CRDA Assails Cuts That Could Lead XL Center To Close

[kelseypup]

If I was the athletic department I would not schedule as many games in Hartford. I would have 1 or 2 games in Bridgeport and 1 or 2 games at Mohegan Sun, 2-3 games at XL Center, and rest at Gampel. Gives residents from all over the state a chance to see Uconn basketball locally. I think it build the fan base across the state. I would play some marquee games at these other sites too make sure they sell out.

 

[The Funster]

If I was the athletic department I would not schedule as many games in Hartford. I would have 1 or 2 games in Bridgeport and 1 or 2 games at Mohegan Sun, 2-3 games at XL Center, and rest at Gampel. Gives residents from all over the state a chance to see Uconn basketball locally. I think it build the fan base across the state. I would play some marquee games at these other sites too make sure they sell out.

Sounds like a plan

 

[zls44]

340(ish) schools' fans: Well, the school is located in ___________, the campus is there, so if I want to go to a game that's where I go.

UConn fans: WE DON'T WANNA DRIVE TO STORRS BECAUSE THE TRAFFIC IS TOO BAAAAAAAAAD

 

[Husk1881]

UConn is not Connecticuts professonal team. A solid campus arena will actually draw students and make the environment that makes college hockey great.

 

[Zissou]

If I was the athletic department I would not schedule as many games in Hartford. I would have 1 or 2 games in Bridgeport and 1 or 2 games at Mohegan Sun, 2-3 games at XL Center, and rest at Gampel. Gives residents from all over the state a chance to see Uconn basketball locally. I think it build the fan base across the state. I would play some marquee games at these other sites too make sure they sell out.

Why doesn't UConn do this? Great idea. And what is so horrible about XL?

 

[Guapo]

340(ish) schools' fans: Well, the school is located in ___________, the campus is there, so if I want to go to a game that's where I go.

UConn fans: WE DON'T WANNA DRIVE TO STORRS BECAUSE THE TRAFFIC IS TOO BAAAAAAAAAD

This.

I've made this same argument in other threads about the subject.

Totally insane the number of people in Connecticut and across the northeast don't "get" college athletics.

 

[Zissou]

This.

I've made this same argument in other threads about the subject.

Totally insane the number of people in Connecticut and across the northeast don't "get" college athletics.

You have a pretty unique opportunity with all of the arenas available for UConn. Decent arenas. Kelseypup has an interesting plan.

 

[Guapo]

You have a pretty unique opportunity with all of the arenas available for UConn. Decent arenas. Kelseypup has an interesting plan.

No.

UConn is not Connecticut's pro team and they are certainly not Connecticut Globe Trotters, er, State Trotters...

 

[Zissou]

No.

UConn is not Connecticut's pro team and they are certainly not Connecticut Globe Trotters, er, State Trotters...

I don't know of pro teams that play in multiple home arenas. That's actually more of a college thing.

 

[Guapo]

I don't know of pro teams that play in multiple home arenas. That's actually more of a college thing.

It's really just a UConn/Villanova thing, isn't it?

 

[Zissou]

L


It's really just a UConn/Villanova thing, isn't it?

St John's comes to mind. They play a number of their earlier games on campus, and their bigger games in the Garden.

 

[Zissou]

I think the Pacer's arena hosts some home games for the Indiana schools.

 

[Guapo]

I think the Pacer's arena hosts some home games for the Indiana schools.

They host the Crossroads classic but I'm pretty sure all official home games for Butler, Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue are on campus

 

[Zissou]

They host the Crossroads classic but I'm pretty sure all official home games for Butler, Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue are on campus

Temple has hosted Kansas in Philly at Wells Fargo. Ohio State has played games at Nationwide?

I guess the point is that playing in multiple arenas is not a pro thing at all. But some colleges do it. I am sure more than I can think of.

I remember Wake used to do it years ago. Georgetown occasionally.

 

[Guapo]

Temple has hosted Kansas in Philly at Wells Fargo. Ohio State has played games at Nationwide?

I guess the point is that playing in multiple arenas is not a pro thing at all. But some colleges do it. I am sure more than I can think of.

I remember Wake used to do it years ago. Georgetown occasionally.

Right, but all those aren't 50/50 splits like Gampel and the XL.

I wouldn't mind UConn playing in Hartford over break, but when students are on campus games should be at Gampel

 

[Husk1881]

When we split the games across 4 arenas everyone will piss and moan that no students are there. If students don't go to games while they're in school then you're ruining your chance of them returning as an alumni.

