Attendees of the Big House: Has your game day experience become too commodified?

As much as I complain about this kind of stuff, I have to admit that the lack of success on the field is what makes it so glaring. Double-digit win seasons and conference championships would make me less bitchy about prices and more inclined to tell the AD to shut up and take my money.

That being said, I do think that football tickets are overpriced (I have no basis for comparison for the other sports). PSDs mean that I will never be able to afford season tickets even if the tickets themselves were more reasonably priced, which they aren't. And pricing the crap games on the schedule at $70 is just highway robbery. Games against MAC teams and low-end B1G teams should be at most $40 or $50, with "premium" games against powerhouses and rivals up in that $70-75 range.

I could do without the constant ads on the scoreboards, but as long as they stay Michigan-related and don't increase in frequency (a man can dream...) then I'll temper my disapproval.

tl;dr the team needs to get better and ticket prices need to come down.

JUB is an example of the worst PR nightmare any organization can suffer--a disillusioned ex-zealot.

Not only can the present never approach the imagined heights achieved pre-conversion but the future is the worst anything could ever be.

To wit; in his latest book Michigan is compared negatively to two programs rocked by scandal--one vacated their recent history due to cheating and lying (OSU) and another whose rotten core trascended college football and horrified society at large (PSU.) All because Michigan, along with everyone else, is chasing profits.

Thanks JUB. Love you too.

It's changed some, but I'm fine with most of it. I think the piped-in RAWK is a little too much, but it's not going to ruin the game for me. I just think the balance with the band is off. Otherwise it's mostly the same. Stadium food is always expensive and not that good, no matter where you go. At least we don't have the damn wildcat noise like Northwestern does.

In general, I think Brandon does push the envelope and, usually, when he goes to far he pulls back (mascot, band to dallas, giant noodle). I think the whole attitude is more "We're going to be the best damn version of the same College Football as everyone else" rather than "We're going to be unique and that's awesome enough in and of itself". For example - Uniforms. I personally think it's cool that Oosterban's 48 looks an awful lot like today's #48 and don't need someone to try to sell me 3 alternates a year. I also worry about advertising creeping into the game. Inside the bowl at Football Saturdays is now the only ad-free space left. Spring game, Big Chill, every other Michigan event now has inherent advertising. Even score updates on the twitter feed are "Brought to you by Lowes".

As they maximize revenue from every little thing... where else will they turn for more money? I hate to think what 2015 Season Tickets will cost. And really, where does that money go? and is it necessary?

My gameday experience hasn't been ruined yet, but I am nervous about the future. Are we that far from "That's a Michigan Touchdown brought to you by Ann Arbor Torch and Pitchfork!" coming over the loudspeaker?  

I took my mom to the basketball game against UMass-Lowell and afterwards we took a peak inside the stadium in one of the concourses.  She hadn't been in the stadium in 20+ years.  We got treated very poorly by the staff there for doing so.  It's still pisses me off.

I miss the snare drum taps leading up to the charge under the banner. Hype up videos are not Fergodsakes (TM) enough. Bring back the snare taps!!!

Few to no ads run inside the stadium, the noodle was about as close as it got. I simply choose to eat and drink before the game and not inside. I park for free on public streets and walk 15 mins to the stadium. Am I cheap, yep! I save it up for one early fall game where I sponsor a tailgate on the umgc. There are 3 groups of people that I think they are trying to reach with the music, the 20-30 yo, the 40-50 yo and the 60+ crowd. The stadium traditions have changed a bit over the years. I only knew 1 Beyoncé song. What I miss is the handstand races across the field by the male cheerleaders during wm tell overture. I refuse to do the ridem horsie mime dance. However I break the anti bullying b1g rules because I do tell the other team that they suck as temptation is played. It does seem like the AD is on a mega facilities expansion kick.....those who stay will be amazed, etc. the costs of those never go down, so get used to it is what I say. I for one would like to see some kind of restraint but I'm not at the helm either. The headline of the um is definitely diverging even more between academics and athletics. Both are good, but it's harder and harder to blur the lines between the two. John U raises some good points, but the poor guy is almost out of complaining material. And then the tickets are going to be even more unaffordable... Rod broke Brandon's business model, I am convinced. He was the coach who Brandon could not afford to keep. And it could happen again...but I doubt it. I'm late on all of those student section things but the fun of throwing marshmallows and pizza box tops was priceless and still seems harmless other than some poor groundskeepers who had to keep the corner of the end zone clean. If you want attendance here's my answer. Pick two rows, in 2 student sections, at the start of each game. If you are seated, you get a $100 meijer gift card to be passed out on the spot. I guesstimate that's $4000. That's so cheap IMO given the ad's rail cars of cash. And for a poor starving student....it's like a months worth of food! The way to a student's heart is thru the stomach. Mark it down...

