Dan Shaughnessy dismisses UConn.

[whaler11]

Hey that's my line!!!!
Probably in his mom's basement in front of his TV

Yeah I'd be upset someone stole that idiotic line. That's quite a loss.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I think the article made its point that Boston isn't college hoops territory without really throwing any shade on UConn. More like the Stamford Advocate saying that locals don't really get swept up in the Patriots mania

 

[upstater]

REMEMBER THIS?: Francesa spoke with Peter Gammons prior to this week's Red Sox/Yankees series. Asked him if the upcoming series was on people's minds in Boston.Gammons response: "No, everyone up here has been watching UConn." He said it will be a couple more weeks before the city begins to focus on baseball.

These are regular season baseball games.

Don't take Shaughnessy too seriously. He wrote a couple columns prior to the Super Bowl dismissing the Patriots as uninteresting.

It killed Shaughnessy when Peter Gammons said that in 2014.

 

[champs99and04]

On one hand, he's right. UConn's brand in northern New England - and really all of New England - is weak relative to the success they have had as a program.

On the other, being apathetic about March Madness isn't something to be proud of. Given the talent that the region pumps out, it's disappointing to me that people would rather talk about the Patriots in March than the local basketball programs in the mix - Providence, Rhode Island, UConn, even UMass with the news of them firing their coach. Hell, throw in Vermont or Harvard or BU - solid competitive low-majors with a chance to dance. Not everybody is me though and I get that.

But I do see the irony in writing that column about how nobody in Boston cares about college sports about a program that is an hour and a half away. In other words, it would take you only twice as long to drive to New York City.

So I think Shaughnessy does care. I think he'd love it for a team in the Boston area to put a nationally relevant product out there. Boston might not be a college sports town, but it would absolutely be a story if BC or UMass went to the final four. It's a little bit like wondering why Bruins fans aren't getting excited for the Whalers playoff run.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Yeah I'd be upset someone stole that idiotic line. That's quite a loss.

You responded..... Thanks. I liked the crowds energy

 

[UChusky916]

He's a troll. Don't even give him the clicks. Move along...

 

[swami7774]

On one hand, he's right. UConn's brand in northern New England - and really all of New England - is weak relative to the success they have had as a program.

On the other, being apathetic about March Madness isn't something to be proud of. Given the talent that the region pumps out, it's disappointing to me that people would rather talk about the Patriots in March than the local basketball programs in the mix - Providence, Rhode Island, UConn, even UMass with the news of them firing their coach. Hell, throw in Vermont or Harvard or BU - solid competitive low-majors with a chance to dance. Not everybody is me though and I get that.

But I do see the irony in writing that column about how nobody in Boston cares about college sports about a program that is an hour and a half away. In other words, it would take you only twice as long to drive to New York City.

So I think Shaughnessy does care. I think he'd love it for a team in the Boston area to put a nationally relevant product out there. Boston might not be a college sports town, but it would absolutely be a story if BC or UMass went to the final four. It's a little bit like wondering why Bruins fans aren't getting excited for the Whalers playoff run.

As someone else posted, Shank is click bait.

 

[JSM1970]

They love college hockey there

I've found that even in years where MA college hoop teams were decent, Boston didn't care. BC made the Final 8 in '94 and couldn't get arrested. Skinner had some terrific teams that went unnoticed.
It's a pro sports town. More specifically, it's a Boston pro sports town. If a Boston-regional team isn't in a tourney or big game, it doesn't exist.

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

What's a news paper ?

 

[UConnNick]

Read this, Mr. Swofford. Read This, Mr. Skipper. This is directly from a major sports beat writer from the largest newspaper in Boston...you know, the city you claim as the northern anchor of that Eastern Seaboard market dominance of the ACC:

"March Madness? It's March Apathy in our regional sports landscape."

Wait, I thought the ACC had a school in Boston? BCU, or something or other? Yeah, you do. What's up with the indifference then?

Did you buy into the ridiculous conceit that Boston media speaks for all of New England? (Did you see what I did there?)

