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Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

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Re: Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

793 seats remain for Saturday. 25 chair backs, 142 lower bowl bleachers. 524 upper bowl, 102 balcony.
 
blackbearbandie said:
I can only hope that the officials for the game on Saturday don't ride up on the Merrimack buses like they probably ended up doing last weekend when they more than likely traveled on the Providence team bus.

That video clip that someone posted a few weeks ago when Maine played Merrimack in the playoffs at Alfond a few years ago when Abbott was called for a dive off of a faceoff explains everything because you really have to see it to believe it.
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Could you please stop crying about the officiating?
 
Re: Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

I wasn't crying, just saying that it was a pathetic excuse for officiating and that I haven't let it go yet :) For the record, on the Coach's show on Wednesday Red was asked about the officiating, and he said that of course he couldn't comment on it, and all he could do was "shake my head at it." Just because he can't comment doesn't mean that I can't and shouldn't.

Thanks for posting that video, Erix. I haven't gotten over that one yet either!
 
Re: Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

Priceless said:
Maybe next time the contract comes up the university can take into account the inflexible nature of its current broadcast partner. In the meantime they are respecting the deal they already have. What a terrible lesson to teach students.
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Apparently they had a contract for regular season games not playoff games.
 
Re: Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

walrus said:
Apparently they had a contract for regular season games not playoff games.
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I understand that. However, they are respecting the wishes of its broadcast partner by not granting WABI the ability to carry the game. Agree or not, the university is displaying integrity.
 
Priceless said:
I understand that. However, they are respecting the wishes of its broadcast partner by not granting WABI the ability to carry the game. Agree or not, the university is displaying integrity.
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Don't they have a longer history with WABI? How about a little respect for the fans? I really don't think games being on tv is what has driven down attendance, ridiculous prices and subpar performances in past years has. You should keep in mind there are a fair amount of older folks in eastern maine who have no interest in going but I'm sure would enjoy watching it on tv. This is a bad start for the AD in my opinion.
 
walrus said:
Apparently they had a contract for regular season games not playoff games.
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Any time you decrease exposure to an event you are not generating additional interest. Take the chicago blackhawks in the 90s and early 00...the owner stopped televising the games to try to get people to fill the seats...creating even less interest. Once they finally got back on tv they have one of the most rabid fan bases in hockey.

I don't see why, if abc can't for whatever reason do the game, why wabi can't then pick it up. How can a home playoff game come as a surprise? And how can one network be ready at the drop of a hat and another not? I think it's ridiculous that Maine is limiting exposure to their one premier sport. I don't think it is an issue of integrity as we have seen UMaine sell out time and time again...wzon,website, etc. If this is a strategy to try to get seats filled, its the wrong one. Increase exposure and in the long run people will come to the games.
 
Re: Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

Drew S. said:
Don't they have a longer history with WABI? How about a little respect for the fans? I really don't think games being on tv is what has driven down attendance, ridiculous prices and subpar performances in past years has. You should keep in mind there are a fair amount of older folks in eastern maine who have no interest in going but I'm sure would enjoy watching it on tv. This is a bad start for the AD in my opinion.
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And don't forget about us down south, Now we can't watch the game either. The U wants to always promote the athletic programs but never broadcast any to the area where 90% of the freaking states population lives. Whoever is in charge of marketing should be fired because clearly there is no thought or foresight put into promoting anything up there.
 
Re: Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

Maine Pudge said:
Any time you decrease exposure to an event you are not generating additional interest. Take the chicago blackhawks in the 90s and early 00...the owner stopped televising the games to try to get people to fill the seats...creating even less interest. Once they finally got back on tv they have one of the most rabid fan bases in hockey.
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I'd argue that "missing the playoffs 9 out of 10 years" was what impacted the rabid fan base and attendance at their various arenas. The Hawks did fine attracting fans during the early 90s, even after Bill Wirtz didn't air home games on TV, a practice he started in 1992. They were in the top 3 in NHL attendance until 1997--then the team sucked out loud, missed the playoffs 9 of 10 seasons (and won 1 playoff game the year they did happen to make it, a playoff run where they also got shut out in 3 of the 5 games) and attendance didn't rebound until they started winning again.

And that's the same for the Black Bears. This game not being on TV is not a big deal. Even if it was on TV, do you think it'd generate a huge amount of viewership? I don't; interest is low because the team has been in a malaise over the last few years. This year has been a jump forward, but as in Chicago, the team will get its rabid fan base back--and justify airing the games on TV again--when it starts to win more frequently. Honoring the contract with their current provider and not doing a one-off with WABI is the right move.
 
