging folks more for season tickets would also make them more likely to actually show up, so as not to waste the huge wad of money they just plunked down.

Unfortunately, the new tier system for Arkansas’ home games is most likely only going to make things worse. The problem is that more and more Arkansans have been priced out of going to games in recent years – especially when the athletic department sells out every game before the season even starts.

That means more folks in Ralph Lauren dress shirts sitting down for most of the game and golf-clapping after the Hogs get a bucket – and less of the working-class, rabid Razorback fans that make the fanbase one of the best in the nation.

It’s understandable that the department needs to generate more revenue, but doubling down on the commercialization that is already alienating the fanbase feels like another step in the wrong direction.

The Hogs have road games against No. 12 Kentucky and Texas on tap. By the time they return to Bud Walton Arena against No. 4 Alabama next weekend, Arkansas may very well be sitting at 1-8 in SEC play. Keep losing at this rate and there won’t be many more fans at Bud Walton to watch whatever reality plays out, augmented or not.

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YouTube video

The Chuck and Bo Show from Thursday with Hunter Yurachek:

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More coverage of Arkansas basketball from BoAS:

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