Michigan Stadium Survey
Did anyone else receive a survey last week asked about changes to The Big House with options to vote for your choice on a number of issues?
A couple of the questions asked if you’d be interested in giving up general seating in exchange for more premium seating.
Does anyone have a link to that survey? I filled it out and submitted my responses but I’d like to once again read through those questions.
No. Season ticket holder since the early 80s. I'm pissed.
I didn't see mine initially until I saw this post and searched my email.
Have had season tix since '71. Got a survey. Pretty crazy. Seems like they are setting us up for a massive price increase unless we want to open the stadium up for unlimited alcohol sales, advertising everywhere including PA announcements, and probably vendors walking up and down the aisles selling whatever.
And then they hit us with the extra wide scoreboard, perhaps to accommodate all that extra advertising they want to send our way. Surely that will increase tix prices all by itself unless we vote for the ads. With all the advertising messages, we probably won't want to listen to the band at the same time.
Some years ago I attended a game at Air Force Academy (not an M game), and there every first down was sponsored and announced, along with every touchdown, QB sack, etc. etc. No time to figure out what was really going on.
The alcohol sales are fine by me honestly if it saves the stadium from becoming an advertising shit show.
The Michigan game-day experience is by far the best in the nation. Not even close and a big reason for that is the lack of ads in your face 24/7.
I'll just say it's typical for large surveys like this to only go to portion of the population they're looking to get input from. I'd assume it went to X% of season ticket holders
Didn't get one. I wonder what their target audience was.
Random grads? Specific cohorts of alums? "Stakeholders"?
Yeah, this was by far the most bizarre survey. Leading question was essentially "do you want higher ticket prices or in-stadium advertising" and it was downhill from there. Essentially floating several options, including making the stadium no longer the largest in the nation by adding more premium seating (first asked how important being largest was to you, and later suggested reducing capacity by adding premium seating). There was also no free-form section.
Options asked about:
- Sell alcohol in premium seating
- Sell alcohol to everyone
- Sponsor signage in stadium
- Sponsor video messages
- PA sponsor reads pre-game
- PA sponsor reads during game
- Decrease capacity via premium seating
- Decrease capacity via adding social spaces ("ex. beer garden")
- Improved WiFi via sponsor integration
Thanks Emozilla! That’s the stuff I was looking for!
March 21st, 2022 at 10:52 PM ^
All of these ideas fucking blow, and I'm glad I didn't put in $160 to be on the season ticket interest list, as I'd initially planned to do.
Sell alcohol to everyone does not fucking blow.
March 21st, 2022 at 11:06 PM ^
Interesting to see they are considering bringing the Halo out of storage
Just sell alcohol. Problem solved.
I voted "yes" for the Thunder from Down Under halftime show
Some of the stuff I really didn’t care about one way or the other but the whole thing about adding more premium seating at the expense of general seating really pissed me off when I read those questions. Seriously? Ticket prices aren’t high enough right now? Slowly but surely they are making attendance possible for only the wealthy.
They're trying to turn Michigan into an NFL experience, aka sucking money out of fans for a boring experience.
March 21st, 2022 at 11:44 PM ^
Actually, I just think they are trying to figure out ways to increase revenue other than raising ticket prices. I'm guessing that we are at a point where prices are close to, if not already at, a tipping point. I'm not really getting the exasperation. It was a survey.
I got the survey and was disappointed at the tone. The earliest part was a reminder, “did you know we are entirely self-funded and don’t take any money from the University” and then it cascaded into the topics already mentioned.
my big takeaway was, “I guess they need some money.”
March 21st, 2022 at 10:30 PM ^
Yes… it was totally the tone. “Here’s your options, pick your poison.”
Yes I got one. It was mostly about advertising and other related revenue topics.
Oink
Why can't they add premium seating but not decreasing the amount of seating by adding seats in the endzone by constructing another level of maybe 10 to 15 rows?
It would make it noisier and more intimidating for visiting teams. How would you guys feel about that?
March 21st, 2022 at 11:46 PM ^
I'm guessing there is some concern that there will be a point in the near future where we don't sell out.
- Where are your seats currently located? Select all that apply.
- Bowl
- Club seats or Westside chairbacks
- Suite
- How many games do you personally attend each season?
