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Post by hc811215 on Feb 27, 2017 17:14:25 GMT -5
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Post by DiMarz on Feb 27, 2017 19:32:17 GMT -5
I was in Atlanta the week before the Super Bowl, I had on my Patriot's hat and a number of times people said they didn't care about the Falcons..But if it was Georgia football that would be different!
In NE, we have so many colleges, the loyalties are really spread thin, but we only have one pro team in each sport...
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Feb 27, 2017 19:35:11 GMT -5
That "nails it" as we used to say....
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Post by sarasota on Feb 27, 2017 22:48:15 GMT -5
My reply in Boston Mag: "IMHO, the reason is that in many other states, the state university is very dominate in the college sector in every way, therefore captures the allegiance of the best in the state. In Massachusetts, the college sector is huge, including leading private schools, which diffuses the support of UMass."
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Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Feb 27, 2017 23:05:20 GMT -5
UMass had sh*t loads of local, regional and national coverage & support from they time got real good in '92 through the Final Four in '96. Came crashing down when the good play ended when Cal left for the Nets.
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Post by hchoops on Feb 27, 2017 23:06:59 GMT -5
UMass had sh*t loads of local, regional and national coverage & support from they time got real good in '92 through the Final Four in '96. Came crashing down when the good play AND CHEATING ended when Cal left for the Nets. Edited |
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Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Feb 27, 2017 23:15:54 GMT -5
Beware the fallout at programs in any sport at pretty much any school who rise to national prominence quicker than they should.
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Post by hc87 on Feb 28, 2017 0:10:38 GMT -5
In Holy Cross' case...it's because we play in an invisible league......the only Central Mass school playing D1 sports and no one knows....
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Post by Tom on Feb 28, 2017 9:23:33 GMT -5
In Holy Cross' case...it's because we play in an invisible league......the only Central Mass school playing D1 sports and no one knows.... The ACC isn't invisible, but Boston doesn't pay attention to them The Big East isn't invisible. but St Johns and Seton Hall are after thoughts in the NYC metro area. I think the Northeast(not just MA) is just so much more pro-centric that college is an after thought |
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Post by hcross22 on Feb 28, 2017 9:40:40 GMT -5
In Holy Cross' case...it's because we play in an invisible league......the only Central Mass school playing D1 sports and no one knows.... People know, they just don't care. A smaller, more diffused alumni base. More entertainment options (pro sports). As someone else said, BC plays in the ACC, and they get 1k people at their games sometimes....and do you really think HC could compete at a higher level than BC in a league like the ACC? |
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Post by joe on Feb 28, 2017 9:41:44 GMT -5
SJU and SHU have plenty of fan support, just seems like less against the backdrop of the bright light and glitz of NYC. Transplant either program to rural areas and the same level of support would appear differently.
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Post by gks on Feb 28, 2017 16:08:08 GMT -5
-Too many small, private colleges
-Colleges themselves put less emphasis on athletics
-The New England D1 schools don't play each other regularly or at all
-BC leaving Big East
-End of the 'Eastern Independents' in football
-Major media market would rather mock than cover the state flagship university
These are but just a few....
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Feb 28, 2017 16:49:14 GMT -5
Agree with most of what GKS (and several others) have written..
BC being in the ACC doesn't bring media coverage of the rest of the ACC UMass' conference affiliation, when it is affiliated, gets zero coverage. The two FBS schools in the state simply can't be islands, off by themselves, when it comes to coverage.
Here's a whimsical thought. Suppose the BE had let PSU in, instead of locking the door.
Football members of the BE
Penn State
Pitt
Syracuse
Army [football only?]
Navy [football only?]
