rbg
Postdoc
Posts: 3050
Reg: 10-20-14
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05-24-18 04:52 PM - Post#257169
In response to penn nation
As DPerry has noted, the attendance for the men's semis and finals for the two years have been:
Semis: 5,419 (2018), 6,209 (2017)
Finals: 5,564 (2018), 3,833 (2017)
According to the Yale website, JLA holds 2,800 (1,500 permanent seats and 1,300 pull-out bleachers).
Going from the Palestra's 8,700+ to JLA's 2,800+ will greatly reduce the crowd size but provide a greater chance at a packed house for both days.
By choosing another conference venue, especially one where the men's team has been in the top 4 for the last 19 seasons, the contentious issue of home court advantage will still be in play for year #3.
If the league wanted a smaller venue and a greater chance at a packed house, then Columbia's Levien would appear to be a better option. NYC and its surrounding area is the home to a large amount of alums of all 8 schools. NYC is more easily accessible for those traveling from a distance and the arena can be easily reached by subway. Also, NYC provides a large number of non-basketball activities for those looking to make a weekend vacation out of the Tournament.
Objectively New Haven is not New York. There just does not seem to be the same excitement going from a major city, like Philly, to a smaller metropolitan area, like New Haven. Skipping a free conference facility in the nation's largest market during ESPN's Championship Week seems very shortsighted.
It would seem that this choice is a concession to Yale, Brown, Harvard and Dartmouth for having the first two years down in Philly (FWIW, Cornell is 275 miles from Yale, which is about a 5 hour trip without traffic. NYC is 225 miles and Cornell has a growing footprint there).
While the JLA will have a greater percentage of the arena filled for both tournaments and provide an intense atmosphere, it is a bit disappointing to see the league downsizing to such a degree by year #3. If this is a step towards eliminating the Ivy Tournament, then it is understandable. If the league is trying to actually grow the Tournament, then it is a more surprising choice.
Edited by rbg on 05-24-18 04:58 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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