By Todd Traub
Leader sports editor
Well, I half-expected this.
A Sugar Bowl party in the Lonoke County town of Austin ended badly Tuesday night, with one man in the emergency room and four arrested for either battery or some form of public intoxication.
Deputies said Laramie Ray Kenning, 25, was found in a ditch with a serious head injury and was hospitalized in critical condition. Apparently violence broke out during a party to watch the No. 8 Arkansas Razorbacks’ first Bowl Coalition Series bowl game against the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes.
I like to have a good time in this space because I believe sports are entertainment and at their best, they bring people together. But that clearly didn’t happen in this case.
Anything could have triggered the violence, but if one man hit another in the head because of what was happening in a football game then we seriously need to re-think our priorities.
A friend from Texas made a Facebook post in which he joked that high-flying Arkansas fans would drop like the dead blackbirds in Beebe if the Hogs lost, which they did, 31-26.
I wasn’t really joking when I replied that domestic-violence cases would spike.
A study, released in 2009, by economists David Card at Berkeley and Gordon Dahl at UC-San Diego, showed an increase in domestic-violence rates following upset losses by pro football teams.
The same study showed a spike in domestic violence during holidays, so clearly it’s as much about alcohol and passionate feelings as it is about sports.
Still, I hope the misadventure in Austin was the exception in Arkansas.
Fans can’t be blamed for being frustrated once in awhile. Who doesn’t scream at the TV when his heroes are locked up in a big game? I myself am a reformed remote thrower and a TV-talker-backer of long standing.
And Razorbacks fans certainly had plenty to scream about.
There was a first half in which the Arkansas defenders were apparently still finishing their Hurricanes at Pat O’Brien’s.
There was coach Bobby Petrino’s decision to settle for the field goal that made it 28-10 at halftime. If the Hogs had gone for it and gotten the touchdown, their second-half rally might have been enough.
There were all those dropped balls by a group of receivers the local opinion writers touted as “the best in the nation” all season.
There was the elusiveness of ethically challenged quarterback Terrelle Pryor — the new player Hogs fans love to hate — who simply outran blitzes to pick up key first downs.
And there was that horrible yo-yoing of emotions at the end, when the blocked punt — which could have been returned for a score — gave Arkansas a shot at victory at the Ohio State 18 and Ryan Mallett’s backbreaking interception seconds later.
Mallett, of course, is the player with NFL talent who threw it away twice with a chance to beat then No. 1 Alabama earlier this year. One interception was in the end zone and another came inexplicably when Mallett tried to throw the ball out of bounds and didn’t put enough mustard on it.
Fans said Mallett’s critical turnover Tuesday proves he isn’t ready for the NFL, but after watching Chicago’s Jay Cutler do the same thing at Green Bay on Sunday, I’d say Mallett is ready for his pro debut.
It was all made doubly frustrating because, I believe, the Razorbacks proved they are truly from the superior league, the SEC. How many of the Big Ten’s Buckeyes went down with injuries or cramps or were just sucking wind in the second half while the Razorbacks seemed to get stronger and faster?
But instead, Ohio State ends its nine-game, bowl losing streak against the SEC and the Hogs became the first SEC team this year to drop a bowl to a Big Ten opponent. Arkansas fell to 0-4 against the Big Ten in bowl games.
Regardless, none of the Hogs’ miscues Tuesday should have caused a human being to use his fists on another.
Obviously copious amounts of alcohol were involved in the violence in Austin, which helps explain why these days many pro teams cut off alcohol sales before games end.
Still, booze is no excuse for fighting over a football game.
I have a simple solution — if it stops being fun, turn it off.
There are a lot of constructive things to do instead. I personally recommend reading, before we all forget how, or spending time with the kids or getting some exercise.
My good friend Phil Elson, as passionate about his teams as anyone, signs off his Arkansas Travelers broadcasts by saying, “Folks, remember, it’s only a game.”
And it is.
Now then, what are we doing for the Super Bowl?
