Blaudschun: UConn Switching BC Home Game to Fenway?

[brasssbonanzaa]

I live in the Boston area too, and Gillette is 15-20 minutes from me. I go to the movies there. It's much easier to drive to from anywhere than Fenway is. Fenway is horrific as a venue to reach via car. It's fine by public transit, Uber or walking, but very few of the people I would expect to be rooting for UConn at such a game will have access to that. Yet BC is right up the Green Line from Fenway. Huge advantage to BC there. Plus there are warm bars at Patriot Place too, several of them.

If it becomes an annual thing, I wouldn't want it at Fenway.

Getting to Fenway from outside the city is not easy, but doable, especially by the T. Getting to Gillette from the city is VERY hard. Most people who live in the immediate city area (Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Watertown, Arlington, even to an extent Newton) do not have a car and thus it's nearly impossible to get to Gillette unless the T runs the commuter rail to the game. Also, you've not taken the Green Line from BC to Fenway recently if you think it's easy .

 

[jrazz12]

It is in every aspect other than the color of the uniforms. This isn't hockey where the visitors have to change lines and D's first. You better believe that BC fans will far outnumber UConn fans at Fenway no matter who controls the ticket sales.

I'll take that bet

 

[UConnJim]

I live in the Boston area too, and Gillette is 15-20 minutes from me. I go to the movies there. It's much easier to drive to from anywhere than Fenway is. Fenway is horrific as a venue to reach via car. It's fine by public transit, Uber or walking, but very few of the people I would expect to be rooting for UConn at such a game will have access to that. Yet BC is right up the Green Line from Fenway. Huge advantage to BC there. Plus there are warm bars at Patriot Place too, several of them.

If it becomes an annual thing, I wouldn't want it at Fenway.

So you live south of Boston and Gillette is close, but for most people in the Boston area, it is easier to drive to a Red Sox game at Fenway than to a Patriots game at Gillette as Gillette is 30 miles from downtown Boston. And, public transit is much better getting to Fenway. Plus, there are many more cheap bars around Fenway for pre and post game festivities than at Gillette.

By the way, it is easier for most people in the Boston area to get to Fenway than to BC's football stadium in Chestnut Hill.

As for BC fans, I remember when UConn fans would outnumber BC fans by 2 to 1 plus at Conte Forum for men's basketball games even though it is on BC's campus. If UConn football is competitive, the fans will come and we won't have to worry about BC fans.

 

[Saab04]

All that has to happen for home field advantage is for the fans to show up. More butts in the seats for UCONN than the other team makes it an advantage no matter where the game is.

Lashlee might just do that

 

[Padutch5]

Exactly right. I'm sure we get first shot at the tickets. No one gets to not go and then complain that we didn't have a home field advantage.

I have been a season ticket holder. Not a fan of the Edsall rehire, I have been on the fence about renewing my 4 tickets. With yesterdays news about hiring a big time offensive coordinator I was ready to call and renew my tickets. With the sale of a home game to Fenway , I'm back on the fence as a game at the Rent was one of the reasons to renew.
I do have a suggestion. Lets move our other home games to Penn State, Yankee Stadium, Philadelphia, etc, Think of all the money we could make for the athletic programs.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Getting to Fenway from outside the city is not easy, but doable, especially by the T. Getting to Gillette from the city is VERY hard. Most people who live in the immediate city area (Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Watertown, Arlington, even to an extent Newton) do not have a car and thus it's nearly impossible to get to Gillette unless the T runs the commuter rail to the game. Also, you've not taken the Green Line from BC to Fenway recently if you think it's easy .

I haven't. It's still got to be easy if not pleasant. My general view of football is that it is a sport that can and should be attended by people who own cars. City folks need not apply. My point was it is easier to drive to Gillette, and it is, even from the suburbs closer to the city. But the wider point is that it's much easier to drive to Gillette from CT than it is to drive to Fenway and park etc. It's even an absolute nightmare for me to get to Fenway from Franklin. Oh, and @UConnJim ...cheap bars near Fenway? Really? Cheap? Lots of bars yes...but I wouldn't call them cheap.

But it is what it is. Fenway is a lousy football venue no matter who is playing.

 

[businesslawyer]

I have been a season ticket holder. Not a fan of the Edsall rehire, I have been on the fence about renewing my 4 tickets. With yesterdays news about hiring a big time offensive coordinator I was ready to call and renew my tickets. With the sale of a home game to Fenway , I'm back on the fence as a game at the Rent was one of the reasons to renew.
I do have a suggestion. Lets move our other home games to Penn State, Yankee Stadium, Philadelphia, etc, Think of all the money we could make for the athletic programs.

