Because that is graduation
If you wait until the end of
If you wait until the end of April, won't you also lose a lot of students who will have finished for the semester and will have left Ann Arbor?
Is fan participation the goal?
My guess the primary goals of the Spring Game do not include maximizing attendance. Scheduling of the game is probably dictated by mundane considerations such as the academic calendar, for one thing.
I bet it is
If it was not, why even make it public? It is an awesome recruitment tool, a great tool to get fans and alumni excited about the season and thinking about donating to both Mott and the University. Very little about this game is actually coaching kids. They have much better ways to coach the kids if that was the primary goal.
You're absolutely right,
You're absolutely right, vablue. The Spring Game is totally about the fans and not the student athletes.
Say, why don't we have the game the Saturday before all of our players take their first finals? That way the weather will be nice and more fans will be able to come! Who cares if some of our players are ineligible next year because they failed their Psych exams?
I am not agreeing they move it.
Just pointing out some realities involved with this event. Obviously the academic side has to be considered for the schedule. Although one could argue that we are talking about one event on a Saturday, but the timing of that event certainly affects when the practices preceeding this game take place.
Either way, this event is all about getting out fan support, having a great event that is good for recruiting and selling your program, and hopefully getting the players a couple of game like reps. It looks to me like they scrimmage quite often in normal practice, so there really is no additional advantage to the coaching staff by holding this event in terms of practice reps.
Is the weather really any
Is the weather really any worse than October or November afternoons. Has anyone ever heard of football weather?
I didn't think the weather was that bad.....
the last couple of years. I little cold maybe but at least their wasn't any rain. It's still a great time rain or shine.
Go Blue!
Won't happen
In order for the Spring Game to be that late, spring practices would probably need to start later, which means practicing during finals.
I put up a tough front, but deep down I just want to be held.
Wish it were later too.
Sounds like there are logistics issues, but I wish it were later too.
I live in Virginia, and I was going to take my 4 and 6 year old girls on their first visit to Michigan stadium for the spring game last year.
Unfortunately, it was cold and wet so we spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa instead.
Didnt rain a drop during the
Didnt rain a drop during the game.
Thats right
Didnt rain at all during the game but tailgating the forcast was scary
UM vs osu 2011 bring your keys and make noise (get it keys!)
Kids gotta toughen up some
Kids gotta toughen up some time, it'll be good practice for the next time we have game weather like '08 Northwestern
"All I've had today is, like, six gummy bears and some scotch"
Agreed!
Somewhere in my first few dates w my girlfriend she mentioned that she stood in the stands through the entire NU '08 game. She had me right then. Toughen those girls up on Michigan football and they will have one extra thing to impress people with.
Why dont we get a playoff
Why dont we get a playoff system ?
Why not just control the
Why not just control the weather?
Eating is murder.
Having the spring game in
Having the spring game in Ohio is a good start….
It would change the tide on
It would change the tide on the recruiting.
M'Dog
Umm with the way things are
Umm with the way things are going do we really want to change the tide?
" I want to win Big 10 titles. Multiply. Consecutively. I just made that word up (multiply). I'm like that. I'm good at Scrabble."
Never Old
I think Hoke has changed the tide on the rivalry. Hell people in Ohio are starting to believe him. Never in a million years I would have thought that. Selling Michigan jerseys is a good start.
...drink...this is a terrible idea
Plus 1
Always welcome this.
Your title is misleading and
Your title is misleading and bullshit.
'Try growing up in Texas a Michigan WOLVERINE'.
Oh, To Be In The Big House...
....for the Spring Game at the end of April...
"Funny isn't it, how naughty dentists always make that one fatal mistake."
Follow the random tweets of a Michigan alum - http://twitter.com/#!/LorneEC3
Yeah! Let's also move the
Yeah! Let's also move the football season to April/May/June while we're at it. Football just really isn't a sport that was meant to have to deal with bad weather.
While i know you're joking, i
While i know you're joking, i had a Tennessee fan make that exact argument to me as a reason why playing a playoff game on a B1G campus was a stupid idea. It was hilarious yet incredible at the same time.