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Re: Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

umhockey91 said:
It is brilliant......and ballsy. It's about time that someone up there realizes that people aren't showing up because they are stuck to their couches.
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Yeah, that's it. People aren't going to games because they're lazy. :rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Re: Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

Maine Pudge said:
Any time you decrease exposure to an event you are not generating additional interest. Take the chicago blackhawks in the 90s and early 00...the owner stopped televising the games to try to get people to fill the seats...creating even less interest. Once they finally got back on tv they have one of the most rabid fan bases in hockey.

I don't see why, if abc can't for whatever reason do the game, why wabi can't then pick it up. How can a home playoff game come as a surprise? And how can one network be ready at the drop of a hat and another not? I think it's ridiculous that Maine is limiting exposure to their one premier sport. I don't think it is an issue of integrity as we have seen UMaine sell out time and time again...wzon,website, etc. If this is a strategy to try to get seats filled, its the wrong one. Increase exposure and in the long run people will come to the games.
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I completely agree that Maine needs exposure on TV.

Priceless, there is no integrity lost if Maine wants to allow a different TV station to televise a game that is not covered by a contract. Learfield (or whoever it s) gave Maine $X for the rights to broadcast certain games. Had they wanted to have the rights to broadcast this weekend's game, they should have offered $X + $Y. They didn't. And frankly they should offer Maine some money for telling WABI to pound sand, in order to show some integrity of their own.

Learfield should have some integrity and tell Maine to go ahead and allow WABI to broadcast the game, that is if they want to be "partners". (I do not think that this is a radio sweeps week, so listenership and radio ad prices is not an issue.)
 
Re: Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

ColbyWMHB said:
Honoring the contract with their current provider and not doing a one-off with WABI is the right move.
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It is my understanding that the contract does not cover this game. If that is the case, Maine cannot dishonor the contract no matter what they do with this game.
 
Re: Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

Not legally, no. However, I doubt it's a move that would go over well with their current broadcast partner. That's what i meant by "dishonor"; they wouldn't have been in any legal breach had they chosen otherwise.
 
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Re: Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

ColbyWMHB said:
Not legally, no. However, I doubt it's a move that would go over well with their current broadcast partner. That's what i meant by "dishonor"; they wouldn't have been in any legal breach had they chosen otherwise.
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Then I guess there is little point in signing contracts, right. I mean, if both sides are honorable, then who cares what is on paper. Learfield would surely just pay Maine the right amount, out of honor, in the case that there were no contract. (Sorry, as I wrote, if Learfield wanted the rights to broadcast this game and to prevent other from broadcasting it, then they should have paid for that right. That would have been honorable, too.)
 
Re: Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

Drew S. said:
Don't they have a longer history with WABI? How about a little respect for the fans? I really don't think games being on tv is what has driven down attendance, ridiculous prices and subpar performances in past years has. You should keep in mind there are a fair amount of older folks in eastern maine who have no interest in going but I'm sure would enjoy watching it on tv. This is a bad start for the AD in my opinion.
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No, it isn't. It'll entice more people to go to the game as opposing to sitting on the couch. It's bad enough 3 buses of Merrimack fans are coming up.......
 
Re: Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

TERRIERFANinLA said:
Then I guess there is little point in signing contracts, right. I mean, if both sides are honorable, then who cares what is on paper. Learfield would surely just pay Maine the right amount, out of honor, in the case that there were no contract. (Sorry, as I wrote, if Learfield wanted the rights to broadcast this game and to prevent other from broadcasting it, then they should have paid for that right. That would have been honorable, too.)
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HA! I misread that as FLA, not LA. I originally posted: "Since you can't build snowmen in FLA, I suppose a straw man will have to do, eh?". Nevertheless, it's still a strawman, and veering off in a totally different direction.

Back to what I actually said, though: I doubt the current TV affiliate would have been thrilled if the university allowed WABI to do this game. Do you disagree?
 
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Re: Maine Hockey 2013-2014 - Red White Bleeding Blue...

BBDiehard14 said:
No, it isn't. It'll entice more people to go to the game as opposing to sitting on the couch. It's bad enough 3 buses of Merrimack fans are coming up.......
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Yes because it isn't on TV the money tree in everyone's back yard is going into full bloom. Thank God, Now I can pay my oil bill......and go to the game. I'd go to the game too if I was a Mack student. $5 and a free ride?? Sign me up.
 
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