Caustic Undertow
Don't read this message. Really.
10 of 12 games have been completed in mostly dramatic fashion. In front of mostly empty seats.
Yes, the NCAA regional disaster rolls on. The most important games of the season, featuring electrifying action, overtime, and bad officiating. And nobody goes to see the games.
I knew nobody would be in Green Bay. I took my wife and kids and we had a great time, but there were fewer than 3500 people there on Friday. There were whole sections that but for one or two people were totally empty. With four teams that weren't particularly close, this wasn't a surprise. Still, it's embarrassing to see the highlights of these "crucial" games play out in front of a sea of red seats.
Nonetheless, the real travesty was in St. Paul. St. Paul, a stone's throw from the University of Minnesota, who was in the game. St. Paul, a few hours of familiar driving away from Grand Forks. St. Paul, home to the best hockey arena in the world. St. Paul, which finally won the regional lottery and got both Minnie and NoDak, the two most prominent fan bases at the Final Five the week before. Both playing on a <b>Saturday.</b>
The attendance for day one of that regional: 9386.
I'm not going to blame Minnie or NoDak fans who just went to the Final Five and hope for a Tampa trip. I won't blame promotion of the games, though it doesn't seem to have been very good. I won't even blame the absurdly high prices. And, granted, there will be a huge walk-up tomorrow as fans look for a rematch of last week's see-saw WCHA title game.
But this, to me, is an absolute travesty. If you can't even draw 10,000 fans at the X for the two biggest fan bases in the WCHA, your regional system is broken. It is an insult to the players, the coaches, the fans, and the sport itself. It must change.
The NCAA must drop neutral-site regionals and play the first 12 games at the home sites of the higher seeds.
Yes, the NCAA regional disaster rolls on. The most important games of the season, featuring electrifying action, overtime, and bad officiating. And nobody goes to see the games.
I knew nobody would be in Green Bay. I took my wife and kids and we had a great time, but there were fewer than 3500 people there on Friday. There were whole sections that but for one or two people were totally empty. With four teams that weren't particularly close, this wasn't a surprise. Still, it's embarrassing to see the highlights of these "crucial" games play out in front of a sea of red seats.
Nonetheless, the real travesty was in St. Paul. St. Paul, a stone's throw from the University of Minnesota, who was in the game. St. Paul, a few hours of familiar driving away from Grand Forks. St. Paul, home to the best hockey arena in the world. St. Paul, which finally won the regional lottery and got both Minnie and NoDak, the two most prominent fan bases at the Final Five the week before. Both playing on a <b>Saturday.</b>
The attendance for day one of that regional: 9386.
I'm not going to blame Minnie or NoDak fans who just went to the Final Five and hope for a Tampa trip. I won't blame promotion of the games, though it doesn't seem to have been very good. I won't even blame the absurdly high prices. And, granted, there will be a huge walk-up tomorrow as fans look for a rematch of last week's see-saw WCHA title game.
But this, to me, is an absolute travesty. If you can't even draw 10,000 fans at the X for the two biggest fan bases in the WCHA, your regional system is broken. It is an insult to the players, the coaches, the fans, and the sport itself. It must change.
The NCAA must drop neutral-site regionals and play the first 12 games at the home sites of the higher seeds.
