Arkansas Fan Lashings - Who is Listening?
Sports media, who needs it? Owners often make money off of it. Fans use it for venting and entertainment. Recruits listen and read it for…. Stop right there.
I am often amazed at the vast number of Arkansas fans that invest an exponential amount of time on message boards, calling into radio shows, and… you guessed it, writing blogs. This state houses multiple outlets that are dedicated the sports teams of the University of Arkansas. They talk about the teams, the coaches, and the recruits. Meanwhile, there is no shortage of the vocal “faithful” willing to supply them with material.
Do not get me wrong, please. In no fashion am I stating that there is anything wrong with these resources, those that run them, and those that use their anonymity to say or type just about anything the moderators will permit. Those that know me are aware that I have indulged upon the message board mania several times myself. In fact, I believe 2007 was spent on message boards and such burning up my first Ethernet cable.
But in a world where the aforementioned media is so easily obtained, many fanatics utilize these resources as a sounding forum for whatever displeasure pops into their heads. Freedom of speech? Absolutely. The ability to think for ourselves? It is our God given right. Declaring martial law on a coaching staff after one loss? Done time and time again. However, the question could be asked, are the latter of these three questions best resolved in public forums?
Recruits, whether some, believe it or not, do look, they do listen, and they do absorb. And the Razorbacks, again, whether some, believe it or not, do possess a rabid fan base. Not unlike many schools, our people are passionate, however, we may very well be the over-the-top eccentric horde of Hogs that many in the national media say that we are. We often do have too high of expectations. We praise the talent on ‘The Hill’ when these goals are accomplished. Unfortunately, we also call for the heads of our coaches and their staffs when our teams fall short of this anticipated glory.
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Immediately after the Texas A&M loss, our outlets were flooded with the words of wise, self-proclaimed athletic directors. Some call for reform while others call for someone to be fired. Reportedly one called for Scarlett Johansson to be at his bedside, however, that is a moot point. Furthermore, many may have even noticed one message board regular titled his thread “Jumbo Dumbo” and referenced Bielema. Not to bring fame to the haters, we will leave it at that. Granted it probably was a knee-jerk reaction. Who is not upset after such a strong first half showing chased with a second half that left even the soberest of fans craving bad vodka? However he or she meant it, recruits see this banter, and the interpretation is now up to them. And, unfortunately, in the world of web media, the loudest voice of the few speaks for the masses.
Despite all of the negativity, there are a very high number of fantastic, knowledgeable members in this realm of the sports world. A fan on the most popular Razorbacks forum, Hogville, who posts under the moniker of “Hogginbama”, summarized the amount of negativity perfectly:
“Yep, a lot of coaches and ADs on the board tonight. Haven’t seen most of them on here since last year. Easy pickings to call plays and point out failures after the fact.”
Recruits want to see success, however, they also want to see a united front in times of adversity. Would you apply yourself into a business that had only pessimistic remarks about its people, its leadership, and its structure? Maybe, if you were more desperate than for a job than Brendan Fraser is for another Pauly Shore movie. But what if there are other job opportunities out there just as good if not better? What would your motivation be then?
Or perhaps I am wrong. You be the judge.