Reusse on TCF Atmosphere Story Headline: "Honeymoon with U football dying of apathy"

[disco]

Well, to put the hockey attendance in perspective, the Badgers led the nation in attendance for the 14th consecutive year, with a team that placed 10th (yes, 10th) in the WCHA. Average attendance for hockey was 11,773, so we outdrew Minnesota by more than 1,900 per game (19.3%), with a pretty crappy team (I left a game early for the first time EVER last year).

That's nice, but Mariucci doesn't hold that extra 1900 people, so that's really not an apples to apples comparison.

 

[dinkything]

Well, to put the hockey attendance in perspective, the Badgers led the nation in attendance for the 14th consecutive year, with a team that placed 10th (yes, 10th) in the WCHA. Average attendance for hockey was 11,773, so we outdrew Minnesota by more than 1,900 per game (19.3%), with a pretty crappy team (I left a game early for the first time EVER last year).

After having lived in both states, I have come to the conclusion that rabid fans of both states are of equal rabidity, but the sports fan gene is recessive in the Minnesota gene pool. A lot of people would just rather walk around Lake Harriet than watch the Gophers, while in Madison, fans will walk around Lake Monona before or after watching the Badgers.

What was the average attendance for Badger home games in baseball in the past decade or two??

 

[MrGopher]

Well, to put the hockey attendance in perspective, the Badgers led the nation in attendance for the 14th consecutive year, with a team that placed 10th (yes, 10th) in the WCHA. Average attendance for hockey was 11,773, so we outdrew Minnesota by more than 1,900 per game (19.3%), with a pretty crappy team (I left a game early for the first time EVER last year).

I'm not even going to check that number, but I'll take your word for it.
That leaves 23.2% of your seats empty.
That's 3,552 seats per game - empty. Even lowly Gopher football had 3,092 seats empty per game.

Also consider that the U has 4 in-state competitors and an NHL franchise in the next town. Plus UND, 90% of whose fans live and work in the Twin Cities. A respectable portion of the hockey loving community in Minnesota actively dislikes the Gophers. Wisky really can't say that - and if they try, the greatest portion of that will turn out to be Gopher fans. Wisconsin's only in-state competition is the Admirals - I love AHL games, but let's be honest, it's hardly competition at all.

There's nothing to be ashamed of for wisky hockey fans - but to say they are a bigger draw than Gopher Hockey? Really pushing it. You just have a bigger stadium - and cheaper tickets.

Long story short - if badger hockey, or football for that matter, got used to tenth place (or the equivalent) finishes year in and year out - I'm sure there would be a build up of apathy for the program - just like we see in Gopher Football.