"This is Michigan, fergodsakes"
We should do that with Hockey too. It will keep everyone a
lot warmer, and the ice won't be as hard when the players fall down.
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
fuck it
Lets pour another few million dollars on the big house and put a retractable roof on.
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving isn't for you.
College yo.
College yo.
For today, goodbye. For tomorrow, good luck. And forever, Go Blue.
Spring night game anyone?
Spring night game anyone?
When the ADept sells special jerseys and gear, you'll see my picture next to the targeted customer crowd. A sheep.....but a Blue one.....
just a heads up
I think people disagree with you.
(way too early) forecast for
(way too early) forecast for saturday: partly cloudy, high of 60 degrees. Sounds fine to me.
didn't know that graduation
didn't know that graduation was that week It would definitely help recruiting though to get more than a quarter of your stadium filled
903 wins most in college football
So
Way too drunk to moderate this shit. Truth be told, I'm too drunk to walk straight. In the meantime, the voters have spoken, and your idea has been rejected.
What exactly is there to be
What exactly is there to be rejected? All i said that having nicer weather for the spring game would help the turnout for the game which recruits pay attention to. I didn't realize graduation was that week, but if school was still in session it would be a home run.
903 wins most in college football
Beats me
Again, too drunk to process information... but as a lifelong Michigander, the idea that waiting an extra week in April guarantees better weather, let alone 70%-attendance-increase better weather, is dubious ceteris paribus. Fold in graduation (and the many, many downvotes), and it seems people disapprove of your idea.
Not saying it was a terrible notion. Just saying that the thing that you are selling is not... well... selling.
Why not have the Spring game and graduation on the same day
Why not have the Spring game and graduation on the same day in The Big House? Graduation could be at half time. That would increase attendance for both. /s
Just combine the two
Running backs have to weave through the entire graduating class, senior students don't get their sheep skin until they make a tackle.
Sounds like a win-win if there ever was one.
It is spelled HOKEAMANIA. Our coach is an ass-kicking American citizen, not one of the Beatles, for Christ's sake!
That would also decrease #s.
That would also decrease #s. People want to watch football not graduation
Wear Maize! Go Blue!
The spring game can't be any
The spring game can't be any later because the players' finals start in a couple weeks.
Well we had about 55K in 2009
Well we had about 55K in 2009 with nice weather and 35K with bad weather so there is a correlation, but you're right that there's no evidence that the weather will be better at the end of April rather than the middle of it but on average you will have better days closer to May.
903 wins most in college football
You don't know when to give up.
Do you remember how many fans showed up for the the 2007 spring game? Less than 5000 and that was pretty typical. If you remember 2009, then you should also remember that RR said he wanted to break the spring game attendance record. The athletic department ran a bunch of promotions designed to do just that and fans were excited to see Tate Forcier in action for the first time.
Good weather doesn't hurt, but it's by no means the main factor to correlate with attendance. Promoting a "Denard vs Devin game" would draw more fans than the planned scrimmage plus guaranteed good weather. Bringing in players from ours and Nebraska's '97 teams to play a flag football game would fill the house regardless of the weather.
Eating is murder.
That isnt what the spring
That isnt what the spring game is about
Its called a royale with cheese
You'd think a spring game
You'd think a spring game after classes end would hurt the recruiting environment. Especially with the electricity that the UM students themselves bring to the sporting events
I just don't
Get how we can't get 100,000 people to show up. I mean it's Michigan for god sakes!!!!! If I didn't live in California my ass would be there rain or shine
And it's free! All those
And it's free! All those people can stop complaining about $
Wear Maize! Go Blue!
But, but, but
with the weather being two weeks cooler, we find out who the REAL fans are.
"I promise you we would have walked to the University of Michigan." - Brady Hoke
Hahahahahahahahah yes!!!!!
Hahahahahahahahah yes!!!!!
Wear Maize! Go Blue!
When's Fan Day?
When's Fan Day?
Wear Maize! Go Blue!
Because that is graduation weekend. The week before is finals week. Hence it is where it is every year, and is not changing.