Attendance at Lynah

[Cop at Lynah]

How disappointing was it to see section A last Saturday night ?  Not sure what else might have been going on but I counted 29 bodies plus the band in section A 10 minutes into the 1st period.  It did get a little better during the second period, but not even close to 1/2 full.  There are other pockets of empty seats for every home game in section F and G.  

It won't be long and the much ballyhooed belief that Lynah is an intimidating place to play will be just a distant memory.

[Jim Hyla]

How disappointing was it to see section A last Saturday night ?  Not sure what else might have been going on but I counted 29 bodies plus the band in section A 10 minutes into the 1st period.  It did get a little better during the second period, but not even close to 1/2 full.  There are other pockets of empty seats for every home game in section F and G.  

It won't be long and the much ballyhooed belief that Lynah is an intimidating place to play will be just a distant memory.

Winning a few games would help.

[Dafatone]

How disappointing was it to see section A last Saturday night ?  Not sure what else might have been going on but I counted 29 bodies plus the band in section A 10 minutes into the 1st period.  It did get a little better during the second period, but not even close to 1/2 full.  There are other pockets of empty seats for every home game in section F and G.  

It won't be long and the much ballyhooed belief that Lynah is an intimidating place to play will be just a distant memory.

Winning a few games would help.

Sure, but things were fading even 4-5 years ago, when we were playing pretty good hockey.  I still think a lot of it is the behavior crackdown.  I mean, there's about a dozen other factors, too.  Cracking down on swearing is one thing.  Harassing students over being loud/obnoxious is another.

[underskill]

it's a nationwide problem across all sports though

[dag14]

why pay money to go to a hockey game when you can sit at home and text or tweet with your friends while you watch whatever show or movie on Hulu or Netflix?  And drink.  Kids these days....grouse, grouse, grouse.

[ithacat]

Sec B is about all that's left of the once entertaining student Faithful. Even during dull games watching the students was worth the price of admission. Now we just have high-priced tickets, boring offensive play, and thuggish on ice behavior. I guess three out of four isn't so bad.

[Trotsky]

it's a nationwide problem across all sports though

Let's call it a trend rather than a problem.  Entertainment is obviously going to change with technology and culture.  The decline of going out to watch other people play sports as a national pastime was probably inevitable given (1) internet, (2) social networking that allows peers to communicate without meeting in large groups, (3) greater health consciousness, (4) longer working hours, etc...

In 50 years college hockey may look like this again.

[dbilmes]

In 50 years college hockey may look like this again.

You mean the crowds will once again be Standing Room Only?

[Trotsky]

And everybody stands for the whole game.  Now that is some serious Faithfulness.

[andyw2100]

I can say that this year there has definitely been a significant and quite noticeable improvement in the students in Section D. I sit in C, on the aisle with D. The last couple of years I've noticed just how pathetic the students in Section D had become. As an example, almost none of them would even bother to stand for the Alma Mater, much less get together and sway, etc. This year, though pretty clueless at the beginning of the season, they are at least making an effort. Sure, they were chanting "Go, Red, Go" when we were killing a penalty and A and B were chanting "Kill, Red, Kill", but they were trying--they just couldn't hear, and didn't know any better. They'll figure it out. They still seem to want to speed up clapping during the cowbell, but it's probably because they can't actually hear the cowbell--they just hear people clapping, and start clapping along and then start clapping faster. But at least they are making an effort, which is more than they were doing the last couple of years. Perhaps most importantly, a good number of them are standing for the Alma Mater. I am optimistic.

[Dafatone]

why pay money to go to a hockey game when you can sit at home and text or tweet with your friends while you watch whatever show or movie on Hulu or Netflix?  And drink.  Kids these days....grouse, grouse, grouse.

I wonder if kids at Cornell are going out more or less in general than they used to.  Not that that's an easy question to answer.

[Al DeFlorio]

And everybody stands for the whole game.  Now that is some serious Faithfulness.

Sorry to say, but the most dedicated Cornell student hockey fans I've seen--who stood outside in the cold before 6:30 when games started at 8:00 or they wouldn't get into the rink--didn't "stand for the whole game."  That's a bogus criterion for "Faithfulness."

[KeithK]

And everybody stands for the whole game.  Now that is some serious Faithfulness.

Sorry to say, but the most dedicated Cornell student hockey fans I've seen--who stood outside in the cold before 6:30 when games started at 8:00 or they wouldn't get into the rink--didn't "stand for the whole game."  That's a bogus criterion for "Faithfulness."

No, clearly it is the standing.  It's the standing (outside) that truly marked the fans you are referring to. We'll cut 'em some slack for sitting once they got inside.  but only a little.  Clearly it's only the standing that matters.

You realize the comment was a joke related to the lack of seats around Beebe Lake, right?

[MattS]

Now we just have high-priced tickets, boring offensive play, and thuggish on ice behavior. I guess three out of four isn't so bad.

I think this is correct. With the addition of not winning. Most of the students are not avid hockey fans, at least to start, so when the team is losing it's tough to spend the money and watch a dull team when there are so many other things to occupy their time. I'm an die hard hockey fan for over 35 years and I don't mind watching defensive style hockey but even I get sick of losing while watching dump and chase. I think that students would return some if Schafer opened up the style and at least make it entertaining to lose. If a team is going to lose, I think it would be more entertaining for the new and average fan.

[Trotsky]

I'm an die hard hockey fan for over 35 years and I don't mind watching defensive style hockey but even I get sick of losing while watching dump and chase.

Me too, and I never thought I'd say Cornell hockey was boring me.