Bob Constantine writes:
 
>Compared to
>college football, enthusiam for hockey is considerably higher
>in this area, (BC in a good year excepted, perhaps), as witness the recent
>demise of BU's gridiron entry. The Globe, in the context of providing
>coverage as leverage against its preponderance of pro sports, I believe
>does well by hockey.
 
>I know what they do have pales by comparison to what we see on this list.
>However, the Globe sports staff has recognized that college hockey is a
>meaningful phenomenon in this region.
 
Although I respect Bob's vast reservoir of knowledge when it comes to
college hockey (especially UNH), I have to disagree re:  the  Globe's
coverage.  In reality it is quite abysmal.  Bob, please save the college
hockey preview that appeared in the Globe and then compare it with what
they  will give you for college basketball preview (especially when it
comes to the national scene).  Then, throughout the season, compare the
coverage for local college basketball vs. that of local college hockey and,
then, compare (if you can) attendance at local college basketball vs. local
college hockey.  And then tell me that the Globe's coverage is fair to our
favorite sport, which WILL consistently outdraw roundball.
 
There probably aren't many out there who remember the days back in the
'70's when the Globe gave outstanding coverage to college hockey.  I
vividly recall a game between UNH and UVM in the (for UNH) Gordie
Clark/Jamie Hislop era ('74, I think) when the game, pitting the #1 team in
D-1 vs. the #1 team in D-2, was the lead story on the sports page.  Back
then the Globe used to have a "college Wednesday" section where they would
highlight the best games and the best players in basketball AND hockey in a
particular week.  Of course, those days are long gone.
 
Nowadays, with the dominance of pro sports I don't expect much. But I do
expect the Globe to place as much emphasis on local college sports as they
do national college sports.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  The
Globe has one writer - Mark Blaudschun (sp) - whose job basically is to
cover big time college athletics.  He has a weekly column in the fall on
big time football and, in the winter, on big time roundball.  In the fall,
the  Globe gives pretty good coverage to 1-AA college football in New
England.  Schools like (the late) BU, Northeastern, UNH are regularly given
feature articles although attendance at their games is not only not better
but, in most cases, worse than that at a regular season college hockey
game.  Why is this so?
 
My bottom line answer is bias.  The Globe's editors and writers are
predisposed to certain sports - pro sports, big time (i.e) football and
basketball) college sports and then, if they consider then at all, "small"
college sports, in this order - football, basketball, then hockey. I don't
think the Globe (or the rest of the media) has any idea that there is
probably more interest in college hockey in the Boston area than there is
in local college football and basketball.  In most cases, they are a bunch
of sheep.
 
While it is true that those who subscribe to this list have the
alternatives of the USCHO, etc., the casual fan is not so inclined.  If the
information is not in front of the reader when he/she picks up the paper
then he/she is not going to search it out. It is the duty of the newspaper
to provide that person the information.  Newspaper people will tell you
that they don't have enough time, space or money to do all that their
readers want.  However,  they should cater to their readership and, IMHO,
the Globe does not.
 
Greg Ambrose, UNH '72
 
P.S. I will be at RPI Friday and will provide a full (and unbiased) report
on the game.
 
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