Tomorrow, UConn will return to Gampel Pavilion for the first time in nearly a month (Jan 8th vs. DePaul) to take on USF. The game will only be the Huskies’ second conference game on-campus and their second game since a narrow win against Harvard on Dec. 7th.
In between Harvard and tomorrow, UConn has played five games at the XL Center in Hartford. One of those games was against top-ranked Louisville. In a few weeks, three consecutive games will be played in Hartford. The opponents: Syracuse, Villanova and Cincinnati.
It’s obvious that the university has seized this lost season as an opportunity to inflate their attendance numbers and gate revenue. Sensing that attendance would wane for a team with a rookie coach, a largely unknown roster, and no hopes for a tournament appearance, UConn scheduled almost every game worthy of a crowd for the 16,294 seat XL Center, hoping that student interest and good will could fill seats for the other games in the 10,167 seat Gampel Pavilion.
Understandably, UConn aims to schedule as many Hartford games as possible while the students are away for winter break. This year, break ran from Dec. 16th until Jan. 22nd. Sure enough, four of the five home games during that stretch were played at the XL Center – including an interesting out of conference matchup against Washington and a matchup with top-ranked Louisville.
Again, that’s understandable. Attendance for the Washington game was very impressive – considering the game took place during a blizzard – and the XL Center was packed almost to capacity when Louisville came to town. The troubling aspect of the schedule is from now until season’s end.
UConn is contractually obligated to play a certain number of games per season in Hartford. According to an athletics department spokesman, the site for each game is part of a negotiation between the XL Center and the university. However, this season, UConn will not play a single ranked opponent in Storrs – granted that could theoretically change by the time Georgetown comes to town. Every big-ticket game has been pushed to Hartford.
In the end, the university has a responsibility to maximize both its short-term and long-term revenue. They have chosen to mitigate the damage caused by the past administration and the NCAA in the short-term by boosting the number of tickets sold, even if that means an unbalanced schedule. Long-term, however, you have to wonder if this sets a poor precedent. Not only is an unbalanced schedule disenfranchising to students, it also runs the risk of creating the perception of an attendance problem. A game in the XL Center might pull in 12,000 ticket holders but an audience member, and a fan watching at home, will still see 4,000 empty seats.
There’s also an argument to be made for home-court advantage by packing Gampel Pavilion to capacity for important games. In Storrs, the vocal and passionate students are much closer to the action and occupy a larger percentage of available seats. Factor in the impact any of the above factors have on influencing potential recruits and it’s easy to be conflicted about which methodology is best.
The best recourse for those who are unhappy with the current scheduling process is to continue to fill Gampel Pavilion at every opportunity. The students especially need to maintain their presence and encourage their classmates to be vocal and engaged, both at the games and in conversations with the administration.
For years, many have yearned for a solution; a new Gampel Pavilion on campus that can rival the XL Center’s capacity while maintaining the students’ proximity to the court and overall influence. That idea hasn’t gained much traction, due to contract requirements and the belief that playing in Hartford helps reach the wealthy base of fans that pay big money for tickets and donate to the university and the athletics program. Until that becomes closer to a reality however, expect more and more important games to be played across the river.
