Athletic Director For A Day
A few weeks back, Ira from WTKA sent me an If I Was King article from a Penn State blog. Naturally, this got me thinking about what I would do if I woke up tomorrow and someone told me that due to a quantum something or other I was athletic director.
There are of course many things. I would let that hashtag guy go since he's supposed to be a public relations person but talks like a robot instead of a person, etc. But no one would see these changes. They may hear a deep rumbling basso laugh of evil. See it in their gameday experience they won't. So here are my top five-ish things I'd do in this alternate universe.
1. Start taking attendance, for both stick and carrot
![Student Section[1]](https://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/images/f7eea2a04440_ACBC/StudentSection1.jpg "Student Section[1]")
three minutes to kickoff, check the packed endzone next to the students
One thing Dave Brandon and I are of one mind on is how gross it is for the student section to be half-empty at kickoff on certain gamedays. Since they're now scanning tickets they know who's coming early and who's coming late. They should start using this trove of data to reward behaviors they like and discourage ones they don't.
All season ticket holders, student or not, should start having an attendance score tracked. Max points are scored by being in the stadium 20 minutes prior to kickoff—bands—and something like 90% are scored by being there at kickoff, with a steep dropoff afterwards. For the first couple years Michigan does nothing with these except inform everyone of their score and their percentile range within their group (each different PSL level is a group w/ students separate) and within the entire fanbase.
Once they have a handle on the numbers they start making some use of this data with the students. Seating priority and away ticket and bowl lotteries are based on the score instead of straight seniority. Figure out the bottom 10% and set a threshold below which you can buy tickets but only at a full-cost rate. Take some of your pots of money and reward the most dedicated fans with reduced prices and special bonuses. What we're building is a religion, not a company.
For the folks paying full price there's not much Michigan can do. They're stretching everybody to the maximum dollar and at some point getting snooty about who you want on the list is going to result in no one showing up when you call out "next." But at the very least these scores should start adding to Victors point levels in some way, so that the guy who sat through the Ellerbe era at Crisler gets some credit for it.
Theme: Michigan's too focused on money as the end result of everything; they should make an effort to make the experience of being at a game better for everyone involved.
2. Stop playing the Penn State alma mater at every game
ignore the content of the song, project as 15 second clip
That would be "Seven Nation Army." I stole that joke from twitter.
Anyway. If Special K is going to run our lives for four hours every fall Saturday, the least he can do is not play the same six stadium anthems every other arena on the planet does. It is possible to both play music and build tradition if you pick something that you make yours.
Michigan accidentally did this when they picked a funky instrumental from a blaxploitation movie to lead Michigan Replay for 30 years. That worked because it was weird and ours and now I can't imagine our podcast without it; losing Across 110th Street was a traumatic experience that killed most of my interest in watching the Michigan Replay replacement (that and the internet making it a quaint relic). Special K should play that.
That should also serve as a lesson for any other in-game stuff. Make it weird, make it yours, stop playing "Sweet Caroline." Dump the overplayed Seven Nation Army and replace it with any of a dozen other White Stripes songs that would be equally or better suited. Make people think "Michigan" when they hear a song.
Michigan may have already tried this with "In The Big House," but the lesson there is never let a middle-aged white dude make a decision about music. Everrrrr. For it to be a beloved tradition people can't largely loathe it:
![survey-5_thumb[1]](https://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/images/f7eea2a04440_ACBC/survey-5_thumb1.png "survey-5_thumb[1]")
if anything this is kind since MGoReadership skews very young
Anyway. Figure out some stuff other people don't play that doesn't suck, play it at specific times so people get familiar with it, wait, and down the road you have a tradition.
Theme: By being different you can be loved.
3. Ask season ticket holders what they would like the schedule to look like, and ask them to pay for it
A corollary to this whole Alabama money debate is this: if it's going to cost extra to schedule a real opponent in a home and home, fine. When season ticket renewals are processed ask the people signing up if they would approve a surcharge for X games in X years against a BCS-level opponent in a home and home. Again, don't do anything with this information for a couple years as you gauge where you're at, then if you have a strong base of support for a more interesting schedule in those ND/OSU away years, announce that you're playing Team X and there will be a surcharge Y—or just price the ticket appropriately—for that year only.
