UConn to play Army at Yankee Stadium

[EdgewoodNHV]

a. go see a game at westpoint. take in the pre-game activites. It's tradition... college football was basically born there. there is a reason Michie stadim is mentioned as one of the top venues to see a college football game.
b. I'm fine with NYC and Uconn. I just hope between Army and Uconn, both schools can get more than 20K fans into a neutral site stadium.

I don't understand the infatuation with West Point. Unless you really adore the armed forces, I don't really see the pull. I personally prefer the tailgating atmosphere at The Rent and look forward to watching a game at Yankee Stadium after a nice short train ride from New Haven rather than driving up to West Point. Maybe I missed something.

 

[J187Money]

Train should be packed to the gills for this game. For those of you that don't realize this, as part of the Yankee Stadium remodel, they built a Metro-North platform at the stadium so you can take the train DIRECTLY to the stadium.

 

[J187Money]

I don't understand the infatuation with West Point. Unless you really adore the armed forces, I don't really see the pull. I personally prefer the tailgating atmosphere at The Rent and look forward to watching a game at Yankee Stadium after a nice short train ride from New Haven rather than driving up to West Point. Maybe I missed something.

I haven't been, but EVERYONE that I've ever talked to says it is a bucket list sort of thing if you are a college football fan (similar to ND - which I always scoffed at, but I was clearly wrong).

 

[Carl Spackler]

Hey I don't know what most of you are talking about, but I think this is awesome. Obviously I live right on the Metro North Line and will go to this in a heartbeat. Hopefully we can get a bunch of fans in the 203 to do the same. I have been waiting for UConn to be in the Pinstipe Bowl once they started it. And honestly this may be the closest we get to it.

How cool would it be to have a UCONN train together and fill the entire train with UCONN fans?

Here's the bottom line: If - If - the Fairfield county demographic is a target population for UCONN football, this game and how it is advertised and promoted and what kinds of things UCONN is able to do move tickets and fill the stadium? It will be interesting to see what's done, and what the response is. They've got a year to do it.

Because for Huskies faithful actually living in NYC area, and Fairfield county - this is a home game.

The opportunities to do things, creative and innovative, things - and see real positive results - are all there.

 

[Dooley]

I don't understand the infatuation with West Point. Unless you really adore the armed forces, I don't really see the pull. I personally prefer the tailgating atmosphere at The Rent and look forward to watching a game at Yankee Stadium after a nice short train ride from New Haven rather than driving up to West Point. Maybe I missed something.

When UCONN played there years ago I hopped on a bus trip to West Point for the game. The setting was AWESOME. We had upper deck tickets that overlooked the Hudson River valley which made for a perfect backdrop to watch the game. Watching the cadets line up and feeling the canon fire was pretty cool. It definitely is a trip worth taking. If I remember corretly, Darius Butler had a pick 6 as a FR that game.

 

[UConn Dan]

Because for Huskies faithful actually living in NYC area, and Fairfield county - this is a home game.

The opportunities to do things, creative and innovative, things - and see real positive results - are all there.

We essentially have 8 home games next year. That's a B1G statement!

 

[Palatine]

Cool, I'll be there wearing Huskies blue.

 

[Dooley]

Hey I don't know what most of you are talking about, but I think this is awesome. Obviously I live right on the Metro North Line and will go to this in a heartbeat. Hopefully we can get a bunch of fans in the 203 to do the same. I have been waiting for UConn to be in the Pinstipe Bowl once they started it. And honestly this may be the closest we get to it.

Completely agree. I want games at Yankee Stadium, MetLife, Fenway and Gilette. The more larger venue games in large TV markets, the better. UCONN/Warde is trying to show that we have NYC penetration by agreeing to this game. He's given us the opportunity to show that UCONN moves tickets in NYC. If UCONN can pack that house against Army, that should alert Delany that UCONN could really move tickets in higher profile games.

Guys, this is a great opportunity to show UCONN's standing in NYC. An announced crowd of 20,000 or less would be brutal. If we sell the house out, then let the CR wheels start cranking.

 

[Marty Jackson]

I don't understand the infatuation with West Point. Unless you really adore the armed forces, I don't really see the pull. I personally prefer the tailgating atmosphere at The Rent and look forward to watching a game at Yankee Stadium after a nice short train ride from New Haven rather than driving up to West Point. Maybe I missed something.

when I was younger I saw Army vs Pitt when Dan Marino was playing. Can't remember much except that Pitt won pretty handidly. what i do remember is the tour of the campus, meeting the cadets, and seeing all the history and tradition. Just went back last year almost exactly 30 years later. same exact feelings walking the campus, talking with the cadets, and learning more about the history of the school and its football traditions. Was also very cool to see the parade formations in the morning where they play the visiting schools fight song along with a bunch of others.
I don't think you have to really adore the armed forces to appreciate Westpoint. Maybe an appreciation of history, tradition and a little college football.

you can look at schools like ole miss, alabama, texas, michigan, and osu etc and say they have history and tradition. they learned their traditions by following army. and to me, playing army is more valuable to the fans and the players by playing at Westpoint.