Did you think that Boston College could somehow defy decades of historical irrelevance and manufacture a fan base from a "sports landscape" that, as proven here, will never care no matter what they do?

Moving forward, are cable companies, in this era of failing cable business models based on falling subscriber numbers going to care less about viewer apathy, or more?

Gotta admit, I thought guys with your credentials would be smarter than that. Guess I was wrong.

You don't get it. The whole reason behind BS College to the ACC was to provide an away football venue for FSU, Clemson and VA Tech fans where they could grab an unlimited number of seats for their respective, rabid traveling fanbases.

 

[UConnfan8]

Where'd you sit?

I was down low in corner since Thursday. And yes- it was a terrible turnout.

 

[intlzncster]

Shaughnessy is a dinosaur. The game has passed him by. He's doubled tripled down on his original shtick: put out the most assbackwards opinions based on nothing so that you can get clicks. The hottest of hot takes. Only way he can stay in the game at all.

He's a grumpier, less clued in version, boston version of Stephen A. Smith. And in case it doesn't make sense, that is far, far, far from a good thing.

 

[The Viking]

As a Sox fan I've been reading him for 35 years - well not really the last five.
His Number one intent when writing a column is to get a rise out of people.

 

[swami7774]

As a Sox fan I've been reading him for 35 years - well not really the last five.
His Number one intent when writing a column is to get a rise out of people.

Everything with newspapers(those that have websites) these days is clicks.
Get as many clicks as possible, regardless of how low you have to stoop the get 'em.

 

[The Viking]

True but Shaughnessy was a master at it before people even knew what clickbait was

 

[The Funster]

Boston is PBR town, right there in the heart of America!

 

[MASSconn]

UConn does not have a great presence in Boston. It's getting better but still leaves a lot to be desired.

From an alumni who lives here/grew up in MA.

I'm hoping as hockey gets better it will crank up quickly.

 

[ivrytontusker]

CT is the only state in New England where college sports other than hockey matter. Simple as that.

Furthermore, the Bostonian attitude toward CT has long been one of contempt or dismissal ("America's file cabinet," the Patriots non-move, etc). It's just the way it is. (By the way, I'm not trying to "pick a side" in pro sports rivalries; the same is true of NYC types.)

 

[HooperScooper]

I think the article made its point that Boston isn't college hoops territory without really throwing any shade on UConn. More like the Stamford Advocate saying that locals don't really get swept up in the Patriots mania

This. I didn't really see it as a diss on UConn. Actually a compliment. He's saying that even a team from New England that has had so much success can't really get Boston to follow college sports. He had to go all the way down to CT for an example because he couldn't use any MA college teams to make his point because none of them, outside of college hockey, have done much. Are we supposed to care that Boston isn't swept up in Husky Mania? It's not a big deal.

 

[UConn990411]

If you spend any time in Boston you'd notice this higher than thou' attitude is very common. Anything that doesn't happen in the Boston bubble isn't important.

Lol, such a lame comment from one of the many Boston haters on this board.

 

[polycom]

Lol, such a lame comment from one of the many Boston haters on this board.

I live and work in Boston. I'm speaking from experience. Notice I didn't say everyone, I said it's a common attitude.

 

[Towney007]

Shank isn't even a friend to Boston teams. He's a pro troll and that's about it. He whips up a random controversy whenever he needs some attention (I'll never forget the look on David Ortiz's face a few years ago when he asked him if he was on steroids after like 13 questions in a post-game scrum out of the blue). Even most Boston sport writers take pot shots at him all the time. He sucks.

 

[NielsisGood]

CHB is normally a troll but not really wrong on this. Don't think he deserves the vitriol in this specific instance.

 

[swami7774]

CHB is normally a troll but not really wrong on this. Don't think he deserves the vitriol in this specific instance.

But in general he does.

 

[captainron2]

CT is the only state in New England where college sports other than hockey matter. Simple as that.

Um, Rhode Island is in New England and the attendance in Providence has been just fine. URI had hundreds of people at the airport last night to welcome URI back from Pittsburgh. Not so simple...