(08-16-2020 01:40 PM)esayem Wrote:  In the early to mid 20th century, when Harvard (57k), Yale (70k), and Penn (78k) were doing well at the gate, they must have been followed and supported by the locals.

I'm assuming the de-emphasizing of athletics caused their local fanbase to wither up as they started following other teams and pro football instead.

Pretty much The combination of this and cable television saturation of P5, Notre Dame, and (to a lesser extent) has killed the Ivy League. The slight differentiation between a Syracuse and Cornell or Colgate has become a canyon over time. This can be seen most apparently in basketball, where Syracuse hasn't lost to either school since the 1960's and hasn't travelled to the other schools since the Dome opened.