RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

I would like to make one observation on the attendance problem.
This is the first year that I was not able to make the trip to HFH for a game. Problem with driving at night makes it impossible for me to make the two hour trip.
If you look at the fans on the town side of the field house, you will see a very old group of people, and they are not being replaced with younger fans.
Maybe the teams lack of victories over the last few years, or maybe just a lack of interest in hockey in the area.
We need to appeal to the youth of Troy if we are going to build up the fan base.
Now that I got that out, can we just enjoy the fact that we had a four point weekend.
More wins will bring more people to our building.

You are definitely correct that the town side of the HFH is getting older and older. I thought that the major cause of few younger fans has been that most of the young locals have been becoming Union fans recently since they have performed better for the last decade or so. That probably is a factor, but the main cause may be just less interest in hockey in general.

 

[DrDemento]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

I would like to make one observation on the attendance problem.
This is the first year that I was not able to make the trip to HFH for a game. Problem with driving at night makes it impossible for me to make the two hour trip.
If you look at the fans on the town side of the field house, you will see a very old group of people, and they are not being replaced with younger fans.
Maybe the teams lack of victories over the last few years, or maybe just a lack of interest in hockey in the area.
We need to appeal to the youth of Troy if we are going to build up the fan base.
Now that I got that out, can we just enjoy the fact that we had a four point weekend.
More wins will bring more people to our building.

Could not agree more. We used to make the 3+ hour trip every home weekend for years. But the trip has changed. In addition to us getting older which I hate to admit, the traffic here on the Garden State Parkway is ridiculous even at the late hours of the night. And no one obeys any of the rules of the road. Speeding is out of control and passing on the right side is common. We find that we have some sort of close call almost every time we drive there. We still go to Princeton most years but completely stopped the other road trips unless we are staying at our Adirondack house which has also become less frequent. Our house up there allowed us to make the Cornell/Colgate trip and the Clarkson/St. Lawrence trip virtually every year.

 

[troyboy]

You are definitely correct that the town side of the HFH is getting older and older. I thought that the major cause of few younger fans has been that most of the young locals have been becoming Union fans recently since they have performed better for the last decade or so. That probably is a factor, but the main cause may be just less interest in hockey in general.

I'll defer to DavidNardolillo a proud ex Gopher but this attendance thing is not an RPI problem it's a college hockey problem it is my understanding that they are having issues putting fannie's in the seats at Mariucci that place has been sold out since hockey was invented...What Say You David.

 

[rpi82]

I'll defer to DavidNardolillo a proud ex Gopher but this attendance thing is not an RPI problem it's a college hockey problem it is my understanding that they are having issues putting fannie's in the seats at Mariucci that place has been sold out since hockey was invented...What Say You David.

It is a problem for sports in general. Even college football has noticed a drop off in fans attending and, perhaps worse, staying for for a full game. Changes in entertainment competition and interests, consumption style (why go when I have a 70 inch view 15 feet away), economics, ticket distribution, etc. are all conspiring against game attendance. The size of Fenway Park used to be considered limiting, but now it is close to the model for seating capacity in new stadiums. Not only has each new version of Yankee Stadium been smaller than its predecessor, but they've further removed seats to create social spaces to encourage attendance. My inbox is full of offers for discounts from pro sports teams and ticket services.

 

[Wicked Slappaahs]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

I'll defer to DavidNardolillo a proud ex Gopher but this attendance thing is not an RPI problem it's a college hockey problem it is my understanding that they are having issues putting fannie's in the seats at Mariucci that place has been sold out since hockey was invented...What Say You David.

Absolutely true. Anyone who's been to Colgate's beautiful new rink will attest the students don't go to the games . A dedicated but small a group of devoted townies is 90% of the the body count.

 

[Wicked Slappaahs]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

I would like to make one observation on the attendance problem.
This is the first year that I was not able to make the trip to HFH for a game. Problem with driving at night makes it impossible for me to make the two hour trip.
If you look at the fans on the town side of the field house, you will see a very old group of people, and they are not being replaced with younger fans.
Maybe the teams lack of victories over the last few years, or maybe just a lack of interest in hockey in the area.
We need to appeal to the youth of Troy if we are going to build up the fan base.
Now that I got that out, can we just enjoy the fact that we had a four point weekend.
More wins will bring more people to our building.

Generally you are correct, but judging by my section (7) there IS a new wave of youngsters being indoctrinated. Just among our group of enthusiasts we are fostering the youth movement with nieces, nephews, grand kids, etc. ANd I'm talkig a range of ages.... from the 20's to 3 or 4 yrs. of age. As has been well covered by other posters here, the problem is NOT RPI specific....across the board live attendance is down for sporting events.

