Gameday experience - week 1
1. Received both a call and a text from UM Athletics as a reminder to download tickets prior to arriving at the stadium. The Athletic App allowed me to directly transfer to Google Wallet which didn't always happen last year for basketball. I was concerned about problems at the gate but arriving at my usual 40 minutes before game time found a much shorter line than was typical for last year.
2. Given the temp and sun, I thought a bottle of water would be a good idea. What is the point of credit card only payment from a water guy out on the concourse? The line must have been 20 deep just for all the water guys. Being able to give the guy $5 cash would likely have resulted in no line, instead we had to have the added time of a credit card transaction.
3. I thought there was a decent crowd and probably 100,000+ actually there. The students were late arriving and half of them left at halftime, whereas the old fogies seemed to hang in there pretty much to the 4th quarter. I always stay to the final whistle and getting out was the easy as only about 25,000 where there at the end. Notice the players did not rush over to the student section at the end of the game.
4. In game entertainment: the DJ was very lame. One more too loud unnecessary distraction. They cut the halftime short in order to have the DJ introduce a very lame 100 yard dash. Does Michigan really think we would rather watch that than the band? Also having the DJ introduce the "Go Blue" cheer seemed very off. Mr. Grapentine is the voice of Michigan Football not some lame DJ. There seems to be an increasing proportion of Rawk v Band as well.
5. Do I even need to comment on the ad breaks?
Overall, the trend to an increasingly professional game day experience continues. I heard that David Brandon once said he wanted every Michigan game to be like the Super Bowel, to which someone replied: but we don't want that, we want a college game day.
September 4th, 2022 at 1:29 PM ^
I have to say my experience with getting in to the stadium was far different from yours. The wife and I went to the Northwest gate and arrived about 11:25 and did not get into the stadium until after kickoff. The line moved extremely slow, the staff seemed to struggle to get tickets scanned and the funnel shape of the line led to a lot of frustrated people.
I think you are mixing up the DJ with the MC in regards to your complaint. DJ Array on the field is just the same as having music blasted over the PA except now he's visible and on the field. The MC is extremely annoying and in my opinion gives off the vibe of a minor league hockey game.
September 4th, 2022 at 2:18 PM ^
Yes. Definitely mixing up the MC and the DJ. I mostly enjoyed the DJ but the MC was annoying.
September 5th, 2022 at 12:24 AM ^
The first time I saw it, I thought it was DJ Array. The second time I saw it, I noticed there were two people, and now I think it’s just the DJ array, as in set / group. That is, I don’t think DJ Array is anybody’s stage name (and, unless he works nothing but a CSEE audience, that’s probably just as well. :)
Unless the DJs started during 2020, Michigan is currently undefeated with a DJ at the Big House. Thus, expect the DJ to continue at least until that streak ends.
Yes, the MC was obnoxious, but props to the crowd for booing the media timeouts. The Big Ten is killing the golden goose here; the new contract is going to make it that much worse. I think the shortest media timeout I saw was 3:05. Last year, I could have sworn there were a few in the 2:20-2:40 range.
September 4th, 2022 at 1:37 PM ^
Lines at the gates were ridiculous. No sense of order and in the hot sun, it was a long waste of time. Water lines insane. Gotta be faster.
A lot of people bailing near or at the half. Just too hot.
Instructions on the goooo blue cheer? And the spelling Michigan cheer. We don't need instructions.
A lot of chaos, gates overrun, nobody could tell us where the taxi stand was after we left.
Men's line was the best thing. No wait to piss.
Enjoyed the first quarter, then baked to a crisp
September 4th, 2022 at 2:30 PM ^
I was not in attendance. Do you mean the cheerleaders held up the "GO" and "BLUE" signs (which they've always done)? Or did the PA actually tell people how to do it?
September 4th, 2022 at 3:03 PM ^
He means they literally gave instructions. It was silly.
September 4th, 2022 at 3:15 PM ^
Yes. Literally led us like a middle school pep rally. Neither cheer is amazing. Both are old school. Giving instructions is weirdly embarrassing.
Honestly, it's been 15 years for me at a Michigan home game and I probably won't go back other than for a huge game, and in the boxes.
It's not a good experience for me and family. Glad we have the die hards and students to keep it full.
Also, I don't know what they're doing on campus, but construction and fancy places have taken the charm of the area to me.
I'll always love Michigan, but it's been 25 years since my freshman year. I think my time to enjoy aa has passed. Main street was enjoyable
September 5th, 2022 at 9:23 AM ^
AA has been overwhelmed with money and development in the last few decades. Whole blocks of the South University area have been razed and replaced with 20 story apartment buildings. It's still the University of Michigan and still has its charms but it's a wealthy town now.
