On message boards, around the media tables, and amongst the players and coaches, the question remains: why don't students attend games at the Arena.
Unfortunately, the answer this season seems very clear and certainly cut and dry. When the games are convenient, students will go. When they are not, there are better places to spend your weekends.
The Alumni Hall games drew sell-out crowds, whereas under 100 students attended the last men's basketball game at the Arena. On-campus events are much easier to attend then off-campus. Take the lacrosse and soccer games for example, thousands attend because it is there. When you wake up, it's in your face.
This is too easy of a cop-out however, as the location is certainly a strong factor, but not the sole one. Fairfield basketball has not been entertaining for a long time. Losing seasons, failed expectations, and having to pay to see it? Seems like an awfully big request.
Luckily, this season the women are pretty good, but will never draw the same as the men. Why? Demographics, this a predominantly female campus and as my Associate Editor Ali stated in her first column this year, there is more to the game than the sport.
Fairfield needs to also accept one grand theme in all of this: alcohol. Petty and immature, yes. However, kids are going to get drunk before, during, and after any event they can. Pre-game in a dorm room and walk to Alumni or risk getting arrested or shot in a drunken stumble through Bridgeport. Which would you choose?
I know the University doesn't like talking about alcohol and drunkenness is as big of a taboo as diversity, but this is what college is certainly about, the WHOLE experience. Kegs and eggs, post-game parties, drunken chants.
Fairfield is going to have loads to consider if they are ever going to revive school spirit. We all love the Red Sea, but it has to go much deeper than that.
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5 comments:
You will fill the seats at Harbor Yard if you win and improve the product on the court. It is just that simple; Win and they will come.
IMO, win and they will come has not been the case at AHY with TOT even during his back to back 19 win seasons,COY and NIT. AHY will never have the convenience factor that AH has for students.
Maybe the Women's AH games in Jan/Feb will bring the students out in greater numbers?
There were never any big wins at home against top programs. The investigation scandal blinded the 19 win seasons.
AHY is the primary venue for Stag basketball. We had 6k for Georgetown this year without the students. On top of that it was the night before Thanksgiving.
During the 90s and early 00s the student attendance at AH was pathetic. Check your facts before you come with your talk.
AHY will help the program if we ever want to compete against the bigger schools; UCONN, BC, etc.
Though there were 6k without the students for Georgetown, shouldn't the focus of college basketball be the students and their school spirit as opposed to Georgetown fans and alumni?
The real test will be how the students will respond to the remaining AHY games in Jan. and Feb.
IMO, just winning will not change things substanially if the students want AH over AHY as evidenced in the 2 AH sellouts and no body at AHY for the best drawing MAAC team in Manhattan.
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