LITTLE ROCK — When UCA head coach Clint Conque suggested out loud, in front of God and everybody, that Arkansas' four Division I universities should compete on a regularly scheduled basis, nobody at the Little Rock Touchdown Club fainted dead away.
Even perennial Razorback acolyte David Bazzel seemed to take it pretty well. Just the previous week, another club speaker, legendary coach Jimmy "Red" Parker, said exactly the same thing.
That the proposal, which in earlier times might have been considered an offense against civility, was advanced under the approving gaze of University of Central Arkansas president Lu Hardin, made this a noteworthy occurrence. Hardin wants to bring the Bears down to War Memorial, and his motives are mostly monetary. What could be wrong with that?
One of my favorite ploys, whenever University of Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles did something that seemed slightly out of line, was to mischievously propose that a proper "solution" might be to pass a law making the Hogs play Arkansas State University. Back in prehistoric days, that was merely a cheap rhetorical stunt. In simpler times, nobody would seriously advise what would have been perceived as an outright humiliation.
The Razorbacks, then and now, represent an important expression of state pride. Although most of us do not measure success or failure according to the Hogs' win-loss record, it is the premiere sports franchise in these parts and touches every aspect of public life. Broyles may have some small shortcomings, but his leadership of the athletic department is nothing but visionary. He has an impressive record of fund-raising for the university and constructing great facilities.
When the Razorbacks joined theSoutheastern Conference, that was a strategic business decision rooted in television revenue and higher attendance. Expanding Reynolds Razorback Stadium and moving most of the home games to the Fayetteville campus also were financially motivated. College sports is big business.
Almost everybody knows the legend about Broyles and Orville Henry building the UA athletic department from nothing. Henry was a cash cow for the Arkansas Gazette, which was suffering on account of its editorial policies on school integration. Henry's in-depth Razorback coverage moved the program into a new level of prominence.
The abridged version of this story isthat, over the decades, Broyles nurtured a fledgling organization into regional credibility, and he didn't get there by helping out his neighbors. Hence, there is a long tradition of not allowing intrastate rivalries.That policy worked well for 50 years.
Broyles is on his way out, and the athletic director chairs at several state schools have been switching around. Change is in the air, so Conque's idea, while not novel by any means, comes at just the right moment.
With Troy, Chattanooga and Florida International on the current favored list of Razorback creampuffs, Hardin and Conque have every darned right in the world to ask how Broyles even dares think about letting $350,000 dance acrossthe state line. That is Chattanooga's paycheck for one afternoon's work, and it is logical to ask whether that money would be better spent at home. Remember, college sports is a business.
There was a time when school pride might have been part of the conversation, but that is hardly even a factor, and it is none other than Broyles who created the climate of ambition by his audacious steps to enhance the Razorback name brand. In this context, whether particular games will be won or lost no longer matters. The economic realities require a new direction.
Not only is cross-state sports competition a good plan from the business perspective, it is symbolic of a mature culture that accepts and demands honest competition. What Conque and Hardin are talking about is nothing more than the old-fashioned virtue of self-reliance. The University of Arkansas does not lose a thing, while the other three Division I schools, and all the people besides, gaina lot.
What happens to the Hogs is important, but it is not all-important. Arkansas, the entire state-that's everybody-needs to develop a little self-confidence. We might strive to become morethan a location where manufacturers take millions in corporate welfare incentives, even if they don't keep their end of the deal. We need to be more than a place for utilities to build the coal-fired power plants that nobody else would tolerate.
The games can be powerful symbols of growth and change. It's time.
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Free-lance columnist Pat Lynch has been a radio broadcaster in Central Arkansas for more than 20 years.
Editorial, Pages 13 on 10/29/2007