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Could 'Calipari Effect' Already be Resurrecting Postponed Arena Changes?

After heightened national exposure in NCAA run, Razorbacks might already see positive changes in raising the all-important money
Andy Hodges|
Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari on the floor at the Chase Center in San Francisco during practice for a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari on the floor at the Chase Center in San Francisco during practice for a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. | Michael Morrison-Hogs on SI Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's a good bet Arkansas is still benefitting from the basketball team's run all the way to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Even with a frustrating loss it was a positive.

That's the effect having John Calipari as a coach. Thanks to John Tyson, the decision to hire the Hall of Fame coach from Kentucky a year ago is probably starting to pay off with donations.

You wonder if that run and all the national publicity even has the Razorback Foundation working behind closed doors to speed up the whole re-seating plan. That was considered postponed indefinitely but there might be such a boost things could be changing.

It also wouldn't be that surprising if it's having an impact on the entire athletic department. There was even a documentary that ran on cable TV at the end of the season and during the tournaments.

You don't see that for a team buried in the middle of the pack with nobody talking championships until March. It became real then.

That's the type publicity that spurs interest even among the crowd that can afford the Diamond-level donors. It's impossible not to wonder if they aren't already telling some of the biggest donors their money isn't going to buy as many tickets as they did before.

Interest may be getting that high for Razorback basketball again. It was that high when they built Bud Walton Arena, which is why it's essentially a 20,000-seat palace when schools are building new ones much smaller.

Folks want to be there and hearing about the Hogs more in this time of maximum exposure for college basketball creates fans nobody likely considered. Winning big helps. Getting the national media mentioning Calipari so often could be taking that to a level that didn't seem possible a year ago.

It's a new world in college athletics. The arms race is in full swing with a whole host of new issues and the weapon of choice is cash. The numbers being thrown around boggle the mind at times and it's going to make Razorback basketball tickets valuable.

A lot of that will carry over to football, too, and trickle down to other sports that don't get the type of exposure basketball does. In the SEC, football is always going to be there to a certain extent.

Arkansas winning in basketball could be the boost needed. All you had to do is pay attention to the increased attention Kentucky started paying to football while Calipari was there. It was fairly obvious with the increased seating and even the size of the crowds.

It wouldn't be surprising to see a minimum five-figure donation required just for the right to buy a limited number of tickets in the lower bowl at Bud Walton Arena. Nobody knows what will happen with the student section, but you might want to remember money trumps everything.

Don't worry about Calipari continuing to win games. The track record is there that shows he'll keep going and now the Hogs are in the mix for nearly every high-profile recruit and transfer player. That takes money and lots of it.

But there may be the kind of interest some could even whisper about moving the students to the upper deck. Don't expect that to happen.

You can expect some positive changes, though. Nobody has given us an update on how things are going with the fund-raising efforts which were flatter than a tabletop for awhile. The boost in publicity will get reluctant fans donating, just to be a small part of the show.

Every spot in Bud Walton Arena will likely be changed and even traditional donors likely won't get the right to purchase the same number of tickets in certain areas they were getting before. In other words, they very likely could have to pay more for fewer tickets.

There will be changes as a result of what I call the "Calipari Effect." And don't be shocked to see it have a positive effect for football, then even trickle down to other sports.

Considering the Hogs lost in the Sweet 16 in a crushing manner, the immediate reaction to that has drifted away. Fans are starting to see it could just be the starting point for what's coming.

It's up to the coach to keep the wins coming.

HOGS FEED:

• UAB star may be pricey, but should be worth it for Hogs

• Biggest question on Razorbacks' defensive line obvious

• Graphic blunder for Ament, Hogs' duo impress in All-American game

• McGuire shines in first start for Hogs; Beats Grambling in North Little Rock

• Calipari cashes in big on Razorbacks' tournament success

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Andy Hodges
ANDY HODGES

Sports columnist, writer, former radio host and television host who has been expressing an opinion on sports in the media for over four decades. He has been at numerous media stops in Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi.

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