Too little, too late

T onight, many Penn students will gather for one of the most revered annual traditions at this University. But it looks like the stands won't be full -- the athletic department has yet to sell all of its tickets for the annual Penn-Princeton basketball matchup.

So where will everyone else be?

Considering that it's Feb. 14, probably with their significant others. And not only will the crowd be small because of the holiday, but the athletic department's advertising and promotion efforts have been too little, too late.

This campus is crawling with basketball fans, but the athletic department has not worked hard enough to tap into the student body's interests. There should be flyers on Locust Walk, posters in Hill College House and mass e-mailings across every campus listserv.

The bad advertising and planning hurt the athletic department's efforts to get fans to return to one of collegiate basketball's most storied arenas. In recent years, the athletic department has undertaken major efforts to reverse a decline in attendance and fill the Palestra's bleachers.

But these efforts just look silly when the athletic department should easily be able to pack the Palestra by simply not holding the biggest game of the year on Valentine's Day or taking a more proactive approach to advertising.

Indeed, Penn worked hard to move the game from its original spring break date. Yet, if the athletic department is unwilling to break with tradition and move the game to any other day between the start of the semester and spring break, a major promotion effort should be undertaken.

Last minute e-mails alone won't cut it.

It will be a major embarrassment if the Palestra is not full of screaming Penn fans tonight. But luckily, all is not lost.

For those students looking for a last-minute Valentine's Day idea, how about a basketball game? What better way to impress your heartthrob than with a cheap, fun date within walking distance?

After all, seats are still available.

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