You get permission to charge more in exchange for an exciting opponent; you bridge that gap between what a season ticket costs and what it's worth to scalpers.
Theme: Fans are more than teats to milk. We all participate in the decisions, and thereby become more invested.
4. Ask the Old Hat guys to do historical stuff for breaks
The one unqualified success in the modernization of the stadium experience has been the introductory videos produced by Old Hat Creative. Instead of filling dead air with Special K stuff it would be nice if Old Hat was tasked with producing 1-3 minute videos on Michigan history: Anthony Carter, the Virginia Kickoff Classic, Braylonfest, Tom Harmon, etc.
Basically MVictors: The Movie: The Short. The goal here is to do a little bit more than the occasional old highlight they've put on the board. Think little five-minute mini-documentaries about, say, the 1997 OSU game and what have you. You could play them in the nothing at the end of half time or split them across a couple commercial breaks.
Bonus: These can also be repurposed for Inside Michigan Football.
Theme: INDOCTRINATE
5. Think Carl Grapentine
This is more of a long-term feel than a specifically actionable thing one can do. If you don't know, Carl Grapentine is the PA guy at Michigan Stadium. If you've been to road games (or Michigan basketball ever) you know that he's a rare bird. Even Notre Dame's announcer burst out with something about how a rainbow had just appeared over the stadium—which was at least true—when Cam Gordon got torched for that billion-yard touchdown at the end of Denard's coming-out party a couple years ago.
Grapentine ain't havin' that. He's a just the facts ma'am kind of guy who brings boatloads of gravitas. He would easily win a presidential election contested between PA announcers. The Wings' Bud Lynch is another in that mold.
Many people have joked about The Brand The Brand The Brand in the past couple years as Brandon does whatever the hell he's doing with it. Mostly he's making it clear why we can't be Oregon. Say what you want about the Ducks' outlandishness, but damn if they don't communicate OREGON:
![4f0271757fb1c.image[1]](https://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/images/f7eea2a04440_ACBC/4f0271757fb1c.image1.jpg "4f0271757fb1c.image[1]")
OREGOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!! OREGON!
Even if the uniforms are incoherent, that is a coherent brand, one that supplanted a history of suck with success. Michigan has the opposite situation but they're just wobblin' around out there, claiming to be the home of tradition and coming out in no fewer than five different uniforms over the course of a season. That's not The Brand. That's the sad spectacle of a man going through a mid-life crisis getting "clunk" at da club.
Grapentine's the brand. Hoke is the brand. Refocus on that.
Theme: know who you are, instead of who the Knicks are.
You know what your big brother, scanning tickets will show?? 10 minutes before kickoff 95% of the people are inside the stadium but are in a 3,000 person line waiting to get to their seats. Maybe Brandon should stand outside the section entrances to see why it takes 25 minutes to get to your seats.
They should play only Bob Seger songs on the PA.
They should also let you do that thing where you text a super cool message like "@ the Big House wit ma boyzzzzz" and it gets put up on a crawl on the scoreboard.
You should also be able to text in and vote for which Bob Seger song they play in the third quarter.
That would be so rad.
You my Dogfish loving friend have nailed it. For example:
Entering the stadium: Shakedown
When we need a defensive stop: Like a rock
When the refs make a horrible call: Rock n roll never forgets & Ship of fools
After a turnover: Come to papa
Halftime: Main Street
When a Michigan player gets injured: Love the one you're with
Following a blowout wing: Katmandu
Following a heartbreaking loss: Against the wind
I am vehemently opposed to raising these ticket prices another dime. I realize I sound like an old crummudgeon, but these prices are getting absurd. We already get dinged an extra $5 or $10 for the "bigger games." What's the threshold for asking too much? $200 per ticket per game? $250? Is there a point where people say "**** it, I'm not paying that anymore." I'll be honest, I'm not far from that. $1800 for 2 seats to 6 games?
(Yes, I know I have a choice of non-PSD seats. But it's just a matter of time before MY location is $1000 PSD per ticket per year, and the end zone seats are $500 each.)
Nice post Brian. Kramerica Inc needs a visionary like you
if anything this is kind since MGoReadership skews very youngI'm no big fan of "In the Big House" (or piped-in music in general) but Brian, it's probably only fair to note that you harshly criticized the song on here before you asked people to vote. If you had said nothing about the song before putting up that poll, the results might have been different. We don't know how much your opinion swayed readers' views.
