Yeah, remember that time the Patriots built retail around Foxboro and it destroyed the fan base?
Me neither.
Patriots Place has been quit the windfall for both the Kraft family and the fan base. As a season ticket holder, it has accomplished two things.
1. Turned the game-day experience into a weekend experience.
2. Brought excitement and fans to the area year round, even when events aren't going on.
The Patriots, wisely, built a great Hall of Fame and Fan Experience as a part of Patriot Place. It is a great way for fans to go back on non-game days and enjoy being a Patriots fan (any team can do the same with their fanbase). It allows parents to take young children and "train" them to love the team. Just a great experience as a fan and one that has enriched the greater experience. UConn should seriously consider doing the same. How cool would a room be with jerseys from every NFL player in UConn history? Trophy's from bowl games? Pictures and video from big wins? Take RECRUITS to the stadium, dinner at the Yard House next door and a tour through the Husky Fan Experience.
HFD- You complain that we don't have an on-campus atmosphere with our stadium. However, your ideas of building a stadium in Storrs, with the infrastructure difficulties there and the fact that we've already built a 100+mm stadium, is unrealistic.
THIS is the best option we have to create that environment. When alums come back for Alumni Weekend, or any other game, what engagement do they have? They drive to the Rent day of the game, tailgate in the parking lot for a couple hours and go to the game. End of day.
Wouldn't it be a significantly better experience for the whole weekend to have lodging, bars and entertainment as a part of the Rent experience? Alums could fly in to Bradley on a Friday night, be checked into their hotel with all their buddies and at the bar within an hour. That's an experience I'd love to see for the Rent, one that will only improve the entire experience.
Keep throwing out unrealistic ideas. This is reality and one that has great potential to enrich the entire experience and build a whole new legion of fans.