Hugh Bailey: What does UConn owe Hartford? Maybe nothing (Hearst Editorial)

[EROCK CONN]

Realistically, if you have to plan to leave 4 hours before tip to have a chance to make it to Storrs, then have to leave 3.5 hours early to get to Hartford. You sit in the same Fairfield county traffic no matter which venue you're going to.

Allocating an extra 30 minutes of driving shouldn't be enough to stop people from going to games.

If it’s during the weekday, probably need another 45-60 to get to Storrs, park, walk etc to get in your seat in time by tip off.

 

[superjohn]

** Add Xavier, DePaul, Marquette, and Creighton.

To be fair, all of the non-campus locations for those schools are much closer and/or more convenient that the arrangement for UConn. In most cases they are located in the same city, or easy to get to for students (ie. train line for Villanova, subway for St John's).

Marquette's arena is basically on campus, it's a 10-15 minute walk same with Creighton's arena, and same with Xavier's arena. Fiserv Forum is as nice as it gets. DePaul arena, you take the train from anywhere in the city.

I don't know about the Cintas Center but the other ones aren't old dumps like the XL Center.

 

[Rico444]

If it’s during the weekday, probably need another 45-60 to get to Storrs, park, walk etc to get in your seat in time by tip off.

I don't find parking and getting in any more difficult at Storrs than in Hartford. What part of it takes longer that I'm missing?

 

[ConnHuskBask]

The university keeps citing the cost only when talking about Hartford. The deficit is all fake accounting to begin with but at least show what they make.

Didn't the BY poll from a week or two ago show that the majority of fans preferred a split?

It probably could be argued that the BY is pretty representative of "big fans" among other things...

So if over half the core fanbase prefer the setup maybe it's a good thing?

 

[metsfan2323]

Isn't the $40,000 per game paid for by the massive amount of state funding that covers the huge athletics deficit? It really doesn't cost UCONN anything to play there. The state gives UCONN athletics a huge check and expects that some of it will pay the civic center. The whole "it costs too much to play there" argument seems incredibly stupid.

As a CT taxpayer I say Hey UCONN STFU, your athletics funding is more than sufficient. Play the games at the Civic Center and stop complaining. Know who your daddy is.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

They should have allowed/required? the Casinos to build a new arena in Hartford way back when. Could probably stil happen. they woudl be payign uconn to play there. Not the other way around.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Future home of UConn football. Snapped on my way home the other day

 

[willie99]

Backdoor access <<

Should tuition be going top subsidize bars, LMFAO

Donations 101 Hugh Bailey, sniff a clue

 

[Richmondhsky]

That’s because they don’t have Fairfield County traffic in Kansas.

They do in Northern Virginia…actually worse. Doesn’t impede fans from driving to UVA.

 

[superjohn]

The university keeps citing the cost only when talking about Hartford. The deficit is all fake accounting to begin with but at least show what they make.

Didn't the BY poll from a week or two ago show that the majority of fans preferred a split?

It probably could be argued that the BY is pretty representative of "big fans" among other things...

So if over half the core fanbase prefer the setup maybe it's a good thing?

I think most of the fanbase wants all the games in Storrs when school is in session and all the games in Hartford when school is not in session.

The biggest problem with Hartford is that the building is an absolute dump and the deal needs to be restructured. If they get a new building or are able to transform the existing building to fit with modern times while restructuring the deal I'm sure the overwhelming majority of people would be fine with playing some games in Hartford.

UConn should not be responsible for people not wanting to live and hang out in Hartford. That's on the state to make the city an attractive place for people.

 

[willie99]

wondered what he looked like, not surprised

 

[dvegas]

That’s because they don’t have Fairfield County traffic in Kansas.

I'm all for fewer games in Hartford, but lets not forget where the Burtons, Toscanos and Rizzas live. For the record I'm in Norwalk which makes weeknights in Storrs pretty much a no go.

 

[gtcam]

You XL center fans - How does it feel to make UConn students subsidize your favorite watering hole because you're too effen lazy to drive 20 minutes out of the city?

You disgust me.

I hate the Civic Center but despise this reaction.