- All of them
- 5-6 games
- 3-4 games
- 1-2 games
- I do not attend any games (someone else uses the tickets that I purchase)
- If you don’t attend all of the games, what do you do with the tickets you don't use? Select all that apply.
- Purchase season tickets jointly to share with a person/group with the intent of sharing the tickets
- Transfer tickets to someone else on a game-by-game basis
- Sell tickets on the secondary market (StubHub, etc.)
- Donate tickets to a charitable cause (MGoTroops, etc.)
- Tickets go unused
- What are the three MOST important elements to your gameday experience? Select up to three.
- Quality of opposing team
- Tailgating parties
- Availability/cost of parking
- Fan behavior
- Assortment of merchandise/souvenirs
- Marching Band & piped in music integration
- Scoreboard content
- Courtesy & effectiveness of Event Team Members (ushers)
- Seat location
- Team performance
- Quality of concessions food/service
- Cleanliness of restrooms
- Ease of entry
- Sponsor/advertiser presence
- Michigan Stadium being largest college football stadium in the US
- Wifi connectivity
- What are the three LEAST important elements to your gameday experience? Select up to three
- Quality of opposing team
- Tailgating parties
- Availability/cost of parking
- Fan behavior
- Assortment of merchandise/souvenirs
- Marching Band & piped in music integration
- Scoreboard content
- Courtesy & effectiveness of Event Team Members (ushers)
- Seat location
- Team performance
- Quality of concessions food/service
- Cleanliness of restrooms
- Ease of entry
- Sponsor/advertiser presence
- Michigan Stadium being largest college football stadium in the US
- Wifi connectivity
- Which of these things do you do as part of your gameday experience? Select all that apply.
- Stay in a hotel
- Stay with a friend/family member
- Eat in a restaurant
- Other recreational activities (golf, etc.)
- Attend other Michigan sporting events
- Rent a car
- Other activities on campus (art museums, concerts, etc.)
- Campus tour/recruting tour with prospective student
- Attend FanFest at Pioneer High School
- Other
- None of these options
- Are you aware that the Athletic Department is self-sufficient and does not receive financial support or subsidies from the University?
- Yes
- No
- Which change would you prefer?
- Higher ticket prices
- Changes to gameday experience (alcohol sales, sponsor advertising, improved wifi access with sponsor integration, etc.)
- Which of the following game day elements would you be amenable to? Select all that apply.
- Selling alcohol only in the premium seating spaces
- Selling alcohol in the entire stadium
- Sponsor signage in the bowl
- Sponsor messaging on the video board
- PA reads for sponsors pre-game
- PA reads for sponsors in-game
- Improved wifi access with sponsor integration
- Decreasing capacity to add additional premium seating options
- Decreasing capacity to add social spaces (ex. beer garden)
- Rate your sentiment of the following game day elements based on the scale: 1=Strongly dislike, 3=Neutral, 5=Strongly favor
- Selling alcohol only in the premium seating spaces
- Selling alcohol in the entire stadium
- Sponsor signage in the bowl
- Sponsor messaging on the video board
- PA reads for sponsors pre-game
- PA reads for sponsors in-game
- Decreasing capacity to add premium seating options
- Decreasing capacity to add social spaces (ex. beer garden)
- Improved wifi access with sponsor integration
- Are you an alumni of the University?
- Yes
- No
- How many years have you purchased season tickets?
- 1-5 years
- 6-10 years
- 10-19 years
- 20-29 years
- More than 30 years
- Have you renewed your season tickets for 2022?
- I have completed my renewal
- I have not completed my renewal, but intend to
- I am not renewing my season tickets in 2022
- Do you purchase season tickets to other athletic events? Select all that apply.
- Yes, other UM sports
- Yes, professional sports
- Yes, other collegiate sports (non-UM teams)
- No other season tickets
- What is your age?
- Under 30
- 30-39
- 40-49
- 50-59
- 60-69
- 70 and over
- What is your approximate annual household income?
- Less than $25,000
- $25,000 to $49,999
- $50,000 to $74,999
- $75,000 to $99,999
- $100,000 to $149,999
- $150,000 to $199,999
- $200,000 or more
- If you're interested in being entered to win one of the five prizes being offered to those who complete this survey, please indicate your preference below. We will contact the winners by email.
- Yes, please opt me into the contest
- No, thank you
Thank You!
