Parade is Sunday at 4 PM

[SteveUConn]

Here you go "genius".

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/conn-m-footbl-body.html

Wow, you're an idiot. Please elaborate further. Use your brain, and explain to me what this link tells me. It shows a Spring Blue/White Football game at 3pm. So what? If you read my previous comments you would have seen that I advocated for a 12pm Saturday parade. These parades are very quick. If people want to go to the Rent 10 min away, great. If no, I don't care. Here is specifically what i said in the earlier post:


"The parade can be on Saturday at noon, with an encouragement given by the final speaker at the rally to attend the Spring Scrimmage 10 min away at the Rent at 3pm. Done and done. Easy." -Me

Again, take your time and explain to me how this shows a lack of "situational awareness". Furthermore, hate to break it to you but these Spring Scrimmages are not heavily attended. A noontime parade allows the University to state that it isn't in-fact pitting the two events against each-other. People who were planning on attending the scrimmage can, and will, still attend the scrimmage, if both were held on Saturday.

 

[SteveUConn]

Moreover, Spring game attendance:

2013: http://www.sbnation.com/college-foo...8/spring-football-game-attendance-2013-auburn
2012: http://articles.courant.com/2012-04...421_1_chandler-whitmer-john-delahunt-redshirt
2010: http://blogs.courant.com/uconn_football/2010/04/official-spring-game-attendanc.html

A low of 2,500 and astounding high of 5,500.

 

[junglehusky]

Ahhhhhhhhh, the Boneyard. Where people get to complain ad infinitum over things that are slightly less awesome than we want them to be.

 

[MattMang23]

Let me know where it's stated that the State refuses to allow 2 events on the same day. Can't agree with your logic on this. I also personally don't see why the parades had to be tied into the spring game. Where would they parade? In the Blue Lot? Silver Lane? Get serious.

I never said anything about parading at Rentschler Field...

 

[BlueMAB]

Alternative: Saturday 1pm/2pm/3pm/4pm. Showers supposed to end in the morning, clearing and sun in afternoon. Genius! Honestly i do not know how i came up with that.

Wow, you're an idiot. Please elaborate further. Use your brain, and explain to me what this link tells me. It shows a Spring Blue/White Football game at 3pm. So what?

You then decided to change the time to n0on. The problem is you've already shown a lack of understanding and awareness about what is going on with your earlier post. Keep shooting from the hip though, it's working out for you.

I'm still waiting for someone, anyone, to tell me what is going on Sunday afternoon at 4pm that makes a parade and rally a terrible inconvenience for so many people. The Master's isn't an acceptable answer.

And to the rest of the people hand wringing and blaming UConn alone, do some research. They don't call all the shots, no one party does.

http://courantblogs.com/dan-haar/lets-have-a-parade-this-weekend-not-later/

Michael Zaleski, executive director of the Hartford Business Improvement District, which coordinates these events, would like to see it happen this weekend...

Zaleski is always eager to step off quickly but his group doesn’t call all the shots. UConn, the governor’s office and the city all weigh in, not to mention the little matters of raising money from sponsors, and working groups along the route that might have events scheduled.

This weekend, for example, it’s Palm Sunday, making that morning less than ideal and The Bushnell has a production Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.

 

[UConnSwag11]

where is a good place to park? and any places to eat near there beforehand?

 

[whaler11]

Well if you don't think the Masters is a legitimate answer than why ask the question.

I don't care what time the parade is because parades are dumb.

Durr we have parades no matter what. Let's never do anything different. Let's not reintroduce people to UConn Football and Bob Diaco. Let's pull the parade binder from 1999 off the shelf, blow the dust off and do it again.

 

[BoatShow]

No way they could have scheduled a time to appease everyone. 4pm Sunday is fine. Why are people so up in arms over that time? Go to the parade and be home by dinner. These men and women bust their asses for us and honoring them is inconvenient for you? Please. Spring Game on Saturday and parade on Sunday has me VERY excited for this weekend.

