By Cameron Dubin
Managing Editor of Sports
Boston is a sports city.
We all know about the Pats’ four Superbowls, the 17 Celtics banners in the TD Garden, the Bruins’ six Stanley Cups, and the Sox’s eight World Series.
However, nestled in the shadow of all these great professional teams is Boston College and Boston University Athletics. BC does not immediately scream athletics. When you look at the two biggest sports (football and basketball), the Eagles and Terriers are very subpar. On the gridiron, BC went 3-9 for football with 0 conference wins. On the court, the Eagles were 7-25 record, while going 0-18 in conference play. BU doesn’t even have a football team.
But let’s take a closer look at some other popular sports that don’t bring in as much revenue.
BC Baseball:
Like most other sports, BC plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Every year, the Eagles play top tier competition in one of the most elite conferences in the league. The ACC includes programs such as (3) Miami, Clemson, (6) Florida State, (8) Louisville, (8) Virginia, North Carolina, (9) North Carolina State, and Virginia Tech. These great teams hold some of the most talented ballplayers in the country, many of which will play professionally. The Eagles also have the talent to compete, as they currently sit at 21-15 after just beating Louisville two times out of three. Not only is the talent great but the gameday itself provides cool opportunities. BC’s Shea field is next to parking garage, which offers an amazing bird’s’ eye view from the ramps going up (pictured above). Furthermore, at the game, the players are very accessible. Earlier in the season, after a BC vs Louisville game I met Cardinals outfielder Corey Ray, who is a projected first round pick, twice as he was walking out of the ballpark. This was because to get to their bus, players must walk out the same way to the parking lot as fans do. This provided me an opportunity to meet an elite player and talk to him for a few minutes with ease. This is simply not possible in the MLB. On top of it all, the tickets are free.
BC and BU Women’s’ Hockey
Women’s’ hockey at both of these schools is at a prestigious level. BU went 23-14-2 this past year. However it was the Eagles who truly soared. BC went 40-1 last year, going undefeated through the regular season, earning the top seed in the NCAA tournament before falling to Minnesota in the championship 3-1. The games are free to attend so witnessing a team as dominant as BC for free is special.
BC and BU Men’s Hockey
The men’s hockey programs of BC and BU are arguably the best in the country. They both play in the hockey east, the best conference in the country. Hockey East had 6 out of the 16 teams in this past year’s NCAA tournament. Both the Eagles and Terriers have won five national championships while cranking out NHL players. There are currently 17 Eagles in the pros including former Hobey Baker (college hockey’s Heisman) winner Johnny Gaudreau. Imagine seeing a future NHL all star, scoring goals against the Bruins, 2.6 miles from school.
The success of BC and BU goes unrecognized because of the poor records of their two biggest sports. BC’s ice hockey rink is a 11 minute drive from Newton South and BU’s rink is 18 minutes away. These close venues provide a chance to see top talent before the egos, security guards, and barriers of the professional leagues come into play.
