Howard Strengthens Their Big Apple Foothold With Sacred Heart Trip

The Howard Bison have three neutral site games and two road games at NFL venues, yet their game at unheralded 3,334-seat Campus Field could benefit the rising program. Howard announced their 2025 slate yesterday, and there will be no shortage of thrilling trips for fans. However, Howard's October road game against Sacred Heart benefits the program amply.

Even casual HBCU fans know the Bison have their yearly showcase at MetLife Stadium against Morehouse. This year, the Bison also play in front of another sector of the vast New York City metropolis.

Sacred Heart calls Fairfield, Connecticut, home. Just an 82-minute ride on the Metro North New Haven line, Fairfield county is a commuter hub for New York City workers with a population of over 957,000. The State of Connecticut's website estimates that each day, 62,000 residents commute from Fairfield to the Big Apple, including some Howard alumni.

Although the hour-long trip to MetLife Stadium for the Morehouse game is not too demanding, New York City traffic could discourage some Connecticut Howard alumni from going. The Sacred Heart game gives this alumni block a much more accessible and cheaper option.

In addition to playing in front of the Fairfield crowd, the Bison can also grow their New York City footprint on television. Sacred Heart had three games air on SNY, the TV home of the New York Mets. Although regional sports networks are a dying species, association with the Mets and their appearance at MetLife could make Howard the adopted or "subway" HBCU for several fans in the Big Apple. SNY reaches seven million homes in the New York City area. The Bison could be valuable lead-in programming for Mets pregame coverage should the Mets make the playoffs. Hopefully, the network learned from last year's Norfolk State debacle and airs the Howard-Sacred Heart game live and preempts Mets pregame programming.

While trips to Hard Rock Stadium, Nissan Stadium, and Lincoln Financial Field are alluring to Howard fans, the school wants the Black College Football world to know they are the Big Apple's HBCU. Through a game in one of the city's bustling commuter hubs and an appearance on an RSN home to one of the city's pro teams, Howard can further cement its foothold in the "City That Never Sleeps".