Steinberg said that the Sox had discussed with the Beanpot teams in the past the possibility of playing directly after a Red Sox day game to increase attendance and have all the necessary staff already present.

“It’s interesting to explore after a day game—to find a way to make it work. There’s merit to have the residual crowd of 35,000 stick around to watch,” Steinberg said.

But apparently that was not possible for that weekend.

“If they can’t reschedule it to piggyback, then we seem to be out of dates,” Steinberg said.

Walsh said that the college teams needed to come up with a sponsor to provide the necessary funding for the tournament.

“In the future, these dates are precious to [the Red Sox]—every day has to be used for a big-time charity, or not be a loss for them,” Walsh said. “If we were bringing in 10,000 people to the Beanpot, maybe they would open it up to us.”

Walsh and the baseball coaches of Northeastern, BC and UMass have set up a meeting this July with the Red Sox Special Events Coordinator to discuss plans for the future. Possible options include finding a locally-based sponsor like Dunkin’ Donuts, the current backer for the Hockey Beanpot.

Steinberg said that he was unaware of the proposed meeting.

Walsh expressed doubts about whether the money concerns were more related to the Red Sox organization than to potentially supporting a charity.

“I think during those dates [of the Beanpot] they’re going to be filming a commercial at Fenway,” he said.

UMass coach Mike Stone was also unclear on the reasons for the switch,

“They didn’t really say [why the move occurred], I’m assuming funding is the issue,” Stone said. “They’ve chosen to fund certain things and not others.”

For the players the opportunity to play at Fenway Park, this is—and always has been—one of the highlights of the season.

“Obviously we’re all disappointed, because that’s why we do it,” Stone said. “To have the sponsorship of the Red Sox means so much to every kid in New England.”

Though the Beanpot crowds have never come close to filling the 33,871 seats at Fenway, the empty seats have never detracted from the sheer thrill of playing at one of Major League Baseball’s most legendary stadiums. If anything, the open seats provided a rare opportunity for spectators to watch the games from all over the ballpark, including from the coveted Green Monster seats on top of left field.