Frozen Four Crowds

Submitted by M2NASA on
How many tickets and attendance did the NCAA cost themselves last night? In a ~40,000 seat configuration, maybe 20,000 tickets per session? I hope that building is less than a quarter full.

MGoAndy

March 29th, 2010 at 12:22 PM ^

Yeah I have a feeling the games will look a bit absurd played on a football field with a crowd that could fit in JLA. Just not what the NCAA was going for.

Wolverine318

March 29th, 2010 at 12:26 PM ^

I am still going. I was going for lower level tickets, but now I just want to get into the building. Most likely I will get the $40 package deal. I am expecting minimal fans at the game. The upperdeck is going to be empty.

Bando Calrissian

March 29th, 2010 at 12:31 PM ^

While there are people who go to the FF every year no matter if their team is playing or not, and Miami fans will surely travel, this is going to be an empty stadium. That being said, the FF is one of the coolest events to go to. If your only exposure to College Hockey fans is from Yost, it's worth going just to see how the rest of the universe lives. These people, as a group, are an amazing breed. Do yourself a favor and count jerseys. In Denver, I definitely saw a jersey for every CCHA team INCLUDING Illinois-Chicago. You could probably find a jersey from every D-I team if you look hard enough.

lhglrkwg

March 29th, 2010 at 12:32 PM ^

i cant speak for RIT, wisconsin, or BC fans, but based on the fan split at the joe for the ccha semis it doesn't look good for the frozen four. i'd guess michigan fans outnumbered miami fans at least 8:1 at that game

MGoRob

March 29th, 2010 at 12:40 PM ^

Karsch and Anderson were discussing it this morning. They guessed it cost the NCAA a cool million. Their main argument wasn't that they should purposely put Michigan in the Frozen Four just to make money.... but that if you're going to deny Michigan the game-winning goal, you better be damn well sure it's the right call. Which it wasn't.

Rudy31

March 29th, 2010 at 1:17 PM ^

I'm of the opinion that I don't want the refs, or NCAA for that matter, to have any preferences as to who goes to the Frozen Four when officiating a game. Yes, the call was blown, but I would like to thinnk that the financial repercussions of making a certain call don't even cross the minds of officials and that all they are thinking about is trying to get it right. That being said, I hope that Ford Field isn't empty. While I'm sure attendance would have been higher had Michigan made it, it looks bad for Detroit/Michigan as a hockey market if we can't provide decent attendance to Frozen Four. I know if you put it in Minneapolis or St. Paul, the place would be packed regardless of who is playing. Hopefully we can represent the state well as a hockey market.

dw2927

March 29th, 2010 at 1:20 PM ^

Having Wisconsin there salvages it a bit. They will travel in force and bring some atmosphere.it really have been a disaster attendance-wise if St Cloud or Vermont would have made it instead.

Seth9

March 29th, 2010 at 1:29 PM ^

But it will definitely look it. The stadium is much bigger than an NHL rink and visiting fans only have a week to clear their schedules. Meanwhile, after last night, I'm willing to bet that Michigan fans are a lot less likely to buy tickets than they would be if Michigan had simply missed the tournament.

UMphd

March 29th, 2010 at 3:43 PM ^

I got tickets in the NCAA lottery a year ago. A month ago, it looked like the worst $750 I ever spent. It still feels bad after last night's kick to the dong. I'll go to the semis, since I work in The D and there are 2 games that day. Don't think I can bring myself to drive in to the city to watch the final on Saturday night. I hope to meet a deep-pocketed fan of one of the semifinal winners. And I'll definitely be sporting my Michigan hockey jersey. We have everything to be proud of.

HAIL 2 VICTORS

March 29th, 2010 at 3:51 PM ^

I would go to the Frozen Four...If I could tolerate any more of the media tossing Enrico Blasi's salad. How exactly do you announce a hockey game when your tongue is in another man's ass?

M2NASA

March 30th, 2010 at 11:43 AM ^

Remember, the semis are going to be on Thursday night. How many people are going to take off of work from Miami, BC, Wisconsin, and RIT for Thurs and Fri?