What fans need to do for the 2009 Season
Sup guys, this is my first post on mgoblog!
I'm all Michigan fans have heard that they are the quietest 100,000 fans in the country. Hate to say it, but its true. Stadiums half the size of Michigan Stadium are getting up to 120 decibels.
"It's not the fans fault, the stadium can't hold in noise." Partly true. The stadium is only one tier so it can't hold in as much noise. And there are some fans outside the student section that make noise. But this is what they get in response from the other 85% of fans that just sit on their hands: "HEY, SIT DOWN!" That shouldn't be happening. If everyone in the stadium would stand up and cheer, Michigan stadium would be the hardest to play in the country. And with the new renovations, the stadium can hold in more noise! Those of you who get what I'm saying need to set examples for the rest of the fans so Michigan doesn't waste their potential home field advantage. If no one around you is yelling, be the one to stand up and make them follow what you're doing!
I can safely say after loses to App St. and Toledo, that Michigan Stadium is no longer a tough venue to play in. Lets make it one again. Ya last year there wasn't much to cheer for, but with the 3 yards and a cloud of dust gone, and the spread in, with fast quarterbacks and more exciting plays, there should be a lot of cheering doing on.
Anyone besides me absolutely hate the key plays? Can't stand them. What you should be doing it yelling!!!!!! They shouldn't flash that big "Key Play" sign on the scoreboard, it should say "GET LOUD" or "GO CRAZY" or "MAKE SOME NOISE". THE KEY PLAY THING HAS TO STOP! IF YOU SEE SOMEONE WITH THEIR KEYS OUT NEAR YOU, TELL THEM TO "PUT THOSE DAMN THINGS AWAY AND YELL!"
But don't limit 3rd down to when you should be yelling, you should be yelling every down! The other team won't be able to hear, and it will create a home field advantage!
I thought up a good idea a few weeks ago and I sent it to Mark Riordan, the head athletic director for marketing at Michigan. The idea was to give away free maize rally towels that say on the front: GET LOUD IN THE BIG HOUSE: 2009 on them. And on the back say PROTECT THIS HOUSE. Anyone else think this is a good idea?
I also think that there isn't enough participation in the Maize outs. Guys, on Maize out days, skip the jersey and wear something maize. and if you don't own anything maize, go buy a t-shirt for $15 or less!!!!!!
Anyone think night games would be cool at Michigan Stadium? And I think if the team wore those maize jerseys and blue pants as an alternate once a year, and the game was a maizeout, it could get crazy! As crazy as Penn State's whiteouts!
Last, we gotta popularize the claw. We used to do the chop to "Temptation" on 4th down, but it evolved into the claw. If we keep doing it, it will become as popular as Florida's gator chomp!
Please email Mark Riordan, the head athletic director, about the towel idea and the night games. I need as much participation as possible! They might actually happen if enough people tell him its a good idea! The rest of the things I said, I hope you also follow, and Michigan becomes a great team again!
Ok change of plans. Don't email Mark anymore because he figured out that I had been "recruting" people to email him. Just email your names and a sentence or 2 of what you want to say to him to me and I will email a list of all the people who support my ideas to him.
Check out this youtube video I made too. It pretty much states what I stated on here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY4vr4bAaTo
Sign my petition to play night games!!!!!!!
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/michigannightgames
GO BLUE 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are turbo crazy. Good luck in your endeavors. You might want to investigate the difference between "loses" and "losses" though if you're sending emails like this to the powers that be, for a message board it doesn't matter though.
Recall taking a buddy down to get his cherry popped "1st visit to Big House," in 2003 vs. Purdue. We were ranked 13, Purdue 10. This was a nationally televised game, therefore, kickoff was at 3:30. Let me tell you, night time isn't necessary. Those three extra hours were all that was needed for everyone, from student to circa '60 grads.
My seats are in a very expensive section of the house. Four seats in Section 2, Row 38 now go for 3500 a year. Not a misprint. So you can imagine the type of fan you might think you'd find there. Not ture that day. They did more than their share.
From the opening kick-off UM completely dominated Purdue, especially defensively and I was proud to have taken a buddy down to the stadium on what was the loudest crowd the players and myself have ever heard. Those extra three hours of wakeup and what fans will do with them were the difference. Couple that with a defense that held Purdue to 8 yards in the first half, and you can understand why the entire fan base was standing well into midway through the 4th quarter.
