[NU Sports] Philips proposes Cats to play Illinois at Wrigley

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

I'm not wild about the idea for a couple reasons ...

- Wrigley would be an awful place for a college football game. It would be more of a nightmare for people to get to than Dyche by a mile. Parking would be a mess. And cachet would soon wear off. This wouldn't be a one-time hockey event, it would be a regular football game.

- The excitement would die quickly. Football games belong on the college campus with the college environment. The Red River and Cocktail games are the rare exceptions and involve border wars where the tickets are split equally between bitter rivals with huge support on each side. I doubt we would have a 50-50 split with the Illini every year, nor would we fill the stadium every year. From the NU side, with most of our students unable/unwilling to make it, it would be like the early September games with a lot of empty seats. And unless the Ill-whine-I are doing well, the Chicago bandwagoners wouldn't show either.

It just sounds too gimmicky to me. I don't really see many Big Ten games able to do this (maybe OSU-PSU in Pittsburgh/Cleveland, but that would suck compared to the annual White Out or 'Shoe classics of recent years). Illinois-Mizzou is starting to build their tradition because St. Louis is a natural meeting point and it's a pretty even split (they still need some rivalry and fire, though, and consistent success).

A Wrigley game would be neat for one year, then start to lose luster at a rapid rate. Soldier Field would probably hold on longer with a better environment for football, but even then it would be a half-empty spaceship some years.

Besides, Illinois doesn't really seem to consider us their rival. And we've had more rivalry-like games with Wisky and Iowa in recent years than the Illini - though it is fun to hate the Orange.:)

Now a Badger-Wildcat game in Milwaukee (the "Bub Bowl" for those who know me:) ) ... or a Purdue-NU game in Comiskey Park ... nah!:)

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

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STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!!