[NU Sports] Two responses for the price of one

[Roy Lamberton]

We still have too many Football and Basketball fans who come to the games disguised as empty purple seats.

I know the powers that be are discussing all this as they try to build a campaign to get more fannies in the seats at Football and Basketball, but we were really talking about the smaller sports.

I think Lacrosse has a big opportunity to start building crowds, as long as they keep winning.

Maryland's Men's team drew 2500+ for a game with Georgetown in February, but the women drew less than 800 for a game with Stanford and earlier with Duke so even the long time powers in the Northeast don't do as well as the Cats.

As long as getting to NU's games involves a complex trip by rail, we're going have trouble drawing from the big City or the Northern suburbs. Starting games at 11:00 AM also cuts down on the party atmosphere that draws alums to other schools. (try to park close at a Noon, Navy game if you don't plan to be there by 9 AM!) IMHO it takes too long to get over to Ryan from the interstate on any day, much less game day.

You head over to the main campus for a women's game on the lakefront, and even if you find parking, you've got a long hike to the field. Once you are there it is a great venue, but it can be a long 30 minute walk from public parking.

rsl 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Roy S. Lamberton - Senior Associate & Unix Guru.
Computer Applications & Support Associates
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Publisher: Purple Reign (Scout.com/Fox Sports)
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Northwestern University - Sp 1974 - 
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-----Original Message-----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On Behalf Of SjT (Stephen J. Truog)
Sent: Friday, April 10, 2009 4:24 PM
To: nwu-sports at tssi.com
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] Two responses for the price of one


> > NU students have demonstrated over the years, that
> many won’t come to ANY
> > game, so a sport that depends on large student
> turnouts will always be
> > lacking at NU.

While part of me is proud to have attended a school where sports are not the kings they are at other "institutions of learning," I do believe the numbers tell another story.

During the mid-90s when I was there, NU regularly sold out of student tickets and averaged 5000+ students at home games (often 6000 or 7000). When you consider that that's more than 2/3 or 3/4 of the student population of NU, that's pretty darn impressive. Especially since it was after they started making the students pay instead of just getting in free with ID like it was when I first arrived.

And there have been some hoops games this year and in the past where the student section seems rather full and the rest of the arena empty - so I'm not sure it's the students.

You just have to remember that we have only 8000 or so NU students on campus, as opposed to schools like dOSU, where the student population would more than fill Ryan Field to capacity.

By the numbers, NU students seem to be pretty good sports fans.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT


      

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