Many here know which day and game I'm speaking of because they were there. With the improved acoustics and the type of play - reminiscent of the mid-70s - that I'm expecting, I think visiting recruits will see a definite home-field advantage when they take their visits to UM in the future. When that occurs, it'll be one of the lead-ins on every telecast.
BTW, I do recall them setting up lights to televise a night game here. Believe the opponent was ND, and as you say, it was a tremendous success as far as noise.
I don't ever remember a night game at the big house. They set up lights for the 3:30p games because they can end after it gets dark. I am just curious.
Sorry, but didn't really look over it that well. I made sure I spell checked the email before I sent it though. You are right, don't want to spell things wrong when you are emailing a person of high power.
I love the passion and agree with your point about making noise/standing up outside of the student section. Easier said than done though. (Security guards+whiny elderly= more of the same)
You're right- Key Plays aren't intimidating, we should be yelling. I don't care if people take out their keys though, as long as they're yelling.
As for the claw- I don't mind it but i'm not the biggest fan. I think it's reasonable to do it on a 3rd down stop, but I don't know if we want it to be like the gator chomp.
Night games and uniform topic has come up a lot on this site. It seems like most people think it would be pretty awesome to have a night game; but I think everyone's realistic and knows it just won't happen.
Changing the Blue home jersey w/ maize pants is a tough sell, and is too gimicky. The away jersey affords more flexibility. Check out some mock away alternatives as created by Six Zero in another thread.
http://www.mgoblog.com/diaries/mock-away-uniforms-throwback-and-otherwi…
I sent him an e-mail. And the video you made is very cool.
thanks! I appreciate it!
only in my dreams will we ever have a night game where we have as much a home advantage as we do at yost. imagine how awesome that would be
I am imagining it man! It would be so kick-ass! I don't know why they won't do it? Are they afraid too many people will get drunk? C'mon its Michigan. Not like people are gonna riot like Ohio State fans do after the game...
I just have a couple things about your diary. First of all I don't really like the claw and will never do it. I form a fist and make the pounding motion the way it was originally done before. I remember a day sitting in class and reading the Daily and they had an article about the traditions and what students were suppose to do at the football game. I remember it because it was 50% wrong which amazed me and one of those things was they talked about the claw. I never remember seeing it but then the next game I noticed people doing it. I couldn't believe the Daily changed the way things were done at football games. Anyway enough venting on that. I am fine with the keys just as long as the people are screaming while shaking their keys. I wish the maize out could work better but I don't see that happening until we have a maize jersey or they change it to a blue out. I think the only reason it works so well at PSU is they have a white jersey fans can wear to a white out.
Finally one little detail that was wrong in your video was the new press box is wont be done until 2010 just like the suites. The old press box will be torn down at the conclusion of the 2009 season. Anyway I loved your enthusiasm and can't wait to get back in the stadium next fall and stand up turn around and yell at the old fart behind me to stand up if he wants to see the game.
ya i figured that out after I made the video. I didn't really want to delete the video just because I messed up that detail, so I just kept it. I should have put in the comments that I got that wrong. I'll do that!
I mean in the description.
is lame. I remember that edition of the Daily and wondering where in the world they got that from. The whole "Temptation" chop thing has never really been my deal. They only came up with that a few years ago and it's always seemed kind of forced.
As for the bashing of the "quiet" sections. Give it up, it's not going to change. I sit there in seats that have been in my family since the 50s, and that's just how people are. Just because people don't get nuts and scream doesn't make them any less of fans. We're not all crazy asses, that's just life.
and until we are all crazy asses, michigan will never have a home field advantage.
Yeah, I agree with what everyone said here. Great enthusiasm. I don't see UM every changing the home uniforms. Personally, I wouldn't want to see them changed. The towels, fine, that works. Even old farts that can't yell can at least wave a towel around.
"Guys, on Maize out days, skip the jersey
and wear something maize."
I can understand doing that if you're someone that goes to every game. I live in Florida and try to make it to one game every year. When I go, I want to sport my jersey. My girl has a blue jersey as well. I'd be fine with buying a maize shirt if the entire stadium was truly "maized out". Until I see it, I'm gonna wear my blue jersey.
The crux of the problem with a maize out is in what you said.
"I'd be fine with buying a maize shirt if the entire stadium was truly "maized out". Until I see it, I'm gonna wear my blue jersey."
If everyone thinks like this, we will always have a problem with incomplete maize outs. Be a leader, not a follower.
