An Open Letter to the Lynah FaithfulThere are so many factors which play into this.
Hockey games start at 7PM in the evening. Not at 7:10. Not 7:20. Section A should not be 75 percent empty when the puck drops, let alone when the starters are introduced or the Canadian national anthem is played.
I know I am sounding like a crotchety old alum, but part of the Lynah experience is being in the barn before the hockey game starts. If we're not going to win on the ice, at least we can win in the stands.
That said, I was pleased that most of you seemed to know the lyrics to My Old Cornell. The Yale fans that I was sitting with were impressed.
Broadly, you're seeing a response to changes in ticket policies which have out-priced many students and have resulted in unsold season tickets each of the last 2-3 years. Section A did not sell out this year. See this, and this, and this. It's not simply the most dedicated fans who have season tickets, but basically anyone who wants tickets.
You're also seeing a shift away from hockey as Cornell's sole big-time sport. Basketball now directly competes with hockey on many weekends, and I know there are people who have hockey season tickets but go to some of the basketball games instead. I was criticized on eLynah for saying this, but the RELATIVE MEDIOCRITY of the current Cornell hockey team also plays a role. This isn't a team which is going to go 15-0-0 at home (like 2003), or 15-0-1 at home (like 2005), or finish miles ahead of everyone else in the ECAC Hockey standings.
This is a good team, but not so much better than the Cornell basketball, wrestling, or lacrosse programs as to warrant nearly uncontested student attention.
More specifically, attendance always drops during this part of the spring semester. Freshmen who purchased tickets may begin to tire of attending hockey games on weekend nights, and the steady parade of formals, mixers, and pledge events make it difficult for Greeks to attend every game.
Perhaps, we're also seeing a bit of golden age syndrome. See, for example, Greenberg, Daniel S. (2001), “The Glorious Past,” Science, Money, and Politics, University of Chicago Press, ch. 4. I was able to attend some games at Lynah during those big years earlier in the decade, and I, too, recall a more active and early-arriving crowd, but there is no way to tell for certain.
The Lynah Faithful, which include both active students and alumni, remain the best fans in college hockey. But it's only natural to expect that fan enthusiasm will decline when the team drops off a little.
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