I say play all games at Gampel and maybe one at Mohegan and one in Bridgeport during winter break if these facilities pay UConn what it deserves. If UConn losses money let it be closer to home rather than to a place like Hartford that is run by idiots.

 

[gampelcrazies]

UConn had no issues filling up Gampel for almost every game this year. So the people saying it will affect attendance are clueless. And if you don't think they would make more at Gampel than XL why would they even bother making this noise? With the sale of beer being allowed on campus and Gampel getting renovated in the next 5 years they probably see more money to be made at Gampel.

Just like Tuscano, why would you build these $40-50+ million facilities to only use them half the time? We are nearing the end of XL games. It's slowly going to get phased out unless the state puts up money for serious renovations.

 

[willie99]

How does it feel to take my tax money to subsidize your education when neither I nor my children expected one penny of other people’s money to pay for my family’s higher education?

You disgust me.

(Actually, I’m quite fine paying taxes that benefit people with less financial resources than me. But the fact that some idiotic crybaby sees their pennies going out the door to support others and whines without asking what pennies are given to them I have no patience for.)

You elaborated much better than I did, I just chose the mocking route

 

[John]

UConn had no issues filling up Gampel for almost every game this year. So the people saying it will affect attendance are clueless. And if you don't think they would make more at Gampel than XL why would they even bother making this noise? With the sale of beer being allowed on campus and Gampel getting renovated in the next 5 years they probably see more money to be made at Gampel.

Just like Tuscano, why would you build these $40-50+ million facilities to only use them half the time? We are nearing the end of XL games. It's slowly going to get phased out unless the state puts up money for serious renovations.

No it's not

 

[businesslawyer]

Need to send the right people to the table!

Exactly. People appointed by the government to be trustees need to send tough negotiators to try to screw the people who appointed them and have the power to reappoint them or not. You really think that’s a logical statement?

The University is an arm of the friggin state. There is no “arm’s length” negotiations possible between the two of them. Ultimately, the state decides on the relationship because if the school thinks otherwise, the state will over time appoint new trustees and have them change the University’s position.

 

[businesslawyer]

You elaborated much better than I did, I just chose the mocking route

You didn’t find my post to be mocking? Then I didn’t do it right. LOL.

 

[CL82]

I like how it’s the XL Center’s fault that the school is operating at a year to year 50M deficit.

Any freshman in accounting can tell you that is asinine.

Is it asinine or is it just math? Because a $4 million unnecessary expense would seem to contribute to an annual deficit. Likewise, lost revenue opportunities in parking and concession would also seem to contribute to an annual deficit.

 

[CL82]

They clearly don’t want to play all games on campus because they’ll alienate more than half their fans. Or else this would’ve been done already. Believe it or not, the casual fan is unlikely to drive the extra 30 minutes to Gampel.

Well, not the real fans, am I right? This presumes that playing half our games in Hartford isn’t compulsory. Many here on the board say it is.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

You didn’t find my post to be mocking? Then I didn’t do it right. LOL.

You've been an attorney for too long. Stripping out all language that can be construed as negative is second nature to you at this point.

 

[CL82]

UConn could get rid of handful useless adminisration officials and make up the difference

Why not both?

 

[businesslawyer]

You've been an attorney for too long.

LOL. No argument there. But is there a single attorney in the country you couldn’t say that about?

 

[CL82]

That would be a big mistake for fan engagement.

Well not the real fans…

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I think most of the fanbase wants all the games in Storrs when school is in session and all the games in Hartford when school is not in session.

The biggest problem with Hartford is that the building is an absolute dump and the deal needs to be restructured. If they get a new building or are able to transform the existing building to fit with modern times while restructuring the deal I'm sure the overwhelming majority of people would be fine with playing some games in Hartford.

UConn should not be responsible for people not wanting to live and hang out in Hartford. That's on the state to make the city an attractive place for people.

If they scheduled accordingly they could probably work a split like that. The way this staff elects to schedule you'd be sticking Hartford with ooc dregs all in a months worth of time.

It's a mutually beneficial situation that has more or less worked for 30+ years, but we act like it a) needs to change or b) ever will, every single season.