So tell us how you really feel ...

I don’t disagree with a single logistical point you’ve made. I can’t explain it, but in my heart I would just rather be in Pullman for the Apple Cup. For that matter, I’d rather be at Husky Stadium for Apple Cup than Qwest field.

Think of me what you will on this topic; but as a Coug, Pullman is my home. And that is where I want to defend the Apple Cup. And if it’s going to be in Seattle, I’d rather see them take it to ’em right there on Montlake than anywhere else.

Something about this deal just feels like I’m kissing my cousin.

On most issues on this site I agree with you. But on this issue, you come across as a west side alumnus, who has lost touch with what it is like to be in Pullman. Opting for convenience over atmosphere. I could be wrong, but with your arguments, that is what it seems. Do you have season tickets or make it back to many games in Pullman? I have season tickets and I also go to the Seattle game, not even close as far as home field advantage, even when it is mostly Coug fans. The fans are mostly apathetic and you don’t have the same atmosphere. The student section is quieter and farther from the action. You get many casual Seattle sports fans, who really just don’t care all that much. I don’t doubt that the game would be loud and exciting for the first couple of years, but after that, I think the novelty will wear off.

I do think that this move will alienate the regular season ticket holders, many of whom come from the east side of the mountains. Many people buy season tickets for homecoming and the applecup. The odd years home schedule sucks compared to the even years schedule which has USC, Oregon and the AC, the 3 most popular games I would think. Odd years, I think many people renew their season tickets just to keep their spot for the even years. A big part of that is because of the AC. If it is gone, people will no longer do this, opting to only buy homecoming tickets. If they do keep this as part of the season ticket package, it may help, but the cost would increase so much, it may drive more people away. I doubt that a Qwest field AC would be included in the season ticket package, just like the Qwest game in the past hasn’t. The Qwest people will be in charge of these tickets, and will drive the price up in order to meet the payout.

It is not just about the weather and snow, it is about the entire atmosphere of the crowd. The crow is entirely different in Pullman as compared to Seattle. I know many people who come to every game in Pullman and we have great tailgates in the RV lots. That will not happen at Qwest. Sure there are some tailgates in the tailgate heaven, I have done that as well, but it isn’t even close to the same. I don’t believe Qwest has any RV lots available. So instead of a whole AC weekend, you are reduced to the game day. Sure people will go out in Seattle on Friday night, but it is not the same.

In order (I think)

1) Re: hardcore students. I agree with most of what you said, but you did mention that students will have a better chance of seeing the game every year, which isn’t quite true. We have something like 12,000 student tickets in Pullman, so even if there are only 600 WSU student tickets at Montlake there’s still an average of 6300 student tickets per year. I would be surprised if there end up being that many at Qwest. Although, of course, there will probably be more total tickets overall so students can buy the general admission instead.

2) Re: Home Field advantage. IF both schools COMPLETELY split the tickets 50-50 every year, then the Husky advantage is minimized (though some argue about travel and such, which I think is less important than crowd noise). But I would be incredibly surprised to find out if the third party controlling this thing allocates all the tickets to the two schools. More likely is that each school will get 15-30% of the tickets and the rest will be auctioned off through ticket agencies, part of what supposedly will bring in so much money. Now it is still technically fair, since both sets of fans have a chance to buy the tickets online or whatever, but it takes the opportunity away from the fans to control their own ability to attend the game. Essentially everything will be up for grabs and whoever jumps onto their computer fastest or has the most money will win. I don’t know if this will end up favoring either team particularly, but it definitely will limit the tickets that the average joe can buy. And that will probably contribute to a less exciting atmosphere, ala the Super Bowl. IF the game is still included in the season ticket and student sports pass then this won’t be such a big deal, but I’m worried.

3) Re: romanticizing. 17 years since the snow (probably just a typo), but definitely still in people’s memories. Even if it doesn’t technically snow, it will still be miserable weather, which like you said can be good or bad. But what is certain is that Husky fans will be less likely to come to Pullman in a snow storm than to Qwest in the rain. Maybe that’s petty, but I don’t understand what’s so wrong about wanting as good of a home field advantage as possible.

4) Something you didn’t mention was how all the extra money is going to be spent. I’m really nervous about where all this extra money will be going. Right now the athletic department gets close to half a million from the school general fund each year, so obviously that will be cut out. So the net gain for the AD will be ~1.5 mil in theory, obviously that’s still fantastic. But with the general budget cutting situation at WSU I would be really surprised if a huge amount ends up going back to the general fund for reallocation among the other deparments. Not that this is a bad thing, in fact it’s probably a good thing, but the money will benefit WSU, not necessarily WSU athletics, which I think is an important distinction.

Last night I posted about the last three home AC’s and being in line at 4 am for them. I understand not every student will do that, but I will say that those of us that suffered through the cold crappy mornings and saw daybreak at Martin don’t give a damn about a bunch of students who wanna go home instead of stick around for the biggest game of the year. They do wear Crimson and they do rush the field, but they also generally don’t donate when they graduate and, just like their days as a student, half ass it when it comes time to put money where their mouth is.

They should not have the game handed to them on a silver platter. Aside from accommodating them, there is the distinct possibility that was mentioned earlier that this can and will be watered down. I have given it my all the last 5 years at Qwest and every time I look like an idiot unless I’m lucky enough to be near the Legion of the Coug guys.

