Sad statement on Cornell attendance from an unexpected source

[PAllen]

Greetings all, I know I've been absent for quite a while, but I thought you might get a laugh out of the metaphor I read from a Cornell professor:

..., said Glenn C. Altschuler, a professor of American studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
“This is exactly like what happens when the person in front of you at the football game stands up to see the last play. You stand up, the person behind you stands up, the person next to you stands up, and before you know it all 50 people at the stadium are standing,” he said. “As California goes, so goes New York.”

So this guy seems to think that at Cornell, 50 people is a typical attendance number. I had to laugh.

source: Consequences Debated as Feb. 5 Super-Duper Primary Tuesday Goes Bi-Coastal
By Marie Horrigan Thu Mar 22, 11:14 PM ET CQ Politics.com

(I read it on Yahoo)

[Cobblestone]

Do you really think this guy has ever attended a football game in his life? Or any sports event? All he probably knows about the Cornell campus is where his classroom, his office and the library are located.

[JaxStateManager]

He must have been speaking about any of the JSU home games during either the Joe Hollis or Mike Williams eras.

[Marcus Garvey]

Um you guys are joking, right?

Given the context, and the fact that the professor said "a football" game, not specifying Cornell, this is not a comentary on the Big Red' attendance. The "50 people" are an anaolgy for the 50 states.
He could have named any sporting event or even a concert to make his point. He simply chose the most popular spectator sport in America to use as an example of states changing their primary dates.

If his credentials weren't cited (i.e., a Cornell professor) you never would have thought anything beyond what he meant.

[carney2]

For the record, Cornell's average home attendance in 2006 for 6 games was 5,008.

[cosmo here]

Um you guys are joking, right?

Given the context, and the fact that the professor said "a football" game, not specifying Cornell, this is not a comentary on the Big Red' attendance. The "50 people" are an anaolgy for the 50 states.
He could have named any sporting event or even a concert to make his point. He simply chose the most popular spectator sport in America to use as an example of states changing their primary dates.

If his credentials weren't cited (i.e., a Cornell professor) you never would have thought anything beyond what he meant.

Great point, I was ready to make the same statement. I know we all feel persecuted by academia to one extent or another, but come on . . this was a great analogy.

[AggiePride]

Um you guys are joking, right?

Given the context, and the fact that the professor said "a football" game, not specifying Cornell, this is not a comentary on the Big Red' attendance. The "50 people" are an anaolgy for the 50 states.
He could have named any sporting event or even a concert to make his point. He simply chose the most popular spectator sport in America to use as an example of states changing their primary dates.

If his credentials weren't cited (i.e., a Cornell professor) you never would have thought anything beyond what he meant.

Glad someone caught that.

[appfan2008]

5.008 are not very many people for a home game

[Seawolf97]

I dont know what Cornells goals are for attendance but 5000 plus in the Northeast isnt bad. I dont think you will see 10k plus averages for attendance at many schools.

[rmutv]

Heck, Robert Morris barely tops at 5,000 students!

The record for the old stadium, up at Moon High School, was nearly 9,000 for a mid-90s matchup between RMU and Duquesne.

I think the record for Joe Walton stadium, with some fair-to-middlin' teams, is 3,200.

[igo4uni]

For the record, Cornell's average home attendance in 2006 for 6 games was 5,008.

Very respectable.