 

[Zissou]

Right, but all those aren't 50/50 splits like Gampel and the XL.

I wouldn't mind UConn playing in Hartford over break, but when students are on campus games should be at Gampel

St Johns is closer to a split.

Kelseypup's proposal isn't a split. Playing a game or 2 at MS and Bridgeport seems like a pretty cool idea to me.

Nova played Notre Dame at Newark last year and we play the Zags as part of the double header with you guys at MSG. I have my tickets again this year for that road trip. Those are neutral sites, kind of, but a similar idea. We could have definitely chosen home games instead of those match-ups.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to a trip to XL this year. It's been a while for me. I thought is was a decent venue from my memory.

 

[Zissou]

When we split the games across 4 arenas everyone will piss and moan that no students are there. If students don't go to games while they're in school then you're ruining your chance of them returning as an alumni.

Well there will never, ever, be a shortage of piss and moan. Students can road trip. If they don't more seats for the regional fans. You'll still have like more than a handful of games on campus.

~1 at bridgeport, ~2 at MS, ~2 at XL, and ~10 at Gampel.

 

[huskymedic]

UConn Men’s/Women’s Basketball and hockey have played regular season games in Bridgeport previously. Attendance was meh outside of the Women.

 

[mjmoney23]

UConn Men’s/Women’s Basketball and hockey have played regular season games in Bridgeport previously. Attendance was meh outside of the Women.

Pretry sure the men sold out both games there, and they were against true cupcakes.

 

[huskymedic]

Pretry sure the men sold out both games there, and they were against true cupcakes.

You are correct on MBB - Eastern Washington and Columbia were sell-outs. It was hockey that was less than expected.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

It was hockey that was less than expected.

Based only on 1 game I attended in Bridgeport, it'd be shocking for anyone to believe even a few hundred live bodies attended UConn's 2015 Colorado College game. Not exactly a local opponent or school with huge alumni #s in CT, but ...

 

[UCFBfan]

You can’t compare UConn’s situation to Nova or St Johns. Both those schools are located in the same city as the pro arena they use. They really aren’t going that far. Having UConn go across the state to Bridgeport or South to Mohegan is not ideal and I can’t think of any other school that travels that far to play a large amount of regular season games.

Like others have said, UConn may be the biggest show in the state but they aren’t the pro team. They shouldn’t have to play games all over the state. I get it that Storrs is remotely located but so are many major universities and they don’t seem to have trouble attracting fans.

 

[whaler11]

You can’t compare UConn’s situation to Nova or St Johns. Both those schools are located in the same city as the pro arena they use. They really aren’t going that far. Having UConn go across the state to Bridgeport or South to Mohegan is not ideal and I can’t think of any other school that travels that far to play a large amount of regular season games.

Like others have said, UConn may be the biggest show in the state but they aren’t the pro team. They shouldn’t have to play games all over the state. I get it that Storrs is remotely located but so are many major universities and they don’t seem to have trouble attracting fans.

Pretty much there are only a handful
of schools drawing in basketball. The arenas all over the country are empty at this time in the season.

 

[Zissou]

You can’t compare UConn’s situation to Nova or St Johns. Both those schools are located in the same city as the pro arena they use. They really aren’t going that far. Having UConn go across the state to Bridgeport or South to Mohegan is not ideal and I can’t think of any other school that travels that far to play a large amount of regular season games.

Like others have said, UConn may be the biggest show in the state but they aren’t the pro team. They shouldn’t have to play games all over the state. I get it that Storrs is remotely located but so are many major universities and they don’t seem to have trouble attracting fans.

UConn is in a unique position, so I don't know if precedent matters.

You should do what's right for UConn no matter what others are doing.

You can always argue why the precedents don't matter, but I'll explain Nova's position in case of it's of interest, because I think there is a parallel.

Nova has played a number of games, even home games, out of town specifically to reach alumni groups. We played a home game in Allentown last night. This is the second time we've had a home game there. The arena is only a few years old and my guess is that it's comparable to Mohegan Sun. We'll play a game on Long Island. We have the ND game in North Jersey last year and the Zags at MSG this year. These are all done intentionally to play close in alumni markets - the Lehigh Valley, New York / LI metro areas.

What Nova does probably doesn't matter, but with UConn's unique position in the state, a less than ideal on-campus stadium (as is Nova's), other attractive venues not too far away, the proposal to spread some games around is interesting.