September 4th, 2022 at 3:57 PM ^
Not to mention the young bearded announcer who replaced the Comerica Park guy at Crisler a few years ago and probably is the heir apparent to Grapentine seems like generally a putz both in person and on Twitter. I thought he was frankly a condescending dick to the punt pass and kick participants at halftime as well. MSU should hire him away.
September 5th, 2022 at 9:45 PM ^
He's a good dude, I knew him growing up. But announcing instructions for the cheers was definitely cringeworthy...
September 4th, 2022 at 7:13 PM ^
Ugh. They don’t need to infantalize us.
September 4th, 2022 at 1:38 PM ^
I think Dave Brandon's super bowel is something that should no longer be mentioned on this blog. Otherwise very good info on how the GameDay is changing for those of us who rarely get to attend in person.
September 4th, 2022 at 5:05 PM ^
I would say this post is actually kiiiinda terrible info on how game day is changing lol. The lines to get in were borderline disastrous considering the heat, as others have commented. The DJ is not who OP seems to think, but rather an MC (same one who’s on the mic in basketball games and I already couldn’t stand) leading incredibly simple cheers in a bizarre way. After he replaced the old PA announcer for Crisler I was annoyed because he’s just so pointlessly over the top. Like someone else said, he would fit in better with what MSU looks for in their PA guys.
The DJ himself was playing the exact same music in the exact same ratio as Michigan stadium for the last 15 years I’ve been going. Like… I straight up commented to my brother that they must not have gone through with the DJ thing. It was identical. Then they showed him on the scoreboard towards the end. If you disliked it before, you still will. If you didn’t, it’ll still be fine. But putting it on him is absurd given that it’s no different.
September 5th, 2022 at 4:22 PM ^
they showed the DJ on the scoreboard several times. it wasn’t interesting, not even once.
September 4th, 2022 at 1:41 PM ^
I got there closer to kick off and the lines to get in the stadium are absurd. They need to open up the gates to the right of the student entrance because there's way too many people and they only had 1 set of scanners.
The MC was brutal. Having someone explain how to chant "Go Blue" is like having PowerPoint slides read to you verbatim.
September 4th, 2022 at 1:47 PM ^
Love the Wolf of Wall Street addition
September 4th, 2022 at 2:19 PM ^
This was a fun change up.
September 4th, 2022 at 1:56 PM ^
One thing they need to do with the credit cards that would speed it way up is to stop having it ask for a tip and a signature. Tap to pay would cut a ton of time.
September 4th, 2022 at 2:25 PM ^
Just got back from 2 weeks in Ireland where they exclusively use tap to pay with no tip options. It was not lost on me how quickly that process worked. Literally one second to tap and walk away.
September 4th, 2022 at 1:57 PM ^
The non cash and non paper ticket thing is easily one of the worst things about modern sporting events right behind commercial breaks.
September 4th, 2022 at 1:59 PM ^
Super bowel, indeed
September 4th, 2022 at 2:05 PM ^
First game in years. Arrived about 11 via the Ride Shuttle. No issues getting in via the gate next to Crisler; my wife had a small bag with medical items and the folks working that section were very friendly and professional, we were through and in within 5 minutes.
Tried to buy popcorn along with my pizza and was told that stand hadn't been given any popcorn that day. Stood in line for almost a full quarter of game time plus the halftime break (5 left in the second, returned 6 left in the 3rd) to get shaved ice for my 9yo son; the stand was out of spoons and half the syrup options by the time we made it to the front of the line. No issues with bathroom waits, the huge men's room under 15 was great. Saw those huge lines just to buy water and shook my head.
The Ride shuttle back was a mess; stood in line for probably 30-40 minutes waiting to get on a bus.
September 4th, 2022 at 2:23 PM ^
But you have to admit a super bowel would be really useful to those who like spicy foods.
September 4th, 2022 at 2:27 PM ^
Cannot be more appreciative of the help given me by the U-M Security group and Ann Arbor police. After the game, I was separated from the lady friend who came with me since she (at her first game) was not familiar with the various shuttle bus stops. So we lost track of each other (she hadn't brought her cell phone due to the unacceptable rule against small women's purses) for about an hour. I contacted Security and they helped me by searching and then contacting the Ann Arbor Police who eventually found her at the hotel where we had boarded the bus. They were all fabulous!
