2008 Woodie Awards
Letter: 'Nova should play at the Palestra
Patrick Carney '08
Issue date: 1/31/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
To the editor:
As people on their respective sides of City Avenue prepare for the annual Holy War between Saint Joseph's and Villanova, I came to the same conclusion held by many of my fellow Hawks. Why do the Hawks head out to the Main Line every other year, while the Wildcats will only go so far as playing our team at The Palestra? In an attempt to understand this lopsided agreement, I've began seeking answers. I've heard every answer from 'It's a bigger arena" to "They're a Big East school so we travel to them."
Wrong. As to not be accused of being a biased Hawks fan, I'll show you the facts of the situation and propose a fair solution.
First, the numbers do not lie. The Pavilion at Villanova holds a maximum capacity of 6,500 fans, whereas the average attendance at The Palestra for the past three Holy Wars has been 8,689. That's 2,189 extra tickets sold, and many more cars parked, hot dogs eaten, and game programs sold.
According to Jack Millonde at the Hawks Ticket Office, "Saint Joseph's would prefer to play every year at the Palestra." He talked about how many fans want to see the Philadelphia Big 5 games, which becomes a problem if games are held at individual schools. Saint Joseph's sold out its tickets for the game versus Penn almost a week before the game, "and that's not even the Villanova game," Millonde said. He anticipates only 75-100 tickets available for Saint Joseph's students to attend the game at Villanova. The rest of us will be relegated to watching the most important game of the year listening to Len Elmore and Dan Schulman on ESPN 2.
Villanova is a part of the Big 5 as much as Saint Joseph's, Temple, Penn, and LaSalle. I would argue for every Big 5 game to be played at The Palestra, but this game is the quintessential example of how the current system favors Villanova. There is a distinct advantage for the Wildcats to play in front of 6,400 screaming 'Nova fans and the lucky 100 Hawk fans. Meanwhile, when the two teams meet at The Palestra, 'Cats fans are given hundreds of tickets to watch their team.
The Palestra is a cathedral of college basketball and should be viewed accordingly. Saint Joseph's and Villanova should take advantage not afforded to most college basketball teams who do not have the opportunity to play in one of basketball's best arenas. As I finished talking with Millonde, he struck the core of the problem; a system that does not allow student fans to see the games. He said, (If every game were held at The Palestra), "all Philly fans could attend the game." Instead, a hundred lucky Hawk fans will have to represent an entire school on February 6th. Is that the Big 5 Philadelphians have known and loved for 51 years?
Patrick Carney '08
As people on their respective sides of City Avenue prepare for the annual Holy War between Saint Joseph's and Villanova, I came to the same conclusion held by many of my fellow Hawks. Why do the Hawks head out to the Main Line every other year, while the Wildcats will only go so far as playing our team at The Palestra? In an attempt to understand this lopsided agreement, I've began seeking answers. I've heard every answer from 'It's a bigger arena" to "They're a Big East school so we travel to them."
Wrong. As to not be accused of being a biased Hawks fan, I'll show you the facts of the situation and propose a fair solution.
First, the numbers do not lie. The Pavilion at Villanova holds a maximum capacity of 6,500 fans, whereas the average attendance at The Palestra for the past three Holy Wars has been 8,689. That's 2,189 extra tickets sold, and many more cars parked, hot dogs eaten, and game programs sold.
According to Jack Millonde at the Hawks Ticket Office, "Saint Joseph's would prefer to play every year at the Palestra." He talked about how many fans want to see the Philadelphia Big 5 games, which becomes a problem if games are held at individual schools. Saint Joseph's sold out its tickets for the game versus Penn almost a week before the game, "and that's not even the Villanova game," Millonde said. He anticipates only 75-100 tickets available for Saint Joseph's students to attend the game at Villanova. The rest of us will be relegated to watching the most important game of the year listening to Len Elmore and Dan Schulman on ESPN 2.
Villanova is a part of the Big 5 as much as Saint Joseph's, Temple, Penn, and LaSalle. I would argue for every Big 5 game to be played at The Palestra, but this game is the quintessential example of how the current system favors Villanova. There is a distinct advantage for the Wildcats to play in front of 6,400 screaming 'Nova fans and the lucky 100 Hawk fans. Meanwhile, when the two teams meet at The Palestra, 'Cats fans are given hundreds of tickets to watch their team.
The Palestra is a cathedral of college basketball and should be viewed accordingly. Saint Joseph's and Villanova should take advantage not afforded to most college basketball teams who do not have the opportunity to play in one of basketball's best arenas. As I finished talking with Millonde, he struck the core of the problem; a system that does not allow student fans to see the games. He said, (If every game were held at The Palestra), "all Philly fans could attend the game." Instead, a hundred lucky Hawk fans will have to represent an entire school on February 6th. Is that the Big 5 Philadelphians have known and loved for 51 years?
Patrick Carney '08
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