I went to the Nebraska game and just wasn't feeling it like I used to. I had student tickets from 2005-2007 and went to about 12 games from 2008-2012 so I've seen good and bad play on the field so I am discounting that.

After 30 years of tailgating in the same spot in the Victors/Champions East we will be bumped from the lot altogether for next year after our group loses it's last pass after losing the first two season ago. (We pooled $ so a couple people could donate enough to get the passes.) It won't be the same not seeing the Spartan, Ohio State, and other opposing marching bands come through and be able to hear the Michigan marching band play "The Victors" from the exterior tunnel entrance. That has always been like church bell ringing signaling a call to service and I will miss that. I will however take the memories and realize that I grew up a bit spoiled by that but it is still a disappointing change that has happend in the last couple years.

Playing AC/DC Thunderstruck before the team ran out was annoying; especially seeing as how MSU has been using that song prior to the Spartans running onto the field for years. The only thing missing was a wolverine mascot with laser eyes. While the touching of the banner still gives me chills the lead up was just lame because it reminded of a State game. During the game the use of Seven Nation Army needs to be curbed by 50% and the "Gopher Dance" song needs to stop. I have mixed feelings on the band being mic'd. While it's great to hear the band sometimes it get really distorted and the delay when sitting in the south endzone is a little annoying. 

Price isn't a factor to me but value is. It is why I passed on getting season tickets for this year and will pass next year if offered. The amount of money is fine if the quality of opponents is equal to the asking price on the ticket. In no way is Akron, Central, App. St. or any other tomato can they bring in worth the face value of $75 (public). I have used StubHub a lot and usually get them for below face. As I said my only game this year was Nebraska and I picked up two tickets for just $38 per seat and just didn't enjoy it like I used to. From everything I listed above to the drunken presidents speech and the 4 open seats next to me all game it just felt like shell of what I expect a Michigan game to be.

I complain a lot about the talks of "tradition" that started getting really bad during the RR era.

 

Without going into suporting almost the entirety of what has been said here in regards to tradition, which I do support, and think serves a great deal of the electricity of the crowd environment that is "Michigan Football," it always pissed me off that we were screaming about these things while the MAIN tradition of Michigan footballl was taking a back seat to many of these people -- WINNING F'N FOOTBALL GAMES.  (insert references to manball etc here)

 

 

 

I was a freshman at Michigan in 1978 and the first UM game I attended was the season opener against Illinois.

I seem to recall having lunch at the dorm, walking across campus to the stadium, giving my ticket to the usher, taking my seat on a bench in the freshman section, and watching the pregame practice.  The players then left the field and shortly thereafter, the band marched on it, played "The Victors", etc.   The team reemerged onto the field and touched the M banner as they ran to the sideslines.

The game commenced.  The announcer called first downs, etc.  Small groups of band members can into the stands to play.  Marshmellows, toilet paper and passing girls up the rows were the things we did during the plays.  There were no video scoreboards, no internet and no rawk music to keep us entertained during the down times.  We also didn't know much about the other varsity teams and what they did, who they played, etc.  If you looked in the sky, there were plays carrying signs orbiting overhead.

Nowadays, I drive out to Ann Arbor once a year to attend a game.  I park in one of the downtown structures and get a bite to eat (usually the Broken Egg for breakfast).  I walk to the stadium in much the same way I did as a student, seeing pretty much the same sights (although now there are women athletes with varsity jackets).  I buy a ticket online in order to get a good seat between the 40 yard lines.  The cost is markedly more than 1978, but not out of line seeing that I usually catch a game with one of the less exciting opponents (this year, it was Minnesota).

