Quote:
Originally Posted by xethicx
Hey,, at least theres enthusiasm at US college hockey games man, but why cant this enthusiasm transfer into a lot of NHL markets down there? US college markets could teach some of the US NHL markets a thing or 2 in that regard.
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It's the same with college football and the NFL. Major college games (SEC, Big 10, Big 12, etc) have 10 times the emotion, a lot more "festive" feel and is a much better fan experience for those who like the spirit of the game. I've been to games at LSU, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Ole Miss, Michigan, Wisconsin and NC State. All of them, even those whose teams aren't even that good, were a better fan experience than every single NFL game I have been to except one - Soldier Field in Chicago was a heck of a time. I've been to Detroit (Silverdome), Tenn. Titans, Cincy, Atlanta and Carolina. All of those were lame compared to the worst major college game I've been to.
Part of the problem is that older fans don't have the energy to act rowdy for 2-3 hours for a game, and most college kids can't afford a $80 ticket to a Tennessee Titans game, especially when a U of Tenn game is free for them. So the average age for a pro game is probably way higher than a college game. Plus, most college games are on or very near campus and very accessible for students. Most colleges reserve a certain amount of "student" tickets and they are usually really close to the field/floor.