Lynah Attendance

[ugarte]

I wonder how hard they sell it during orientation these days. It sounded to me like back in the 90s it was pitched as THE thing that defined campus culture up there with traying on the slope, the rate of suicide being overstated and dragon day.

I mean, they definitely didn't mention it during law school orientation, LOL

you're not even supposed to know there's a hockey team

[Trotsky]

I wonder how hard they sell it during orientation these days. It sounded to me like back in the 90s it was pitched as THE thing that defined campus culture up there with traying on the slope, the rate of suicide being overstated and dragon day.

From the early 80s: these plus the fancy pants 2x a year Cornell Dining thingy (edit: Cross-Country Gourmet!) and the SCA banquet at Risley.

[stereax]

I wonder how hard they sell it during orientation these days. It sounded to me like back in the 90s it was pitched as THE thing that defined campus culture up there with traying on the slope, the rate of suicide being overstated and dragon day.

I mean, they definitely didn't mention it during law school orientation, LOL

you're not even supposed to know there's a hockey team

I wish this was a joke

[David Harding]

I wonder how hard they sell it during orientation these days. It sounded to me like back in the 90s it was pitched as THE thing that defined campus culture up there with traying on the slope, the rate of suicide being overstated and dragon day.

How about giving every RA one or two tickets to an early season game?  Or, if the appointments are decided early enough, a late season game in the year before they start.  https://scl.cornell.edu/residential-life/housing/contact-us/student-employment/resident-advisor-ra-selection/resident-advisor-position-description 

[Iceberg]

I wonder how hard they sell it during orientation these days. It sounded to me like back in the 90s it was pitched as THE thing that defined campus culture up there with traying on the slope, the rate of suicide being overstated and dragon day.

I don't recall sports mentioned very much at all during orientation week, as the focus was very much on getting us to meet people and getting acclimated to being in college (this was early 2010's). In fact, I only went to my first hockey game because some people in my dorm asked me to come along. Unfortunately, it was this one, but I went to several games afterwards the next few years.

[BearLover]

I wonder how hard they sell it during orientation these days. It sounded to me like back in the 90s it was pitched as THE thing that defined campus culture up there with traying on the slope, the rate of suicide being overstated and dragon day.

I don't recall sports mentioned very much at all during orientation week, as the focus was very much on getting us to meet people and getting acclimated to being in college (this was early 2010's). In fact, I only went to my first hockey game because some people in my dorm asked me to come along. Unfortunately, it was this one, but I went to several games afterwards the next few years.

We got a penalty that game for a fan throwing a fish on the ice

[Chousnake]

Unfortunately, it's a sign of the times.  Back in the 70s and 80s, tickets were like gold and the only way you could get in to any game was with season tickets. I was fortunate to have a friend as a freshman who knew about the Lynah experience and a few of us were lucky to get season tickets. We sat in H behind the goal.  I was hooked. I had season tickets in Section D the next three years with my fraternity.  I don't think I ever missed a game. Every game was an event and the social calendar revolved around the games.Part of it was also that there was a hockey culture at Cornell then.  Lynah was used for intramural hockey, free skate, and many fraternities rented ice time and played pick up hockey. I played hockey in Lynah 2-3 times a week with my fraternity and I could barely skate before I got there. 

My sons attended Cornell in the early to mid 2010s and one was a hockey player.  I told them to make sure they got hockey tickets.  By then, it was easy to get tickets and the games were no longer a big deal.  And there was not any intramural ice hockey or ice times anymore.  I went to a few games with them and it wasn't the same. The son who played hockey in high school never skated at Lynah Rink once in his 4 years there.  I probably was on the ice close to 100 times.

 I think the decline of fraternities at Cornell is a big factor.  Back in the 80s and 90s, there were 50 fraternities.  Fraternity ticket blocks were a big deal and attending hockey games was part of the culture.  My guess is that fraternities made up a significant portion of the student sections.  Fraternities are barely surviving at Cornell for many reasons today.

This is happening with all sports.  Lacrosse games filled the crescent in the late 70s.  Cornell is a national power now and averages about 1500 a game.  The Jets and Giants used to have long wait lists for season tickets. I had season tickets to the Jets for decades and the people around me in my section were always there. Now you can buy tickets for any game you want for peanuts and stadiums are filled with fans from visiting teams.  With the advent of big screen tvs and the internet and Stub Hub and streaming, live attendance at sporting events is not a big deal anymore. 

[BearLover]

The student attendance looks pitiful on the stream. A and D both look nearly empty.

[upprdeck]

Athletics puts zero effort into trying to create attendance. Other than trying to bump ticket sales for Harvard weekend nothing else is done.

[Big Dingus]

Probably right to say that Lynah is now of finally dead. The smartphone always reigns supreme

[stereax]

Dear god some of you are insufferable.

[stereax]

Dear god some of you are insufferable.

🙄
And when it's sold out I hear a few griping it's packed too tight and too loud
Can't please everybody

Personal space is a myth on Harvard night...

[stereax]

Dear god some of you are insufferable.

🙄
And when it's sold out I hear a few griping it's packed too tight and too loud
Can't please everybody

Personal space is a myth on Harvard night...

Can't wait

I can! (No, for real I can't wait, I just hate having people pressed up against me haha)

[stereax]

Dear god some of you are insufferable.

🙄
And when it's sold out I hear a few griping it's packed too tight and too loud
Can't please everybody

Personal space is a myth on Harvard night...

Can't wait

I can! (No, for real I can't wait, I just hate having people pressed up against me haha)

Put a day old fish in each pocket-that should give you plenty of space

HAHAHAHAHAH I MEAN IT COULD WORK

[adamw]

The world is changing. People have less time and are less passionate about the things that they care about. Things like Halloweekend and leaving early for break take priority over hockey now, and there's not really anything to school can do to change that. To me it's all relative. We have the best environment in the ECAC (by far), and one of the best in the country. We're doing well, but it'll never be what it used to be.

Things like Halloweekend and leaving early for break took precedence over hockey 15 years ago too, FWIW.

I agree we still have one of the best environments in the country, but it could be much better. The environment is honestly far, far, far worse than it used to be. Throwing up our hands and blaming cell phones and kids these days doesn't get us anywhere. +500 per game is a very attainable goal if the people who make these decisions actually tried.

You accused Trotsky of being repetitive, but everyone here is repetitive, including yourself, and I will be as well.

You're both right and wrong. Of course winning more would help attendance. It's ALSO true that things are worse than they "used to be." ... My repetition involves me reminding you that this is NOT unique to Cornell. It's like this everywhere, and will continue to be. Things can be improved on the margins. But the old world is not coming back. It was less rabid in the 2000s than the 1970s as well. Another 20 years later, and it's less rabid than that. Concert goers are less attentive too. And don't get me started about movies.