I now have my ticket scanned by an usher, but the walk to my bench seat is pretty much the same.  The stadium has changed though.  The chain link fence and the greenskeeper's house is gone.  There are more bathrooms, larger scoreboards, more point of sale opportunities and, of course, concourses.  But because I've already eaten (and bought a shirt at the M Den, if I needed one), the only thing I might buy is a Coke and maybe some popcorn.

The marshmellows and toiler paper are gone and co-eds aren't getting passed up the stadium.  The band still plays the old favorites, but now we have rawk music as well.  Students don't seem to be as interested in attending the games in person, but back in 1978, only a small handful were on television, so going to teh stadium was the only way to see it.  Of course, we also didn't have smart phones or the internet or text messaging, etc., so more often than not, you were left talking to the person next to you or watching the UM cheerleaders grabbing the opponent's mascot and having him "do the splits" on the goal post.  The planes circling the stadium are gone, but they've been replaced by sky writing and guys with rocket packs jetting in and out of the stadium.  

The team uniforms look pretty much like they did in 1978, except the "maize" is brighter and the pants aren't two-toned.  The helmet stripes are pretty much the same, but there have been some changes (including no helmet stickers).  Michigan still runs under the banner, but after a win, they now head to the student's section.  We also now know when the next women's volleyball game is being played.

To be honest, I haven't seen much changing to the core of the Michigan football experience I knew as a student over three decades ago.   Obviously, the tickets are more expensive (I think I remember the tickets costing $8 per game for students back in 1978).  The stakes have changed too.  Winning the Big Ten and going to the Rose Bowl was pretty much it in terms of program goals, but as of next season, we'll be seeing a four-team playoff (talk about long overdue).    But much of what I knew is pretty much the same.

I think John U. Bacon goes off on nostalgia trips from time to time, and his latest book is one of them.  Yeah, there was a time when Michigan sucked so badly that you could walk into the stadium without anyone caring.  I also suppose that in the good old days (and I remember them), a group of kids would run around the neighborhood and imitate the marching band (but now, they can watch them on Youtube along with several hundred cable channels).  

The one thing I'd definitely like to continue not seeing is advertising inside the stadium.  I realize UM could make money doing it, but if there's one big thing that keeps the football experience "collegiate", it's the absence of ads.  I've been in other venues, college and pro in all different sports, where you're bombarded by people selling stuff.  If Brandon wants to really lose favor with the fans, he goes out and does something dumb like that.

 

 

bass drum intro to the team coming out of the tunnel with the let's go blue chant going.  

During the game every commercial on tv is accompanied with commercials at the game or something.  It'd be nice just to have some quiet every once in a while.  Most of the commercials are the same every week too, I could do without a weekly announcement of the new sports team construction projects.  

I do like the intro videos a lot, I like the passing of the ball from famous players to our players...

This isn't in anyway Michigan/Dave Brandon's fault and I also have no statistics to back this up, but it seems there are more frequent and longer TV timeouts.  Just within the past few years more so than ever, it seems many people in the stadium are staring at the man in the red hat for quite a while waiting to get the game going.  Often time it seems the players are more than ready but they have to wait for the man in the red hat to give the go-ahead.

Commodified?  Not really sure.  I understand the business part of college football much better now, and the fact the UM is on a rampant facility upgrading spree. Prices are only heading north and there is no stopping it.  I've had my season seats for many years. What really got me this year, more so than any other, was the fact that I became really hypnotized by all the preseason hype (Lewan returning, Fitz healthy, JMFR & Countess healthy, DG spending all summer with a QB guru, etc) and then proceeded to be taken to the woodshed. It may be a while before this old guy is super stoked about the team again, but I plan to keep my season seats.

The commercialization process is so constant and gradual that I think many don't notice all the small changes happening each year. My guess is that if the average fan could step back into a game 20 years ago they would be shocked by the differences. But in the end, what is left of original American culture anywhere today?

I don't even like the new press box/suites. The stadium is unrecognizable from outside and it feels different inside. The other stuff is tiny and I have no opinion of.