Blaudschun: UConn Switching BC Home Game to Fenway?

[polycom]

Exactly how everyone on this board should feel. Angry. How can some be okay with this? BC gets a home game last year and this year and some are okay with this?? To those of you who agrees with this, do you know what home field advantage is?

Do you know what you do when you are an athletic department who has an offer to recieve more money for playing the game at Fenway versus playing the game at home? You play it at Fenway.

Some of you are ridiculous. You complain that we can't fire BD because of money, now we have fired BD and have an opportunity to make more money you complain about it because it doesn't suit your needs. Do better.

 

[RSTuthill]

BC is rubbing its hands with glee. Another home game on their schedule. But I do understand the we are poor argument even if it adversely affects the season tix value proposition.

 

[UCPusky]

Hahah sorry. I was pretty wasted and couldn't get it out of my head. For the record, I definitely got some when I went home. I'm pretty sure Tommy Myers' parents also did thanks to me.

LOL! It was all good.

 

[EricCantona]

BC is rubbing its hands with glee. Another home game on their schedule. But I do understand the we are poor argument even if it adversely affects the season tix value proposition.

This is not a BCU home game

 

[RSTuthill]

This is not a BCU home game

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.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Living in the Boston area, Fenway is more accessible than Gillette. Public transportation is easy and it's an easy Uber to the park. And, parking, if your smart and don't mind walking, can be reasonable. Plus, it's more comfortable to do pre and post game in a warm bar!

I just don't think UConn/BC is a big enough draw for Gillette, but I think Fenway could sell out.

I'm excited!

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.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

Fenway is not a good football venue. Absolutely no tailgating options anywhere, many seats will be obstructed by the players on the bench and media members surrounding the field, many other seats are facing in the opposite direction of one side of the field. It's not as bad as it is for hockey, but the "coolness" of Fenway likely won't draw too many at all. If anything, it'd cause more BC fans to show up. But don't count on tailgating anywhere beyond maybe sitting on your trunk drinking a beer.

I get it - I am a BU grad, too. My point was more about the non-UConn football fanatic (i.e. that is more like who shows up at the b-ball games at XL Center or does not want to tailgate at football games like the "real" fans). They're like the pink hats for the Sox. They want to get their expected food fare at Eastern Seaboard and head over to Friendly Fenway... Who knows how many of that kind of fan will show up for this "spectacle" but I would imagine there will be a decent amount of them - just like the Yankee Stadium game. We shall see...

 

[firstnline]

I can see BIG RED leading the U-C-O-N-N cheer atop the GREEN MONSTAH

 

[EricCantona]

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.

You're right this is football. I'm not sure what world you are living in where you think BC fans actually care about this game. IF we are able to receive the majority of seats and sell them to our fans then we will travel well. We are UConn and if the team is having a solid year then there is no chance BC fans come even close to outnumbering us.

 

[MASSconn]

Exactly how everyone on this board should feel. Angry. How can some be okay with this? BC gets a home game last year and this year and some are okay with this?? To those of you who agrees with this, do you know what home field advantage is?

It's not really home field advantage. It's not like Fenway is some BC gauntlet.

Tickets are open to anyone and we had plenty at the Heights. + BC isn't even in Boston technically.

 

[EricCantona]

Fenway holds 38,000 I believe, smaller than Rentschler. If we control tickets there is no way we can't get at least 19,000 up there IMO

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

It's not really home field advantage. It's not like Fenway is some BC gauntlet.

Tickets are open to anyone and we had plenty at the Heights. + BC isn't even in Boston technically.

The problem is, if the game were in East Hartford the crowd would be massively tilted to UConn. At Fenway, if we're 50/50 we'll be lucky. Especially if the team struggles through the season and BC is in contention for a bowl. This won't be like ND-BC where ND fans buy up all of the tickets because they have 80 gazillion fans. Even if UConn fans have first crack at the majority of seats, it's unlikely we'll eat up enough to make this a home game atmosphere.

 

[businesslawyer]

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.

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.

