FAYETTEVILLE -- Hog Heaven, the University of Arkansas' official apparel store inside Bud Walton Arena, was jam-packed Saturday afternoon. Cardinal red-clad fans bumped into one another as they sifted through hats and slipped on jackets or just generally wasted time before Arkansas' basketball game with Northwestern State.

Robert Mann, the manager at Hog Heaven, stood near the front of the store, monitoring the activity, obviously feeling better than he did a couple months ago. Back then, during the heart of football season, gas prices skyrocketed.

His sales plummeted -- about 30 percent compared to 2007.

"People were pumping $4 gas all through the season, so they didn't have the extra money to spend after driving to the game," Mann said. "It all got to be way too expensive, and it just wasn't here. My vendors told me (apparel sales) were down pretty much everywhere, unless their team was in the top five in the polls."

Mann said two 11:30 a.m. kickoffs and fans' reluctance to use credit cards also affected sales throughout football season. Gas prices have since dropped, but the country is still in a recession, reeling from a volatile stock market and a severe credit crisis.

In the face of these uneasy economic times, some athletic programs around the country face budget cuts, see spiraling attendance and encounter waning corporate and booster support.

Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said the school's athletic department certainly felt the sting of rising gas prices, not only at Hog Heaven.

"We started to see it a little bit in concession sales, too," Long said. "People were still coming to games, but they weren't buying as much food and they weren't spending as much on apparel."

Long's right. Fans are still buying tickets, though they keep more money in their pockets when they arrive at games. In-person support for the Razorbacks hasn't wavered compared with recent years.

Arkansas' football crowds in Little Rock have filled War Memorial Stadium's capacity the past two seasons. Announced attendance for contests held in Fayetteville increased by an average of 1,716 fans per game this season.

Two near-sellout crowds are expected for upcoming basketball games against Oklahoma, at 7:05 tonight, and Texas. Those two figures would mean that average actual attendance for nonconference games stayed about the same -- about 13,000 -- compared to 2007.

Long added that he expected "the most loyal following in college baseball" to buy tickets as usual for the 2009 season.

"We feel like our teams are creating a lot of excitement for themselves," Long said. "Winning and putting an entertaining team out there can help you overcome other issues."

As for corporate support, Long said the Razorbacks' new multimedia rights-holder, ISP, is dealing with "a number of schools who are really hurting with their sponsorship sales."

Arkansas isn't one of them, Long said.

"The ISP folks say we're a little out of the ordinary right now," Long said. "We have strong, steady sponsorship support that's continuing."

Maintaining that level of commitment hasn't exactly been easy, said Ryan Gribble, assistant vice president and general manager for ISP's Arkansas affiliate, Razorbacks Sports Properties. Gribble said RSP "hears about" difficult economic conditions from sponsors but hasn't "felt it" money-wise.

He knows the situation is fragile. He also remembers to remind sponsors -- and potential sponsors -- that the economy will recover, that now "is a good time to grab market share."

"We're actually expanding our base right now," Gribble said. "We're able to offer sponsors a bit of everything now, radio, TV and the Internet, that is of real value."

Matt Shanklin, UA's associate athletic director for marketing and licensing, used to deal directly with sponsors and now helps out Gribble and RSP, if needed, usually on a daily basis.

He said businesses continue to support Arkansas athletics because of the value of a "partnership with the Razorbacks." He also said maintaining relationships was important to him and Gribble.

Those relationships should help with support of another kind, as well, with the Razorback Foundation.

New president Harold Horton said he couldn't say with any authority whether donations would increase or decrease because of the dismal national economy. He said that pledge forms for the 2009 football season would go out Jan. 15 and that he would know more in March or April.

"There are going to be people that will be affected," Horton said. "We're prepared for that. We understand that. But we also are trying our best to go out there and find people who haven't given to the annual fund before to compensate for those we've lost."

So much on so many fronts seems unknown, which has Long particularly interested in the actual performances of Arkansas' teams.

"You have some concern about the future, depending on how long this recession lasts," Long said. "You have to remember, though. So much of this is affected by winning. The schools that are winning don't have to worry as much about this."