By the way, the security office is at the north end of the stadium, opposite of where we were separated at Gate 2. So, one problem they had was there was no vehicle (like a golf cart) available to move me quickly from one place to another while searching. I didn't have a problem making a walk there and back; it was the time wasted in the process that caused the separation to last even longer. The other problem was that one of the stadium security officers couldn't initially connect with the Ann Arbor Police due to bad cell reception. Why can't that be fixed after so many years?
September 4th, 2022 at 2:29 PM ^
It never ceases to amaze me how the inheritors of one of the best and well-cultivated stadium experiences in the sport keep trying to reinvent it with the same tacky crap everyone else does, to cringey effect. Can't think of a reason why I'd buy season tickets these days.
September 4th, 2022 at 3:25 PM ^
Bring back Band Days and Whiskey, the little dog that chased balls during the 70s (or whenever it was). If students want the piped in "music", so be it, but it sure detracts from the experience when the band isn't playing. By the way, why can't the band afford warm day uniforms?
And the DJ and on-field contest shenanigans were ridiculous. Next thing you know we'll be seeing and listening to commercials during the games.
The "Hero of the Game" was a wonderful addition a few years ago and glad to see it continued.
September 4th, 2022 at 5:43 PM ^
I disagree, only in the sense that, while yes, the experience seems to be geared to children who have no attention span or money, the changes are not making the experience better, smarter, etc
Garbage food choices, not much you can do about the bleachers at this point, or the descent into stair hell, but how about make the entrance easier. Renovate and get all the concessions OUT away from the entrances, which creates a giant swarm.
Sell water or some concessions in the stands so we don't have to hike Everest for a pretzel.
A lot of parks, especially baseball have really screwed this up, but a few do it amazingly well.
I'm ok with change, but Michigan stadium seems so dated for so many reasons.
My wife and I looked at each other this afternoon after taking our boys to the big house and realized, never again.
Not trying to be a downer.
I have a son with special needs. Nothing to help him. Nothing to get us closer in so we don't have to carry him or have him walk a mile.
It's stuck in history and that's probably ok, but not for my 40+ year old back, family, $$$$.
September 4th, 2022 at 2:32 PM ^
It was hot
September 4th, 2022 at 2:51 PM ^
Cancel the Fed. Cash has enslaved all of us proles.
September 4th, 2022 at 3:59 PM ^
One of the worst for me.
-DJ was absolute crap, I don't want some chucklehead telling me to do a damn thing and the leading of the cheers was doubly horrible
-Paper-less purchasing I can accept but there is no way in hell I'm tipping, ONE TAP and you're out! Speed in space? I thought this had been covered already?
-Time Outs, what is left to say about that....how was the viewing experience from home?
-More band please, and I know this may not fly but was anyone really in love with the band's halftime show? The program felt like I had seen this before, like decades ago when the parents watched Lawrence Welk.
September 4th, 2022 at 4:54 PM ^
The chucklehead was not the DJ, he was the MC, but was still a chucklehead and totally unnecessary. That being said, would have liked more of the DJ, but the one from The Game last year, he was good.
September 4th, 2022 at 4:21 PM ^
Was my son's first game in person. Got there way early (driving from GR, wanted to make sure we had enough time) and it was very hot. Forgot sunscreen and now have a decent sunburn. Didn't hate the DJ as much as everyone else seems to. Water should be cheaper. Would love more band in the band/DJ ratio. Game experience was good, just should have used some sunscreen.
September 4th, 2022 at 9:29 PM ^
Just FYI, at the customer service kiosks they have free sunscreen on request. They used to have a free sunscreen dispenser but they replaced it with this. It was good sunscreen too--one little packet was enough for me and my son.
September 5th, 2022 at 8:21 AM ^
They also have complimentary water stations blue tents called “absopure hydration stations”. There are 3-4 of them throughout the stadium.
September 5th, 2022 at 1:56 PM ^
But as always, the old reminder: The cups are tiny and will never make it to your seat without spillage.
The water bottle policy remains absolutely irresponsible, on the part of the Athletic Department.
September 4th, 2022 at 4:38 PM ^
The no cash policy started as a result of covid. The fear was that the virus could be transmitted via the cash. But I doubt more than a handful of people, if that, ever got covid that way. I now believe they used it as a justification to just do away with taking cash permanently - regardless of the shitty customer experience result. I'd just not put up with it by not buying anything there, but it's hard if not impossible to make it thru 3 1/2 hours of hot weather without water, which you can't bring in with you. Not taking cash is just the final insult.
September 4th, 2022 at 4:55 PM ^
There is also a security risk of vendors having $100's in cash. In the case of the water vendors it could have been $1000s with an unlimited demand.