 

[Wicked Slappaahs]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

I know a lot of teams do this, but I thought 3800 was a legit number for Saturday's game.

Absolutely.

 

[Wicked Slappaahs]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

do you know who to contact re: more band time?

This info is absolutely true, several band members have told me that they receive instructions of when they allowed to play. OTherwise we're usually stuck with bad canned music OR Al trying to talk over an ad already running on the jumbotron and succeeding in muddling both messages so that no one pays attention whatsoever.

 

[NPC19850330]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

The above quote and the one it replies to are probably as good as an explanation as there is for the low HFH attendance. However, no one plain and simple seems to have the genitalia to state one of the real source of the attendance problem. The problem is totally free access to the games via RPI TV. The problem is additionally intensified by how good these productions are and how good the broadcasters are.

No problem what so ever with people like the good doctor availing themselves to these broadcasts for free. They simply do not live within this market. Those people are the reason for having RPI TV to begin with.

However, for people living within a 10, 20 or 30 (take your pick) mile radius of the HFH, RPI TV has become a major problem. It has turned far too many people in to lazy puss belly sausage stuffers (stolen from the late, great coach Hank Stram) who will not get off their duffs and go to the HFH and buy a freaking ticket.

Not a tech person by any stretch of the imagination, nor have any idea what the capabilities of the internet are. However, if possible, something like the old NFL blackout policy (100 miles) needs to be instituted ASAP. Simply, if your IP address is within a determined distance of the HFH, you either pay RPI TV for the feed or you are blacked out. If you pay, fine. If you don't, you are blacked out and have no other choice but to go to HFH and buy a ticket. Make the fee high enough and soon you see will more people getting off their cabooses and choosing to show up rather than watching it on a screen. Either way, money comes RPI's way.

The ECAC claims this and implements as such for the playoffs, yet attendance for those games are poor across the board. Pretty sure this isn't the reason.

 

[ServinisScores]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

I think the attendance issue is multi-layered:

- more events to compete for the fan’s entertainment budget
- technology like RPITV makes it easier for folks to watch and stay in touch
- Program has had an extended run of mediocrity
- lack of PR and outreach outside of Troy
- the game experience is not as engaging, nor unique as it was 5-10 years ago
- the general feeling towards the Institute is not favorable; for both alums and non-alums.

 

[rpi82]

- Program has had an extended run of mediocrity

You are a kind-hearted soul. I'm celebrating that we just reached mediocrity (a .500 record in February). How often have we done that in the last 15 years?

 

[lugnut92]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

Claiming that RPItv is the problem and suggesting they institute a media blackout policy (a policy that is universally hated by the fans of the sports that have them) is truly wild. I'm pretty sure RPItv never gets much more than 1000 viewers per game (though I could be off here), and a significant portion of those are people who are alumni no longer within driving distance of RPI. I don't see how making the games less accessible is supposed to increase fan support.

Despite how good the broadcast is, I have a hard time believing that anyone is choosing to watch the game on TV (or other screen) rather than going to the game if they're near the HFH.

 

[ServinisScores]

Claiming that RPItv is the problem and suggesting they institute a media blackout policy (a policy that is universally hated by the fans of the sports that have them) is truly wild. I'm pretty sure RPItv never gets much more than 1000 viewers per game (though I could be off here), and a significant portion of those are people who are alumni no longer within driving distance of RPI. I don't see how making the games less accessible is supposed to increase fan support.

Despite how good the broadcast is, I have a hard time believing that anyone is choosing to watch the game on TV (or other screen) rather than going to the game if they're near the HFH.

FYI - I chromecast the game to either my 42 or 60 LED tv. Looks better than most NHL broadcasts. I agree hockey is 10x better in person, but if you’re not sold on going in person, this is a fantastic alternative.

 

[ServinisScores]

You are a kind-hearted soul. I'm celebrating that we just reached mediocrity (a .500 record in February). How often have we done that in the last 15 years?

Lol, I’m masking my rage for the sorry state of affairs.

 

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

Claiming that RPItv is the problem and suggesting they institute a media blackout policy (a policy that is universally hated by the fans of the sports that have them) is truly wild. I'm pretty sure RPItv never gets much more than 1000 viewers per game (though I could be off here), and a significant portion of those are people who are alumni no longer within driving distance of RPI. I don't see how making the games less accessible is supposed to increase fan support.

