David Benedict Basically Blames Low Attendance on Us

[Guapo]

Okay, fair point.

Btw - When you look an aerial shot of Athens GA and see all the growth, its something that is never - ever going to happen in Storrs. And I can understand why its not going to happen as well. The campus should have been in West Hartford or East Hartford. Hey - I know an abandoned air strip complete with a stadium and extra land?!

I think Middletown would've been an interesting place to put if we're going back in time

 

[Husky25]

In the 1960s they could have found the land.

"[Coulda, woulda, shoulda]. Mr. Exit, you are exhausting my patience and you are making a mockery of these proceedings."

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Perhaps because daily commute traffic is different than single event traffic?

Rutgers is in a very densely populated area with daily traffic challenges. Yet they manage to get people in and out there. But you think that it can't be done at Storrs? Just a silly viewpoint.

Single event traffic is way worse than a daily commute? Ever try getting out of Giants Stadium in less than an hour?

Also, the majority of Rutgers students jump on a bus to get to the games too because their football stadium is also in a different town/campus. Not to mention half of their tailgaters as well. If Rutgers was in the AAC and we were in the Big 10 are attendances issues would be flipped and they would be complaining about their stadium.

I like The Rent, I like it's location, and I didn't mind jumping on a 30 min bus 12 times a year to watch FBS football.

 

[blue93]

A large reason why is because there is absolutely no identity between the students and the program- the team's bad and it plays off-campus.

And on top of playing off-campus, for years the school charged for bus tickets that needed to be purchased in-person, 2 days before gameday. I think I recall hearing that they don't charge for bus tickets anymore, but too little too late. They should have been making it as easy as possible to get to our off-campus stadium. Instead, there was no appreciation for students supporting the team - just a hassle and nickel & diming.

 

[CL82]

Single event traffic is way worse than a daily commute? Ever try getting out of Giants Stadium in less than an hour?

Yep, plenty of times. It's a much tougher issue than getting out of Storrs. It doesn't stop me from going to game though.

Pro sporting events, like daily commutes, are apples and oranges comparisons to college sports though. I'm starting to see that you don't perceive it that way.

Also, the majority of Rutgers students jump on a bus to get to the games too because their football stadium is also in a different town/campus. Not to mention half of their tailgaters as well. If Rutgers was in the AAC and we were in the Big 10 are attendances issues would be flipped and they would be complaining about their stadium.

No the Rutgers stadium is at the New Brunswick campus. I'm sure kids some kids take the campus bus there, but it's not a half hour commute. Half the tailgaters take the bus to games? Lol, no... just no.

I like The Rent, I like it's location, and I didn't mind jumping on a 30 min bus 12 times a year to watch FBS football.

Well that may be issue. It's all you've known. I went to the games on campus. It was a part of the fabric of going school. Believe me, it's different, and better. FWIW Pres. Herbst recognizes this as well. LINK She considers the lack of an on campus stadium as one of her greatest regrets for UConn. (Huskymedic has a separate thread on that article.)

 

[zls44]

You're trying come off as some tough guy who is impervious to traffic - let me flip that one around for you - if sitting in traffic is some sort of testament to fan hood, then how come the students can't jump in a practically free bus ride 30 mins with no parking, sober driving, or anything else to worry about?

Because the team stinks.

If they stunk on campus, its a place to hang out, why not roll in there with your friends, maybe a nice day outside, etc. For a team this bad, you create one way to make it less convenient, they're out.

 

[zls44]

And on top of playing off-campus, for years the school charged for bus tickets that needed to be purchased in-person, 2 days before gameday. I think I recall hearing that they don't charge for bus tickets anymore, but too little too late. They should have been making it as easy as possible to get to our off-campus stadium. Instead, there was no appreciation for students supporting the team - just a hassle and nickel & diming.

Correct.

Hard to believe the stones required to say "hey, this thing that is easily accessible almost everywhere else, we're gonna take it away from campus and charge you for the privilege."