Water and sunscreen were the order of the day yesterday. TV timeouts have ruined most college games where there are lots of 3 and out drives.
Had no problems with ticket transfers and StubHub buy/sell via the UM app. I still have an irrational fear that my iPhone will have a dead battery on the way to the entry gates.
September 4th, 2022 at 5:56 PM ^
I went yesterday for the first time in ~5 years.
The situation re getting people into the stadium is an embarrassment. It should not take 30 minutes to get into a sporting event.
The concessions are terrible, both in terms of choices and in terms of the lines. They need a vendor who understands the value of throughput. Fans who have paid to get in understand that they are a captive audience and will be required to pay a premium for concessions, but would buy more if (1) the choices were decent and (2) they didn't have to miss half the game to get a hot dog and a drink.
As others have said, the MC is a terrible idea.
The media timeouts are what they are. My son and his friend started counting down the timeouts with gusto.
On the positive side, there is still nothing like going to a game at the big house, and everyone is remarkably friendly. The walk to and from the stadium, seeing the band, everyone cheering in unison, Grapentine... its all magic.
September 4th, 2022 at 6:49 PM ^
Agreed. The one thing I enjoy is how friendly everyone is... It's not a given everywhere. Even with the other team's fans
September 4th, 2022 at 6:38 PM ^
Th mc sounds like a real turd and frankly embarrassing but it’s kind of hilarious watching people shit on them trying to improve the atmosphere like Michigan stadium was some great atmosphere in the past. Things commonly used to describe the Michigan atmosphere: the quietest 100k you’ll ever hear, wine and cheese crowd, down in front, etc. Its not really that hard to understand why people might be trying thing to try to improve the home engagement of the crowd and home field advantage.
September 4th, 2022 at 6:57 PM ^
Yeah your take is kind of mixed up here .. not sure cash / getting change a whole lot better. Let alone more health risk. No issue cash free. I was really appreciative of all the water bottles they had ready … maybe short of popcorn but tons of water. For the DJ I think you mean the MC on field. The hundred yard dash I saw was in third quarter not half time. Maybe two? MC did the Michigan letter cheer. Agree lame but whatever .. they are trying different ideas out. Also we remarked how FULL students were at start. Wifi was great as well … actually streameD the Iowa game when saw how close it was. Overall … Hot.
September 4th, 2022 at 7:13 PM ^
That MC or whatever you call it, situation was BAD. Cheesy. Fng awful.
September 4th, 2022 at 7:37 PM ^
It’s hard to claim we’re “the best university in the world” if our students and alumni have to be coached on how to chant “go blue” and spell “Michigan.” I thought it was embarrassing and actually made me not participate in the cheers.
September 4th, 2022 at 8:52 PM ^
First game in years, few additional comments:
1) I bought water twice. Each time I handed the guy in front of me $10 to add my two bottles to his credit card tab to speed things along for me and the blokes behind. Both times were accepted happily.
2) Was glad to see a wave but mildly disappointed that it was a one-speed affair. Back in my day, the second time the wave hit the student section, all the students were giving the thumbs down and it shifted to slow-motion. After one slow revolution, the thumbs up switched it to fast-forward. Occasionally, I also remember the incomplete pass sign being used to split waves with a top-level going clockwise and a bottom-level going counter clockwise. Those were waves a fan could be proud of!
In conclusion, get off my lawn!
September 4th, 2022 at 9:58 PM ^
Yep, the wave was never the same after institutional knowledge was obliterated by a lack of blowouts during the RR/Hoke years. I was there for the last four years of Carr, someone can correct me but I believe it was:
- Once around
- Around again
- Slow mo
- Fast forward
- Reverse direction - it hits the edge of the student section and goes back
- Split waves, at normal speed - note this was not top vs bottom of the stadium but two full waves traveling in opposite directions that would cross in the SE corner
They should teach a course at orientation, the current state of the wave is just sad.
September 5th, 2022 at 4:24 AM ^
I went to the Northwestern game last year and would have to agree that the DJ / announcer was uncomfortably amateurish at times.
September 5th, 2022 at 4:32 PM ^
as has been pointed out, the MC is also on the mic for men’s hoops, but also for the women…i actually think he does a good job on the women’s games, which are, in my opinion, a more “communal,” friendly atmosphere. in that case, his positivity really fits when he’s doing PA work.
but we went to see the women play at breslin last year, and that was the first time i’d seen an on-court MC doing rah-rah game-show stuff like we had in michigan stadium on saturday. it was cheesy as hell at breslin and cheesy as hell on saturday.