Boston College
Holy Cross
Rutgers
UConn
(Excluded Villanova & UMass because of stadium issues)
Non-football members
Providence
St. John's
Georgetown
Seton Hall
St. Joe's
[Bucknell if Navy is football only]
[Fairfield if Army is football only]
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Post by sarasota on Feb 28, 2017 17:39:08 GMT -5
I should have confined my comment to fball. E.g., In the Big Ten OH ST fball is huge in OH, WISCO fball is huge in WISCO, MN fball is huge in MN, etc. There's nothing like that phenomenon in the Northeast. (I can't believe how many retirees' Ohio State Buckeyes license plates there are down here in FL southern gulf coast.)
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Post by hc87 on Mar 1, 2017 0:07:08 GMT -5
Providence College basketball is HUGE in Providence....it's what Holy Cross basketball could be in Worcester if the school had an athletic vision.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Mar 1, 2017 0:34:28 GMT -5
Providence College basketball is HUGE in Providence....it's what Holy Cross basketball could be in Worcester if the school had an athletic vision. we've been thru this innumerable times. Providence has extraordinary advantages over Worcester . It would not be as simple as HC behaving like PC. We must be realistic |
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Post by ncaam on Mar 1, 2017 3:56:32 GMT -5
87 is correct in the sense of what could have been. Boat sailed with big East. We are what we are.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Mar 1, 2017 7:09:58 GMT -5
Providence has always been the exception, not the rule.
Providence was ranked #32 nationally in attendance in 1978, averaging 9,168
(HC was ranked #125, with an attendance that was pretty much max for the Hart)
Providence was not ranked in top 25 in 1976 and 1977, and not ranked in top 10 1970-1975. (Attendance values in those years are limited.)
In 2016, Providence ranked #44 nationally, averaging 9,703. Ranked #4 in Big East. That was a bounceback year, Providence averaged 8,347 in 2014.
In 1978, BC averaged 2,567. In 2016, BC averaged 3,411. Why is BC not more typical of Div I attendance in Massachusetts? In 1978, UMass averaged 4,430. In 2016, UMass averaged 3,365. Why is UMass not more typical of Division I attendance in Massachusetts? Should we blame the conferences that UMass and BC are playing in?
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Post by rgs318 on Mar 1, 2017 8:28:04 GMT -5
How is Providence doing in baseball and football? Are we comparing apples and oranges?
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Post by purplehaze on Mar 1, 2017 9:49:10 GMT -5
I'm not your typical northeasterner i guess. I don't understand the obsession with paying hundreds of $ (per person) to go and watch multi-millionaires play their sport. the media (esp espn) has created this monster of professional sports which i am not buying into, but i will admit to watching on tv with millions of others which does feed this monster.
the mid-major product (or occasional high major) in whatever sport is the best form of economical family entertainment. At the same time, I will confess I don't know how we will ever get 12,000 fannies again in fitton field, or 3500 regularly in the hart center.
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Post by sarasota on Mar 1, 2017 9:54:33 GMT -5
Lights for Fitton.
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Post by alum on Mar 1, 2017 10:14:45 GMT -5
Easy answer to the original question for me---The Red Sox are the most important outside interest in my life---even more than politics and HC sports. I am sure that there are hundreds of thousands of others who agree.
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Post by joe on Mar 1, 2017 10:15:51 GMT -5
Personally I love living in Boston and being able to shoot over to a variety of D1 athletic events almost any day of the week. HC is only a short ride as well. 40 minutes sailing on 90 for the BU game. With the focus on pro sports, access to college sports, including parking, ticket and concession cost, etc. is made easy.
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Post by Chu Chu on Mar 1, 2017 11:56:31 GMT -5
Interesting tidbit in the article is that Holy Cross is the only Massachusetts college in history to win either the NCAA Basketball or Baseball Championship. Might it be that the lack of success has something to do with the lack of popularity? Certainly in the heyday, Holy cross had a big following.
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Post by timholycross on Mar 1, 2017 14:24:54 GMT -5
Wonder if there's any other region similarly sized that has schools in 10 D1 conferences (and I might be missing one) like New England does?
American, ACC, A10, Patriot, Ivy, Northeast, Big East, America East, MAAC, CAA
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