 

[Husky25]

Well that may be issue. It's all you've known. I went to the games on campus. It was a part of the fabric of going school. Believe me, it's different, and better. FWIW Pres. Herbst recognizes this as well. LINK She considers the lack of an on campus stadium as one of her greatest regrets for UConn. (Huskymedic has a separate thread on that article.)

My first UConn football season on campus was 1995 (Let There Be Lights) and 1998 was my last, when UConn made the D-1AA playoffs for the first and only time. The North bleachers (i.e. home side) were hardly filled, especially after homecoming in any given season. We could buy a ticket for $5 with Student ID and would easily find wherever we wanted to sit right at the 50 yard line (not the student section). Games were fun, but they were not the all day events they should be now. My Dad used to come down from Massachusetts for at least one game other than Parents' Weekend (They came down for that game too), and we could basically have our own 4 slot section of D-lot. One year we tailgated with/next to Shane Stafford's family.

 

[kemba]

Because the team stinks.

If they stunk on campus, its a place to hang out, why not roll in there with your friends, maybe a nice day outside, etc. For a team this bad, you create one way to make it less convenient, they're out.

Gampel's student section by the end of the year was half full. When the football team was good or even just mediocre, people paid the 2 dollars for the bus, managed to buy the tickets 2 days in advance, and went. If people think its fun, they go, if they don't, it doesn't matter how easy you make it for them.

98% of the attendance woes have to do with some combination of a bad team with a bad schedule. The rest doesn't make a big difference. I'm sure a few more students would roll in for a quarter or 2 if the stadium was on campus. That's not going to make them want to buy season tickets once they graduate.

 

[CL82]

I'm sure a few more students would roll in for a quarter or 2 if the stadium was on campus. That's not going to make them want to buy season tickets once they graduate.

Disagree. Going the games during school is way the vast majority of fans lock into the experience. Having games off campus just adds another speed bump. In good years, it won't matter. In bad years it may make the difference between going and not.

If students weren't already bearing stiff burden, I'd add an activity fee to tuition and make the tickets free, first come first served. Groom the behavior while in school.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Yep, plenty of times. It's a much tougher issue than getting out of Storrs. It doesn't stop me from going to game though.

Pro sporting events, like daily commutes, are apples and oranges comparisons to college sports though. I'm starting to see that you don't perceive it that way.

No the Rutgers stadium is at the New Brunswick campus. I'm sure kids some kids take the campus bus there, but it's not a half hour commute. Half the tailgaters take the bus to games? Lol, no... just no.

Well that may be issue. It's all you've known. I went to the games on campus. It was a part of the fabric of going school. Believe me, it's different, and better. FWIW Pres. Herbst recognizes this as well. LINK She considers the lack of an on campus stadium as one of her greatest regrets for UConn. (Huskymedic has a separate thread on that article.)

I guess we don't view going to pro/college the same way. I go to see the game and friends. Whether that's in East Hartford or Storrs is irrelevant to me. I haven't been back to campus since the end of hoops season in 2013.

Also, Rutgers football stadium is in Piscataway on Busch campus. Students and parking lots are spread throughout their "New Brunswick" campus but you still need to cross the Raritan river. So yes, there is a huge reliance on buses there.

Also, did you just try to interject anything Susan Herbst says about UConn athletics to bolster your argument?

 

[kemba]

Disagree. Going the games during school is way the vast majority of fans lock into the experience.

Right. But that also includes having a good time at the games, and thinking you'll continue to have a good time in the future. I was a student 06-10. During that time we sold out the student tickets almost every year, if not every year. Have great memories of going to those games, and that's why I've continued to buy season tickets, before being a student I was a #casualfan for football. So yes, it does happen. But the vast majority of students who sold out the student section during our "glory years" aren't still buying tickets. And if they aren't, the ones who think going to East Hartford is too much of a hassle certainly wouldn't be.

