Football at UALR? Show me the money

BURN THE HORSE

lit.livinworld.com

We almost hate to even go here. But this writer suggests UALR start a football program. It's been discussed before. The official BTH view remains that UALR shouldn't. But it doesn't mean UALR won't at some point in the future.

Read it here.
http://lit.livinworld.com/?p=615

One major issue is the money. It will take boatloads of money to start football. Keep in mind that Arkansas State is hiring Gus Malzahn today for between $750,000 and $850,000 (depending on reports) per year. These salaries aren't going down anytime soon. UALR already pays its basketball coaches on the lower end of the pay scale in the Sun Belt.

UALR also doesn't have football facilities. We're not talking about a place to play games. That's the least of the problems. It's practice facilities. Now days, you need at least an outdoor practice field and an indoor practice field. UALR would have to build an entirely new football complex with locker rooms, weight rooms, meeting rooms and offices.
It would take a major donation to make it happen. We're talking like a Stephens Center type donation.
And until somebody steps up with that type of money, it's not likely.

Attendance is another issue. UALR is struggling to get 2,000 to home basketball games and gets very little support from central Arkansas media. Would football change that? It's never going to find a place in the "Hog Zone" or "Razorback Nation" or "Hog Central".
As for the writer's idea that UALR should beat UA-Fayetteville. Heck of an idea. See if you can get Jeff Long to sign off on it.