Cincy vs. Xavier to be Played on Neural Site in 2012
Following last year's on-court altercation, University of Cincinnati and
Xavier have decided to move their annual rivalry game off the campuses
to downtown Cincinnati at US Bank Arena.
As a Cincinnati alum, I am disappointed in this decision for several reasons. But as a college basketball, and general college sports fan I also disagree with this decision.
To me, college sports are all about the students. And about the atmosphere. The atmosphere at some stadiums with the student sections and alumni sections is such a great scene. Imagine Duke vs. UNC or Kansas vs. Kansas State played in a neutral arena rather than on those campuses.
Cincy vs. Xavier is not the biggest rivalry nationally but for these two schools it is the biggest game each season, as they often alternate home and away every other year. But following a major brawl this past year, that resulted in the game ending nine seconds early and both benches clearing, the schools have decided to move the game in hopes of avoiding any problems.
But I think this scenario may actually create new problems. For one, last year at Cintas Center, the majority of fans were in fact Xavier. And at Fifth Third Arena, few Xavier fans find their way into the crowd. There are often arguments and even some fights but its minimal due to the minimal number of opposing fans. How would putting fans next to one another make things better?
The schools will obviously sell tickets where each half is divided into the different fan bases but what happens if people buy tickets off the secondary market? They don't know who they will be next to. And if something were to happen on the court? That could be very bad for fans in the stands. People are so worried about on the court behavior, how about in the stands? How about what will happen with fans. Isn't THAT more important? The safety of the students, the little children and families in attendance should be a priority.
For the teams - many of the players involved are now gone from the schools. Xavier guards Tu Hollaway and Mark Lyons both left the team. Hollaway declared for the NBA Draft and Lyons left "mutually" after talking to coach Chris Mack, Lyons transferred to Arizona. Kenny Frease graduated for Xavier. Dez Wells and Landon Amos remain for Xavier. For Cincinnati, Yancy Gates graduated and Octavius Ellis was dismissed recently due to another incident. Cheikh Mbodj played a role too in kicking Kenny Frease and is still there as is Ge'lawn Guyn, who was only suspended one game.
So the teams are virtually cleaned up. The biggest culprits were Gates, Frease, Hollaway, and Lyons.
But moving forward, the fans, the students, the alumni, the players are being punished. There is no more home court advantage. US Bank Arena does not have the same feel to it as Cintas Center and Fifth Third Arena. Both of those places are very loud, extra loud when their crosstown rivals come into town.
One big disadvantage for Cincinnati is money. Cincy could have promoted season ticket packages revolving around the Xavier home game, that would be in heavy demand. But losing that game on campus, could cost them some money. It will be interesting to see how tickets do work. Do season ticket holders automatically get tickets? What happens if Cincy sells more season tickets than tickets allotted to this game? How do student tickets work Especially without a real student section.
There are more seats at US Bank but that is not what this is about. There will be half Cincy fans and half Xavier fans. And even worse, Cincy will lose out on the opportunity to have more fans. US Bank Arena holds 17,000 fans. Cincy's Fifth Third Arena holds a little more than 13,000. So assume 12,000 are UC fans. Cincy will not have that many at US Bank this year because half the tickets will be split with Xavier fans. Cincy students get free tickets to every game. They will most likely have to pay, and than find transportation from campus to downtown. The pre-game festivities will suffer from not having a location for fans to congregate. And how about the students and alumni that now will miss out because of the lack of tickets. The demand of tickets is always great than supply for this game and now with the supply cut directly in half? Demand and outcry will become anger and frustration.
This game will suffer from being played neutrally, especially if it is televised on ESPN as it often is. The mix of blue with red and black in the crowd will look sloppy. The mix of chants can get confusing. The players do not have any advantage though. And they should. Everyone loves watching Duke vs. UNC at the Dean Dome. How can Duke handle the atmosphere? Will they withstand it. And vice versa when the teams play at the Dean Dome. They would riot in Durham and Chapel Hill if those schools lost that game on campus. Cincy and Xavier won't riot, because their reputations have already taken a hit, but fans should be disappointed that their biggest rivalry game will be held like this.