Seattle is a crappy sports town that barely supports the teams that play there like Mariners, most of the Seahawks seasons, and obviously the Sonics, and yeah even the Huskies. This will be a watered down, exhibition type thing that will have a little novelty and wear off quickly. Storming the field won’t be the same, if they even allow it since Qwest can do what they want with security, and as I said last night and Nuss reiterated here, the tailgates and other atmosphere go completely out the window.

This is a move that effectively sells the legitimacy as a program that Walden and his successors have struggled to build, down the river. He fought to get games here, and every other year we have to listen to SC and UCLA whine about coming here and to some degree the Huskies too. Why should we give back what was fought so hard for.

I’m graduating in December and I can’t believe that I have helped fund a stadium remodel we may not put to its best use. This university is actively stomping on any and all good will they have with students, just read the Evergreen any given day, and now they are getting ready to potentially jack up prices on those of us who care enough to give money to the school when we’re done here. I’m seriously considering not buying season tickets, and that says a lot because I already had a spot picked out and everything.

PULLMAN>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>seattle

… the fair weather students whom Paul Wulff and Jim Sterk had to beg to stay in town for the Apple Cup this year.

I highly doubt that any of the students listened to Wulff and Sterk when making their decision to stay for Apple Cup. Either they wanted to go or they didn’t. Wulff and Sterk didn’t change anybody’s minds by asking students to turn out.

Also, Sterk sure as hell better get the Apple Cup on the student sportspass package. Yeah, it will probably spike the price up $50 bucks or more… but whatever… because otherwise I probably wouldn’t be able to afford to go.

I will give it a go for a couple years. Who knows…if Sterk and WSU don’t like it we can always go back to the way it was. I am trying to be open minded. Crimson on one side of the Stadium and Purple on the other…that sounds pretty awesome. Husky fans might be pissed because they also just lost 40,000 fans. Doesn’t Husky Stadium fit 72,500? I believe half of Quest Field is 33,000. So, they are losing home seats. I just hope that all the tickets are split in half and it stays that way. Cugs will easily fill our 33,000. Come on Nevada got 50,000+ in Quest. Nevada?

“The Cascade Clash” is on. “The Largest Outdoor Keg Stand”

…Especially if it’s over Thanksgiving break. One negative that I can see is that we will more than likely see less “Big” schools playing at Washington State. The only reason we played a home game vs. Baylor and OK St. is because we played them at Qwest. Now with only one Qwest game, the apple cup, we will see more of the SMU and less of the Oklahoma States.

Now with me being a senior in high school next year, HOPEFULLY attending WSU in 2010, I am fine with the idea the Apple cup in Seattle over break. I’m going to be headed home to Puyallup for break and my grandmother’s house in Seattle for dinner anyway. It would be interesting to see how many “Hardcore” students would be willing to make the trip, however long or short, over their break.

I look at the other big rivalries around the country a few of them are played at neutral sites: Red River (Cotton Bowl), Colorado vs. Colorado St (Mile High), Army vs. Navy (Philadelphia), and Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville). If, arguably, the best rivalry in American college football (Oklahoma and Texas) can be played in a neutral site and be one of the biggest events of the football season, then maybe two struggling schools should emulate them and try it themselves.

Cougar Football games really ushered in a new love for sports during college that I had somehow lost during high school, and the Apple Cup experience whilst in school was a big part of that. I WAS that casual fan who just went because it was something to do; I became a hardcore fan because of my experiences at Cougar Football games and the strong emotional rollercoaster attached to Apple Cup games was definately a factor in that development.

I feel that if even a segment of students miss out on that experience then…well, that sucks.

And, yes, I know it’s only one day every other year, but I also know having worked at a couple of Pullman businesses during those days just how much revenue comes in and it’s nothing to sniff at; this will definately take a chunk out of their budgets when game day arrives and no one’s in town.

All that being said (and re-iterated), those two things were just my immediate reaction on behalf of the aforementioned two parties, and it is how I would feel if I was in their shoes. As a west-side Alum who lives within a 5-10 minute drive from Qwest, and furthermore as someone who doesn’t relish driving 4+ hours to see us get stomped at home, it will admittedly be very nice to watch the Cougars on a “neutral” field in one of the best stadiums in the country.

That doesn’t negate the issue, even if it may be true. When I went to WSU, for the Apple Cup I got up, met with friends, walked to the game.

If it’s in Seattle, I need a car. I need time to travel. I need gas money. I probably need somewhere to stay. Food to eat. I need a ton of considerations that I don’t for going to a game in my back yard.

These are major, major inconviences. And the kind that probably would have gotten in my way as a student. I was poor, I didn’t always have a car, and I didn’t want to go to Seattle.

It is definitely, definitely unpleasent. Just because I still could go to the game doesn’t mean I wouldn’t much, much, much, much, much rather go to a home game.

I sure as hell wouldn’t have wanted to pony up as much cash as I had to if I knew I couldn’t go to the Apple Cup without a ton of other expenses and effort.

I’m just getting more and more pissed off at one of his decisions as I think about it. I’m not going to call for his head or anything.

And this is entirely how I feel. He’s not even necessarily wrong, he’s just pissing me off.

We get a hell of a lot of football and basketball for 129 bucks. Even if Apple Cup wasn’t included, that is cheap.

While we will be losing something, we are also gaining something — the opportunity to make new, different kinds of memories.

I know it’s different, but is different necessarily good?

;)

I mean, why is UW on board to do this? To pay for their stadium? This is like asking Ohio State and Michigan to play their games in Detroit. My Buckeye friend said he would transfer to UM before he would do that.