This is just getting ridiculous coming from a neutral observer on Brandon. Fireworks and showing a movie in the middle of August? Who the hell cares.
It would be nice if all students were invited, not just the season ticket holders. Anyway, my film guess is an early screening of When the Game Stands Tall.
That's more reason to allow the few students who are on campus to attend, I think, even if season ticket holders get preferred seating.
On another note, I'm feeling pretty confident about my guess of When the Game Stands Tall after discovering Coach Ladouceur is from Detroit, Amani Toomer played for him (not sure if Amani is mentioned in the movie), and Les Miles has a role in the film.
How does it detract from our football team to have 110000 people waving pom poms? Does the team get better if we all sit on our hands?
People are yearning for the days of "Down In Front!"
Ignorance is bliss.
For someone who says my opinion means nothing, you really do like responding to my opinions.
Because you speak as if what you say is a foregone conclusion, and continually miss the mark.
Anyone want to photoshop a BigTop circus tent on top of the big house?
Sure, right after I photoshop these in the stands and on the ND sideline at ND stadium.
Notre Dame's average SOS will far outpace Michigan's for the visible future. It isn't like Michigan's AD done its part scheduling properly.
why then do you think ND dropped the Michigan series which is one of the highest rated and best attended rivalries in the game but they kept Purdue? And while the B1G sucks as a conference, the ACC isn't much if any better.
The ACC doesnt have any NC title contenders. Oh nevermind.
"It isn't like Michigan's AD done its part scheduling properly."
Blatant troll.
As sad as that may be, look at MSU's compared to UM's.
MSU
2014 - @Oregon, Wyoming
2015 - Oregon, Air Force
2016 - @Notre Dame
2017 - Notre Dame
2018 - @Arizona State
2019 - Arizona State
2020 - Miami
Michigan
2014 - @Notre Dame, Utah
2015 - @Utah, Oregon St, UNLV, BYU
2016 - Hawaii, UCF, Colorado
2017 - Florida (N), Cincinnati, Air Force
2018 - Arkansas, SMU
2019 - @Arkansas
2020 - Virginia Tech
I think that would be hilarious.
of fighing chickens just like these little guys, but out in our fields this time of year. we even use the same watering devices (the red bells hanging from above). it's just that after this september, i guess we'll have to go somewhere besides south bend to find our chickens!
Now would that be to commemorate the play of your secondary the last two times you've visited, or to commemerate how much fun we had watching it happen?
if the athletic department could turn this into a regular thing rather than a single event, it might earn back a lot of good will that's been lost over the past 4 years. For this event, it's like someone got married in the Big House: nice for those involved, but it won't convince anyone to start buying tickets.
Still wishing they'd use those giant video boards for a video game tournament. Even better if they stay away from mainstream-y games like Call of Duty, Madden/NCAA Tournament, Halo, etc.
I disagree with all of the negative sentiment about this. If Dave Brandon was not the AD right now, nobody would be talking about how this reeks of promotion and branding. Hell, something like this wouldn't have even been possible three or four years ago with the old scoreboards.
It seems ironic to me that so many on here who find Michigan stadium hallowed ground also object to the opportunity to spend time there, even if it is to do something that we happily do at home like watch a movie or a game.
THIS a million times.
Beyond a pure case of envy I don't see the problem. From my casual reading of things 1400 miles away, Dave Brandon seems to be rewarding those that chose to support the program by offering them a special event during the off season. I see this as no different than Disney World offering extended park hours to guests that are staying at their resorts while general admission guests wait on the outside looking in.
The clarion call from MGoBlog discouraging people from buying tickets, season or otherwise, and then the thinly veiled glee when ticket sales slumped....and now you're complaining that chumps who did buy season tickets have been offered a movie date at the Big House? I'm really surprised you took the position you did instead of mocking the ticket buyers as the fools they apparently are.
"Chose to support the program" is utter and complete bullshit, and goes to the heart of the widespread hatred among Michigan fans for Dave Brandon.
There are thousands and thousands of Michigan fans who would support the program if they had the means. What's it cost for a pair of season tickets in a middle-ish section these days? $3,000? $4,000? That's 10% of the average income of a family in this state. You can be a highly intelligent, hightly motivated, college-educated, responsible, non-drug-doing person and you're still more likely to not be able to afford those prices than otherwise.
I have no glee, veiled or otherwise, at ticket sales slumping. I predicted them, and the prediction came true; you shouldn't confuse that for glee. I also predict the offensive line is going to be kinda bad this year; if it would not be do you have ANY doubt that I'd be so so so happy to be wrong about that?