I get it, as a student playing on campus is better, at least if they did the stadium right. Game days when we're playing a big game at Gampel had such a different feel than when we had a big game at XL. Just don't buy that it would do anything to help our fanbase long term

 

[CL82]

Also, Rutgers football stadium is in Piscataway on Busch campus. Students and parking lots are spread throughout their "New Brunswick" campus but you still need to cross the Raritan river. So yes, there is a huge reliance on buses there.

The Busch Campus is one of the 5 campuses that make up the main Rutgers New Brunswick campus. If you know enough to name Busch, you probably realize that and are being deliberately disingenuous. That's like saying Wheeler B was an off campus since it is "South Campus."

Also, did you just try to interject anything Susan Herbst says about UConn athletics to bolster your argument?

Bolster? Not so much, but it is worth noting. She's right. Read the article. She also talks about the negativism among a significant proportion of alumni. You see that "can't do" attitude in the BY pretty regularly.

 

[CL82]

Right. But that also includes having a good time at the games, and thinking you'll continue to have a good time in the future. I was a student 06-10. During that time we sold out the student tickets almost every year, if not every year. Have great memories of going to those games, and that's why I've continued to buy season tickets, before being a student I was a #casualfan for football. So yes, it does happen. But the vast majority of students who sold out the student section during our "glory years" aren't still buying tickets. And if they aren't, the ones who think going to East Hartford is too much of a hassle certainly wouldn't be.

I get it, as a student playing on campus is better, at least if they did the stadium right. Game days when we're playing a big game at Gampel had such a different feel than when we had a big game at XL. Just don't buy that it would do anything to help our fanbase long term

Okay, disagree. When I was in school we were in the Yankee Conference and were struggling. Going to the football to "watch 'em lose" and over to soccer to "watch 'em win" was a part of the weekend routine. I get it things change but, as noted by Herbst, building off campus was a mistake.

 

[Guapo]

I guess we don't view going to pro/college the same way. I go to see the game and friends. Whether that's in East Hartford or Storrs is irrelevant to me. I haven't been back to campus since the end of hoops season in 2013.

Also, Rutgers football stadium is in Piscataway on Busch campus. Students and parking lots are spread throughout their "New Brunswick" campus but you still need to cross the Raritan river. So yes, there is a huge reliance on buses there.

Also, did you just try to interject anything Susan Herbst says about UConn athletics to bolster your argument?

This is not an attack on your fandom. I know you're a good fan so, please, do not take this personally;

This type of attitude is what happens when you don't have a major college football program until this century (which, of course, is not your fault). At colleges where major athletics have been played for a century or more, especially football; the rituals and traditions are woven into the fabric of the college experience and the campus. This is something that many UConn fans simply cannot grasp.

The fact that football is played well off campus only makes it more difficult to weave the program into the UConn experience.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

This is not an attack on your fandom. I know you're a good fan so, please, do not take this personally;

This type of attitude is what happens when you don't have a major college football program until this century (which, of course, is not your fault). At colleges where major athletics have been played for a century or more, especially football; the rituals and traditions are woven into the fabric of the college experience and the campus. This is something that many UConn fans simply cannot grasp.

The fact that football is played well off campus only makes it more difficult to weave the program into the UConn experience.

No offense taken. I just don't think comparing our situation to 125 other programs that are nothing like us is really a fair comparison.

Particularly to your point that we did have a late jump, I feel like even more so makes it more attractive to have the stadium centrally located in the state.

Oh well. It is what is and in a few year we may not even be having a FBS stadium discussion anyways.

 

[Guapo]

No offense taken. I just don't think comparing our situation to 125 other programs that are nothing like us is really a fair comparison.

Particularly to your point that we did have a late jump, I feel like even more so makes it more attractive to have the stadium centrally located in the state.

Oh well. It is what is and in a few year we may not even be having a FBS stadium discussion anyways.

Yup, this is the central question.

I happen to think they took short term ease at the expense of long term success.

