FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[OzJohnnie]

A happy-sad day for all us Hawthorn fans today as Captain Courageous, Luke Hodge, announced today that this is his last season.  A heck of a career.

Drafted: Pick no.1, 2001
Games: 299* (and going.  #2 and I are going to his 300th game, fittingly against Geelong, at the MCG on Saturday)
Goals: 192* (and going)
Captain: 2011-2016
Premiership side: 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015 (3 as captain)
Norm Smith Medal: 2008, 2014 (Grand Final MVP)
All Australian team: 2005, 2008, 2010 (captain)
Peter Crimmins Medal: 2005, 2010  (Club MVP)
International Rules Series: 2005, 2014, 2015  (series v Ireland, half-and-half game of AFL and Gaelic Football)
Jim Stynes Medal: 2014 (International Rules MVP)
AFL Rising Star Nominee: 2002 (Rookie of the Year nomination)

[OzJohnnie]

http://d3football.com/top25/2017/preseason

1   Mary Hardin-Baylor (16)   15-0   606
2   Mount Union (3)   12-2   570
3   UW-Whitewater (4)   12-1   561
4   UW-Oshkosh (2)   13-2   556
5   St. Thomas   12-1   507
6   Wheaton (Ill.)   11-2   456
7   North Central (Ill.)   11-1   452
8   John Carroll   12-2   409
9   Linfield   9-2   401
10   St. John's   10-2   392   

Bethel 2;

[Bombers798891]

Curious, what are they putting attendance estimates at for Johnnie-Tommie this year? 20+?

[AO]

Curious, what are they putting attendance estimates at for Johnnie-Tommie this year? 20+?

From a June 14th article on Tommiesports.com

Tickets went on sale last December and the game is already on pace to break the Division III attendance record. It's not crazy to project that this could be the first D-III contest to attract 20,000 or more fans.

[Bombers798891]

That's fantastic.

[wm4]

Curious, what are they putting attendance estimates at for Johnnie-Tommie this year? 20+?

I'll go on record and say North of 25k.  If you look at seats that are still available, they're mostly in the upper deck sections.  TF capacity is 39,500 for baseball.  Looks like seats in the upper deck, way down the right field line, are not available for sale.  Late September, good weather, could see a solid walk up crowd too.

Fantastic that the Twins and both schools are doing this.

[miac952]

Curious, what are they putting attendance estimates at for Johnnie-Tommie this year? 20+?

I'll go on record and say North of 25k.  If you look at seats that are still available, they're mostly in the upper deck sections.  TF capacity is 39,500 for baseball.  Looks like seats in the upper deck, way down the right field line, are not available for sale.  Late September, good weather, could see a solid walk up crowd too.

Fantastic that the Twins and both schools are doing this.

I was a little cynical of this when it was initially announced, especially with what the ticket prices were, but it's clear at this point, at least from an attendance perspective it will be a success. I thought maybe waiting for the new MLS stadium to open and filling that to the brim would have made for a little cooler environment, but maybe that's down the road too. I am also guessing that there is some serious PR work from the Twins, Tommies, and Johnnies to make a push for Gameday too. The D1 power 5 schedule that weekend is fairly light, compared to the opening few weeks of the College Football season.

[GoldandBlueBU]

I was a little cynical of this when it was initially announced, especially with what the ticket prices were, but it's clear at this point, at least from an attendance perspective it will be a success.

I had the same thought.  Not that it couldn't be successful, but that I figured it would only be successful with a lower price in order to get higher volume type of scenario, given that I'm not personally willing to pay that much to attend a UST / SJU game, but probably would have for the novelty of it, if the tickets were in the $10-15 range.

I also think it would be cool if they tried to do it in the future in a facility more naturally suited (or actually intended) for football.

[Bombers798891]

I was a little cynical of this when it was initially announced, especially with what the ticket prices were, but it's clear at this point, at least from an attendance perspective it will be a success.

I had the same thought.  Not that it couldn't be successful, but that I figured it would only be successful with a lower price in order to get higher volume type of scenario, given that I'm not personally willing to pay that much to attend a UST / SJU game, but probably would have for the novelty of it, if the tickets were in the $10-15 range.

I also think it would be cool if they tried to do it in the future in a facility more naturally suited (or actually intended) for football.

I think this is a brilliant move, in part because, as someone in a wheelchair, I can appreciate how packed to the gills stadiums can actually be a deterrent to attending games (I've attended one Cortaca game in Ithaca in the past dozen years) I guess that seems paradoxical, but especially with the charged atmosphere at these games, I find it really hard to handle. I'd totally attend again if the game took place at like, the Carrier Dome. Don't get me wrong, it's cool to see an overflow-type crowd. But there's drawbacks too. I wonder if this game is tapping into a crowd that prefers a little less crowded atmosphere.

[sjusection105]

Curious, what are they putting attendance estimates at for Johnnie-Tommie this year? 20+?

I'll go on record and say North of 25k.  If you look at seats that are still available, they're mostly in the upper deck sections.  TF capacity is 39,500 for baseball.  Looks like seats in the upper deck, way down the right field line, are not available for sale.  Late September, good weather, could see a solid walk up crowd too.

Fantastic that the Twins and both schools are doing this.

I bought tickets when they went on sale, but I'm guessing there will be no live streaming of this game......

[Greggers]

Does anyone believe there is a chance to get 30,000? I know that is a bit of a stretch but when you consider all the possible walkups and student tickets still not having gone on sale could there possibly be 30,000? With the possibility of gameday or some other type of ESPN coverage drawing more fans maybe that many in attendance is possible

[DuffMan]

Does anyone believe there is a chance to get 30,000?

Who knows?  I thought 20K would be a stretch, but it doesn't seem like that will be a problem.  With those prices, I'll keep my money and use it for something else, but I know of people that rarely/never go to Johnnie games that have tickets, so it'll be interesting to see how it all pans out.

[OzJohnnie]

Meanwhile, Dr. Evil in his Anderson Centre lair...

[wm4]

Who knows?  I thought 20K would be a stretch, but it doesn't seem like that will be a problem.  With those prices, I'll keep my money and use it for something else, but I know of people that rarely/never go to Johnnie games that have tickets, so it'll be interesting to see how it all pans out.

I've heard some stories that families with both Tommies and Johnnies have turned this game into a reunion of sorts, and gobbled up a bunches of tickets.  Very cool.

[Mr.MIAC]

Who knows?  I thought 20K would be a stretch, but it doesn't seem like that will be a problem.  With those prices, I'll keep my money and use it for something else, but I know of people that rarely/never go to Johnnie games that have tickets, so it'll be interesting to see how it all pans out.

I've heard some stories that families with both Tommies and Johnnies have turned this game into a reunion of sorts, and gobbled up a bunches of tickets.  Very cool.

So where are all these Johnnies going to park on game day? Have the Twins installed enough hitching posts to accommodate everyone?