Michigan isn't Disney. For one it's a non-profit. For two the whole point of college football is you're trading competitive quality and seat comfort etc. for a thing that's affordable enough to be a hardfast tradition. For three it's not a corporation but a public institution. The college football team of a major state university is the front porch of that state's entire educational system. Michigan is a public trust of the people of the State of Michigan, not an entertainment conglomerate. Michigan doesn't belong to Dave Brandon; it belongs to US.
So let me state my position a litle clearer: offering a movie night is cool, and anyone complaining that they scheduled it for reasons of hallowed ground or Superbowlization should get over themselves; it's a friggin movie on a large screen. I vote for The Big Chill.
But the standard for these, as set by a fellow Big Ten program, is to make it public. Michigan's PR disaster right now is with the public. The people Michigan has been screwing over the most are the segment of die-hard Michigan fans who bought season tickets for years or would buy season tickets for years if they were in any way reasonable or feasible while, you know, still paying off college loans or saving so your daughter won't have to.
It would be a strongly positive gesture at a relatively tiny cost to invite every Michigan fan to a free movie night; instead it's a paltry gesture to people who've been recently fleeced and chose/were able to just suck it up. And when you put it in context of all the things that Dave Brandon has done while in control of this public trust to show he doesn't believe in anything public, it ends up pissing off the large number of people he's already pissed off all the way in return for small consolation to a small number of people he's pissed off somewhat less. It makes Michigan less likeable, less desirable to the people who will support it in the future, and that's how a little fucking movie night can become yet another thing that someone with an earnest, financial, and personal stake in Michigan finds appalling.
Front page this please.
I don't know how any recent college grad with student loans and a mortgage can afford tickets unless they are an engineer/lawyer/physician. You stated my exact opinion of Brandon's antics much better than I could. I have been a die hard fan for years but I feel left behind and betrayed due to Dave raising ticket prices beyond my financial means.
I have a novel idea to mend the fences in our alumni base and fan base. How about we reward all fans who support the team, not just to top 10% or those who can still financialy support football season tickets? Showhow I doubt move night will come even close to capacity. So, it wouldn't hurt one bit to invite more fans not just your top donors.
At least Dave threw everyone a bone by lowering the price of hockey season tickets a bit.
Sure, my views are jaded a bit with jealousy towards those who can still afford tickets. I am just tired of feeling like a second class citizen by Dave Brandon.
You have so much more patience than I do. Great retort, hit all the right notes, and gives a good birds eye view of why people like myself are at wits end with DB. The movie night thing is a good idea, and I agree that it would have been infinitely better for everyone (AD included) had they chose to make this a public event.
I just can't understand how our AD can be so out of touch with their true core fanbase. It's stunning, really.
It's like we're all aboard some great ship, and the ship is showing signs of wear and tear. Rather than investing back into the ship, our captain is shooting off fireworks and holding movie night on deck.
The AD knows that there are problems with season ticket sales, restlessness within the fanbase at getting priced out of the market, the terrible home schedules every other year, the increased commercialization, so rather than doing something about it, they're like, "Look at all of these shiny objects. Aren't they soooo shiny?"
It's not even putting a band-aid on a wound, it's handing a wounded person a sparkler and then wondering why they aren't grateful.
If I was Dave Brandon I would just play an endless stream of Billy Joel songs over the whole football game.
All Joel. All the time.
During the 4th quarter at some point every game I would halt play, walk out onto the field, and sing "Just The Way You Are" while fireworks exploded in the background.
There would also be pro wrestling on the field at halftime set to the tune of "You May Be Right."
Doesn't bother me at all. I think it's a pretty good thing, especially if they do it right and let people set up on the field.
Can we not be so jaded for a minute and allow some, you know, fun?
Train yourself to relax.
This is a wonderful opportunity for all families in the SE Michigan area.
No better time to be a season ticket holder than now: a night game vs a traditional power, a movie at The Big House, senior day vs an up and coming B1G team that hails from Metro DC, plenty of late starts for a better gameday experience/tailgating, and you'll get to watch the 2014 Big Ten Champion Michigan Wolverines in action.
What's all the fuss about again? I'm a glass full type of guy, and I"M PROUD TO SAY I'LL BE TRAVELING FROM NASHVILLE TO ANN ARBOR for the PSU and Maryland games. Wish I could get to all of them, but the Iraq war (not to get political) ruined any chance of gas being that affordable again.
I wish I could afford season tickets after being priced out this season. I guess it makes sense to raise ticket prices for less homegames and such a crappy schedule.