Exactly right. This is the forerunner of not playing home games. Benedict had let me in on the secret but I had promised not to share it.

 

[HuskyHawk]

You live in Mass...not really the Boston area. This is something I've noticed about people in Mass everyone lives in the Boston if they live in Eastern Mass.

Also, glad your convince is important to you what about people who live in Boston..who can get to Fenway by all the means of transportation that you mentioned including the greeline.

I live inside the Boston DMA, in the Archdiocese of Boston in a town on the commuter rail that runs to South Station and I get Boston TV and radio over the air. I think that's the Boston area.

My comments are as they are not for me, but because I expect that the overwhelming majority of UConn fans that will want to attend this game will come from Connecticut, western MA and the suburbs between 495 and 128. Maybe a few from RI as well.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I haven't. It's still got to be easy if not pleasant. My general view of football is that it is a sport that can and should be attended by people who own cars. City folks need not apply. My point was it is easier to drive to Gillette, and it is, even from the suburbs closer to the city. But the wider point is that it's much easier to drive to Gillette from CT than it is to drive to Fenway and park etc. It's even an absolute nightmare for me to get to Fenway from Franklin. Oh, and @UConnJim ...cheap bars near Fenway? Really? Cheap? Lots of bars yes...but I wouldn't call them cheap.

But it is what it is. Fenway is a lousy football venue no matter who is playing.

100% agree Fenway is a lousy place to hold any sport that isn't baseball and that bars around Fenway are ANYTHING but cheap. Easier to drive to Gillette, yes. Though coming from CT, you can easily drive to Riverside where you can park for free, hop the Green Line for $2.50 and (slowly) make your way down and be dropped off five minutes from Fenway. Better than the $40 Gillette lots, though at least you can tailgate there. Both venues have pluses and minuses, though neither is ideal.

The Green Line from BC to Fenway, unless you want to make the walk to Reservoir, is frustratingly slow at best. It can easily be a 25-30 minute ride with all of the traffic lights.

 

[jrazz12]

Exactly right. This is the forerunner of not playing home games. Benedict had let me in on the secret but I had promised not to share it.

I've heard rumors of 2019 "home" games taking place in Thailand and on the moon. And quite frankly, I am incredibly upset right now, specifically at AD Benedict that he would hypothetically do such a thing in this scenario I completely made up just now. Furious.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I've heard rumors of 2019 "home" games taking place in Thailand and on the moon. And quite frankly, I am incredibly upset right now, specifically at AD Benedict that he would hypothetically do such a thing in this scenario I completely made up just now. Furious.

In fairness, put yourself in AD Dave's shoes for a minute. For all we know, Fenway/IMG may have offered him a large chunk of change (multiple millions) to move this game up to Fenway. Since the game is still considered a home game for UConn, it would allow him to negotiate a way for us to control the majority of tickets as well as receive a large portion of the revenue. That plus a bit of added publicity for the game, considering our financial situation at the current time post-buyout, makes it a proposition he has to consider. As fans, it sucks. I'm positive he knows it's not something fans will generally like. But it's also very potentially a significant financial gain for the program, while still making the game accessible to most fans. It's a tough, but swallowable pill.

 

[mac66]

The game is Saturday before Thanksgiving and school is closed that week and campus empties out the Friday before. Whether live or on TV it is depressing seeing an empty student section and no energy in stadium the entire game . If both teams are in hunt for Bowl game a Fenway game will have some buzz around it.

 

[John]

Forgive me if this has been asked: will this game be lumped into the entire season ticket package, or will it be offered as a +1 game option add-on?

 

[businesslawyer]

Forgive me if this has been asked: will this game be lumped into the entire season ticket package, or will it be offered as a +1 game option add-on?

The school hasn't announced it yet. Don't they have to admit they are moving a home game before they answer your questions about what it's effect on you will be?

 

[Husky25]

The Green line has four spurs. BC is on the B spur (More or less, Commonwealth Avenue) and Fenway is on the D Spur (Kenmore outbound to Riverside). All four flow into Kenmore Station, but you're not taking the B spur to Kenmore and hopping on the D line. First of all Kenmore is a half block and footbridge over the Mass Pike from Fenway Park, but that is neither here nor there.There are about 63 stops up and down Comm. Ave., so if you're a civilian or student living anywhere around BC, you're more than likely walking a half mile or so to Reservoir and taking the 15 minute train ride to Fenway.

 

[TheDoggPound]

Deflating. I rather not schedule BC if we can't be treated like big boys and host the games at our place.