What Suthe1np said. the reason the maize outs suck is because everyone takes this mentality. "Until I see it, I'm gonna wear my blue jersey." not saying you are a bad fan, but it's because of this that the maize outs aren't successful. They will never be successful until people realize that EVERYONE is included and that you shouldn't follow, but lead. What I usually do is wear a maize t-shirt under my jersey every game. Why not do that?
I think the biggest problem with the maize outs actually happening is the fact that EVERYONE has something white to wear. I personally don't have a maize sweatshirt or maize jacket or pullover to wear when it gets cold out. Funny I have a white and blue one though. I would fit right in in happy valley. gross!
I agree people need to take the mentality that it is a maize out so I should wear maize. However I am very superstitious and if Michigan loses a game and I am wearing a certain thing I probably won't wear that same combination of clothing again. I have come to find out that my authentic #20 blue Nike jersey is just bad luck. I have never seen Michigan win a game while wearing that. Not to mention right when I bought it Hart got injured and didnt play much the rest of the season. Anyway if I am wearing something and we play great then I will wear the exact same thing at the next game. I think we have alot of superstitious fans. I know one guy that buys a new pair of Michigan boxers everytime Michigan loses and will throw out the old pair. He needless to say went through alot of boxers last season.
Also the main issue I see is we don't have a maize jersey. I am not saying we need to have one but in order to do a color out then you have to make that color a color of one of our jerseys.
To my knowledge there was never a night game, just late in the season 3:30 games. I agree with most of the points made, I'll be in the student section next year so the burden isn't really on me but the stadium should certainly be louder. However, if I ever see the players wearing maize jerseys I will walk out of the stadium. The home jerseys will never change and never should. But other than that, good post. A night game would be cool, or at least we could work in the direction of a 4:30 start like we had at Penn State this past season.
Nice entry dude.
I am in agreement with your points. I sit in Section 44 and man, it's a dead zone. Yes, it's behind the visitor's bench and there's some opposing fans in that section. But it could be the quietest in the whole stadium.
And for whatever reason, our MaizeOut's are totally fucking lame. What a joke. Only 1/5 of the stadium is in yellow. How in the hell can Penn State get such great participation with that? Are they that much better fans than us?
Maybe we're getting soft because we're spoiled with success. Well, last season should fix that. And hell yes on a night game. HELL YES!
I love your ferver man. Go Blue!
The claw is the worst thing ever. It's worse than the rise of fascism in Europe.
I will never participate, and will forever be a chop man during Temptation.
Everything else...sure, go nuts.
The claw is the worst thing ever. Just a suggestion is instead of doing the chop during Temptation make the same motion with your arm but make you hand into a fist. That is how is was originally suppose to be.
Great subject. I am getting too excited for football season now.
How come no one likes the claw?
I can't really explain why I don't like the claw... It's like explaining to my girlfriend why I'm proud to wear jean shorts. They're not comfortable, nor are they cool in the summer time.
I digress... Really, I have no reason, but if I had to try.... it's not intimidating, nor is it necessary. Why not wear a big foam claw hand while we're at it? It's as relevant as this....
I totally agree with the noise thing. I won't repost what I put in the "big house sound" thread, but i will recap a few key points and add a couple more.
I am 56 years old, but it is not an excuse to act like a fucking corpse at a football game.
I have been at the Ray Jay for USF games, and 40K there sound louder than 110K at the stadium.
The present seniority system for season tickets rewards old fucks who not only can't or won't cheer or stand up but GET PISSED AT YOU WHEN YOU DO.
AFAIC, if you can't or won't stand up and scream at a football game, stay home, watch it on TV, and give the tickets to those who can and will.
Also, I would like the seating system changed to something similar to the maize rage section. Since the team is supposed to represent the students, put the student sections between the forty and fifty yard lines.
There would be a backlash at first, and a lot of bitching by long-time season ticket holders who sit on their asses, but UM football will still sell out every game, and it might help sell more luxury suites.
I also agree that teams are not intimidated by the Big House anymore, but I can't put it all on the fans. When the product on the field gets back to an elite level, the Big House will once again become a difficult place to play.
Oh, and one more thing: they sell beer at college games down here. It changes the environment a lot.
Ya the alcohol does help :)
How long ago did they stop selling alcohol? wasn't it like 9 or 10 years ago? And since they don't sell alcohol anymore, pepole should drink a little more before the game. And if they scheduled a night game, it would be realy rowdy, even for Michigan fans. It would just be awsome!!!!!!!
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