Obadiah wrote: ↑5 months ago
I did attend the St. Joe's game and had no problem with phone service.i was able to keep track of all other A-10 games and the up to date status of URI game stats continually. When some around me asked what was David Green's FT stats I was easily able to respond 3-10 at that moment.
Also, too much negativity on Ryan experience. I have been to games at seven other A-10 schools and can say that URI game day is one of the best around from the greeting at entrance to the national anthem, to in-game activities, to the singing of the alma mater at end. And the Vanner kid is the best. Let's show some pride rather than a woe is me, inferiority complex as in nothing good happens here. You want to see a lame game day experience just drive up to Amherst.
Maybe we should start a positive thread about experiences of other Ram fans that have seen URI play on road, especially at other A-10 venues to get more balance.
Sorry no sale OB. We didn't build the Ryan Center (a top venue in the A10, and still a top building to see a basketball game) to strive to be better than the majority of our conference that is a collection of underfunded, poor performing, low-major schools with high school, multi-purpose gymnasiums.
We didn't invest in a top tier coach and make all these investments just so we could be better than some of the worst "D1" buildings and experiences in college basketball.
Not sure what you mean by greeting at the entrance - but I thought standing in an outdoor line in 20 degree weather for 5-10 minutes most nights, and 10-15 mins if it's a large crowd (which I've never done anywhere but Gillette Stadium), sucks.
It goes without saying that JV is the best in the business at what he does, but I don't think that factors in to the "casual" fan's idea of if they want to come back to the RC or not. It's a great add, it helps the atmosphere, he's funny - but it's not in the top 20 of reasons people would or wouldn't come to a game.
This may be generational thing - and I mean that sincerely, not in a dick way. But taking everything else away - WiFi and replays would probably solve 90% of people's complaints about the Ryan Center.
Yes, there was spotty cell service because there were 3000 people in the building, and of those 3000 people - no students - so I'm going to go out on a limb and assume a majority of the crowd had their AARP cards and is significantly less connected to the internet than the 18-35 crowd.
The WiFi thing isn't even a "nice to have" any more...it's a necessity.
Also, this experience matters more for us because the arena is a tough place to visit on a work night if people understand they have to commit to being off the grid for a couple hours. Once you solve that, the replay issue is another top priority. It makes a complete difference in how you watch a game. It's more exciting, you're more engaged, and our rival up the road - who plays in a 55 year old hockey arena - has replays figured out.
I shouldn't have to take 14 steps to attempt to connect to "restricted guest access" on the "public" WiFi, hope that it keeps me connected long enough to send a text to a friend watching the game on TV, and ask what happened on another angle of the play because I couldn't see it from my seat in the building. It'd be nice to just watch the replay of it on the jumbotron that is the same technology in the TD Garden - of which I've seen many a replay.
We're complaining because these are things that can be done, that are being done, and we are actively choosing not to do them...because these complaints have existed for 10+ years, and the technology to execute these tasks has become even cheaper and more accessible.
Having pride is this program means you expect better, not just happy because we exist.
If the mantra of this board/fanbase is "NCAA or bust" - then the mantra of the arena can't be "better in game experience than La Salle."