Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

[FiveHole12]

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

GO HARVARD!!!!!

Beanpot needs this!!

Why? Will 2 more Harvard fans show up next year, bringing the total to 12?

[Richard]

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

Why? Will 2 more Harvard fans show up next year, bringing the total to 12?

You don't think that this tournament has lost all of its luster? I am an NU fan and I love the beanpot, which is weird. But it doesn't get the attention anymore from outside of the 4 schools anymore, look at the crowds? The place looked empty for both games.

[wysi]

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

You don't think that this tournament has lost all of its luster? I am an NU fan and I love the beanpot, which is weird. But it doesn't get the attention anymore from outside of the 4 schools anymore, look at the crowds? The place looked empty for both games.

I'm not sure it ever got much attention outside of Boston.

[Harry Cleverly]

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

The place looked empty for both games.

The lower bowl was filled.

The upper deck -- most of the BU and BC students did not show up until late in the Harvard - NU game. The Northeastern fans left after the first game. The Harvard student section was empty for both games.

Did the Garden announce a sellout?

[Tater]

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

But it doesn't get the attention anymore from outside of the 4 schools anymore,

It never really has. Agreed on Harvard and NU performing better would generate more excitement for the tournament.

The lower bowl was filled.

The upper deck -- most of the BU and BC students did not show up until late in the Harvard - NU game. The Northeastern fans left after the first game. The Harvard student section was empty for both games.

Did the Garden announce a sellout?

Nope 15,299 (17,565 sellout). The first week hasn't been listed as a sellout for several years now. In fact, the 15,299 represents an improvement from the last few years (all 14k and change)

[ericredaxe]

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

The lower bowl was filled.

I'm not sure about filled. I was there for only the BU/BC game and I would say the lower bowl had a uniform spread of people which made it "look full" but in reality probably 1/3+ of the seats in the lower bowl were empty.

[Harry Cleverly]

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

I'm not sure about filled. I was there for only the BU/BC game and I would say the lower bowl had a uniform spread of people which made it "look full" but in reality probably 1/3+ of the seats in the lower bowl were empty.

Last 10 minutes of the first game, and at least the first period of the second game, it was filled.

[Split-N]

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

I'm not sure it ever got much attention outside of Boston.

Actually, it did. ESPN carried at least the championship game (and maybe all of them but the memory is fuzzy) back in the '70s and '80s. It was the only way I was able to watch it back in those pre-internet days when I was living far from Boston. And it also got some decent level of coverage on SportsCenter during the years ESPN carried the games. I also worked as a student assistant SID back in that day and know we handled a fair number of queries from newspapers and TV stations outside of the immediate Boston area. So yes, the Beanpot got much better coverage both in Boston and nationally than it has been getting in more recent years.

Several reasons for this, among them: ESPN and the other national sports networks are overwhelmingly pro sports oriented. College coverage is pretty much limited to football and hoops, with the focus by and large on teams that have large national followings. It's all about maximizing eyeballs on the screens and so college hockey, in general, and events like the Beanpot, in particular, don't get much network-level interest.

Beyond that, it's a new day and a new way. There are powerful forces like Netflix, networked gaming, and the various flavors of social media competing for time, attention, and dollars, not to mention those all-important eyeballs. People have a lot more choices than they did back in the '80s, which leads me to perceive more than a few people who would have flocked to things like the Beanpot even 10 years ago have developed interests other than college sports, even when their own colleges are involved.

All of that being said, the first step toward the Beanpot's becoming a "big thing" again, IMHO, would be for Harvard to win Episode LXV. All due respect to BU but 30 Beanpots out of 65 has probably taken whatever drama might have been left in what was at one time was a drama-filled event.

[chickod]

Looking like some possible snow on Monday

Can't be any worse that the 18" I just spent 3 hours getting rid of...

[Richard]

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

The lower bowl was filled.

The upper deck -- most of the BU and BC students did not show up until late in the Harvard - NU game. The Northeastern fans left after the first game. The Harvard student section was empty for both games.

Did the Garden announce a sellout?

I watched the game on TV, there were plenty of empty seats visable in the lower bowl.

