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Message: [QUOTE="Chief00, post: 2654367"] Great question- First, because empowering the Casual Fan is the right thing to do. From a business perspective, given our falling attendance in the two major sports, we need to be encouraging to those fans who are perhaps not knowledgeable sports fans - that’s its ok to go to a football game for the social aspects of a tailgate or make a basketball game - a night out during our long winter. Sometimes on this Board it might be tough on a newcomer - if they either don’t know the game or if their lookback of UConn History is relatively brief. Chief doesn’t believe these characteristics should be exclusionary and that all should be welcome to UConn Nation. I recognize, in a five second quick look, if one gets the count of the conference affiliation wrong on an anchilliary point - even though the primary point was valid (3 of elite 8 are Big12 schools) certain fans whom perhaps don’t understand the game well can point that out to feel good about themselves as if they actual understand the game itself. Rather than criticizing that behavior, I think we should embrace it, if that makes them feel more part of the BY team. We can all make different levels of contributions. Admittedly, this acceptance is a learning process, Chief has long been critical of the value of First Night and how it reinforces a lot of bad basketball habits, if your goal is winning competitive hard fought games. But, eventually Chief evolved to realize if this free night of what some view of affordable family entertainment can start the process and get the Casual Fan in the door - it’s a start. Maybe they will go to another game or two that year? What I also learned this year is that happy memories can transform to a life time habit. So I am all for First Night now - although I will never go myself. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach