Football season ticket holder survey

Submitted by BlueFish on

I encourage all MGoBlog season ticket holders to respond to the Athletic Department's season ticket holder survey, which should've hit your e-mail inbox on Friday.  It's a surprisingly long survey (took me about 30 minutes to complete, since I provided lots of free-form comments), but it was a good opportunity to let the AD have it provide feedback on "stadium experience" issues that are frequently discussed on this blog (e.g., piped-in music/Special K, ticket prices, scheduling/competition, and...piped-in music).  If enough of us answer, we might just be heard.

Oh, and somebody please tell them (on the last question) to include an "N/A" option on future surveys -- I forgot to do this before submitting.  I can't really comment on the stadium experience for disabled persons or the helpfulness of the event staff (among other things), but the survey forces you to answer questions like that.

Go Blue!

HermosaBlue

December 18th, 2011 at 11:40 AM ^

Took the survey yesterday - echo the "surprisingly long" comment. In every single free response space, reiterated just how irritating the piped-in music overkill was, and how situationally oblivious the DJ was. Concluded with "get off my lawn."

treetown

December 18th, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^

Not sure if the PSD mailing is staggered depending on the seats, so you might take that into account. I live in Washtenaw County so maybe it is mail issue, but I got mine weeks ago. In fact there was an error in how they calculated some stuff and they had to issue a second note - got a phone call from them about this - (this was for some chair back seats). Hope this helps.

 

It might actually be better to try to pay on-line or if the deadline allows, wait until after the Christmas mail surge.

bluebyyou

December 18th, 2011 at 1:48 PM ^

How can you blame anyone associated with Michigan for a power failure that impacted part of the stadium?  I thought it was DTE or whomever supplies power who was responsible,. or am I missing something.

EricTheActor

December 18th, 2011 at 12:15 PM ^

Thanks for the reminder. Unfortunately, I don't share your view on the piped in music. I've been a season ticket holder for 22 years and feel the stadium experience is better than ever. I love the piped in music and hope it continues. This past year was the loudest the Big House has ever been.

BlueFish

December 18th, 2011 at 3:08 PM ^

Note that I didn't actually specify my view of the piped-in music in the OP; I simply noted that readers can share theirs via the survey.  The subject of piped-in music has been discussed at length in this space, and there seems to be quite a bit of consternation about it.

Personally, I don't mind the music as a supplement to the band; when used in moderation, it can enhance the stadium experience.  It's the selection (see my post below about Fill/Build Me Up Buttercup) and gross overuse that I object to.

Beans

December 18th, 2011 at 12:37 PM ^

It very frustrating watching a pass go up in there air and missing the catch because some kid decides that is the exact moment he wants show his excitement by waving plastic in my face.

ryebreadboy

December 18th, 2011 at 12:45 PM ^

Completely inappropriate Sweet Caroline playing. But my gripe: what's with te home schedule next year? We have MSU and that's it. That is totally not worth the cost of season tickets.

BlueFish

December 18th, 2011 at 12:53 PM ^

Sweet Caroline is actually #3 on my list of song annoyances, behind Fill Me Up Buttercup (really?) and the ridiculous overuse of Seven Nation Army.  In the 3rd quarter against ND coming out of a TV timeout: okay.  Several times in the 1st quarter against Minnesota (so I was told): not okay.  I don't want to be Penn State.

I, too, shared my displeasure with next year's home schedule, as well the need to pay $70 per ticket to see the likes of EMU.

Mi Sooner

December 18th, 2011 at 12:48 PM ^

I focused on the restroom problem for guys -- for the first time there is a line in front of the men's room and NO line in front of the women's room -- since the renovations.  the food is over priced and isn't as good as it was before sailor bill 'fixed' things.  the last thing was the piped in music -- sorry it sucks.  the timing and some of the choices are questionable. if i wanted to see a pro game, i would go see the lions play down at ford field.

MGoBeer

December 18th, 2011 at 2:28 PM ^

Which bathrooms? I didn't stand in line once at the bathrooms this year. If it really is a 40 minute wait, I'm sure it's worth it to walk to a different bathroom. The underground one just past the student section is the one I always used.

notYOURmom

December 18th, 2011 at 12:55 PM ^

This survey has some serious design flaws
<br>1) not able to skip irrelevant or inapplicable questions (ie I walk from home so parking and traffic are nonissues)
<br>2) the question ranking features is so long that I needed to scroll down but could not do so on a touchscreen without messing up my responses
<br>3) scale questions about likelihood at the end unlabeled
<br>
<br>But mostly I wanna know why the Athletic Department appears to have spent money on a survey software license (Qualtrics) when the university already has a site license they can use for free!!
<br>
<br>If anyone in the ADs office reads this and replies with contact info I can explain how not to waste licensing fees and improve the study results. I am on the b-school faculty and manage this same software program for the b-school.

MGoSoftball

December 18th, 2011 at 1:07 PM ^

Dear Mr Brandon, 

I am begging you to allow our band to be heard.  Why do you insist on playing terrible music over our band?  What did the band do to you?  Did a band member beat you up and now it is revenge time?  We have the best college band in the world.  I would love to hear them more.  And when the band does play, the microphone is rarely turned up on-time, sometimes up to 20 seconds after the bands starts to play.



We have a great product on the field, we have the Big House, we have big scoreboards, we have plenty of restrooms, we have the best band, we have the best fight song ever, we have awesome dogs and brats, the soda is usually cold and the coffee/hot chocolate is nice and hot.  We have almost a perfect environment, except for piped-in music.  Please let the band be heard.



