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Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

FiveHole12 said:
Why? Will 2 more Harvard fans show up next year, bringing the total to 12? :D
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Joke or not, this isn't far from the truth. Depressing considering that in the early nineties when I was a student, Harvard hockey had a lot of vocal support from students at home games and at the Beanpot. Even though they've had a few successful seasons since then and made the NCAA tourney, they've also had quite a few forgettable seasons. I think it will take a long period of successful back-to-back seasons for Harvard hockey to get the fan support that they once had their heyday of the mid 80's to the early 90's (in which they made 4 Frozen Four appearances and won a national title).
That being said -- I believe that on Monday most of the non-BU fans from Beanpot schools and neutral observers will be rooting for the Crimson.
 
Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

Question for you more mature folks.
I'm fairly new to the bean pot as I'm originally from Dallas so I found out it was a thing when I first arrived at BU hence this is only my 8th Beanpot.

Could it be not just a lack of interest in college hockey (in terms of students), but rather a lack of interest in OTHER schools' games?

Simply put, did students tend to arrive early or stay late for the second game and watch both at the Garden in years past?

My friends and I watch both games both nights every year, but we are definitely in the minority.

Thoughts?
 
Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

Rhett Hot said:
My friends and I watch both games both nights every year, but we are definitely in the minority.
Thoughts?
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IMO....(let me preface it with that) Whoever mentioned a few posts back that there are so many other "options" today probably has it right. Coupled with the fact that all of the Beanpot schools (save Harvard) were essentially "commuter" schools for years, meaning that most of the students were locals. So hockey was in the blood of many of them because they grew up playing or watching. Now you have exposure to students from all over the world, many from places that don't have any interest in hockey (or sports for that matter). BU, being a research school, has a lot of academic people who have no interest in sports at all. Regarding the actual attendance, I would always stay for all of both games. But MOST people came in during the third period of the first game. For as long as I can remember, the Garden was basically EMPTY for most of the first game. And by the second period of the second game, if it wasn't a close game or your team wasn't involved, you usually left. So I think it's a combination of all of those things.

So does this mean I'm mature now? :D :D :D :D
 
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Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

chickod said:
IMO....(let me preface it with that) Whoever mentioned a few posts back that there are so many other "options" today probably has it right. Coupled with the fact that all of the Beanpot schools (save Harvard) were essentially "commuter" schools for years, meaning that most of the students were locals. So hockey was in the blood of many of them because they grew up playing or watching. Now you have exposure to students from all over the world, many from places that don't have any interest in hockey (or sports for that matter). BU, being a research school, has a lot of academic people who have no interest in sports at all. Regarding the actual attendance, I would always stay for all of both games. But MOST people came in during the third period of the first game. For as long as I can remember, the Garden was basically EMPTY for most of the first game. And by the second period of the second game, if it wasn't a close game or your team wasn't involved, you usually left. So I think it's a combination of all of those things.
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Agreed... add to that the cost that seems to keep going up ($45 game ticket, $12 beer, $10 slice of pizza, $40 parking etc etc) would help to keep people at home.

I also do think that the fact that this has essentially become a "is BU or BC going to win" tournament over the past 2 decades has not helped with overall interest either.
 
Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

Rhett Hot said:
Question for you more mature folks...did students tend to arrive early or stay late for the second game and watch both at the Garden in years past?...
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I'll admit to being more "mature" than I want to admit to but to answer your question: Yes, back in my student and young alumnus days, people tended to be there for both games. It was an Event (capital E) that had plenty of buzz, even though the internet hadn't yet been thought of. The event itself (both nights) definitely had something of an electric feel to it, not unlike what you find at mega-events like big concerts and even WrestleMania today. It also helped that back in those days, all four schools were legitimate contenders. (Harvard had several Final Four appearances and one NC in the '80s.) My perception from afar is that electricity has been unplugged and it's now an event with a lower case "e." A shame.

See also Post #158 in this thread.

Edit: I also think the last two posts about NU/BU/BC transitioning from commuter schools to Top 50 national universities has brought with it a degree of indifference (or even hostility) toward competitive sports. This plus the steep and steady price increases have combined to tamp down the interest and enthusiasm.
 
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Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

Richard said:
I watched the game on TV, there were plenty of empty seats visable in the lower bowl.
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I was sitting the lower bowl, and it was pretty much filled during the end of the first game and for the first period of the second game. Those tickets were all sold. But how early people arrive, and how soon they leave, when their team is not playing will open some seats.
 
Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

Split-N said:
It was an Event (capital E) that had plenty of buzz, even though the internet hadn't yet been thought of.
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The other thing that's somewhat annoying to me is the obsession with phones, Facebook and the like. At the Hockey East tournament (I think it was the year before last), these two students were sitting in front of me. They never ONCE even looked at the game...they spent the entire evening taking pictures and posting online. So, even where there are "big crowds," there still isn't that "buzz," because at any one time a certain percentage of people aren't even paying attention. Short attention spans, to me, have also ruined the atmosphere at these events. You didn't need all the constant noise, sensory input and distractions that you have today (especially at pro sports), because in the "old days" we went to WATCH THE GAME.

Split-N said:
Edit: I also think the last two posts about NU/BU/BC transitioning from commuter schools to Top 50 national universities has brought with it a degree of indifference (or even hostility) toward competitive sports, which has had the effect of tamping down the interest and enthusiasm.
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Agreed.
 
Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

chickod said:
The other thing that's somewhat annoying to me is the obsession with phones, Facebook and the like...
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Agree in principle but without them, the video of the BU girl ensuring that her BF (or whomever the guy sitting next to her was) was able to...errr...enjoy himself in a way that had nothing to do with anything on the ice wouldn't have circulated. Certainly, a Beanpot moment for the ages.
 
Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

Rhett Hot said:
Question for you more mature folks.
I'm fairly new to the bean pot as I'm originally from Dallas so I found out it was a thing when I first arrived at BU hence this is only my 8th Beanpot.

Could it be not just a lack of interest in college hockey (in terms of students), but rather a lack of interest in OTHER schools' games?

Simply put, did students tend to arrive early or stay late for the second game and watch both at the Garden in years past?

My friends and I watch both games both nights every year, but we are definitely in the minority.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

This is nothing more than one man's opinion, and I have no problem with BU, BC, Harvard, NU recruiting practices. They know the players they need to be successful.

However, until maybe 20 years ago, many persons attended the Beanpot, the ECAC/HE tourney and college hockey games in general because...

"There's a kid playing who lives one street over" or,

"BC has a player who was a teammate of my son's" or,

"This kid played at my high school a few years after I played", and so on.

Just look at the rosters. That just isn't true today. There are guys capable of playing D1 hockey from all over the country. Aside from the occasional kid like BC's Fitzgerald, the public and Catholic players have become uncompetitive at the D1 level.To a large extent, college hockey has lost its local flavor and part of its appeal to casual fans.

At the same time, it's reason that the US has become more than competitive with Canada, Russia, Sweden, etc. in international tournaments.
 
Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

Having attended for over 3 decades I recall very few fans being there from the start of the first game until the end of the second game. As one of those who did so for over 2 decades I feel well qualified in commenting on the matter. I would also like to point out that the semifinals used to be scheduled for 6 PM & 9 PM, not 5 PM & 8 PM. The later start allowed more fans to get to the early game sooner and thereby fill up the stands for most of the first game. However, the later start for the second game also ensured more fans would leave sooner, especially if it was non-competitive.

The championship game also used to be scheduled for 8 PM, not 7:30 PM, but that change has had less of an impact for attendance for the game. It has, however, reduced the attendance for the consolation game even further than it used to.

Also, before 1979 all four Beanpot games used to be considered ECAC league games (I believe that the 1979 semifinal games were considered ECAC games, but not the consolation and championship games). So even if you were playing in the consolation game it was important for league standings.

Finally, as has been stated here already, the fact that since 1994 only BU or BC has won it had reduced interest. Furthermore, this is just the fourth championship game Harvard has been in since 1993, while Northeastern has only been in 8. Still, interest from Northeastern fans has gone up the past decade as NU was in 4 championship games in 5 years (2011-15) and 5 in 7 years (2009-15).

Sean
 
Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

Option 1: We totally choke and get our doors blown off.

Option 2: We play really well and lose in heartbreaking fashion.

Hoping if I try to embrace that now, it won't hurt as much later.
 
Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

A Harvard win would be good for the tournament. #SocialistHockey
 
Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

As a Northeastern fan, I found the consolation to be.....umm....consoling (but only to a point).
 
Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

Hey, I desperately want Harvard to win this thing but the ECAC officiating crew working this game makes Cameron Voss look good by comparison!
 
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