Being a teacher and having April Break next week doesn't hurt either.

 

[BlueMAB]

You can DVR the Masters, but you aren't going to the dumb parade anyway so you won't miss it.

The school had championship trophies available at the spring game in 2011. If they don't again, someone should be fired.

I didn't realize there was a law against having a rally at the spring game AND a parade on Sunday. Forgive me.

 

[BlueMAB]

where is a good place to park? and any places to eat near there beforehand?

http://courantblogs.com/dan-haar/uconn-victory-parade-4-p-m-sunday-in-downtown-hartford/
http://www.hartford.com/restaurants/

Black-eyed Sally's is close if you like cajun/southern. Allyn Street has Agave for Mexican and Tavern Downtown for american/pub food

No way they could have scheduled a time to appease everyone. 4pm Sunday is fine. Why are people so up in arms over that time?

We're UConn fans. We don't need a reason to be pissed off.

 

[whaler11]

You can DVR the Masters, but you aren't going to the dumb parade anyway so you won't miss it.

The school had championship trophies available at the spring game in 2011. If they don't again, someone should be fired.

I didn't realize there was a law against having a rally at the spring game AND a parade on Sunday. Forgive me.

Yes clearly there are big plans for Saturday. The media is saturated with all the big plans for Saturday.

I am sure the state forces them to have a parade. Probably no way around that. I fully understand that parades exist and will continue to exist and I'll hopefully never attend one. That there is a portion of the population who might attend a parade but thinks the Masters is about 75000x more compelling - well I guess one of us understands people have different tastes.

Honestly you are a huge football fan - why don't you want UConn to try and leverage the basketball success into getting people to attend the spring game?

 

[BlueMAB]

Yes clearly there are big plans for Saturday. The media is saturated with all the big plans for Saturday.

I am sure the state forces them to have a parade. Probably no way around that. I fully understand that parades exist and will continue to exist and I'll hopefully never attend one. That there is a portion of the population who might attend a parade but thinks the Masters is about 75000x more compelling - well I guess one of us understands people have different tastes.

Honestly you are a huge football fan - why don't you want UConn to try and leverage the basketball success into getting people to attend the spring game?

I understand different tastes. I also understand you don't schedule a parade around people you think "might attend" because of a golf tournament on TV. Much more goes into planning a parade as large as this, on 4-5 days notice, than what's on TV that weekend. Surely, you understand that has nothing to do with tastes and everything to do with logistics?

I'll answer your football question when you quote the post where I said I didn't want "UConn to try and leverage the basketball success into getting people to attend the spring game."

 

[whaler11]

I understand different tastes. I also understand you don't schedule a parade around people you think "might attend" because of a golf tournament on TV. Much more goes into planning a parade as large as this, on 4-5 days notice, than what's on TV that weekend. Surely, you understand that has nothing to do with tastes and everything to do with logistics?

I'll answer your football question when you can tell me when I said I didn't want "UConn to try and leverage the basketball success into getting people to attend the spring game."

Of course I understand the timing of the parade. I just think it's funny that it's against the Masters. I'm sure there might by like 50 people who skip because of that - it's funny to me that sports fans might choose a parade over that though.

As for the logistics - really it isn't that hard to pull off. They have done the same thing a bunch of times. Oh there is a show at the Bushnell? Wow, that is quite a monkey wrench.

THE IDEA THEY HAD FIVE DAYS TO PLAN IS INSANE. They have a parade for the women all the time are you going to argue they wait to see if they win before they do anything?

Well you seem to think this parade with no real tie in to Saturday is ok. You seem to be sold on the idea that there is something good for Saturday that they don't plan on telling anyone about? Because that is what gets people to show up? The parade on Sunday probably decreases attendance Saturday because there are probably people who will choose one over the other. CHB gave direct examples earlier in this thread.