Crap is crap. And the song is most definitely crap, no matter what Brian says about it.
His point is valid, the poll's data is skewed in multiple ways. There are entire debates based on one word of phrasing for polling data, having a front page entry bashing it and then creating a poll definitley skews data.
Disagree. I am a musician and I actually like In the Big House. But you now bando knows best.
6. Bring back the marshmallows!
Theme: Increase fan participation, decrease the need for RAWK music during down time.
And the TP.
Nothing says enthusiasm for a touchdown like streams of TP pouring down from row 82 and making the goal posts look like Toomer's Corner.
Yea, so the students arrive late, this probably will not change. While I was a student, I made sure to be at the stadium early for the big games (moreso to ensure my seat wasn't stolen by a pack of sorority chicks).
Repeating others in this thread, but the crown on the north side of the stadium is very packed as soon as you turn left off of Hoover. I've got to the stadium half hour before the games before only to make it into the game just before kickoff. With that being said, when you have a noon game against Delaware State, well, sometimes that extra game of pong or flip cup or whathaveyou that causes students not to get to their seats at kick-off is just fine with me. I can't be one of those 'get off my lawn' people about this. As long as the section fills up by the first quarter against bad competition, I'm fine with it. Let the kids enjoy their experience as they'd like. Just my opinion.
Dave Brandon tries too hard.
We go to alot of away games. I do believe that Michigan does have the best overall experience. However, I agree with Brian that the pre-game turnout (expecially among students) is pathetic. What many other schools do (and yes we can learn something from little-bro) is to seat the students first come-first serve. That will also have the side effect of keeping down the pre-game drinking becouse the students will be in line long before kick-off. Many other schools do it and it works very well. We could be more sophisticated and make it first come first serve divided into 4 areas (Senior/grad 25,26,27; junior 28; soph 29 and freshman 30 and 31).
In terms of music, I also could not agree more. However, hats off to the Michigan Marching band for arranging truly Michigan songs for the band to play at specific times (a version of temptations after a 3rd down stop, Iron man after a loss etc.)
First come, first serve is how it used to basically be for us back in the 90s. I remember getting there at least 30 minutes before each game so I could get Row 21 (in honor of Desmond Howard). It was like that for basketball games too. I'll never forget sleeping out for the Duke game in 30-degree weather just to get in and get halfcourt seats. It was great fun (if freezing one's a-- off can be considered fun) and definitely increased interest to get there early. It should definitely be done.
Basketball is still fist come first serve so it wouldn't be a complete adjustment. And I know exactly what you mean about the camping out. Getting there at 11 the night before and staying all night to get in for Gameday is going to be hard to top as far as experiences at UM (although all sports teams are of course encouraged to try to do so)
I largely agree with these changes, though I think the bigger issue with student sections is that you have a set number of spots that need to be filled by students every year (unless the school just goes full-alumni and gives up on a large dedicated student section), and based on my recollections students don't lose spots if they ask for them. So if you start punishing students who don't show up, I'm not sure how you fill those gaps unless you entice alums to join in, which may be an option (though even as a 30-year-old, I feel too old for that crowd).
With students and tardiness, the best you can do is limit away and bowl tickets, but even then convincing 15-20k students to fork over ticket prices along with travel expenses might be harder to do especially when the fanbase isn't chomping at a BCS bid for the first time in years. It's a tough situation, but I tend to view students as a sunk cost of being a college program, and their passion and laziness are inseparable.
If you think that Carl Grapentine is a rare breed of PA announcer, you're right... but not for the reason you state. It is rare to mispronounce the names of players (starters no less) that have been on the team for more than a year. It is rare to have commented that Henne was in a game last year, when Devin Gardner has a much deeper tan and doesn't hail from Pennsylvania. It is rare to leave your mic open during the UTL game, when you've been doing this job for decades. I coulkd go on and on, but you get my point. Carl is rare indeed, and unfortunately, he is what is wrong with the stadium experience IMO. God Bless him for his composition skills, but you'll be hard pressed to convince me or most people 35-45 years of age with a college education that Carl is as good as we can do. In my 20 years going to games (every one of them), I have to politely disagree with your stance on our PA guy... he is terrible.
