Either I read the original notice incorrectly or Mr. Wyland doesn't consider students, faculty and staff to be "fans." I wonder what the impact may be on RPI fan attendance on the road. Traditionally only Cornell turns out the type of crowds we do in opposing rinks. Will it go up because those are the only chances we get to see our team or will it go down as people throw up their hands in frustration or lose interest?
As for the women and other sports programs, yes, the ruling seems to apply to them as well, but does Mr. Wyland pay any attention to them in all but the most extraordinary seasons?
Way too small a sample to be considered a "scientific sample" that could be used to determine valid data or results, but good enough for me to suspect that your "will it go down as people throw up their hands in frustration or lose interest scenario" is very likely.
Sadly, the individuals (two couples) I have hung out with the most while at the Fieldhouse since the mid late 70's both made it a point to contact me recently. They wanted to make sure that I knew they are out of this funny farm run by people that are totally bats before I bought anything just to end up sitting by myself night after night. They didn't think I would either like or enjoy that very much and they were absolutely correct.
Ironically, there is probably no one more used to doing RPI sports solo (both home and away) than myself since the outdoor fall and spring D3 sports played in daylight have much smaller fan bases combined with much less interest. However, the key words here are outdoor, fall, spring and daylight. Nothing like being outdoors on fall days for a football game or on a spring day for a baseball doubleheader. Nothing like fall drives over the Mohawk Trail or through the Adirondacks for football games at WPI and SLU. Ditto the spring for baseball in the North Country, the Berkshires or closer along various Route 9's to Skidmore and Bard or the Taconic to Vassar. In those seasons, does not bother me a bit if there is no one else interested. Oh, by the way, most (if not all) of those places will be allowing spectators starting, well, NEXT WEEK!!!.
Unfortunately, going solo for hockey played indoors, at night in the dead of winter does not yield the same results. Just plain and simple never got used to it, probably never will nor will ever like it. Guess it really does not matter much to me anymore what those crazy b------- do.
P.S. Excluding staff and faculty who have always attended games alone, has anyone asked the question as to just how the hell are the rest of staff and faculty supposed to attend games?? Will they have to be married to or at least dating other RPI staff or faculty?? Will their close friends they have always attended with, children or even grandchildren also have to be RPI staff and faculty??? Otherwise, do they have to just leave them all home??? Just asking since, as we were told, "this was a well thought out plan". This part of it at least sounds more like a plan that was "well thought out" by individual(s) who are every bit as bats as Howard Hughes was over the last quarter to third of his life!!!
