Michigan gets approval from neighborhood around the Big House to execute major fireworks
Michigan gets approval from neighborhood around the Big House to execute major fireworks after two football games this season.
Interesting comment from one resident who says all homeowners should know what they're getting into seven Saturdays a year by purchasing a house around the stadium.
http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2014/07/neighborhood_reac…
It's just a matter of time before a guy wearing a fuzzy Wolverine mascot costume is roaming the concourses right outside the stadium, posing for pictures with little Michigan fans, who then implore Mom & Dad to buy them the stuffed and plush Willy Wolverine® at the M-Den for $29.95.
By the time Oklahoma comes to town, the mascot will be down on the field and nobody except old fans will give a shit.
Fireworks don't actually bother me that much by themselves. And I have no sympathy for people living near the stadium who complain about football-related activities. They knew what they were getting into when they bought their houses, or should have.
I'm serious about the mascot, though. It's coming eventually, like it or not.
I'm predicting a Mascot and some sort of sponsored gluttony challenge. To complete the minor-leaguification.
"The Domino's Pizza 4 larges before halftime challenge."
"The 8 pounds of Mac 'N Cheese challenge, sponsored by Kraft."
"The Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin' Challenge - eat 50 wings in 10 minutes and we upgrade your seats to a suite!"
I totally agree. When I lived in AA, I benefitted quite a bit living a block from the stadium by being able to cram 15 cars onto my corner lot at $25 a pop on game days. I think most poeple who live around the stadium are cool with something that really only messes with their lives seven Saturdays out of a whole year and it's the squeaky wheels getting attention. My neighbors and friends who still live there had a much bigger problem with the lighted billboard on the corner of Stadium and Main than fireworks twice a year.
I completely agree with this. It's going to happen.
And you know what? Why not?
Because it's always been that way? Compelling argument.
I'm all for a mascot on one condition: it has to look good.
It's an added extra for sideline antics and silliness. All it essentially is is a costumed cheerleader. If that seriously ruins your gameday experience or prevents you from going to games.......wow.
Even if it looks great, people are still going to whine and complain about it like they do with every single move the athletic department makes. Except, they'll adapt over time and like Don said, by the time 2025 rolls around, it will have already around at Michigan for a decade.
That said, maybe model it off of this-
Or maybe this
It just can't be some gooft looking smiling mascot because that's not a Wolverine.
What are the chances Hugh Jackman would be interested?
I'm old enough to have to games when there was an old wire fence around the stadium and there was a little white house next the stadium inside the fence line. If memory is correct I believe that back in the late 1970's or early 1980's there was a live wolverine brought to the stadium because someone thought it would be "neat" to have an actual live wolverine mascot at game time. I believe it was from Canada, Alaska or Minnesota. It was brought in a wheeled cage with heavy thick bars of what look like wrought iron. There was some security around it so one couldn't get too close and from what I could see one shouldn't - it was about 50-60 pounds of angry snarling hissing dark fur with bright dark eyes and every now and them you can see these really sharp teeth - it was frankly a pretty scary creature - I've been around brown and black bears and not been as worried. It was good the cage was strong and bars close together otherwise it would have been mayhem and pandominum were a true wolverine to have gotten loose in that crowd.
While I appreciate a good time, like many of the other fans, it is worrisome that so much energy and planning is now going into the peripheral aspects of Saturday - the music, the wifi/cell access, diversions like jetpack man, fly overs and other stunts. These sort of things are ultimately not what draws the fans year after year. Let's hope the team has a better showing this year and in subsequent years so we find just having a blimp fly over sufficient distraction from the game.
The last time Michigan had a live Wolverine was 1937.
Bennie & Biff in 1927 were returned a year later to the zoo after one of them bit through the cage. They actually were going to have one of the Wolverines meet Navy's goat mascot at midfield.....I'm serious.
In 1937, Chevrolet donated another Wolverine named Intrepidus. It's unclear how long that lasted.
Michigan later went on to have a two dogs as mascots. A couple smuggled their dog into the game and let him loose at halftime onto the field. At first the University officials didn't like it but the dog was cheered and the owners were requested by the University in a Daily article to call and arrange more halftime performances for Whiskey, the dog (and later Brandy). This went from the 1960s to the early 70s.
And finally, in the 80s some students tried to create a costumed mascot, Willy the Wolverine. They already had the mascot trademarked and were ready to sell the mascot to the University after the students supported it similar to Whiskey......except that never happened, and the University put out a cease-and-desist ending Willy the Wolverine.
forgotten about the dog(s) running up and down the field. Thanks for the memories. That photo is from the backflip era, tough work being a cheerleader then.
Because it's Ann Arbor. There will ALWAYS be a handful of complainers/protestors. It wouldn't be Ann Arbor if there weren't any.
