Trip to the shoe
So I took my eight year old son to the game today and I wanted to give an update. First of I live in Columbus so he already is used to the 5-10% loud and obnoxious buckeye fans to a certain degree.
Parking was horrible...we walked a half hour to get to the stadium. It was only $15 but compared to the golf course, I like the option of spending more for something close by.
Our seats were in B deck. If u are probably row 8 or lower, b deck would fine but we were row 17 so we had the overhang to deal with...felt like we were in old tiger stadium and we couldn't see the fly ball pop out. Also there are obstructed views in b deck...we were fine but still didn't enjoy the seat location...it would have been great if it were raining, but it wasn't!
Atmosphere was great...they do get involved, but my son and I and a couple other buckeye fans were the only ones standing and clapping when their qb got up and left, out of respect of of course.
We had the usual people saying stuff like how could u raise ur kids a Michigan fan, or I was setting him up for failure all of his life or that's child abuse but nothing major. I did respond to one and said my son would prob ending up being his boss some day. We ran into a couple drunk college girls after the game that were rubbing it in and taunting my son...that irritated even the osu fans nearby. There were a couple of people that welcomed me there and even one said that they hope I don't run into any A-holes...lol.
I think they even know the reputation that they have. One guy stopped me and said get ready to go into the greatest stadium in college football....WRONG! Not even close since the renovations at the big house. All in all I would take him again and go again but just be ready to hear from some of the jerks.
November 30th, 2014 at 9:50 AM ^
Good for you. I have read more reporting some good, some bad about Ohio State fan treatment at the game. Once been to see Michigan away and that was not a good day. Illinois game. Michigan lost 16 to 6. They lost to the Illini for the first time in a long time. My friends and I would have been better off staying home. We we're spit at, sworn to, physically threatened. Bad news from Urbana. I would like to have the victors played 4,000 times per game that means we're scoring touchdowns. LOL.
November 29th, 2014 at 11:29 PM ^
November 29th, 2014 at 11:44 PM ^
but what a-holes are taunting an 8 year old? I don't care if you're drunk or it's a big rivalry game, you don't do that. It's a kid
November 30th, 2014 at 2:12 AM ^
went in 2004 and would like to go back to get a W
November 30th, 2014 at 10:25 AM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 11:12 AM ^
Piece of advice, try sounding a "little" more intelligent the next time you are trying to argue against someone else's.....
November 30th, 2014 at 11:24 AM ^
I think "ihatemichigan" was asked to leave.
November 30th, 2014 at 10:45 AM ^
We took our two young kids to the game yesterday as well. Overall, a pretty decent experience. The buckeyes at our tailgate were very cordial, although I got to answer the coaching question about 10 times. We sat in two different locations, first half in C deck and second half in A deck. The fans in A deck were much more professional, still passionate. The fans in C deck were a bit saltier, very frustrated with the first half (and showing it). We got all the typical jokes about raising Michigan fans, etc, etc. I get that every day down here. One guy made a punching motion towards my son and booed him, which was pretty inappropriate considering his young age. I think the worst behavior came at the half with the Michigan Marching Band on the field. The fans did everything they could (chants, booing, songs) to drown out the bands patriotic themed show. Both my kids noticed this and asked a lot of questions after the game. I think it's much safer and friendlier to visit the Shoe with Michigan down. When we start reeling off wins again, the atmosphere will likely change.
Oh, and I completely agree with the OP's assessment of the stadium. They're very proud of what they have, but it doesn't hold a candle to Michigan Stadium. We've sat in every level of the stadium at various locations for several different opponents. A deck is fine, B deck can be obstructed, C deck is really high. There's an area in the closed end, at the top, where you can only see one half of the field. Constant piped in music, sponsored activities, and advertisements plastering every available square inch. And, they number the sections with Odds on one side and Evens on the opposite. How does that make sense?
November 30th, 2014 at 1:17 PM ^
We were not impressed with the stadium at all. We couldn't see the video boards, but there were tiny 19 inch tvs set up for us to see. Too small to see anything. There was also a scoreboard under the rafters that we could see but it seemed very slow to update, which was frustrating since we could hardly understand what the announcer was saying. I didn't use the restrooms or buy any food or drinks, so I have no report on those items.