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Jacobs - UConn Teams Need A Better Home In Hartford

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I'd like it if a few more of the Hartford games were done in Bridgeport instead... say maybe three per year.
 
What a joke of an article. Says a lot about present day CT sports! You guys really have nothing.

College Basketball should be played on a College Campus plain and simple. The only people the XL center benefit are those from the Hartford suburbs. If we are going to cater to the big donors, we should likely play more games in Bridgeport over the Winter Break.

Look how well Rentschler has worked out! It will forever limit our recruiting, because blue chips prefer that signature stadium in the middle of campus. As a recent alumni, this is incredibly frustrating to read, shut up Jacobs and support the home grown campus sports.
 
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SubbaBub said:
Based strictly on revenue, playing in front of more and higher priced seats lends to playing more games in Hartford. The political benefit of supporting the City also factors in here.

But I see a different model going forward. The NHL games were an event, the AHL games decidedly, no. It helps the bars because 2000 people downtown is still 2000 people downtown, so the State will want them.

When UConn sold 12k seats at the old CC regardless of the opponent. That was better than selling 8k at Gampel and helped build the statewide following.

Today, UConn has different goals and the $ benefit to playing in Hartford just isn't what it used to be. What UConn needs now is a rabid fanbase, that comes from demand for tickets and high market visibility and winning. The visibility you get from TV these days. What they need is excitement.

Also, you now have FB to carry the brand in the Hartford area plus a little bit of Hockey. Schedule big games over winter break in Hartford if you can. That will serve both masters. Playing Cincinnati or Temple in Hartford does nothing for UConn.
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Really? Click this link. http://espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=400497020

The atmosphere at that game rivaled anything that has gone on in gampel the last 5 years.
 
HooperScooper said:
Not sure exactly what the demand is in Hartford but there are other uses besides UConn basketball that would draw more than 8,000-10,000 people. Just looking at the XL Center calendar I see lots of concerts, Disney on Ice, WWE, Monster Jam (how many people in CT go to this?), Harlem Globetrotters, obviously the AAC Tournament (which you can't count on every year), Marvel: Universe Live (?), and P&G Gymnastics Championships. Other uses could be UFC, circus, etc. So I think a Hartford arena would draw more than 10,000 people more than 10 times a year. Are there enough dates to make it worth putting more seats in? I can't answer that question.
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Do these events draw more than 10k? I can't see anyone wanting to watch these from the upper seats.
 
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I'd hope that someone has done market research on this to determine the optimal price point. The debacle of the 90s pricing and treatment of longstanding fans should never happen again. I also hope that some thought has gone into maximizing the broadcast value of the games. Having students courtside helps that, in my opinion, although ZLS may know if it really matters.
 
CL82 said:
I'd hope that someone has done market research on this to determine the optimal price point. The debacle of the 90s pricing and treatment of longstanding fans should never happen again. I also hope that some thought has gone into maximizing the broadcast value of the games. Having students courtside helps that, in my opinion, although ZLS may know if it really matters.
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The reason attendance has declined is pricing policy. I had a friend who had to give up his season tickets when he was priced out.
It broke his heart..
 
Has any consideration been given of adding ten thousand seats to Rent and a dome. Play football, hockey and BB in there.
 
zls44 said:
We don't know that they aren't willing to drive to storrs for a first class on campus arena that seats 15,000.
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Sure we do. You know how many times I've seen a game of any type in Storrs since coming to CT in 1977? Exactly 4. On average, a game every decade. You want to bet on there being thousands of fans in Fairfield County more involved in the program than me> What would you like to bet?

And you think that amenities matters? Don't you understand that a third of the state can watch college hoops at MSG more easily than they can at Storrs?
 
CallMeBruce said:
They're building a new hockey arena on campus. Football attendance has been a disaster, so I'm not sure why we would want basketball to emulate that model.
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Football attendance is down due to the team's performance, and attendance would be worse in Storrs. Basketball needs to be in Hartford and Bridgeport as well as Storrs. There are no college basketball teams that draw consistently well that are not located in a metropolitan area.
 
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pnow15 said:
The reason attendance has declined is pricing policy. I had a friend who had to give up his season tickets when he was priced out. It broke his heart..
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That's BS. The pricing has been pretty steady for years. Yeah it went up this year, but not to a new high, It just matches from a few years back.
 
CallMeBruce said:
The Bridgeport games are a travesty. You can't have a college sporting event without a student section.
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So you make it a point to have a student section available in Bridgeport... That's the home court of the Fairfield Stags... They have a section I'm sure.. Why can't that can't be used for UCONN when we play there? Not making sense bro... We gotta EMBRACE all of CT... Enough of one 1/2 being New England and other 1/2 associated with NYC... but we all pay the same taxes that keep our main state school running... We Gotta work that out... it shoulda gotten done a while ago now..
 
Waquoit said:
That's BS. The pricing has been pretty steady for years. Yeah it went up this year, but not to a new high, It just matches from a few years back.
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Talking early 90's.
 
ktuck911 said:
So you make it a point to have a student section available in Bridgeport... That's the home court of the Fairfield Stags... They have a section I'm sure.. Why can't that can't be used for UCONN when we play there? Not making sense bro... We gotta EMBRACE all of CT... Enough of one 1/2 being New England and other 1/2 associated with NYC... but we all pay the same taxes that keep our main state school running... We Gotta work that out... it shoulda gotten done a while ago now..
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There hasn't been a student section at either Bridgeport game. I find this offensive. I still think it's stupid to force the amateur athletes to have to go so far off of the campus at which they're students to placate the farthest part of the state, but the way UConn has done it has been absurd.
 
