Thursday night games were an honor. Friday night games are a chore. That seems to be an undercurrent among BC fans...even among those who commute to games from outside of New England. But Virginia Tech's decision to beg off of a Thursday night in 2013 is the surest sign that Thursday night games are now devalued across college football.
VT explained their desire to not host a Thursday game was the pain it caused their fan base and the logistics on campus. I don't know if I totally buy that. The Hokies never seem to have a problem filling the stands on a Thursday. My suspicion is now that the NFL plays weekly on Thursday, the game is less of a recruiting tool and less popular with fans. The TV ratings also reflect that the time slot has lost its luster.
That is why I am glad to see BC embrace the Friday option. Unlike Thursday, the ratings for the Friday games continue to grow. And playing in New England means we are not disrupting many high school football games, like Friday night games would in other parts of the country.
I am not a season ticket holder, so it is easy for me to overlook the commuting factor, but I would have to imagine a Friday night game is easier for people south of Connecticut too. The drive might take a little longer but showing up for work on the next day is no longer an issue.
I think we will learn to love the Friday game. I also think it will have a positive effect on marketing the program. BC won't have all that many chances at the spotlight over the next two years. We need to make the most of them.
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As someone whose family had to drive up from NJ for games when they were season ticket holders, and would often do so on a Friday for a Saturday game, this is NOT a good thing, especially for people that aren't within an hour of Chestnut Hill. From NY/NJ/PA that means going through several major cities and congested freeways during peak travel times, or taking the day off of work. And how is having to take time off for a game preferential to going in tired (on a Sunday)??
I think the point was that Friday nights are better than Thursday nights.
One of the reasons my family (classes of 68, 69, 96) and I ('00) gave up our season tickets was because games were no longer played at noon on Saturday. I'm sure we weren't the only ones.
It's not like every game is on a Friday....its 1 game. Def. better than Thursday...much easier to leave work early on a Friday and wake up on Sat.
While it does not compete against high school games in New England, Friday night is the primary high school football night in the rest of the country. If you are trying to appeal to recruits, playing at the same time they are playing will be of little use as they cannot watch the game on tv. However, it is just one game so perhaps I am just being nit-picky.
I do travel to Alumni for 1 game each year and I have been to a couple Thursday night games. Loved them! I do not like the Sat night games, though. Part of the fun of going to Boston is to go out on the town on Sat night after partaking in the game during the day.
The schedule was just released so now I need to pick which game to hit this season.
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