Despite how good the broadcast is, I have a hard time believing that anyone is choosing to watch the game on TV (or other screen) rather than going to the game if they're near the HFH.

RPI-TV has passed 1000 vs. Cornell. Also, of course, the number is how many computers, etc. are tuned to YouTube. It is certainly possible that more than one person is watching in many cases.

 

[DavidNardolillo]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

I'll defer to DavidNardolillo a proud ex Gopher but this attendance thing is not an RPI problem it's a college hockey problem it is my understanding that they are having issues putting fannie's in the seats at Mariucci that place has been sold out since hockey was invented...What Say You David.

Yes, I think larger forces are at work here involving competing entertainment options, disposable income, and changes in taste for entertainment. That said, the situation at Minnesota involved some purely local features, e.g. jacking the effective price for already rich tickets (mandatory $250-$500 "donations" to athletic department on top of face value of season tickets) and the involuntary reassignment of some season ticket holders' seats.

 

[DavidNardolillo]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

I think the attendance issue is multi-layered:

- more events to compete for the fan’s entertainment budget
- technology like RPITV makes it easier for folks to watch and stay in touch
- Program has had an extended run of mediocrity
- lack of PR and outreach outside of Troy
- the game experience is not as engaging, nor unique as it was 5-10 years ago
- the general feeling towards the Institute is not favorable; for both alums and non-alums.

I think that is a decent list. As I said before, my bet is that the RPITV impact on HFH attendance is marginal, but would be interested to see what data is collected. I might also add that I think the level of undergraduate student attendance at sporting events has also dropped over the last two decades--an issue that is not unique to RPI or college hockey. People may have also seen that a BU fan tracked attendance versus home records for each team in another thread, but it doesn't always correleate: https://fanforum.uscho.com/showthread.php?116064-Average-Men-s-Attendance/page12

As a non-alumnus, I have wondered lately whether that last point--the general alumni feeling--is hurting support of RPI events. I don't have an opinion on that one.

 

[rpi82]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

RPI-TV has passed 1000 vs. Cornell. Also, of course, the number is how many computers, etc. are tuned to YouTube. It is certainly possible that more than one person is watching in many cases.

Cornell had pretty good representation at that game but it didn't seem to be nearly what it was a decade ago. The number of people doing the stupid newspaper thing (which BTW, I disliked even when I was in grad school there) was barely noticeable. Despite being at the top of the polls it would not surprise me if the free availability of RPITV's high quality broadcast kept a significant number of Big Red fans from making the Friday night trek to Troy. As for our fans, there have been a few times when I considered making the 3 hour drive to Troy and decided to watch the stream instead. However, I've also done that for road games. I see all the games here in CT, but I haven't driven to RI or MA in recent years. ESPN+ is only $4.99 a month so it's hardly an economic disincentive.

 

[lugnut92]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

As a non-alumnus, I have wondered lately whether that last point--the general alumni feeling--is hurting support of RPI events. I don't have an opinion on that one.

I do know that there were a few Pep Band alumni, who I would argue are some of the most inclined to go to RPI hockey games in person, refused to go to Freakout! because of the current administration. They still participated in all of the auxiliary band events (pregame dinner, afterparty, etc.), but chose not to attend.

 

[25+years]

I think the attendance issue is multi-layered:

- more events to compete for the fan’s entertainment budget
- technology like RPITV makes it easier for folks to watch and stay in touch
- Program has had an extended run of mediocrity
- lack of PR and outreach outside of Troy
- the game experience is not as engaging, nor unique as it was 5-10 years ago
- the general feeling towards the Institute is not favorable; for both alums and non-alums.

This is a complicated problem with no easy solution. As long as the product on the ice is not in the top tier and tournament bound, that makes it difficult to engage fans.. so how to get people to come is the question. First off, go after hockey fans: youth hockey teams and such. The Shirley box should be used for every game. If not her and her entourage, then for birthday parties or as a raffle prize or whatever. Also give the games a bigger carnival atmosphere: giveaways, centralize the location of the band, have fan fest stuff, etc. And have after game activities for RPI students: free skating with music (student bands perhaps). There is so much more that could be done. But if we are waiting for a team to bring then into the building by the success on the ice, it won’t happen regularly. I imagine if players being recruited came and saw a great, well attended atmosphere, that would get them to think twice about changing their mind about playing here. Look if the Albany Devils couldn’t bring in the fans even after improving its record, why would RPI? The families near the HFH who used to come for generations have been replaced by the Eddy and renters. Got to get the fans to want to come from further away. Make it worth their time.