Reader Matt sent an email regarding Notre Dame's annual Thanksgiving trips to California (rotating between Stanford and USC). I had also been thinking about BC's Thanksgiving games. While we won't copy the Irish's west coast swings, I do think the Irish are on to something. I don't think BC should ever play home games Thanksgiving weekend.
The biggest problem with Thanksgiving weekend is that most students are gone. I know campus is still open and they are welcome to return, but changing flights or rides is always easier said than done. This is a problem every school faces, but for state schools, the majority of the student population is still close. BC -- like Notre Dame -- has students from everywhere. Even if the school made an effort to get students back early for Thanksgiving, it is just not going to happen. To a lesser extent, the holiday also keeps some of our fans from outside Boston from making the trip back. They are shopping or traveling or with family.
We've played away games on Thanksgiving night, but I don't think we can ever host one on Thanksgiving Day. Part of it would be competing with the local high school game rivalries and the inevitable challenge from our Newton neighbors. But even a unique game on Thanksgiving or the occasional Black Friday game doesn't gain much for BC. We have our best attendance on Saturdays. When things are outside the norm, our non-local fans again become an issue.
The ACC rivalry with Syracuse is now locked in stone. We will finish our season with the Orange every year, with games rotating between Syracuse and Chestnut Hill. This is our best hope of overcoming the Thanksgiving challenge. If this becomes a heated rivalry, maybe, just maybe, students, non-local fans and even some bandwagon fans will want to get back for the game. Until then just be glad when we finish the season in Syracuse. It is just one less game where our stadium looks empty on TV.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
5 comments:
Happy Thanksgiving to all. BC's first game every year should be Syracuse at Met Life. Finish the year with Holy Cross at home. HC was the real rival of the Eagles.
Go BC - beat Syracuse.
I hope not, but with the cold forecast, this will be the lowest attendance this year.
We will be lucky to get 25K.
I have mentioned many times the last second "Hail Mary" - more like a desperation pass from Larry Marzetti - snagged by Bill Cronin (Lawrence Central) one handed on about the 15 yard line in full stride and he galloped into the endzone for the winning score. The pass was short and fluttering - and the Syracuse defenders were all kind of flat footed waiting for the ball to come down - and the Tight End (6'5") came running to the rescue.
My very first game as a BC student, September 1964. Unreal. No wonder I'm still crazy about this team.
That was 50 years ago - and that's unreal too.
...and I always chime in that I was there as a brand new Frosh, still not cynical enough to avoid being conscripted into BC's first and only Card Section. We were definitely not USC or UCLA. In the excitement of the game, we got the cards out of order.
That catch by Cronin was directly in front of our student section. This was the first time yours truly heard that immortal cry" "...To the Circle...", indicating that mass numbers of us were going to dodge around Fr. Hanrahan and take to Beacon Street to march to Cleveland Circle, where we promptly sat down and blocked traffic, while some of us paid "Larry, the beard" at Cleveland Circle Pharmacy exorbitant sums for very small bottles of booze.
There is good reason for the neighbors to hate us....I have described only the mildest part of our depredations against them. [grin]
Happy Thanksgiving from another "50-year fan".
We should play Holy Cross right after Doc takes us all back in his time machine.
Post a Comment