THIS GAME WASN’T IN CENTRAL NEW YORK, OR IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, BUT AT YANKEE STADIUM. N-C-C NEWS’ LIAM GRIFFIN EXPLORES HOW FANS REACTED TO THE GAME BEING MOVED FROM SYRACUSE TO THE BRONX.
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“The JMA Wireless Dome. Often referred to as the Loud House, this building is known for having one of the most raucous atmospheres in college football.”
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(“The Dome… there’s no place like Dome, there’s no place like Dome.”)
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(“The Dome crowd always brings the energy every weekend, not just for football, for lacrosse, for basketball, and it’s just a great environment, it’s so unique.”)
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“The Orange are typically slated to play seven games inside the Dome each season. Not this one. This past January, news broke…”
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“…that this year’s matchup between Syracuse and Pittsburgh wouldn’t be in the 315 nor in Western Pennsylvania. The game took place at Yankee Stadium in New York City, and it drew mixed reactions.”
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(“I think it’s going to be a great environment that we’ll create there, we’ll show why we’re the best school here in Syracuse, New York, and we’ll really get the student section out there.”)
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(“It’s kind of a bummer when we realized our last game ever as a student was last weekend, so it was very unfortunate not to be able to go see another game in the Dome.”)
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(“The team is just not good enough that it does not warrant me traveling there to go.”)
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“Well, because of the change in scenery, this student section entrance right behind me did not have a line entering Saturday’s game because it was played at Yankee Stadium. The change in scenery…
…still drew plenty of Orange fans, and they got to see their team take down Pitt 28-13. Liam Griffin, NCC News”
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) – On October 20, 1923, Syracuse and Pittsburgh played the first-ever college football game at Yankee Stadium. That clash was a defensive battle that culminated in a 3-0 Orange victory. On Saturday, SU and Pitt met at Yankee Stadium again to commemorate the 100th anniversary of that game.
“It’s a unique experience,” Otto’s Army (SU Student Section) President Greg Slodysko remarked. “Normally you don’t get to play in a neutral site during the regular season, so it’s kind of a special opportunity.”
As special an opportunity as it may have been, it came at a cost. Syracuse typically plays seven games inside the JMA Wireless Dome every season, but it sacrificed the seventh in order to hold this game. The majority of the crowd was wearing navy blue or orange, but just over 17,000 fans filled into Yankee Stadium, the fewest for any SU game- home or away- this season.
Syracuse’s final home game is Saturday, November 25 against Wake Forest. That falls two days after Thanksgiving, meaning many students will not be back from break, creating a lost opportunity for some.
“It’s kind of a bummer,” SU senior Riley Wall lamented. “Our last game ever as a student was last weekend, so it was very unfortunate not to be able to go see another game in the Dome.”
In addition to Syracuse and NYC being separated by approximately 4-5 hours, the football team’s struggles drew students away from traveling down. The Orange started the season 4-0 but were on a five-game losing skid entering Saturday’s contest.
“It’s too far,” SU senior Ryan Lindblom noted. “The team is just not good enough that it does not warrant me traveling there to go.”
Syracuse emerged victorious on Saturday, beating Pitt 28-13. But the game being moved from the Dome to Yankee Stadium still has mixed feelings. A great opportunity for some, a lost opportunity for others.