Your submission for the 2022 Michigan Football Gameday Experience Survey has been received.
Well, this is disturbing. This is the sort of survey you send out when you've made a decision and are now seeking justification for it.
"Are you an alumni of the University?" That's disgraceful. ALUMNUS. Has proofreading by people who know grammar been completely abandoned?
March 21st, 2022 at 10:32 PM ^
Thanks TruBlue!
How are they going to lump the great MMB with that god-awful shitty piped in music as if they are "integrated"? That alone is a big issue with many fans. Those two things should absolutely be separate. If they were separate, the MMB would be one of the most important elements to my game day experience while the piped in music would be one of my least.
I love the MMB but piped in music if done correctly and with restraint can be terrific. We don’t get great memories (and potential new traditions) of Mr. Brightside or Pump It Up this season with a complete ban on piped in music.
- Which change would you prefer?
- Higher ticket prices
- Changes to gameday experience (alcohol sales, sponsor advertising, improved wifi access with sponsor integration, etc.)
A disturbing question which only means the AD is looking to extract more money from the fanbase. So the university isn't satisfied with however many tens of millions the football program profits every year and they're determined to further dilute the Michigan stadium experience for the sake of money. So so so short sighted. Selling out long term loyalty for short term profits
I know the AD monitors mgoblog. Maybe they'll read this and realize how unpopular it is. But who am I kidding, they're just going to chase a few more dollars
Questions 8, 9, and 10 are the purpose of this survey. All of the other questions are only there to determine how much your answers to 8-10 should be valued.
any questions on reducing seating capacity?
That's always been a hot topic.
Btw, they should never ever relinquish giving up being the largest college football stadium in the country
March 21st, 2022 at 11:02 PM ^
They’ve been lying about actual attendance for many years.
there are maybe 110,000 for the big games but they often announce 109,000 when we’ve maybe got 90,000 actually there.
the game day experience is going down hill driven first by the incessant and ridiculously long TV timeouts but second is the comfort in the bowl seats. We get 110k by offering no leg room and have 2 or more extra seats jammed into every row
using Stubhub pricing as a proxy, for most games demand for tickets is well short of 110,000 and will likely continue to decline. The market is calling for fewer seats not more. We aren’t the only ones with this problem (see Alabama)
maybe give the athletic department some credit for getting out in front of it?!
the game day experience is sullied by the insane amount of money the university expects to pay. Costs for parking, amenities, tickets, etc are completely unreasonable.
It's not fun to end up paying $600+ for a game to take in the entire experience.
Especially if they lose.
I have season tickets, and the visitors section is the next row behind me. Almost every game, I hear that Michigan has no ads. The person they are talking with always say how nice it is.
If they put ads in the stadium my tickets and PSD should never go up right, but they will.
I mentioned this in the scoreboard thread, and debated making a topic on it. Very off-putting questions, and doesn't give a good feeling about the direction the athletic department is headed.
Plus I feel like most of the potential changes addressed, except selling alcohol and maybe re the WiFi, will backfire on them.
How about:
- Would you be in favor of the athletic department reducing expenses, as Michigan already sells more tickets at higher prices and generates more revenue than almost every other school?
- Would you be in favor of eliminating excess athletic department marketing staff/consultants whose sole role appears to be diminishing the fan experience while increasing costs?
- Would you be in favor of the athletic department providing surveys where some of the choices are acceptable/favorable?
March 21st, 2022 at 11:06 PM ^
Very good points!
along those lines, I would add one more
- would you be in favor of eliminating non-revenue generating (Olympic) sports in an effort to reduce the need to increase the price of Football tickets?
Michigan's athletic department expenses have taken off in the last 10-15 years. Maybe they should look at reducing some of that instead of trying to go the NFL route where you wring every last penny you can out of the fanbase
Nothing about putting a guy on the field pretending to be a DJ?
We won that game, so therefore he is now obligated to be present the next time Ohio State visits The Big House.
After reading those questions, I realized that David Brandon is actually still the AD and Warde is just the front man.
They left out the all-important “None of the Above” choice for most of the questions.
I prefer this survey to the AD just putting up the Halo, or putting a giant goddamn noodle in the concourse.
Like it or not, college sports are an arms race and Michigan is leaving a lot of money on the table as compared to every other school IN THE NATION.