I am not a band geek and have never played an instrument.  My children played some in high school.  So I am not your typical "band geek".  I just enjoy listening to the best band play the best fight song.  I enjoy them playing Rocky and Blues Brothers. What is the push for piped in music?  Does the UM get a kick back?  I like 7 Nation Army.  It has become our our montra.  Journey and Sweet Caroline are good sign-alongs.  Antione Dodson is just plain funny, Eminem during pre-game is nice.  Other than these, the rest are annoying.



So I am requesting that the piped-in music be significantly reduced and the band be heard.  The band represents all that is Michigan.  Please end this practice beginning in 2012.  I will then consider buying season tickets again.



Sincerely,

MGoSoftball

Grad Student, Season Ticket Holder, Donor, Supporter of all things UM

MGoSoftball

December 18th, 2011 at 1:17 PM ^

pointed out the 2012 schedule is a travesty.  I can buy the 3 or 4 games that I will attend from Stub Hub.  If I buy season tickets and sell the rest of the games I will not attend, I will lose money.  I also asked why do we play Neb and ohio home (then away) in the same year?  I would prefer to have them alternate, especially if we do not re-up with ND.

I would prefer to have 1 KEY game per year in Neb or ohio.  Moo U is not a key game and I would not care if we dont play them again.  2012 will leave me empty and alone.

 

 

BlueFish

December 18th, 2011 at 1:28 PM ^

I doubt the AD has much influence over the conference portion of the schedule.  That was set by the conference, and given the difficulty splitting the teams into semi-competitive divisions (and preserving rivalries, etc.), this was probably last on the conference's list of considerations for each school.

However, the AD does have lots of sway over the non-conference portion of the schedule, and U-M does prefer to alternate ND and MSU.  But playing Bama in Texas and ND away meant they should've considered a home opponent with a higher profile than AFA and UMass.

I agree that, in the long run, it would be nice to split up Nebraska and Ohio (assuming they both stay competitive).

It'll be interesting to see if there's a spike in non-renewals this year.

treetown

December 18th, 2011 at 1:23 PM ^

As an old fogey (far side of 50) I understand the students and the band want to hear music they like - so I understand they want to play what is popular now. But music is not written or created in a vacuum, nor are music groups. A classic symphony is assembled to ideally perform classical music so the instrument composition reflects this. A marching band was originally created to play marching music - an civilian offshoot of martial music. So it is far from ideal to play music created to be played by electric guitar or synthesizer. If the Marching Band and the music directors insist on playing contemporary hits (esp. rap and such) then they'll have to work on their arrangements and figure out how to get the theme/melody out from a marching band. It wouldn't hurt once a year to play something from Sousa.

The piped in music needs to be controlled carefully - it is actually against the rules to continue to play music when the game resumes. The current operator seems to cut it very close - during the Nebraska and OSU game, the music should cut off once the teams break huddle but there wer a few times, it wasn't and was still on during a quick snap. This could be flagged and is completely preventable.

The scoreboard is huge but the operators still don't stats and other info regularly. With so many TV commercial breaks, just flashing it up for 15-30 seconds shouldn't be that difficult.

Food is never going to be "great" and hot dogs, burgers, fries and such will always dominate. The power that be probably worry more about sanitation and safety (from fires, scalds and burns) than actual taste.

Neodoomium

December 18th, 2011 at 3:14 PM ^

I teach high school marching band, and I gotta tell you: Nobody gives even the slightest bit of a crap about Sousa marches at football games. You have to play contemporary stuff because you're right next to the student section, the engine that drives your crowd reaction. It would, in fact, hurt them to play Sousa. 

If our goal is to move away from the era of "DOWN IN FRONT", contemporary music from the MMB and skillful use of piped in music is crucial.  114,000 people ought to be used as a weapon against our opponents, and contemporary music is part of that arsenal.

 

In summary, stay home, grandpa.

DirkMcGurk

December 18th, 2011 at 2:49 PM ^

Are you attending a sporting event or church??? or a seminar??? Sporting Events are about noise and sorry to break the news, but research has been done that finds piped in music tends to get people up and excited.

I am always blown away with people gripping about noise or music. I get bathroom or concession stand issues as they prevent you from getting back to watching the game you pay for. However, if you want nobody standing and no music and this or that....STAY HOME AND CONTROL IT ALL.

I find most people who complain to excess just go to things to brag that they were there. You can support the program and/or school through donations. Nobody forces you to attend the games.

MGoSoftball

December 18th, 2011 at 3:31 PM ^

the greatest show on the planet every single Fall Saturday.  This is a college not a NBA game.  There is a time and place for everything.  The MMB is the greatest on earth, why not listen to them play?

I agree we have to adapt to the times and I am all for that.  However, this is Michigan.  Should we allow Dr Pepper ads and the "Lets have a real good time" slogan?  Maybe we should sell the naming rights to "Coming Soon, Martin Lawerence in  "Big Momma's Big House" or Pulte Home's Big House.

Piped in music is good in moderation, not every single play.  What is wrong with letting the band play?  I would prefer to hear lady kha kha from the band.

budeye

December 18th, 2011 at 6:02 PM ^

the music that is being piped-in is no different than the music being piped-in at other stadiums.  can michigan be different.  how about some hard rock/heavy metal, and rap, i.e. metalica, ac/dc, led zeppelin, limp bizkit, eminem, etc.  that really gets the blood pumpin and adrenoline going.  also AA is not "south detroit," so please stop with journey. 

at the little brown jug game i found a mens bathroom that was never busy.  it is the bathroom near section 6. 

Ty Butterfield

December 18th, 2011 at 6:40 PM ^

I am kind of disappointed the announcer no longer says "Don't trash the Big House" when he talks about disposing of waste properly. Other than that no other big issues.