If you've been to a game at Michie Stadium and weren't impressed I think maybe you did miss something. Then again, maybe you didn't. everyone is different.

 

[jackl]

OT in this thread: the "contract with the Rent" needs to be ripped up and flushed down the toilet. Leads to more problems than it's worth.

What is the contract with the "RENT"? Who owns the facility? Who is the Major tenant? Who is the Property Management team? Why are we beholding to the Property Management Team? Isn't Global making enough for the services they provide? Who put UCONN football and Basketball in such a tenuous position? Just an interested season ticket holder.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I haven't been, but EVERYONE that I've ever talked to says it is a bucket list sort of thing if you are a college football fan (similar to ND - which I always scoffed at, but I was clearly wrong).

The Hudson river valley in the fall is a beautiful place, to take a trip and enjoy some incredible views of nature, and there is a vibe that you get from the military academies around football that you don't get elsewhere. Navy is a little bit different, but when you walk into the stadium at either place, you know you're in an historic and important place, to a lot of people. It's not just the banners to championships, and things like that you see in every stadium around the country, you walk in and as you walk by different monuments, and plaques, and banners, you're looking at monuments to real wars and people that have not just fought in a game, but have fought and died. It's quite humbling in a big way. Chills. That's just me though.

That aside, Yankee Stadium, well.....when it comes to sports, and media, and popularity, and games.....etc....it's yankee stadium. There is only one Yankee Stadium. Even Red Sox fans have to acknowledge that. Fenway is nice and quaint, and full of character, and a fun place to see a game, but it's not the house that Ruth built. I've been waiting a few years now, since the Steinbrenner family decided to start playing football there again, for our opportunity to play there. My hope, is that after this game next year, we're going to be looked at as a potential regular player in the Bronx.

 

[Dooley]

For further context why it is important for this game to sell out, here is some ESPiN reaction from the brutal USC-Syracuse game at MetLife in 2012. Note Lane Kiffin's comments. If UCONN can sell out a game against Army, it could DEFINITELY sell out a game against USC-esque program.

The announced crowd at the New York Giants' and Jets' stadium for USC-Syracuse was 39,507. The actual attending crowd was probably between 30-35,000. Either way, the 82,566-seat stadium was less than half-filled, and the Trojans noticed. Coach Lane Kiffin praised his team after the game for winning despite the less-than-ideal conditions, as USC had clearly anticipated a bigger turnout for its farthest road trip of the 2012 season.

"You fly all the way to the East Coast," Kiffin tells his team in the MetLife visitors' locker room B following the game in this video. "You gotta go two days early to a place you've never played at. It's their Super Bowl. And then you come out and all the sudden nobody shows up, so the crowd's dead and you got no juice."

 

[Carl Spackler]

Train should be packed to the gills for this game. For those of you that don't realize this, as part of the Yankee Stadium remodel, they built a Metro-North platform at the stadium so you can take the train DIRECTLY to the stadium.

East 153rd. It's about a 5 minute walk, longer in a big crowd, to the stadium gates. You walk past the grounds of the old stadium. The Yankees have a specific train times and deals set up around games going in before game time, and then leaving periodically after games. Seems that the same kind of thing would be easy to set up around a football game.

 

[Santini35]

I agree that the opponent could be better but I think it's a great get to play at Yankee stadium and puts in the conversation as a metro NYC team.

My biggest concern: since realignment we have scheduled 0.0 power 5 conference schools. In 2014 we play Boise St, BYU and now Army but no power 5.

Dont we have Tennessee and Virginia in the future?

 

[pepband99]

Train should be packed to the gills for this game. For those of you that don't realize this, as part of the Yankee Stadium remodel, they built a Metro-North platform at the stadium so you can take the train DIRECTLY to the stadium.

Unlikely this would be the case for a typical weekend scenario, but I wouldn't be shocked if the MTA was smart enough to arrange for this for a UConn game.

 

[UConn Dan]

What is the contract with the "RENT"? Who owns the facility? Who is the Major tenant? Who is the Property Management team? Why are we beholding to the Property Management Team? Isn't Global making enough for the services they provide? Who put UCONN football and Basketball in such a tenuous position? Just an interested season ticket holder.

UConn leases the stadium from the state (20 year deal -- 10 to-go). We are the major tenant. Property management is Global Spectrum as of this summer. The University officials and state government officials that were in power 10 years ago put us in this position.

Of note: UConn did attempt to bid on becoming the property manager of both the XL and the Rent during the most recent bidding round.