[agarcia]

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

Why? Will 2 more Harvard fans show up next year, bringing the total to 12?

Joke or not, this isn't far from the truth. Depressing considering that in the early nineties when I was a student, Harvard hockey had a lot of vocal support from students at home games and at the Beanpot. Even though they've had a few successful seasons since then and made the NCAA tourney, they've also had quite a few forgettable seasons. I think it will take a long period of successful back-to-back seasons for Harvard hockey to get the fan support that they once had their heyday of the mid 80's to the early 90's (in which they made 4 Frozen Four appearances and won a national title).
That being said -- I believe that on Monday most of the non-BU fans from Beanpot schools and neutral observers will be rooting for the Crimson.

[Rhett Hot]

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

Question for you more mature folks.
I'm fairly new to the bean pot as I'm originally from Dallas so I found out it was a thing when I first arrived at BU hence this is only my 8th Beanpot.

Could it be not just a lack of interest in college hockey (in terms of students), but rather a lack of interest in OTHER schools' games?

Simply put, did students tend to arrive early or stay late for the second game and watch both at the Garden in years past?

My friends and I watch both games both nights every year, but we are definitely in the minority.

Thoughts?

[chickod]

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

My friends and I watch both games both nights every year, but we are definitely in the minority.
Thoughts?

IMO....(let me preface it with that) Whoever mentioned a few posts back that there are so many other "options" today probably has it right. Coupled with the fact that all of the Beanpot schools (save Harvard) were essentially "commuter" schools for years, meaning that most of the students were locals. So hockey was in the blood of many of them because they grew up playing or watching. Now you have exposure to students from all over the world, many from places that don't have any interest in hockey (or sports for that matter). BU, being a research school, has a lot of academic people who have no interest in sports at all. Regarding the actual attendance, I would always stay for all of both games. But MOST people came in during the third period of the first game. For as long as I can remember, the Garden was basically EMPTY for most of the first game. And by the second period of the second game, if it wasn't a close game or your team wasn't involved, you usually left. So I think it's a combination of all of those things.

So does this mean I'm mature now?

[ericredaxe]

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

IMO....(let me preface it with that) Whoever mentioned a few posts back that there are so many other "options" today probably has it right. Coupled with the fact that all of the Beanpot schools (save Harvard) were essentially "commuter" schools for years, meaning that most of the students were locals. So hockey was in the blood of many of them because they grew up playing or watching. Now you have exposure to students from all over the world, many from places that don't have any interest in hockey (or sports for that matter). BU, being a research school, has a lot of academic people who have no interest in sports at all. Regarding the actual attendance, I would always stay for all of both games. But MOST people came in during the third period of the first game. For as long as I can remember, the Garden was basically EMPTY for most of the first game. And by the second period of the second game, if it wasn't a close game or your team wasn't involved, you usually left. So I think it's a combination of all of those things.

Agreed... add to that the cost that seems to keep going up ($45 game ticket, $12 beer, $10 slice of pizza, $40 parking etc etc) would help to keep people at home.

I also do think that the fact that this has essentially become a "is BU or BC going to win" tournament over the past 2 decades has not helped with overall interest either.

[Split-N]

Re: Beanpot LXV - Does Anything Else Even Matter?

Question for you more mature folks...did students tend to arrive early or stay late for the second game and watch both at the Garden in years past?...

I'll admit to being more "mature" than I want to admit to but to answer your question: Yes, back in my student and young alumnus days, people tended to be there for both games. It was an Event (capital E) that had plenty of buzz, even though the internet hadn't yet been thought of. The event itself (both nights) definitely had something of an electric feel to it, not unlike what you find at mega-events like big concerts and even WrestleMania today. It also helped that back in those days, all four schools were legitimate contenders. (Harvard had several Final Four appearances and one NC in the '80s.) My perception from afar is that electricity has been unplugged and it's now an event with a lower case "e." A shame.

See also Post #158 in this thread.

Edit: I also think the last two posts about NU/BU/BC transitioning from commuter schools to Top 50 national universities has brought with it a degree of indifference (or even hostility) toward competitive sports. This plus the steep and steady price increases have combined to tamp down the interest and enthusiasm.