Re: DIII Championships to merge with DI FF starting in 2015?
So no school west of upstate NY averages more than 1,030 and only nine teams in the entire country draw more than 1000 on average. Like I said above, I'd be thrilled with the chance to watch more hockey at the Frozen Four. However, let's not kid ourselves. The D3 games would draw 8,000 at the very most.
To be fair, that's not a poor argument to advance in favor of a merged championship event.
We already know that the Division I event already essentially sells out (in essence, providing the host arena with three days' worth of revenue from their cut of the tickets and concessions), and we also know that the arena is booked for the three day block (even with one day being idle). If the arena gets the chance to put that idle day to use, it's basically free money no matter how few people actually show up (assuming an appropriately scaled staff size).
So run the schedule like this:
Thursday: D-I semifinals.
Friday: D-III semifinals.
Saturday: D-III semifinal in the afternoon, with the D-I final in the afternoon*.
As an additional enticement, for anyone that secures a D-I ticket package through the NCAA or the host schools, they also get admission to the D-III event on Friday. Even if only one in ten of those people show up, that's still an extra thousand plus in concessions over any D-III specific sales.
*The D-III tournament already runs over two days rather than three, so nothing would change on that front.
