Laurie Sefton writes:
>Many apologies if this is way off topic, however...
 
Not at all, in fact it's very topical and something worth discussing here
since we want to promote the game.
 
>San Jose State University has a little problem with getting media attention
>for their teams. It's *very* apparent for the hockey team, where the local
>paper didn't even bother covering the team at all during the season.
...
>So, how do your universities get the media and the local fan base to pay
>attention?
 
It helps to be located in an area where college hockey is considered a major
sport or even THE major sport.  Since SJSU's team is a club team, it probably
suffers from the saturation effect - only so much sports can be covered, and
the papers tend to cover what they think people are interested in.  I would
be interested to hear what kind of coverage US International's former team
got out in San Diego, when California actually had a DivI college hockey team.
 
Your sports information department also needs to work hard to promote the
news around the hockey team and indeed, all SJSU's sports teams.  Still, an
SID can only do so much; if the media refuses to cover it, you can't make
them.  It's great that the scores are announced at the Sharks games, that may
have been the doings of sports information at SJSU.  But it's a vicious circle;
fans may not know about the teams that the media won't cover, and the media
won't cover it if the fans aren't interested.
 
BTW, posting information to HOCKEY-L is a great way to make people around
the nation aware of the programs out there on the West Coast, and who knows
what it could lead to.  I know of several coaches who've said they have
received inquiries from people far away who read information on their teams
right here on HOCKEY-L.
 
I wish I could come up with some solid suggestions, but if there is a
grassroots-type of support for SJSU hockey out there (how do they draw?), it
may take something like hounding the local papers to send a writer to a game
for some ink.  They may like what they see and come back, and it could take
off from there.  Another idea could be trying to develop a closer working
relationship with the Sharks, who from what I hear are trying hard to support
amateur hockey in the area which will build their fan support as well.  This
is something NC$$ teams can't really do because of the restrictions on
involvements with pro teams, but as long as SJSU is a club team, I don't
believe they are subject to these restrictions.
 
Remember, it can be done; when Alabama-Huntsville was just a club team, it was
drawing 6,000 fans a game and was a pretty big story down there.  Huntsville
is still known as the Hockey Capital of the South and supports its team well.
---
Mike Machnik    [log in to unmask]   mikem@{beanpot,bubba}.ma30.bull.com
(Any opinions expressed above are strictly those of the poster.)