Have sponsored WiFi, sell $20 cocktails and $15 beers. Whatever. Nobody is forcing a drink on you.
Whatever happens, I hope we all speak loudly enough to keep ads out of the stadium and that we keep Michigan Stadium as the best place to watch a game, anywhere in America today!
March 21st, 2022 at 10:03 PM ^
GoBlue2002, I agree with much of what you said, but I'm sorry but your statement that Michigan is lagging in its pursuit of $$$ is ridiculous.
If you do even a simple search, you find that Michigan's football program ranks at the very top in both revenue and profit. How strange, considering all the money we're leaving on the table compared to every other school IN THE NATION (ALL CAPS does not make it true).
There are a bunch of different surveys/studies out there, and they all come to a similar conclusion - Michigan is rolling in dough compared to almost all schools, in large part due to the enormous $$$ generated from home games at our gigantic stadium. We're clearly winning the "arms race" you mention.
Yes we make a ton of money from TV revenue, but we still generate a TON more money than most of our peers in the B1G, with whom we share TV money equally, I believe.
Here are the Top 25 Most Valuable College Football Programs, courtesy of GoBankingRates/Forbes ($ figures represent 3-year average revenue from football):
1. Texas (Tie) – $147
1. Texas A&M (Tie) – $147M
3. Michigan – $139M
4. Alabama – $134M
5. Ohio State – $132M
6. Oklahoma – $129M
7. Georgia – $125M
8. Notre Dame $120M
9. Florida (Tie) – $117M
9. Auburn (Tie) – $117M
11. LSU – $114M
12. Tennessee – $113M
13. Penn State – $104M
14. Oregon (Tie) – $96M
14. Florida State (Tie) – $96M
16. South Carolina (Tie) – $95M
16. Arkansas (Tie) – $95M
18. USC – $93M
19. Washington – $92M
20. Nebraska – $91M
21. Iowa – $89M
22. Michigan State – $87M
23. Wisconsin – $86M
24. Ole Miss – $84M
25. Clemson – $77M
This same study says our 3-year average PROFIT is $83M - behind only Texas and A&M.
Seems like maybe Michigan is clearing the table pretty well already. Michigan is a public school, not a for-profit company. The goal should NOT be to maximize revenue.
March 21st, 2022 at 11:09 PM ^
You have to pay for all of the (bloated) AD department overheard and non-revenue generating sports
March 21st, 2022 at 11:24 PM ^
You’re not at all wrong, UMin. I agree with every word you said. We’re 2 spots from being the leaders and best in terms of most valuable football programs, a list we’d top if we allowed advertising.
I’m in no way advocating for advertising, for the record. But to be the best, to get the best recruits, to stay ahead in the arms race, to support women’s rowing and all 20 something other non-revenue sports, you need to make money.
So why not sell beer?
March 22nd, 2022 at 12:54 AM ^
I don't know. We managed to support a lot of non-revenue sports in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, with far less money. Does every athlete need to have luxury dressing rooms, chartered flights, or whatever it is that makes these programs so expensive? (I'm not at all blaming the athletes, who are only taking what is offered them).
I know, I know -- we need to do it because other programs are doing it. But that doesn't make it any less of a scam. The athletic department tells us it needs more/better training resources (practice courts/facilities, weight rooms, etc.), and higher salaries for its coaches, then raises ticket prices, sells more commercials, then tells us it needs even better resources, and even higher salaries, and raises ticket prices again. When does it end?
Presumably, it ends when they've tapped us for every single dollar they can get from us. Until then, there is no end. And we buy into it, somehow convinced that we're "supporting the program." Which we are, I guess. But it sure feels like a professional team, not a (purportedly) academic institution.
I'm a lifelong Michigan sports fan, but I would be even if the basketball team were still playing at Yost, the hockey team were still playing with white helmets, and the baseball team wasn't able to make extended trips to the South and West each year. And, yes, even if we weren't winning so many games. Let's admit it -- they're bleeding us dry.
March 22nd, 2022 at 10:33 PM ^
I personally don't care either way about selling booze at the stadium. It's bound to be so outrageously expensive I won't be buying it, and leaving the game to stand in a concession line isn't worth it to me.
One other thing to consider - the B1G is up for yet ANOTHER round of absurd media rights increases. Everything I've read indicates it's gonna be yet another windfall for B1G schools. Enough already.