It's impossible to know now.

Maybe in an ideal world, UConn plays its first few seasons at the Patriots Stadium in Hartford to build state-wide interest before returning to campus to a beautiful new stadium built on the other side of Horse Barn Hill (to preserve the view).

"Pepe's Pizza Field at Horse Barn Hill Stadium"

 

[HartfordHank]

Not sure if anyone is old enough to know the answer to this question. When I-84 was built why didn't it come closer to UConn and Storrs?

 

[CL82]

Yup, this is the central question.

I happen to think they took short term ease at the expense of long term success.

It's impossible to know now.

Maybe in an ideal world, UConn plays its first few seasons at the Patriots Stadium in Hartford to build state-wide interest before returning to campus to a beautiful new stadium built on the other side of Horse Barn Hill (to preserve the view).

"Pepe's Pizza Field at Horse Barn Hill Stadium"

Kraft's flirtation with Hartford is what set the table for UConn having a stadium in East Hartford. Like the Pats but hate Kraft for his jerking the state around.

Horsebarn Hill or the Separatist Tract (behind Freitas) are the two logical spots. The Mansfield Depot campus would another one but less desirable.

Again, for the record, I like the Rent. It is a great place to see a game and the tailgating set up is terrific.

 

[Guapo]

Not sure if anyone is old enough to know the answer to this question. When I-84 was built why didn't it come closer to UConn and Storrs?

It's a miracle that it made it into Tolland County in the first place

 

[Guapo]

Kraft's flirtation with Hartford is what set the table for UConn having a stadium in East Hartford. Like the Pats but hate Kraft for his jerking the state around.

Horsebarn Hill or the Separatist Tract (behind Freitas) are the two logical spots. The Mansfield Depot campus would another one but less desirable.

Again, for the record, I like the Rent. It is a great place to see a game and the tailgating set up is terrific.

We could have an entire thread on where an on campus stadium would have/should be built.

 

[CL82]

We could have an entire thread on where an on campus stadium would have/should be built.

Yep, but it would end up being one of those three spots, with Separatist making the most sense. It's part of the athletic campus, allows for a football lots to be used by other sports, relatively easy North, West and South routes away from campus. Wetlands would be my only concern.

 

[Drew]

fwiw- from the USF on-campus stadium study thread: The average FBS team increased attendance by 20% moving to a new stadium- and almost all of these transitions are off-campus to on-campus moves. 14% increase in seat occupancy as well.

 

[UConnNick]

Not sure if anyone is old enough to know the answer to this question. When I-84 was built why didn't it come closer to UConn and Storrs?

I-84 was originally planned to be built all the way to Providence, on a ROW that would have roughly followed US Rt. 6. I-384 into Manchester would have been part of it, as well as the US Rt. 6 bypass at Willimantic. Where that is today is as close as I-84 would have come to Storrs, since that was going to be the path of the ROW.

From Manchester to the Mass Pike, I-84 was numbered I-86 for many years, until it became clear that the tree huggers were going to successfully shut down construction of the original I-84 planned to connect Hartford and Providence. That's when they dropped the existing I-86 designation on the old Wilbur Cross Hwy. (CT Rt. 15) to the Mass Pike and changed it to I-84.

 

[HartfordHank]

I-84 was originally planned to be built all the way to Providence, on a ROW that would have roughly followed US Rt. 6. I-384 into Manchester would have been part of it, as well as the US Rt. 6 bypass at Willimantic. Where that is today is as close as I-84 would have come to Storrs, since that was going to be the path of the ROW.

From Manchester to the Mass Pike, I-84 was numbered I-86 for many years, until it became clear that the tree huggers were going to successfully shut down construction of the original I-84 planned to connect Hartford and Providence. That's when they dropped the existing I-86 designation on the old Wilbur Cross Hwy. (CT Rt. 15) to the Mass Pike and changed it to I-84.

Now that you mention it I remember it being I-86. Thank you for the background.