Michigan axed Rodriguez, when we should have given Carl Grapentine the heave-ho instead. Now that you've pointed out "what is wrong with the stadium experience," I'll never be able to enjoy another home game until this outrage is dealt with.
LOL, 0 of these make sense, I have been in line to get into a football game more than 20 minutes before the game and missed the opening kick off. Want to fix that problem? Stop assigning seats and let the people that get there first get the best seats.
Second those songs get played every where because they work and people like them, there aren't that many songs with 30 second peices that sound good when 100k people do it and people have to have heard it for it to work. 90% of the michigan hockey cheers are stolen from cornell but you seem to have no problem with this.
The problem with raising tickets for marquee games is that prices never fucking decrease. If you had added more money to the season tickets this year because of bama then next year prices would have risen based off of that number, you'd see ticket prices rise exponentially faster than they already are.
Brian I hate to say it but you are the definition of an armchair QB when it comes to the athletic department. This site is incredible and so is a lot of the writing but most of the ideas you throw out are just not feasible or in the case of some of them not even good for the fanbase. Running an athletic department is hard, running it without losing money is harder, and expanding sports while 99% of schools are cutting them is incredbily impressive. Brandon has made some mistakes, he is not against all that is good in Michigan, he is trying to preserve it. For better or worse the readership of mgoblog does not represent a majority of the fanbase and that is who brandon will and should cater to because that is how you keep 110k in the stadium and not just a really passionate 50k, by evolving to meet the needs of a diverse fanbase. It is easy to complain and in this post you illustrate how naive you are about fixes to many of the issues. I'm not saying to stop thinking about ways to improve, I'm just saying to stop bashing Brandon so much when you offer nothing better.
Dave? 'dat you?
...surcharge on off-years?
Completely reasonable, Brian.
Evaluation of The Brand, The Brand, The Brand?
Absolutely logical, Brian.
Attendance data being used as a potential bonus?
Brilliant, Brian.
It's clear why you'll never be an athletic administrator.
But let me know when you want to start that splinter religion.
I hope the athletic department intern tasked with monitoring this site takes copious and legible notes.
I remember being really surprised when I first heard that - mainly that anyone in the US would know the Fratellis - but its really grown into its own as a tradition.
MOAR crowd participation items like "boom sticks" and pom-poms and t-shirt handouts. I remember those "boom sticks" being handed out ONCE for a basketball game in Crisler back in the 90s. It was so f-ing loud and the fans had a blast with them. Of course, I'm sure the players hated it (think vuvuzelas) but it was so much fun. Even though they are kind of silly, people also love the pom-poms and they look spectacular when everyone uses them for The Victors (think UTL game). Finally, if you want a Maize Out - hand out shirts like they do at Penn State. You can get cheap shirts if you order in bulk and it looks awesome. Fans eat that sh-t up.
Things that enhance crowd participation and noise generally is always a good thing and a lot can be done for a very small amount of money.
The pulsating Maize Pom-Poms are awesome, especially at night or when it is getting dark and the lights are on. They really "pop" visually.
If you would have described it on paper it would have seemed like a lame high school idea, but it really works in the Big House.
Say what you will, but Seven Nation Army had the stadium rockin' like I had never experienced before.For a stadium that is known for having the most fans (and the most quiet), why would we not have it played?Oh thats right, because it doesn't match your personal musical taste. Ya know, forget the advantage and excitement for the kids on the field.
Seconded.
I hate it when people who like something good start disliking it, just because it becomes popular. Go be a contrarian hipster in your own basement.
The point of music in a college football stadium is to get the crowd jucied up which 7NA does really well, not to fufill the indie fantasies of 20 people. Feel free to go to a concert after the game is over.
Doggon' double posted myself
Check out some of Old Hats music video recreations. They are pretty funny and pretty close to shot for shot.
http://oldhatcreative.com/tv/old-hat-presents-500-miles-by-the-proclaimers
who thinks the stadium food is awful, apparently. Good food would be my #1 fix. After what I pay for donations and season tickets and coming in from out-of-state I would gladly drop a few more bucks if anything edible were available- like what they have at minor league baseball stadiums.
If you don't tailgate, their is plenty of great food in Ann Arbor available before and after the game. I personally don't like getting ripped off at the concession stand. The only thing I ever grab is a hot dog to get me through the game if I'm starving or some hot chocolate if it's cold. Better food is going to be expensive.