CallMeBruce said:
There hasn't been a student section at either Bridgeport game. I find this offensive. I still think it's stupid to force the amateur athletes to have to go so far off of the campus at which they're students to placate the farthest part of the state, but the way UConn has done it has been absurd.
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Games off campus during breaks are a good compromise in my opinion.
uconnric said:
Football attendance is down due to the team's performance, and attendance would be worse in Storrs. Basketball needs to be in Hartford and Bridgeport as well as Storrs. There are no college basketball teams that draw consistently well that are not located in a metropolitan area.
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Mmm, I think just the opposite. East Harford is more accessible so you'll draw there more casual fans when the team is doing well. Students will attend games even in down years when the stadium is within walking distance. Like a lot of people on this board, I went to ton losing football games weekly. The football team lost and the soccer team won, that was the fall.
 
I haven't lived in CT for about 20 years so I don't know exactly how the economy is doing in Hartford and CT.

Is the economy in CT and in Hartford so bad that they have to try to squeeze every little penny from a college basketball team by scheduling the games in XL? IMO, the government should be trying to bring business into Hartford and in CT in general and leave the college games alone so it's more accessible for the students.
 
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True Zen,
But they will want commitments before they build a new arena regardless of Hartford's economy. Not sure how much anyone but the XL, its vendors and the parking garages benefit from the games. There is not a lot to attract people to the area. From what I see, no shopping, limited casual dining.
 
The student seating doesn't play a role, far as I know.
 
businesslawyer said:
Sure we do. You know how many times I've seen a game of any type in Storrs since coming to CT in 1977? Exactly 4. On average, a game every decade.
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You say that like its a badge of honor. It's actually embarrassing for someone who claims to be so committed. Stomping your feet if they dare make your commute longer. How dare they not cater to you and think of the primary mission instead! The nerve!

Shackleton's Expedition has NOTHING on Fairfield County to Storrs! It's like walking the Trans-Canadian Highway! The endurance required!!!

You've lived in state for almost 40 years and only been to four games on campus. Yeah, I feel incredibly confident there are people who are more committed to the program than you in Newburgh, yet alone Fairfield County. No matter how big your checks may be.
 
pnow15 said:
Has any consideration been given of adding ten thousand seats to Rent and a dome. Play football, hockey and BB in there.
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While not a bad thought in theory, you'd have to develop a small town around the stadium in order to draw people in four a two hour basketball game in the middle of winter. Also, if that game was against Tulane, Tulsa or ECU....you'd struggle to get 10k people, let alone 20 or 30k
 
UC990411 said:
While not a bad thought in theory, you'd have to develop a small town around the stadium in order to draw people in four a two hour basketball game in the middle of winter. Also, if that game was against Tulane, Tulsa or ECU....you'd struggle to get 10k people, let alone 20 or 30k
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Plus the whole $100 million bit.
 
What will it cost to fix/replace Gample and build the hockey stadium? It is not that crazy. Haven't been there but I hear great stuff about QU.
 
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pnow15 said:
Has any consideration been given of adding ten thousand seats to Rent and a dome. Play football, hockey and BB in there.
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Not a bad idea but I am not sure that the foundation/footings are strong enough to support the weight of a dome. They would likely have to build new if they went this route.
 
Being from Fairfield County I can speak for many people down here. I have XL season tix and try to get to a campus game each year(luckily Florida last year). Convenience and restaurants play a role. Weekend games are best. This includes those in Bridgeport. Went to men's and women's games last year as they were on the weekend. Neither this year( work days). Where ever future games are played I will attend as many as possible but from here Storrs is the least convenient. I'm the father of a grad so I have been to campus numerous times.
 
HooperScooper said:
Not sure exactly what the demand is in Hartford but there are other uses besides UConn basketball that would draw more than 8,000-10,000 people. Just looking at the XL Center calendar I see lots of concerts, Disney on Ice, WWE, Monster Jam (how many people in CT go to this?), Harlem Globetrotters, obviously the AAC Tournament (which you can't count on every year), Marvel: Universe Live (?), and P&G Gymnastics Championships. Other uses could be UFC, circus, etc. So I think a Hartford arena would draw more than 10,000 people more than 10 times a year. Are there enough dates to make it worth putting more seats in? I can't answer that question.
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Very good question and I do not know the answer. I've been to several of the above noted events, including: Monster Jam, Globetrotters, Disney on Ice, and the Circus (thanks kids) mostly at IZOD in Jersey and they seem to draw between 6K and 8K depending on the event, day, and time. I would imagine that the big music tours would draw over 10K; but, I do not know how many of those are left and if they still hit Hartford.

What I really do not want is for Hartford to eventually build a new arena in the 16K to 20K range that is too big for it's own market and basically forces UConn to continue to play there when that may not be the best course of action for UConn sports.
 
John said:
the disaster really has been only the past handful of years, it started out very strong. Speaking of that, they really should have domed The Rent, it would have made all this XL stuff moot.
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The proposed Hartford 'Patriots' stadium that would have been build where the convention center is today would of had a dome.
 
Instead of playing #16 Georgetown or #10 Syracuse, we're playing 3-8 East Carolina and Houston. Casual fans could care less about going and rather just watch it on TV.
 
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