Crosstown Shootout Moves Downtown

[Boston Red]

I think this is a very poor decision (being charitable).

[WVRed]

Originally Posted by Boston Red

I think this is a very poor decision (being charitable).

If anything, the decision should have been made to scrap the series for about 5-10 years.

The Cincinnati-Xaiver rivalry is pretty heated as is. It might be a good idea to let it cool off.

[Boston Red]

I'd rather them scrap it than play downtown. Xavier and UC spent a lot of money on arenas on campus to host games like these. It's silly (and a complete overreaction to last year's fight) not to play in those arenas.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by Boston Red

I'd rather them scrap it than play downtown. Xavier and UC spent a lot of money on arenas on campus to host games like these. It's silly (and a complete overreaction to last year's fight) not to play in those arenas.

Those darn arenas! Always starting fights.

[Boston Red]

Decoursey's take:

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-bas...medium=twitter

[Assembly Hall]

With your handle, I figured it had something to do with BU and BC. But then again I was hoping it was a discussion about Duquesne/Pitt.

I really think they should do away with the rivalry for awhile.

[nmculbreth]

I have a feeling that this decision is going to have a profound impact on UC's ability to sell season ticket packages, which is concerning given UC's past problems filling 5/3 Arena.

The slate opponents in the post-Huggins era has been pretty pathetic outside of conference play, with the notable exception of the shootout, and attendance has suffered accordingly. Assuming that the shootout is not included in the season ticket package, which isn't a leap considering the Big-East vs. SEC games played at US Bank Arena haven't been included, the value of the package is even further diluted...

[Sea Ray]

It certainly seems like a huge overeaction to an isolated event where the principals are not going to be around next yr anyway

[reds1869]

Complete overreaction. As others have pointed out, if anything this ups the chance of something in the stands. When I attended the Shootout as a Xavier fan at 5/3, I knew to keep my mouth closed. Same for the UC fans at Cintas in the past. A split crowd could get ugly, or it could go smoothly. Time will tell, but in the end I think this is a poor decision.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by nmculbreth

I have a feeling that this decision is going to have a profound impact on UC's ability to sell season ticket packages, which is concerning given UC's past problems filling 5/3 Arena.

The slate opponents in the post-Huggins era has been pretty pathetic outside of conference play, with the notable exception of the shootout, and attendance has suffered accordingly. Assuming that the shootout is not included in the season ticket package, which isn't a leap considering the Big-East vs. SEC games played at US Bank Arena haven't been included, the value of the package is even further diluted...

Sales haven't been because of the competition post Huggins, it has been because Huggins isn't there anymore and when he left and went through the debacle that he did, he took a lot of fans with him and they never came back.

[ervinsm84]

Really don't think moving the game is that big of a deal, but from what I've read both schools will lose $ on it, which is why I'm surprised both universities agreed to the deal.

[Boston Red]

If Riverfront Coliseum wasn't a total dump it would possibly make a bit more sense.

[BuckeyeRed27]

They should play the game outside at PBS. That would be kind of cool.

I agree that this is a bad idea. Mainly because I don't think it will help having a 50/50 split of fans. I guess it could be a good, unique environment if everyone behaves.

[dabvu2498]

Originally Posted by Boston Red

If Riverfront Coliseum wasn't a total dump it would possibly make a bit more sense.

Agreed. That place is awful.

[SeeinRed]

I find it interesting that those with no rooting interest think best option for the series would be to scrap it. It means far too much to fans and the City of Cincinnati to ever scrap the series. The brawl seems to be the only thing stuck on the minds of others, but the game has been one that everyone in the city looks forward to every year. I'd be willing to bet that cancelling the game was never really an option, nor should it have been.

I also think moving the game was a horrible idea. Playing the game in home arenas was one of the things that made the series so special. Sure, the brawl was horrible. Most reports of the behavior of Xavier students was not good. These things can be addressed without any drastic changes to the series. School officials could have taken steps to keep UC students from misbehaving. Coaches and officials could have kept players under control. I think that was the biggest issue last year. Not to rehash the debate from last year or to minimize UC players' actions, but I've heard that many in the athletic department and even at Xavier were very unhappy with the inaction of Mack while his players were trash talking. Keeping on top of that next time will be very key to keeping such a thing from happening again.

Both schools should have been able to keep this from happening again without moving the game.