I would add something that punishes non-student ticket holders (like me) whose tickets end up getting used by opposing fans. I was pratically surrounded by OSU fans who had scalped tickets for the game this year. (Even they were surprised that they were in a section where season ticket holders sit.) This was not uncommon.
You could have the folks at the gate police it. If they scan a season ticket in the hands of a dude with the visiting team's gear on they can ask him to step to the side and prove that he is the ticket holder. (You could also allow fans to alert ushers to check a ticket during the game.) If the guy with the ticket can't prove that he is the season ticket holder, then the season ticket holder gets a letter warning him/her that he is not to let it happen again. If it does, there is a last chance warning. If it happens a third time, them the tickets get yanked and given to the next person on the wait list.
There would be an exception for family or friends of the ticket holder if the holder is there too. You shouldn't get punished for taking a sibling or friend to a game, even if they went to the other school. (I took my little brother who went to State (yeah, I know) to the 2004 MSU game at the Big House. Thank you Mr. Edwards, thank you very much indeed.)
Theme - Having Michigan fans at Michigan games is better than getting paid by Stub Hub.
Anyone who scalps their ticket to the ohio game deserves the chair.
/s
but seriously.
Why should I be penalized?
We have very different perspectives.
My view is that this is college sports, not the NFL. Season tickets are for Michigan fans, not for companies to give out as business perks. That is what luxury boxes are for. I don't think that your company should be able to surround a bunch of Michigan fans with 8 visting fans just to help your bottom line. Sorry, but that is my view on it.
Also, please note that I have no problem if you are there with your clients. If you want to entertain seven Buckeyes at the OSU game then fine. Go long and make a day of it. The difference is that you are there and have to look the people around you in the eye and tell them that you invited these folks into their section. You are, to a degree, socially accountable for their conduct. It is also my experience that fans who are accompanied to a game by the season ticket holder are better behaved than when they are on their own. They are accountable to you.
FWIW - I happen to be an attorney. I have many clients who are State fans and would love my tickets to the State game so they could bring a buddy to the game. I will simply not do this because I feel accountable to the folks around me. I may invite one to game with me, but that is a different story as I said above. If a client leaves because I didn't give up my tickets then he is probably not a good client anyway.
Given the Stub Hub (aka visiting fan ticket window) deal that the University has, it is pretty clear that I am on a island here and my suggestion is not gointg to happen any time soon. However, I would ask that you consider the impact of the folks you invite on those who actually use the tickets on a regular basis. Just a request. Thanks.
Hey, it's a catchy tune. UM also has one of, if not, the best marching band in the country. It's a great tune for a marching band to play. It would be a lot more "ours" if the band played it.
Moar Tuba!
Here is something we should have on the video scoreboard during an interlude....Lots of content for our athletic director to promote both sports and our fine university.....
I even emailed it for the song suggestion before it got popular to play in the nfl. I was pissed when they ignored that one.
I was thinking of something like Wisconsin has with "Jump Around" to start the 4th qtr. I thought a good song would be "Ready to Start" by Arcade Fire. The beginning is great and they could extend that to get everyone fired up. The lyrics are sung by 2 different singers singing so you can get a back and forth going between sections and the lyrics are pretty clear and simple.
Arcade Fire is a funky kinda artsy group that wouldn't be typically associated with a sports anthem and it would fit Michigan.
Make it happen.
We start the 4th quarter with the Blues Brothers song. It would be better if we could get full crowd participation though.
That's one thing we could strive for. Have Carl say "You all know it, now join in for the blues brothers!" or something and have the scoreboards say "Dance!" like at Yost.
no- we allready have the blues brothers dance- it's allready better than jump around
Denard agrees.
What? No decrees from the new AD about cheerleaders and soccer mom outfits?
/2007 reference
As the father of a recent Masters UM grad (yeah, I bring up the average readership age all by my lonesome) have to disagree on keeping track of student time of arrival. They swap tickets with friends, and friends of friends, and the guy who may be there 30 minutes early goes to WMU and got the ticket from a student who is not even at the game.
Back in the day, yeah, OK, way back, 1:30 kickoff allowed more time for students to, uh, recover from a long Friday nite of studies.
The consistency of kickoff time allows for getting into a routine for game day.
As of this writing, we have the kickoff time for exactly ONE home game.
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