I actually had to chuckle at what this resident quoted at the end of the article said, because just based on my own experiences, this is probably true depending on the game and/or the proximity of your home to the stadium:
"A few fireworks at the end of a game," he added, "is probably going to be the quietest part of game day, to be honest."
Ohio State set off fireworks at their stadium last year. I really don't understand what all of the fuss is about. If you don't like fireworks then don't stay to watch them.
Again, complainers looking to make an issue out of a non-issue. Big deal, they'll set off some fireworks a couple of times, everyone there will enjoy it. Won't be the first time, as I seem to remember fireworks after the Big Chill victory and it was a fun thing for everyone there.
Next stop: pregame performance by Pop Evil. Because This is Michigan.
Just stop. I am as much or more of a lover of the tradition of Michigan football as anyone on this site but shooting off a few fireworks after a game does nothing to dilute that tradition, unless of course you're one of those who has the "if it's Dave Brandon-->it's automatically evil" reflex
And I think most people understand that. What I don't understand is all of the people (like you) who argue for each individual "Wow Experience" spectacle in a vacuum. Sure, each one of these things on their own don't amount to much of a break from tradition, but taken as a whole it's a pretty massive change. I don't like it. Any of it.
Now get off my lawn.
Fuck man we have no traditions.... Tell me how fireworks take away from any of this. Tell me how Beyoncé being on the video scoreboard for a minute ruins the 130+ years of Michigan Football tradition. Maybe our games shouldn't be broadcast on tv, I mean that's the way it was at one point in time right?
SMH
It's all nothing but spectacle for the sake of spectacle. Idiocracy in motion.
It's got electrolytes!
Shut the fuck up?
I forgot only your opinion on these things matter. And here I thought Canadians were all a friendly bunch.
If we're not careful there may be less traffic at all of the games...
"I just fail to understand why people insist on bitching and complaining about something that is really not a big deal." Says the man bitching and complaining.
Everything Dave Brandon does is not automatically evil nor is anything happening that didn't happen in 1995 an evil thing. I enjoy Michigan's traditions as well but people are just complaining for the sake of complaining
Jesus, get some perspective.
Things that Brandon has done that actually hurts the Michigan football program.
- Disenfranchising students with higher ticket prices
- Allowing the B1G to screw up our seasonal home schedule cadence by putting OSU and MSU as road games in the same season
- Scheduling neutral site games with other big-time programs instead of home-and-homes
Things that Brandon has done that doesn't really affect the Michigan football program despite some fans not liking it that much.
- All the stuff you listed.
Also to blame for MSU having to play both Michigan and OSU on the road next year? And, maybe he's to blame for OSU having to play MSU and PSU on the road this year as well?
Scheduling a neutral site game with Alabama and Florida is far better than not scheduling them at all, or perhaps you enjoy Michigan hosting a couple of MAC teams every year.
Here's an idea: stop going to games if this annoys you so much.
No one is forcing you to go. No one is forcing you to stay and watch fireworks.
All the extra stuff is not shown on TV (usually).
Honestly. FIREWORKS. It's gotten to the point of people having a meltdown over fireworks AFTER the game is over.
It isn't about fireworks. You just don't get it, but you're 18, and have zero perspective from which to judge (and you don't seem to try to gain any, either). Your opinion on things like this mean less than zero to me.
What "melt-down" are we talking about again?
My opinion means nothing to you, yet you're responding to my opinion when you could just scroll past it and ignore it?
Oh, okay.
Who cares what the neighbors think? Unless they moved there in 1920 they knew what they were getting into and have profited from it.
However, I'm not a fan of the fireworks thing. It is just one more small step towards making a generic fan experience that I can get down in Toledo going to a Mud Hens game on a Saturday night for 1/10 the cost.
Skywriting, The Noodle, Rawk Muzak, Beyonce, Fireworks, etc...none of them make the product on the field any more palatable and justify the massive ticket prices charged. In fact, I feel they are intentionally distracting us from how awful the actual product is compared to the price of admission.
As Lord Grantham said "who doesnt like fireworks?" Not sure why anybody would object to this plan as it's free, fun and doesnt require anything from the fans other than looking up.
If these are done after the PSU game it's gonna be real late and should be cool as shit for those tailgating in the lots near the stadium IF they win. God help them if they should lose as fireworks are celebratory event and losing, at home, to PSU, on national TV will NOT put fans in a "celebratory" mood.
I actually don't like fireworks. But you know what? Who cares, that just means I don't stick around after the band's post-game show (though, will this replace the band???).
Being opposed to fireworks is un-'Murican. It says so in the national anthem.
"NO! STOP! I CAN'T HANDLE THE BRANDING!"
RED AND BLUE ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A CIRCULAR SHAPE. THIS WAS CLEARLY SPONSORED BY PEPSI.