Michigan Stadium getting closer to becoming largest worldwide

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

Been doing a little searching recently for some of my SuperGuide work and found something interesting.

So, prior to a couple years ago, Michigan Stadium was the 3rd largest stadium in the world behind May Day Stadium in North Korea (150,000) and Salt Lake Stadium (120,000) in India.

A year ago, the stadium in India was made smaller and is now all the way down to only 68,000 in seats, pushing The Big House up to 2nd in the world behind the Cult of Personality Dome. 

Now, after wandering over to the largest stadiums by capacity list, I noticed something interesting. 

North Korea's stadium went from 150,000 in capacity to 114,000 last month. Why? How?

Because they were lying about their capacity. Shocker. The seats were counted and it stopped at 114,000.

So with a South endzone upper deck expansion that's likely (ed) on the horizon in the 2020s, Michigan Stadium may become the largest stadium in the world. 

Article: http://stadiumdb.com/news/2016/08/north_korea_kims_shrinking_pride

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Communist Football

October 15th, 2016 at 4:58 PM ^

But the OP is wrong to argue that the new press boxes / luxury suites were a bad idea. They did an enormous amount to reflect fan noise back onto the field. Previously, opposing teams would always talk about how the Big House was the quietest large stadium in the country, because the sound would escape into the atmosphere. The renovations were intentionally designed to address that problem, and they have done so successfully.

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The Fan in Fargo

October 14th, 2016 at 9:36 PM ^

So is the stadium going to be kind of like Lambeau with the box seats all the way around eventually? That would be awesome! Any pictures of the proposed plan anyone?

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Wolverine Devotee

October 14th, 2016 at 9:41 PM ^

There are plans for it. That is all I know. 

It was discussed at a Michigan Stadium ushers meeting back in 2011 or 2012. We tailgate with a bunch of ushers. 

This was before the massive athletic facilities renaissance began, though. 

2020s is what I'm thinking it will be since we still have an arena that has to be approved by the Regents that will be ready by 2019/2020.

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Wolverine Devotee

October 14th, 2016 at 9:46 PM ^

I edited the OP just now. 

It was drawn up years ago. 

I was not a fan of the stadium losing the bowl look it had for its first 80 years of existence, but dolla dolla bills. 

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stephenrjking

October 14th, 2016 at 10:03 PM ^

The problem with an expansion of that nature is that it is hard for it to be cost effective.

***GROUNDLESS SPECULATION ALERT***

Set aside the cost of actually building it for a moment. Michigan now charges quite a lot of money for tickets. What they offer in return for huge sums of money is a seat in the lower, which no matter where you are is pretty decent and pretty much the same as everyone around you.

But these upper deck seats could not be sold for anywhere near the cost of the main deck seats. They're too far away. Nobody wants to spend the kind of money you spend on a lower bowl seat to sit even further away in an endzone.

But, and again this is just speculation here, my guess is that if they offer those tickets at a significantly lower price to move them, a number of people who are now paying good lower bowl money will be tempted to downgrade to save cash, just to get in the gate. And with the loss of scarcity, there may not be enough customers to replace them.

So they don't sell all that many tickets. Or they have to lower prices elsewhere to keep up demand. 

And the per game revenue would end up being close to the same. 

Economically, what's the point of that?

My guess is that, were they to do any sort of endzone expansion, they would develop new club level type arrangement, that allows them to sell more expensive tickets in return for more luxuries, not unlike other similar arrangements in the Stadium now. I have to guess that there just isn't the ticket demand to regularly fill a 120,000 seat stadium.

 

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drzoidburg

October 14th, 2016 at 11:26 PM ^

I think you're right, but if the upper deck were along the sidelines it would be doable, another reason i hate the suites You don't need to regularly fill them either, just when they're really good (like now) and playing a decent opponent. Against UCF or Rutgers i could not care less. I think it would be sweet though against Ohio or the TX/OU games on the schedule

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Jason80

October 15th, 2016 at 7:06 PM ^

No it absolutely makes sense economically as some fans may be willing to pay less dollar value that are currently purchasing seats at a more premium price, but you capote more of the overall market. With the more tiers to prices you offer the better the attempt to realize perfect price discrimination.

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drzoidburg

October 14th, 2016 at 11:22 PM ^

Yeah well, i wasn't and still am not a fan of the monstrous building on top of the sideline that the stadium did not have the first 70 years, but at least the upper deck would in fact make it the biggest stadium and hopefully allows some of the less wealthy to see the games

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MGoBender

October 15th, 2016 at 12:52 AM ^

It was discussed at a Michigan Stadium ushers meeting back in 2011 or 2012. We tailgate with a bunch of ushers.
Yes, a random mentioning 4-5 years ago at a ushers meeting is a realistic development in anything. Come on. You're better than that. Random "maybes" mentioned 4-5 years ago with nothing since are not exactly plans that are definitively in the works.

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stephenrjking

October 14th, 2016 at 9:38 PM ^

You need to edit the link there.

A key aspect of attendance to note is that many stadiums used to have SRO terraces, which could fit far greater numbers of people than seats can. As those terraces have faded into the mists of time, capacities all over the world have shrunk.

But Michigan Stadium's seating, a bleacher feature from the beginning, has held steady.

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UM Fan from Sydney

October 14th, 2016 at 9:40 PM ^

When was it announced that Michigan Stadium would be expanded with an upper deck? Also, why not do both end zones?



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stephenrjking

October 14th, 2016 at 10:09 PM ^

Webster defines a stadium like this: 

 

a large usually roofless building with tiers of seats for spectators at sports events

I guess the "building" definition might weed things out, but then how is Bristol out but Rynearson (which is basically a couple of grandstands) in?

I guess I kind of agree with Bando that it is semantic, but I guess in general one would consider a racetrack to be an open space in which grandstands are erected, whereas Stadiums are more concentrated and (generally) more enclosed.

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