 

[TheDoggPound]

We just made a home game for us a home game for our opponent and people actually think it's a good idea? Oy vey.

 

[businesslawyer]

Deflating. I rather not schedule BC if we can't be treated like big boys and host the games at our place.

Treated? Treated by whom? WTF are you talking about?

We had a contractual right to play BC at the Rent. We are selling the right for money because our AD has determined (apparently) that is in our best interets. So exactly who is treating UCOnn like other than a big boy?

 

[TheDoggPound]

Treated? Treated by whom? WTF are you talking about?

We had a contractual right to play BC at the Rent. We are selling the right for money because our AD has determined (apparently) that is in our best interets. So exactly who is treating UCOnn like other than a big boy?

If you're happy to move a home game and make it an away game have fun with that man. I for one don't give a about Fenway Park. I care about Rentschler Field and hosting games there. We kowtowed once again and shot ourselves in the foot. That was the 2nd best home game on schedule. I guess we can look forward to watching Holy Cross... actually we should just schedule that game at Fenway too, hell the Missou game as well, why the heck not!

 

[Stainmaster]

I guess we can look forward to watching Holy Cross... actually we should just schedule that game at Fenway too, hell the Missou game as well, why the heck not!

Rational take right here.

 

[UConnJim]

I haven't. It's still got to be easy if not pleasant. My general view of football is that it is a sport that can and should be attended by people who own cars. City folks need not apply. My point was it is easier to drive to Gillette, and it is, even from the suburbs closer to the city. But the wider point is that it's much easier to drive to Gillette from CT than it is to drive to Fenway and park etc. It's even an absolute nightmare for me to get to Fenway from Franklin. Oh, and @UConnJim ...cheap bars near Fenway? Really? Cheap? Lots of bars yes...but I wouldn't call them cheap.

But it is what it is. Fenway is a lousy football venue no matter who is playing.

Hawk, there are still plenty of cheap places to drink near Fenway: Baseball Tavern, The Dugout, Bukowski's, Cornwall's, Thornton's, Lower Depths ($3 Genee Creams, brings back UConn memories).. If you are a student, great deal at Tasty Burger - the Starving Student. $10 for a cheeseburger, fries, and beer.

 

[businesslawyer]

Deflating. I rather not schedule BC if we can't be treated like big boys and host the games at our place.

I have an idea. CAll Benedict, ask how much it would cost him to keep the game at the REnt and then offer to pay it.

Or, if not, realize like almost everyone else here does that we are competing against schools with much higher budgets than ours and at times we will all be inconvenienced to chase the money.

 

[Husky25]

In fairness, put yourself in AD Dave's shoes for a minute. For all we know, Fenway/IMG may have offered him a large chunk of change (multiple millions) to move this game up to Fenway. Since the game is still considered a home game for UConn, it would allow him to negotiate a way for us to control the majority of tickets as well as receive a large portion of the revenue. That plus a bit of added publicity for the game, considering our financial situation at the current time post-buyout, makes it a proposition he has to consider. As fans, it sucks. I'm positive he knows it's not something fans will generally like. But it's also very potentially a significant financial gain for the program, while still making the game accessible to most fans. It's a tough, but swallowable pill.

If it is still a UConn home game (I have every reason to believe it would be), it presents numerous creative marketing opportunities. For instance, UConn could buy up placard space on T trains. buses. and stations as well as other Boston-centric media, similar to the 6th Borough Campaign. Also (and granted, Boston is a pro town, where college sports are about 6th (+/-) in priority), Boston based sports shows (no shortage), were somewhere between perplexed and up-in-arms (at best) over Notre Dame's logo being all over the city that week and how BC could possibly agree to have that happen. Terribly entertaining to listen to Christian Fauria (not even a Native Bostionian) blow a gasket for the week leading up to the game.

 

[SubbaBub]

To anyone who didn't make the drive to Chestnut Hill this season, please make every effort to make it up to Fenway.

You missed out on a great trip in spite of the score and the strange decision to go for it on 4th and 17.

If MSG is Storrs South, then make Fenway Storrs East. There were 6-7 thousand UConn Fans at BC. That was a strong statement to certain acade mic sports membership concerns. If we follow it up with 15k at Fenway then we can begin to lay claim as New England's team.

BCU is playing with fire on this one. Make em burn.

 

[TheDoggPound]

I have an idea. CAll Benedict, ask how much it would cost him to keep the game at the REnt and then offer to pay it.

Or, if not, realize like almost everyone else here does that we are competing against schools with much higher budgets than ours and at times we will all be inconvenienced to chase the money.

EXcept that's just hearsay on your part... YOu think this won't affect ST sales? It will.