Also of note, the stadium will be able to sell naming rights in 2017, i believe. Not sure who gets that money -- I'm assuming the property manager and the state share revenues.

 

[pepband99]

The Hudson river valley in the fall is a beautiful place, to take a trip and enjoy some incredible views of nature, and there is a vibe that you get from the military academies around football that you don't get elsewhere. Navy is a little bit different, but when you walk into the stadium at either place, you know you're in an historic and important place, to a lot of people. It's not just the banners to championships, and things like that you see in every stadium around the country, you walk in and as you walk by different monuments, and plaques, and banners, you're looking at monuments to real wars and people that have not just fought in a game, but have fought and died. It's quite humbling in a big way. Chills. That's just me though.

That aside, Yankee Stadium, well.....when it comes to sports, and media, and popularity, and games.....etc....it's yankee stadium. There is only one Yankee Stadium. Even Red Sox fans have to acknowledge that. Fenway is nice and quaint, and full of character, and a fun place to see a game, but it's not the house that Ruth built. I've been waiting a few years now, since the Steinbrenner family decided to start playing football there again, for our opportunity to play there. My hope, is that after this game next year, we're going to be looked at as a potential regular player in the Bronx.

This. All of it.

 

[Carl Spackler]

For further context why it is important for this game to sell out, here is some ESPiN reaction from the brutal USC-Syracuse game at MetLife in 2012. Note Lane Kiffin's comments. If UCONN can sell out a game against Army, it could DEFINITELY sell out a game against USC-esque program.

The announced crowd at the New York Giants' and Jets' stadium for USC-Syracuse was 39,507. The actual attending crowd was probably between 30-35,000. Either way, the 82,566-seat stadium was less than half-filled, and the Trojans noticed. Coach Lane Kiffin praised his team after the game for winning despite the less-than-ideal conditions, as USC had clearly anticipated a bigger turnout for its farthest road trip of the 2012 season.

"You fly all the way to the East Coast," Kiffin tells his team in the MetLife visitors' locker room B following the game in this video. "You gotta go two days early to a place you've never played at. It's their Super Bowl. And then you come out and all the sudden nobody shows up, so the crowd's dead and you got no juice."

Do you have a link for this quote?

 

[UConn Dan]

Dont we have Tennessee and Virginia in the future?

Those were booked prior to realignment. I mentioned in a later post.

 

[pepband99]

Do you have a link for this quote?

http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/usc/post/_/id/14340/attendance-issues-east-coast

 

[Waquoit]

The point is playing the game in the NYC market, not whether you'd like a trip to West Point. Hardly a letdown.

Exactly, I've seen UConn twice at West Point. That's enough. Army plays many games there each year for folks who want to visit.

 

[Dooley]

Do you have a link for this quote?

http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/usc/post/_/id/14340/attendance-issues-east-coast

It's safe to say that the Trojans expected a larger, louder crowd at its East Coast tuneup. And it wasn't their fans' fault, either -- there were at least as many USC fans as Syracuse supporters in attendance. It was more of a local issue. Not counting what appeared to be a robust Syracuse student section, there were very few local New Yorkers who went to the game.

 

[Bill Sussman]

I got dragged to a country concert at MetLife this weekend with the girlfriend. I had to hold my nose at this....

I like the move even with Army as the opponent. Now as everyone said.... We got to show up

 

[freescooter]

Army home game. They announced last year that they'll be playing a game at Yankee Stadium pretty much every year. For us its fine. Close road game we should have a great shot to win. I have no problem with that and it works well in the context of the schedule that year. I doubt we were looking to schedule Alabama on top of BYU and Boise so this is a nice game to balance things out. Preferable to playing Buffalo again! And its not Michie Stadium which is a terrific place to watch a football game. But its fine. Not sure I buy all the stuff about playing in New York, but again its fine. I share the concerns about still no major conference scheduling out of Warde, but given his level of incompetence in everything he's touched, not surprised.

Finally, Carl, the current Yankee Stadium isn't "the house that Ruth built." Its more a Disney recreation. Ruth's house was across the street.

 

[Carl Spackler]

http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/usc/post/_/id/14340/attendance-issues-east-coast

thanks.

This is the kind of thing, that UCONN fans need to rally around. You cannot tell me that there aren't enough UCONN fans, fans of the University of Connecticut - in the NYC area to fill Yankee Stadium to capacity. If you set up a hardcourt and played UCONN basketball in the middle of yankee stadium it would sell out in a heartbeat.

Got to find a way to connect the dots and fill that stadium with UCONN Huskies, and then publish the hell out of it. Make Penn State, Michigan, Southern California, etc....look to schedule games with us in the Big Apple - because with great demand, comes great amounts of money in driving up ticket prices.