 

[BlueMAB]

Of course I understand the timing of the parade. I just think it's funny that it's against the Masters. I'm sure there might by like 50 people who skip because of that - it's funny to me that sports fans might choose a parade over that though.

As for the logistics - really it isn't that hard to pull off. They have done the same thing a bunch of times. Oh there is a show at the Bushnell? Wow, that is quite a monkey wrench.

THE IDEA THEY HAD FIVE DAYS TO PLAN IS INSANE. They have a parade for the women all the time are you going to argue they wait to see if they win before they do anything?

Well you seem to think this parade with no real tie in to Saturday is ok. You seem to be sold on the idea that there is something good for Saturday that they don't plan on telling anyone about? Because that is what gets people to show up? The parade on Sunday probably decreases attendance Saturday because there are probably people who will choose one over the other. CHB gave direct examples earlier in this thread.

I don't understand why you're choosing to debate the time and day of a parade you have no intention of attending.

It is difficult to pull off, but not impossible. That's why it's getting done. But the fact is UConn doesn't pick the date and time. They have input, the Governor's office has input, the city has input, and the Hartford Business Improvement District has input. It's a group effort with I'm sure a lot of politics involved, so if I had to guess, I think it's safe to assume the Governor made the decision, and UConn probably preferred sunday.

Wrong. CHB didn't say people will choose one over the other. CHB said this: "A lot of my casual fan friends who were 100% in for a dual event Saturday are now out for both."

That's just stupid on their part. Skipping both because they aren't held at the same time? If they were 100% in for the spring game, why not go to that as planned, it's been scheduled for months. "Fans" like that aren't likely coming to football games when they have to pay.

I have no problem with some sort of tie-in. I've never said otherwise. In 2011 they gave away free National Championship photos and allowed photos of/with the NC/BE trophies. I think they should do that.... AND MORE. All I've said is I don't get the whining about a 4pm parade. But the assumption that a tie-in is going to do wonders for the football program are overblown. It can't hurt, so they should do something, but if we want to improve football attendance we have to win games, not have more off-season rallies for the basketball team.

You make too many assumptions. Just because I'm okay with a parade on Sunday at 4pm, you've decided my opinion on a number of other things that I never commented. It would be incredibly stupid not to have some of the players and the trophies at the game Saturday. You want something bigger? I don't disagree. But I don't think the large amount of Women's CBB fans likely to show up for the parade are all of a sudden going to start coming to our football games this fall just because they've seen a glorified scrimmage at the Rent.

 

[whaler11]

I don't understand why you're choosing to debate the time and day of a parade you have no intention of attending.

It is difficult to pull off, but not impossible. That's why it's getting done. But the fact is UConn doesn't pick the date and time. They have input, the Governor's office has input, the city has input, and the Hartford Business Improvement District has input. It's a group effort with I'm sure a lot of politics involved, so if I had to guess, I think it's safe to assume the Governor made the decision, and UConn probably preferred sunday.

Wrong. CHB didn't say people will choose one over the other. CHB said this: "A lot of my casual fan friends who were 100% in for a dual event Saturday are now out for both."

That's just stupid on their part. Skipping both because they aren't held at the same time? If they were 100% in for the spring game, why not go to that as planned, it's been scheduled for months.

I have no problem with some sort of tie-in. I've never said otherwise. In 2011 they gave away free National Championship photos and allowed photos of/with the NC/BE trophies. I think they should do that.... AND MORE. All I've said is I don't get the whining about a 4pm parade. But the assumption that a tie-in is going to do wonders for the football program are overblown. It can't hurt, so they should do something, but if we want to improve football attendance we have to win games, not have more off-season rallies for the basketball team.

I'm not debating the time. I'm laughing at some of the talk about logistical difficulties like the Bushnell having a show. Can you imagine another city where somehow that is a big deal? I'm laughing at the notion the planning can't start until Monday at midnight.
Any legitimate organization works on contingency plans.

I don't think a tie in would do wonders for the football program. A tie in would attract some people to Rentschler who have never been.