 

[businesslawyer]

The problem is, if the game were in East Hartford the crowd would be massively tilted to UConn. At Fenway, if we're 50/50 we'll be lucky. Especially if the team struggles through the season and BC is in contention for a bowl. This won't be like ND-BC where ND fans buy up all of the tickets because they have 80 gazillion fans. Even if UConn fans have first crack at the majority of seats, it's unlikely we'll eat up enough to make this a home game atmosphere.

You are correct that it won't be as much of a home field advantage. Do you really doubt that Benedict took that into account in making his decision?

 

[CL82]

Everyone knows the AAC contract? Right? Right.

Everyone knows we are running a huge subsidy.

We forked over $3.50M to fire a head coach and then signed on Edsall and an up and comer SEC OC to come up here.

The AD clearly ran the numbers and this makes sense financially for UConn.

That's just the facts.

... and/or brings another benefit. It will be interesting wen he gets around to discussing the pros/cons.

 

[TheDrifter75]

Thats a pic of a game at Notre Dame. Last I checked their colors weren't red. That was a fan base actively pursuing the opponents fans and buying the tickets from them.

UCONN has control of the game at Fenway, it shouldn't be that difficult to have the larger amount of fans at the game.

If at all possible I'd fly in for it.

 

[J187Money]

I'm not sure why anyone buys season tickets before the deadline.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

You are correct that it won't be as much of a home field advantage. Do you really doubt that Benedict took that into account in making his decision?

No I don't doubt it, and that's why I don't categorically hate the decision. I know UConn needs $ where it can get it now and I'm sure Fenway/IMG threw him a lot of change to do this. Considering they just dropped $3.4M to get rid of Bob and playing at Fenway at least trades a home game for a little press, it's not an absolute disaster and could work out favorably in the end if fans make the trip. Hopefully the terms he negotiated for this move were favorable.

 

[Sea Goat]

If we're doing it for exposure and to maintain some semblance of relevance in the P-5 world, then I 'm good with it. Even if we needed to do it to help cover the ridiculous termination cash we had to give to Bobby "Baying at the moon" Diaco, I'm good with it. The important thing is that we are competitive wherever we play. Look at it this way - I would rather go to Fenway with RE (and our new OC) as our coach then having BD reprise his role as the sideline nutjob at the Rent and get smoked again by BeffingC. We have to rebuild this thing, brick by brick. It's amazing how quickly it was destroyed and the rebuild will be laborious. If this helps, in any way, let's do it!

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

Do we really need to care about where this game is being held?? I think it's more important to play "big" games anywhere - Fenway, Gillette, Yankee, Meadowlands... I'd play a top-20 team on the moon - why not?! We can't be all too proud now. We have to build our program back, fill the seats, and pull off a few unexpected wins (just like we did with the first tenure of Randy and crew). One thing that crazy Bob was right about - there is positive and negative energy. We have no room for negative energy. Let's move on and try to encourage others about what is possible! Game-on!

 

[Caronimo]

Exactly how everyone on this board should feel. Angry. How can some be okay with this? BC gets a home game last year and this year and some are okay with this?? To those of you who agrees with this, do you know what home field advantage is?

Finally a true fan

 

[polycom]

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.

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.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Do we really need to care where this game is being held?? I think it's more important to play "big" games anywhere - Fenway, Gillette, Yankee, Meadowlands... I'd play a top-20 team on the moon - why not?! We can't be all too proud now. We have to build our program back, fill the seats, and pull off a few unexpected wins (just like we did with the first tenure of Randy and crew). One thing that crazy Bob was right about - there is positive and negative energy. We have not room for negative energy. Let's move on and try to encourage others about what is possible! Game-on!

Yes we need to care because setting the precedent that we're willing to move P5 OOC games from the Rent to a neutral site is generally not good.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

Yes we need to care because setting the precedent that we're willing to move P5 OOC games from the Rent to a neutral site is generally not good.

I guess we disagree... let's see what the rest of the BC series might hold and react from there.

 

[Hamms30]

I don't have factual data to back up my claim, but I would think Boston is a hub for a lot of UConn alum, no? Is BC really going to run the UConn fan base out of Fenway? I've seen a lot of fellow alum here in lower Fairfield County and in NYC as well so I guess I'm just associating that Boston would be a hot spot for alum new and old. I think it's an easy enough commute for folks in the Hartford area and I don't think folks from SW CT would shy away from spending a night in Boston.