The weather was beautiful, and it was a great day for lacrosse at the US Navy Marine Corps Stadium.
Here is what I saw (mostly off the turf):
· Penn State, Army, Johns Hopkins, and Notre Dame all had roughly the same amount of fans.
· All four fan groups were really into the game. Penn State #WeAre fans created a mini-white out. The Army fans were really jumping around in quarters 3 and 4, but enthusiasm was high with all fanbases.
· Navy’s stadium has real seats, not just benches. After two games and as I get older, this is a big plus.
· The attendance was 13,354. This filled out most of the bottom stands and left the upper decks and end zones empty. It was announced that it was the 6th highest quarterfinal. Saturday’s quarterfinal in Albany had 4,224 by comparison.
· 2008 has the record for quarterfinal attendance also at Navy with 17,017 paid attendance. That record might have been in jeopardy if Virginia and Georgetown were paired here?
· Johns Hopkins #WeWantMore brought the band. It would so great to have even some members or alumni of the Notre Dame band, Penn State band, and Army band. I would love to see more bands at big games. Johns Hopkins shows that even if you get ten band members together, it is a big plus to the game atmosphere. A bigger band would be even more awesome. Maybe band alumni groups could organize? Listen in on lacrosse's band....
· Other big NCAA sport elements missing were no dance teams, cheerleaders, or mascots for all 4 teams. Pretty much all NCAA basketball games would have all these elements for a crowd this size.
· I wish lacrosse could attract more diversity to games like this. (Maybe a foundation could sponsor free tickets to Baltimore City High School players and coaches?)
· Overheard: “Lacrosse is my new favorite sport.”
· I arrived late so maybe I missed it, (long back up on Rowe Boulevard) but it didn’t seem that NAVY did anything extra. (Navy Seals parachuting in or a fly by or a tribute.....)
· Minor grievances were long ticket lines and the concessionaire was out of hot dogs before the second game started.
· All four teams have huge rosters. Army had 6 goalies. Playing college lacrosse is a huge investment of time and commitment for student-athletes and so many of these athletes are not playing. When rosters surpass 40 it might be time for a JV team that plays a couple of games?
Overall, it was a great lacrosse day with amazingly athletic plays and scintillating action. So fun to watch. The product on the field is next level, but to have attendance that reflects it, I still think there is more for the party planners to do. Next year’s quarterfinals are at Towson and Hofstra before returning to Navy and Brown in 2025.
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