EDITORIAL: Even if you build it, they won't come

Given the low fan base of Ivy League baseball, a new stadium will have limited effects. A field house. An indoor track. An olympic-size pool. These were the projects that topped the list of needs when the future of athletic and recreational facilities was discussed last spring. At no time was there any mention of a 2,000-seat baseball stadium to be built over Murphy Field. Nonetheless, in less than two years, such a stadium is set to debut. And until that date, club sports are in a bind: They are down one field from their already meager resources. Our immediate question -- and most likely that of anyone who's ever attended a Penn baseball game -- is "Why?" The usual fan base at Penn ball games consists of only a handful of parents, a few friends/supporters and a small band of heckling fraternity brothers. This sparse turnout is far from the fault of our admirable athletes. Ivy League baseball, and for the most part college baseball in general, has just never been a big draw. And while a new stadium might initially lure a slightly larger crowd, it's likely that before long we would see a return to Marlin-like attendance. One area where a new baseball stadium might help is in recruiting new athletes. Especially now that so many of our peer institutions have substantially reworked their financial aid offerings, Penn with its relatively tiny endowment is going to have to really fight to get the top recruits. We'd like to think that the baseball stadium could be used for other, revenue-generating purposes. Behind Franklin Field and the Palestra, it will be the third-largest space on campus. (Irvine auditorium will hold only 1,250 people when it re-opens after completion of the Perelman Quadrangle project.) But given its seasonability, an outdoor stadium is a difficult space to work with. In the spring, when the weather is most conducive for concerts and other open-air events, use will be restricted to baseball practice and games. Officials will have to be pretty creative if they want to make any money out of the stadium. And beyond the revenue question, we wonder how much this is going to cost the University in the long-run. Stadium upkeep probably won't run up much of a bill. But is Penn going to have to shell out a few million for a softball facility in order to comply with Title IX guidelines? Of course, when offered a sizeable donation toward anything, it's not likely that University officials are going to say "no." But it is a shame that when so many other athletic facilities are wanting, this is what we're going to get.