A Plea to Husky Nation, Fill the Rent Tomorrow
It’s hard to believe that there are still tickets available for the kickoff of a new era of UCONN football, tomorrow night, against BYU at Rentschler Field. Per school officials, who confirmed yesterday evening, there have only been 31,000 tickets sold for the game that kicks off at 7PM, which highlights the start of college football, this Labor Day weekend.
Per the source, that number is ‘total tickets sold for BYU.’ For the die-hard fans that have been asking, this would indeed indicate that that number does include student tickets, as well as the allotment that was given to BYU, who returned 2,000 tickets to UCONN.
There is only one reaction to this and it is urgent, an ask of ALL fans of UCONN ahtletics and anyone that supports a sport that this wonderful school plays, including men’s and women’s basketball.
With the landscape of college athletics changing, there is no more important and pressing issue than the success of the UCONN football program, both real and perceived, this season. A non-sellout, on national television, against one of the top programs in the nation, who have been to nine consecutive bowl games and tout a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, will be a black eye for this school in the minds of administrators of conferences and their member schools, who will be looking to expand, once again, in the not-so-distant future.
A sellout and rocking Rentschler Field tomorrow night, is a must. It will not only indicate to the nation that you, the fans, care about this program and this school, but it will give the players the 12th man that they need tomorrow night. An atmosphere that we all saw for Michigan last season, will go a long way in the perception of where this school stands in the grand scheme of college athletics on ESPN, the showcased game on Friday night, on opening weekend of college football.
If you are a fan of any UCONN sport, do not hold a ticket for tomorrow’s game and are not satisfied with the current conference that UCONN is in and no longer want to be a part of the problem, here is what you can do.
1. PURCHASE A TICKET
UCONN has released discounted tickets on uconnhuskies.com with the promo code: filltherent
Tickets with that code are only $20. Bring additional friends, family members and spend a nice night out tomorrow evening, rooting for the school that you all love. Bringing someone new will help expose more people to the program and build the base of Husky Nation. A positive and energetic stadium will undoubtedly make these first timers want to come back again and again.
For those that have left and not come back over the years, come see what the new coaching staff has in store. They are an energetic, fun and motivating group that has captured the hearts and minds of every single player and member of the staff. An entire buy-in has occurred and they are ready to build on the nation’s 10th longest active winning streak among the top six conference schools and independents, tomorrow night.
2. SPREAD THE WORD
You can do this in any number of ways. Copy and paste this link into an email or text message and send to all of your friends, family members and co-workers that either live in and around Connecticut, or have at any time supported UCONN athletics, including during last year’s National Championship run for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs.
Two-hundred thousand people showed up for a parade a few months ago in Hartford to celebrate dual national championships in basketball, only 20% of you need to come to the game for it to be sold out.
Copy and paste this onto your Facebook feed. All of your friends and connections will see this. Some will pull the trigger, others will do the same, as you help spread the word to more.
3. IF YOU ARE ON THE FENCE
If you are unsure and hesitant to go, have never been to Rentschler Field before or think that last season’s 0-9 start indicates that this season will begin the same way, all that the coaches, players and fans of the program ask, is that you give them a chance.
QB Casey Cochran is coming off of a record-setting performance of 461 yards and 4 TD’s. He set the school record for most passing yards in a game that day, breaking the previous record of Dan Orlovsky.
New head coach Bob Diaco is the most energetic and innovative coach in today’s game. Come see what he and his staff are all about.
An ultimatum has clearly been given to UCONN by fellow conferences and rival schools that the UCONN athletic department has tried to extend to fans. The success of this football season and the fan support that they get is priority one in terms of future expansion for the ACC and Big Ten.
Ask yourself this question if you have never been to a game at Rentschler Field, but enjoy men’s basketball. Would you rather see Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue and Indiana coming to Gampel and the XL Center in the coming years for conference games, or do you want to watch 5,000 people show up for a conference game against Tulane in a non-energetic XL?
The future of this school, both athletically and academically, at some level, rests on the success of the UCONN football program. While fellow schools like Rutgers, Michigan, Maryland and others collect pay check after pay check from the lucrative television contracts with ESPN and the Big Ten Network, UCONN will be stuck making pennies on the dollar, in comparison. Funding will dwindle and with it the reputation of the school and athletic programs, across America.
That is a doomsday scenario, but one that could become a reality.
With no professional sports residing in this state, UCONN is the closest thing you have. If you have read this and have any connection to UCONN, follow the instructions above and do everything you can to help make tomorrow night’s game a sellout, otherwise no longer complain about the current conference situation we are in because you will then just be a part of the problem.
For a reminder of where this program has been and where Bob Diaco, his staff and the players are bringing it back to:
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