Fans Say Program Doesn't Want to Associate with Them, Express Pain

Arkansas Athletics might want to listen as this has gone beyond normal internet trolls to disenfranchised Hogs supporters

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari during the first half against the Ole Miss Rebels at Bud Walton Arena. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The second the Hogs cut the Ole Miss lead to two possessions with under a minute to play and then hung back on defense rather than getting up in the Rebels' grill trying to force a steal or trap, the honeymoon was over.

Arkansas fans can stick through a lot. They're a tough bunch when it comes to being fans.

However, lack of effort isn't something a fandom made of nose to the grindstone, push through whatever has to be endured for sake of family, blue collar people tolerate well. Every fifth grader in the state naturally presses and does all he can to get a steal or give up a foul trying in that situation, so the shock of intentionally giving several feet of cushion by highly paid college athletes was a lot.

Sure enough, it all erupted on social media. A lot of times, it's just hot air and empty talk, but this time it was real.

There was genuine hurt. These weren't trolls and grumps who just like to be cynical. 

Twitter.com

Facebook.com

These were the heart of the fan base who needed a moment to let it all out and be heard. The gripes covered players, coaches, marketing and everything in between.

Twitter.com

The overall message was simple. While the fans care deeply, scrolling throughout the night and early morning revealed they don't feel cared about at all.

Fans Turning on John Calipari

Calipari is supposed to be a veteran Hall of Fame coach, but he has put together a long string of rookie mistakes so far this season. Most of them are small, but, as every good coach knows, the little things add up. In this case, they've added up to a much shorter honeymoon period than expected.

The claim that he didn't realize the SEC is as good as basketball as it turns out to be didn't go over well. Everyone who has watched a second of the season knows the league is at a level on the hard court unmatched in dominance across all sports.

Had SEC football somehow produced such overwhelming dominance top to bottom and it been so heavily documented and broken down numerically and Sam Pittman said something similar, fans would have torched the team's facilities. Of course, that follows up Calipari saying after a resounding loss to No. 1 Tennessee that perhaps he should have gotten the guys up and had them do a shoot around rather than just rolling out of bed thinking they could take down the nation's best team on the road.

Just picture Notre Dame coming to town next year as the No. 1 team and after a huge blowout loss, Pittman strolling up to the podium to say afterward that perhaps he should have woke the guys up and ran through the usual pregame drills and activities. Not a veteran move.

But having players act like they don't care and give up late in a game is going to spotlight those things and much more. By not wearing pink instead of red at games and conveniently missing out on the Hog call at his introduction, fans have now determined Calipari isn't truly invested in being a Razorback.

Facebook.com

The other issue is the lack of connection with fans. The outreach to South Arkansas was a good starting point, but things kind of fell off the table after that.

It's hard to follow one of the greatest connectors with fans of all time in former coach Eric Musselman by having assistant coaches do pregame press conferences on the regular and having one of them address the need for fans to show up. The irony in such an act is thick.

Meanwhile, Musselman may have driven other fan bases nuts, but Arkansas fans stood by him through all kinds of stuff because they believed he was one of them through and through. In many ways he was.

He was always putting the brand out there both on his chest and in his mouth wherever he was. Think of all the times he popped up on national television talking up the Hogs in a Razorbacks polo.

Facebook.com

Facebook.com

Before games, he recorded messages and videos specific for the fans to communicate with them and keep up interest. After the game, the first thing he always did was go over to the fans to acknowledge them while television crews waiting patiently for a word.

Facebook.com

There was hardly a long line in Fayetteville where he didn't pop up with some sort of food. At random sporting events, it wasn't uncommon to suddenly look up and see him and his players grabbing concessions and a seat right alongside the rest of Arkansas fans to enjoy the game not in a box, but among the general public.

His intensity and frustration on the sidelines directly paralleled what fans felt at home. Had he been on the sidelines when Boogie Fland got called for a foul because an Ole Miss player fell on him while he was laid out on the floor, Musselman would have lost his mind.

This isn't to say fans want Calipari ripping off his shirt and having to be pulled back from fighting fans or referees, but it's clear they want more passion for the program that's in line with what they feel each time the team hits the floor. Instead of simply saying fans need to show up and be loud, they want him to fight for them to get access to the games they have no option to attend so Bud Walton can be magical again.

NBA Model Marketing Approach

Many moons ago, a young version of myself made the transition from covering the Arkansas Razorbacks to Dallas area pro sports. While it was fun to cover the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers, the excitement really built when a chance came to cover an NBA game.

What a letdown that turned out to be. After covering Nolan Richardson's Razorback basketball team, stepping into an NBA arena felt like punishment for something I didn't know I had done wrong.

Canned. Fake. Miserable.
Those are the three best words to describe the experience.

So many seats and suites sat empty because they belonged to corporate types from around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Meanwhile, instead of the energy of the wild Hog pep band, coordinated unique chants and a truly crazy atmosphere no matter what team entered the building, NBA fans were assaulted with an endless Jock Jams playlist and a recording of a guy saying "D-Fense" with minor support from an organ to lure the crowd into uttering some form of noise.

That's the sort of sad state of affairs Hogs fans complain is being forced upon their beloved program. They say they are priced out of good seating and reasonable parking in favor of catering to corporations and out of state rich elites who don't show up.

Twitter.com

In addition, they say the experience has been made as generic and infuriating as possible throughout the game. Instead of something that screams Arkansas Razorbacks basketball such as the pep band playing the "William Tell Overture," fans have their ears filled with overly loud music that can be heard anywhere in the United States while simultaneously not matching the mood of the moment.

The environment at Arkansas basketball is disgusting. This is not a NBA game.

-We don’t need people yelling at us to do a hog chant
-We don’t need to have an ad read every media timeout
-We don’t need the HORRENDOUS music choices being played
-We should not be selling all…

— Josh Teeter (@joshteeter01) January 9, 2025

Twitter.com

Twitter.com

Multiple fans said they have voiced their frustrations to the athletics department, but feel unheard and unappreciated. The result is a fan base that is becoming more and more disenfranchised with Razorbacks Athletics as a whole.

They are struggling to cope with a program they clearly believe increasingly sends the message it doesn't want to be associated with them. How long that is sustainable without significant changes remains to be seen.

Twitter.com

It's just important someone listen. This one feels different and there's a lot to lose if Arkansas is going to have a solid future in athletics.

HOGS FEED:

• What does impending roster ranking say about Hogs' odds at playoffs next year?

• Offense optional for Calipari's Razorbacks in SEC

• Calipari in uncharted waters after Hogs' 0-2 start in SEC

• Dia's big game sinks Razorbacks' first half hopes

• Razorbacks searching for SEC footing in loss to Ole Miss

• Subscribe and follow us on YouTube
• Follow HogsSI on X and Facebook