I'm not trying to claim that having a structured basketball event at the Spring Game would increase attendance in September for BYU. All I'm claiming is that it would increase attendance at the Spring Game which would potentially build on the momentum of the double NC.

UConn being able to produce evidence of 10-15k at the game Saturday would be a positive image of the football program. It could introduce non-football fans to Bob Diaco. It could show some basketball only fans how much fun tailgating at Rentschler is.

It's an opportunity to bring awareness to the football program. How could that be a bad thing?

Trophys are all well and good. Having Napier, Stewart, Ollie and Geno in attendance in an official capacity is a lot more impactful.

 

[BlueMAB]

It would be incredibly stupid not to have some of the players and the trophies at the game Saturday. We've been in agreement for some time.

I never said we should pass on an opportunity to bring awareness to the football program. There's no reason we can't do both the parade and have players/coaches and trophies there. We did it before with the trophies, we should be able to add the players.

"Claiming 10-15k" at the spring game as a positive image of the football program would be near criminal. It would be a running joke in football country that the only way to get 15,000 people to a UConn Spring Game is to bring the Women's basketball team.

 

[Dooley]

Missed opportunity for sure.

- Parade Saturday at 11AM-Noon in downtown Hartford, ending at the Rent for 1PM.
- Autographs for fans from 1-2PM.
- 2:30PM on-field celebration for both programs and then introductions to the football team. Kind of like passing an athletic program torch - "basketball season is over and you're up next football" type of thing. Geno can address the crowd. Kevin can address the crowd. Then Bob can address the crowd. Everyone wins and everyone remembers we're all in this together at UCONN.

Give fans an opportunity to buy football season tickets in the stadium on Saturday and if they do, they get a nice dual-championship t-shirt. UCONN fans love t-shirts. Autographs for the fans at 5PM after the game ends with football and anyone who wants to stay from basketball.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

You can cite my example as being "stupid" and regardless if it is or not, that's what the casual fan is going.

Driving an hour to Hartford for a spring football game didn't sell them and driving an hour to Hartford for only a parade didn't sell them. If they could've done both of the same day they would've done it.

To be honest, I would've come up from NYC for a Saturday parade which casual fans enjoy and then dragged the crew to the spring game, but people I know are either doing neither or just the parade now.

Wasted opportunity to sell the football program.

 

[whaler11]

It would be incredibly stupid not to have some of the players and the trophies at the game Saturday. We've been in agreement for some time.

I never said we should pass on an opportunity to bring awareness to the football program. There's no reason we can't do both the parade and have players/coaches and trophies there. We did it before with the trophies, we should be able to add the players.

"Claiming 10-15k" at the spring game as a positive image of the football program would be near criminal. It would be a running joke in football country that the only way to get 15,000 people to a UConn Spring Game is to bring the Women's basketball team.

Well if an organization actually took control of their narrative... sure it's not worth trying.

First and 10 from the one. Lets run some FB dives!

 

[whaler11]

Francesa 'coached' a Rutgers spring game against Russo. Rutgers never had more publicity.

You can actually get people interested in your spring game if you get creative.

Geno on one sideline and Ollie on the other. Insanity!?!

Hell Calhoun can't get enough. Have him on one sideline and Ollie on the other.

Have Napier 'coach' one team and Stewart 'coach' the other.

Or just really do anything. The whole world seems to get that football drives the bus but let's not do anything to get people at the game.

 

[Dooley]

Seriously, 15K at the Rent for whatever reason brought them there sounds like a 1000% improvement over the typical 3-4K that have gone the past few years. Could have a parade, autographs, on-field celebration, highlights on the video board, fireworks, pictures, etc and while there are 15-20K in the stadium, oh yeah, we play football too. Pick out your own seat and buy season tickets today (haaaave you met Bob?), we will give you this glistening dual championship t-shirt. If you don't want season tickets, it's cool. Enjoy the free game and festivities all afternoon long. We'd love to meet you after the game is over so come on the field and shake a hand or two. Make some friends and maybe sell some tickets now or later on an individual game basis.

