Poll for Chicagoland UIUC grads

Why don't you attend UIUC football or basketball games?

  • Travel time between home and Champaign

    Votes: 16 59.3%
  • Travel time between home and Soldier Field

    Votes: 4 14.8%
  • Travel time between home and the United Center

    Votes: 5 18.5%
  • The lack of a good competitive football team

    Votes: 13 48.1%
  • The lack of a good competitive basketball team

    Votes: 12 44.4%
  • Cost of ticket and/or parking

    Votes: 9 33.3%
  • Game start times

    Votes: 7 25.9%
  • No longer identify with the UIUC

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No longer feel any allegiance/loyalty to the UIUC

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Lack of contact or interfacing with anyone from the UIUC sport’s department

    Votes: 1 3.7%

  • Total voters
    27
  • Poll closed .
#1      

Konnie

Western Suburbs
If you are a Chicagoland UIUC grad and do not attend UIUC football or basketball games please check the reason(s) why
 
#2      

Konnie

Western Suburbs
If you have another reason please provide it as a reply. Thanks, Konnie
 
#3      

wettsten

Chicago
current life situation: two young kids + major home remodel = no time (especially on saturdays).
 
#5      

KrushCow31

Former Krush Cow
Chicago, IL
Lack of affordable hotel options. I'm not gonna drive down 3 hours, watch football, then drive back 3 hours.
 
#7      

Konnie

Western Suburbs
Can someone please provide me what you feel is a reasonable rate? I always drive down from Chicago and back the same day so I had no idea that a Motel 8 is $150 on game day.
 
#9      
Can someone please provide me what you feel is a reasonable rate? I always drive down from Chicago and back the same day so I had no idea that a Motel 8 is $150 on game day.

For the new hotels on campus and downtown, or like the Illini Union hotel, I'd be willing to pay a bunch, but that's not the issue, you can't get a room at all.

For the crummy motels up north of 74, something under $100 I'd say.
 
#11      

Illwinsagain

Cary, IL
I had 4 season tickets for the 07, 08 football season. Only made it down twice each year, sold/gave away the rest. 10 - 11 hours was too much commitment. Watching on TV is much more comfortable, yes, I am getting old.
 
#12      
The basketball schedule (not specifically ours, I'll admit) is really not conducive to being able to get down to Champaign. Weeknights, Sunday nights, etc. Try to go to UC and to the Northwestern game as much as possible.
Tried to go to a basketball game last year with two buddies and could find nothing but Sunday games. This meant that we didn't even consider staying overnight or really spending any time other than the game. Luckily we choose the Nebraska game and saw a good Illini win.
 
#13      

krushalot2005

Chicago, IL
For me, this is really a combination of factors primarily (i) time getting to/from Champaign and (ii) not ideal game dates/times, especially for basketball. I’ve been trying to get a group of friends together to swing down for a game but there is usually one game a year at a decent time on the weekend.
 
#14      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
When I lived in Chicagoland, the 11 am start times are killers if you want to do any tailgating. That's why we would pick one game per year and come down Friday and leave on Sunday. We'd get a good sized group and make a weekend of it. However, as we get older, there are other things that start to take priority and it's harder to get that same group together as much.

If the games were at 1 pm, like they were in the 80s when I was down there, would make it easier to just get up and go.
 
#15      

SycIllini

Sycamore, Illinois
When we lived in central Illinois early/mid 2000s we had season tickets for football and basketball. Rarely missed games even when we weren’t good (football... basketball was always good in that time frame). But, a couple of years after moving further north we had to give them up. Could rarely make a game and since teams weren’t very good there wasn’t a market for the tickets. Couldn’t even give them away most of the time.
 
#16      

Deleted member 533939

D
Guest
The lack of a good team means most football games start at 11am. The 2:30 slot is ideal, and if 1 get 1 per year, that's lucky. And basketball, again a crappy team, and I feel like all the start times are brutal. Weekdays aren't practical and I feel like lately all the weekend games are Sunday afternoon/evening (although I believe that changed this upcoming season). I usually hit the UC game and last year I went to the NU Rosemont game.

And let's not forget, we all have 65 inch flat screens in a climate controlled environment.
 
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#17      
The basketball schedule (not specifically ours, I'll admit) is really not conducive to being able to get down to Champaign. Weeknights, Sunday nights, etc. Try to go to UC and to the Northwestern game as much as possible.

As a local, those 8 pm week night game starts are killer when you have kids in school. They have to be completely impossible for anyone driving from farther away than Decatur.
 
#20      

ritster

Wheaton, IL
Can someone please provide me what you feel is a reasonable rate? I always drive down from Chicago and back the same day so I had no idea that a Motel 8 is $150 on game day.
I came down for the game last night. Wanted to stay in Champaign. 2.5 star hotels were $275 a night. $275!! Motel 6 was around $150. Booked Hotwire in Bloomington for $59 plus tax
 
#21      

ritster

Wheaton, IL
When I lived in Chicagoland, the 11 am start times are killers if you want to do any tailgating. That's why we would pick one game per year and come down Friday and leave on Sunday. We'd get a good sized group and make a weekend of it. However, as we get older, there are other things that start to take priority and it's harder to get that same group together as much.

If the games were at 1 pm, like they were in the 80s when I was down there, would make it easier to just get up and go.

And if the Big Ten and the Big Ten Network could do ANYTHING that would make sense, it would be to have kickoff times at 1PM & 4:30PM. Screw the 11am and 2:30PM times. Be different. I bet attendance would go up in more stadiums than just ours with this.
 
#22      

KrushCow31

Former Krush Cow
Chicago, IL
I came down for the game last night. Wanted to stay in Champaign. 2.5 star hotels were $275 a night. $275!! Motel 6 was around $150. Booked Hotwire in Bloomington for $59 plus tax
Yup. My friends and I are splitting a motel 6 for a game this season. SPLITTING a Motel 6.
 
#23      

Konnie

Western Suburbs
Here are some suggestions from others about hotels/motels that do not require a 2 day minimum: Hawthorne suites, Eastland suites, Residence inn.
 
#24      
Are there any game day bus that goes between the suburbs and Champaign? If I didn't have to drive I might be willing to go down and back on game day.