As a Cincinnati alum, I am disappointed in this decision for several reasons. But as a college basketball, and general college sports fan I also disagree with this decision.
To me, college sports are all about the students. And about the atmosphere. The atmosphere at some stadiums with the student sections and alumni sections is such a great scene. Imagine Duke vs. UNC or Kansas vs. Kansas State played in a neutral arena rather than on those campuses.
Cincy vs. Xavier is not the biggest rivalry nationally but for these two schools it is the biggest game each season, as they often alternate home and away every other year. But following a major brawl this past year, that resulted in the game ending nine seconds early and both benches clearing, the schools have decided to move the game in hopes of avoiding any problems.
But I think this scenario may actually create new problems. For one, last year at Cintas Center, the majority of fans were in fact Xavier. And at Fifth Third Arena, few Xavier fans find their way into the crowd. There are often arguments and even some fights but its minimal due to the minimal number of opposing fans. How would putting fans next to one another make things better?
The schools will obviously sell tickets where each half is divided into the different fan bases but what happens if people buy tickets off the secondary market? They don't know who they will be next to. And if something were to happen on the court? That could be very bad for fans in the stands. People are so worried about on the court behavior, how about in the stands? How about what will happen with fans. Isn't THAT more important? The safety of the students, the little children and families in attendance should be a priority.
For the teams - many of the players involved are now gone from the schools. Xavier guards Tu Hollaway and Mark Lyons both left the team. Hollaway declared for the NBA Draft and Lyons left "mutually" after talking to coach Chris Mack, Lyons transferred to Arizona. Kenny Frease graduated for Xavier. Dez Wells and Landon Amos remain for Xavier. For Cincinnati, Yancy Gates graduated and Octavius Ellis was dismissed recently due to another incident. Cheikh Mbodj played a role too in kicking Kenny Frease and is still there as is Ge'lawn Guyn, who was only suspended one game.
So the teams are virtually cleaned up. The biggest culprits were Gates, Frease, Hollaway, and Lyons.
But moving forward, the fans, the students, the alumni, the players are being punished. There is no more home court advantage. US Bank Arena does not have the same feel to it as Cintas Center and Fifth Third Arena. Both of those places are very loud, extra loud when their crosstown rivals come into town.
One big disadvantage for Cincinnati is money. Cincy could have promoted season ticket packages revolving around the Xavier home game, that would be in heavy demand. But losing that game on campus, could cost them some money. It will be interesting to see how tickets do work. Do season ticket holders automatically get tickets? What happens if Cincy sells more season tickets than tickets allotted to this game? How do student tickets work Especially without a real student section.
There are more seats at US Bank but that is not what this is about. There will be half Cincy fans and half Xavier fans. And even worse, Cincy will lose out on the opportunity to have more fans. US Bank Arena holds 17,000 fans. Cincy's Fifth Third Arena holds a little more than 13,000. So assume 12,000 are UC fans. Cincy will not have that many at US Bank this year because half the tickets will be split with Xavier fans. Cincy students get free tickets to every game. They will most likely have to pay, and than find transportation from campus to downtown. The pre-game festivities will suffer from not having a location for fans to congregate. And how about the students and alumni that now will miss out because of the lack of tickets. The demand of tickets is always great than supply for this game and now with the supply cut directly in half? Demand and outcry will become anger and frustration.
This game will suffer from being played neutrally, especially if it is televised on ESPN as it often is. The mix of blue with red and black in the crowd will look sloppy. The mix of chants can get confusing. The players do not have any advantage though. And they should. Everyone loves watching Duke vs. UNC at the Dean Dome. How can Duke handle the atmosphere? Will they withstand it. And vice versa when the teams play at the Dean Dome. They would riot in Durham and Chapel Hill if those schools lost that game on campus. Cincy and Xavier won't riot, because their reputations have already taken a hit, but fans should be disappointed that their biggest rivalry game will be held like this.
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