Friday, June 21, 2024

No More S'Mores

If you drive by Memorial Field today or tomorrow, you'll see a bunch of players hoping one day to be back, perhaps in a Dartmouth uniform or perhaps in a visiting uniform as a player for another school in the Ancient Eight.

There was a time when football camp meant a week of learning how to throw a spiral or pass block without holding, scrimmaging, swimming, letters from home and complaining about any food that wasn't hotdogs or hamburgers.

Those days are over.

Camps are now mostly one-day opportunities for prospective recruits to see and be seen, to meet coaches, tour a campus and most importantly, show what they can do.

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I'm thinking Antiques Road Show would call this a "cross-collectable," right?  ;-)
Here's the auction page: (LINK). In case you are wondering, the fine print says bids start at $5,000.


Green Alert Take: Kinda makes me wish Billie Jean King had signed a Dartmouth football helmet for That Certain Dartmouth '14 all those years ago instead of a vintage racquet with her picture on it. I wonder where that thing is?  ;-) 

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Capacity at Sacred Heart's Campus Field is listed at 3,334. The listed attendance for the 2022 game against Dartmouth was 6,293 and still the grandstands weren't full. What gives?

Judging by the lively tailgating scene in the lots around the facility, a lot of ticket-holders spent the game sitting next to their grills and coolers with the game (maybe) on the radio. But a lot of them, and that's a LOT of them, were at field level with drink in hand milling around behind the end zone. By all appearances, it wasn't a very good place to watch the game but a great place to have a party.

That scene from Sacred Heart came to mind yesterday when not one but two Ivy League programs announced – on the same day – their plans to create at least somewhat similar areas for this fall.

A Harvard release (LINK) explained:

For the first time ever, Harvard Athletics will be making field suites available at Harvard Stadium, in an effort to provide Crimson fans with a new, premium, and memorable on-field experience.
 
The field suites will be located directly behind the end zone at the open end of the Stadium and will provide fans with an unmatched opportunity to be close to the action throughout the 2024 football season.

A Brown release (LINK) offered this description:

Brown football season ticket holders will have a new and exciting addition available for their viewing options this upcoming 2024 season.

Brown football is excited to unveil field-level access for season ticket holders with the addition of the Red Zone, a new vantage point to enjoy the game at Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium. Located just feet from the south end zone, the Red Zone gives Brown's most loyal fans access to the closest view in college football along with exclusive food and beverage offerings only available to credentialed fans. 

Green Alert Take: I can't tell you if Dartmouth will join the party this fall but I can tell you that the option has at least been discussed. The guess here is it will happen sooner than later.

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EXTRA POINT
Following up on yesterday's Summer Solstice PAT, we had 15 hours, 33 minutes and 31 seconds of official daylight yesterday. Today we'll have 15:33:30, meaning the day is one second shorter. Tomorrow the day will last 15:33:24.

There is some good news, however. Sunset will continue to be a little later for the next few days. It is at 8:37:12 here tonight and will top out at 8:37:40 next Wednesday.

In case you are wondering, the earliest sunrise in our town was 5:02:51 on June 14 and it's been getting incrementally later ever since. It will be at 5:03:58 tomorrow, more than a minute later than last Friday.

Curious about sunrise and sunset where you are? Click HERE and type in your town to get the details.

(For grins I just typed in Fairbanks, Alaska. Sunrise today was 2:47:36 a.m., and sunset will be at 12:58:09 a.m., meaning their day will last 22 hours and nine minutes. ;-)

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