Re: RPI 2020 Off-season: Off-season Cancelled
As of now, RPI is planning on opening in the Fall and competing athletically, but I would not be surprised if they start with no fans allowed at the games. It would be unfortunate, but I will take any type of season given to us.
Small D3 institutions, like RPI, banning fans from D3 games is not really all that big a deal to the institution. The budgets for those sports are essentially declared a virtual total loss the day they are established anyway. Knowing this, it is easy to imagine that a significant number of D3 institutions will do exactly that. The income passed on and lost by doing this is basically irrelevant or, in IRS or accounting lingo, nominal and gratuitous.
However, a small D3 school taking on the huge financial commitment necessary to run a play up D1 sport and then playing to no fans for any or all of the season does not appear to be a very realistic option. Costs involved would pretty much remain very high but there would be virtually no revenue to even partially offset those costs. No ticket sales income, no parking lot income, no game program income, no advertising in the game program income, no booster club donation income, no concession stand rental or sales income and, of course, no corporate advertising on either the boards, the ice or the video board income. Passing on and losing this level of income is akin to economic kamikaze suicide.
Not really all that sure that allowing fans in the building would do all that much good either. Some people seem so spooked by the present circumstances that they may not even show up to be part of a sizeable crowd in the foreseeable future anyway. Are there enough people left that wish to live their lives as normally as possible and spend their money to go to games??? Not a clue.
Complicating things further, during a recent video town hall, a certain “CEO” appeared to hint that members of the institution’s community will be required to have their “readings” measured regularly this coming fall. In all probably, only those with their livelihoods or education on the line will put up with that. However, do not believe that most fans merely looking for a night of entertainment will put with that behavior for a second. Just do not see fans waiting in a long line six feet apart so they can eventually get to a complete stranger whose competence, capabilities and even credentials are unknown to the fan and allow that individual to stick a medical device whose origin and past whereabouts are also unknown in said fans mouth or ear. Want to see what making a bee line for the car looks like??? No, do not believe all that many will wear a mask for two and a half hours merely for the sake of entertainment either. Hard enough to get by for 20 to 25 minutes in a supermarket with one of those things on. Forget two and a half hours.
Hinting that small schools just run their D3 programs that will lose about the same money with or without fans and suspend their play up sport until it is no longer economic suicide to run it??? Maybe, maybe not. Just stating the economic reality facts with some speculation spliced in as to what could happen with some of the intangibles, namely human behavior.
Glad decisions I have to make are limited to show up there or don’t show up there. Spend my money there or don’t spend my money there. No way would I want to be the one having to make any decisions about ANYTHING else addressed above.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/letsgored?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#letsgored</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thankyou?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#thankyou</a> <a href="https://t.co/QN3MxJ1MdF">pic.twitter.com/QN3MxJ1MdF</a></p>— RPI Men's Hockey (@RPI_Hockey) <a href="https://twitter.com/RPI_Hockey/status/1263461372135985162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<br>