Passing of the UCONN torch from basketball to football. It made too much sense so that's why we can't do it. That and probably some stupid traffic ordinance in East Hartford. Ridiculous. Missed opportunity for sure. Everything on one day allows everyone from the area to come to Hartford/East Hartford and celebrate together. HUGE turnout. But no, let's keep things divided and the fanbase separated by basketball vs football fans. SO. STUPID.

 

[BlueMAB]

You can cite my example as being "stupid" and regardless if it is or not, that's what the casual fan is going.

Driving an hour to Hartford for a spring football game didn't sell them and driving an hour to Hartford for only a parade didn't sell them. If they could've done both of the same day they would've done it.

To be honest, I would've come up from NYC for a Saturday parade which casual fans enjoy and then dragged the crew to the spring game, but people I know are either doing neither or just the parade now.

Wasted opportunity to sell the football program.

That's what the people you know (who apparently are at least an hour away) are doing.

I don't think you speak for everyone.

I agree they are missing an opportunity and am surprised they haven't announced something (because they something last time), but having the parade, then expecting 10-15,000 to all pack up and leave downtown to get to the rent at the same time isn't realistic.

The civic center seats over 15,000. Traffic leaves north, west, south, and east. Imagine everyone getting out of a UConn game and heading east to the Rent.

If it's only 5,000 or so that do it, then what's the point? The Spring Game can get 5,000 with good weather and a 3pm start time anyway.

 

[BlueMAB]

Because this is the Boneyard where no matter how many times you post something, someone will ignore it. I agree there's an opportunity to do something at the spring game, and they should do something more than just having the trophies there. But...

Are there fans of UConn sports that don't realize we have a football team? (rhetorical)

It's been 10 years, we've won two conference championships, and gone to a BCS bowl. People know we have a team, and they know that we were good for a few years (the attendance shows that) and that we sucked the past few years (the attendance shows that). We are long past the point where using basketball to introduce people to UConn Football will have any meaningful impact (JMHO).

That doesn't mean we shouldn't do something, but the hand-wringing (expected and common) is really pointless.

And those Dual Champs t-shirts are flying off shelves at $20-$25 each. Giving them away would be crazy.

 

[huskyjawz]

You would think they scheduled it for Midnight on a Tuesday.

Gosh 4 Pm Sunday, what an awful time.

The Masters.... Let's try and pick a time, when the people that run television decide to turn off all 900 stations, so that there is absolutely nothing on that someone might watch and not go to the parade. Let's make sure that all of the cinemas, parks, restaurants, bars, and shopping malls are closed, too.

And let's get rid of all of the couches, beds, and recliners because somebody might want to take a nap, and the parade is going to interfere with that, too.

 

[whaler11]

Because this is the Boneyard where no matter how many times you post something, someone will ignore it. I agree there's an opportunity to do something at the spring game, and they should do something more than just having the trophies there. But...

Are there fans of UConn sports that don't realize we have a football team? (rhetorical)

It's been 10 years, we've won two conference championships, and gone to a BCS bowl. People know we have a team, and they know that we were good for a few years (the attendance shows that) and that we sucked the past few years (the attendance shows that). We are long past the point where using basketball to introduce people to UConn Football will have any meaningful impact (JMHO).

That doesn't mean we shouldn't do something, but the hand-wringing (expected and common) is really pointless.

And those Dual Champs t-shirts are flying off shelves at $20-$25 each. Giving them away would be crazy.

Dear UConn,

Just give up on football. There is no reason to try and increase the fanbase. If you don't have them yet after 10 years you'll never get them.

Don't give someone a t shirt for buying season tickets - clearly you are in the t shirt business and don't want to undercut those sales.

I think the best approach is to bring the football team out and bury the offense at 1 yard line. We want to see this year if you can actually make a first down in 20 minutes.

Your friend,
Wing