My Ohio Stadium experience

Submitted by UMxWolverines on

To maybe distract some of your minds from our once again shitty performance yesterday, I will give you a review of my trip to enemy territory yesterday for the Ohio-Florida A&M game. I got offered a free ticket so I said I would go. 

Stadium itself:

First off, the upper deck at the shoe is scary. Very steep. I was probably ten rows from the top but the view is pretty still pretty good. The seats are similar size to Michigan...I was basically sitting in the isle. 

I feel like the shell they put around the stadium hides the original construction a lot, but it is a very impressive structure from the outside and inside. 

Scoreboard: 

This is what was quite different from Michigan and not for the better. They do have a few ads along the side of their scoreboards, but that wasn't extremely noticeable. What got me was that the game itself was brought to us by Lowes, the replay was sponsored by someone I can't remember, and Tim Hortons is the official coffee of Ohio State athletics. I will be furious if we ever take that route. 

They also do a lot of animations that I thought were extremely lame for a program like them. When there was a holding penalty they showed a phone on hold. Just a lot of weird things like that. 

Fans:

I wasn't expecting much since it was Florida A&M. Basically the same thing as a noon game as Michigan Stadium: golf clap when something good happens and not really much noise when the other team is on defense (like they really needed to). I decided to wear my Michigan shirt under a fleece so I didn't get harassed or anything. One guy at a tailgate had a flag on his flagpole that had a block M with a screw through it. I thought that was...clever. 

Pretty much all of Ohio Stadium was full besides a small section at the top of the endzone seats and student seats. Yes, even osu has these problems. They only have two very small sections in each endzone (total of about 2,500 seats) and they didn't even fill those. 

Half time show and band:

As much as it pains me to say this, their band is quite good and much louder than ours. They did a tribute to The Beatles and formed BEATLES, a guitar, and the name of each member. Then after that the Ohio School for the blind marching band was honored and OSU's band did the script Ohio and the Ohio School for the blind also formed Ohio in braille form. When I like that I wish we would do is once they were done with script ohio the tuba players play the Buckeye Battle Cry (their fight song) and the rest of the band sings it and the crowd sings a long. 

We ended up leaving with about 5 minutes left in the 3rd at that point it was 69-0. Oh yeah, shout out to Meyer for going for two on the second touchdown and failing. Ass. 

Overall it was a pretty good experience. I'm sure it would be better to judge it for a big game, but not like I would spend my hard earned money for that, and I don't know if I'd ever want to go see Michigan there. 

Feel free to share your experiences at the shoe if you've ever been there. 

Wolverines Dominate

September 22nd, 2013 at 11:08 AM ^

Love how even when playing FAMU, their fans think of M.



Also, I will never set foot in that shit hole stadium, especially on a game day. They are the most unbearable fans in the country and it really is not even close.

jvocke

September 22nd, 2013 at 12:13 PM ^

I'm now working on a streak where I've been to 24 straight UM-OSU tilts (this November will be #25... God, I'm getting old).  Painting with a broad brush, OSU still has an inordinate number of ogre-like fans, but my opinion is also that the atmosphere *has* shifted over the past 5-10 years.  Full disclosure - I do live in Columbus now, so maybe my judgement is clouded.  I'd like to think that having lived in both AA and Cbus, that I have a very balanced viewpoint.

When I went to my first game in C-bus in 1990 - it was literally a "What planet am I on?" moment.. the whole thing with people getting up in your face, screaming, threatening death - basically treated like a sub-human piece of garbage.  After the '96 upset, I saw a UM fan walking back to the car get attacked (=tackled, kicked and beaten) before his co-hort ogre fans pulled him off and said, "It's over, just forget it".

The arrival of Tre$$el, and the subsequent winning, was probably the salve that healed the wound for OSU fans.  There was still strong dislike in '02-'04, but it was different.  The long period of waiting for the shoe to be on the other foot was at hand (if I recall correctly, from 1980-2000, OSU only won 5 times).  By the time the '06 #1-#2 game happened, it was like they'd finally made the transformation - UM was the yin to their yang in "The Game", and by this point, Lloyd was an admirable but totally benign foe.

We won't even get into the RichRod years - as many might guess, their smug attitudes shifted into ones of almost more pity.  Which, of course, just made everything worse as a UM alum and fan.

Last year, I had multiple fans after the game stop, wish us well, and ask if we'd been treated well during the visit.  OSU has put forth a large effort in the whole "Best Fans in the Land" thing - I think some of that was the negative press they received with the Texas and USC games.  From my perspective, they've made strides - but again, winning cures alot of ails.  They've got the one of the best coaches in the country, they're poised to have the upper hand in the rivalry for probably at least another 3-4 years, and I do not sense that any OSU fans really believe that Hoke has the goods.  Life is good for OSU fans right now, as much as it pains me to say that.

On the flip side of the coin, I've also seen a shift at *our* home games.  Starting to see hints of things in Ann Arbor that I used to only see at OSU.  But that's another post entirely.

Go Blue!

M-Dog

September 22nd, 2013 at 1:32 PM ^

Went to The Game at Columbus in '86 (the "Harbaugh Guarantee" game) with some friends, a couple of whom were OSU grads.

The key to not being harassed was to not be an ass myself and to be with an OSU person.  Also, I had a jacket I could zip up over my Michigan shirt when needed.  So yes, I had to be a little proactive to avoid harassment, but it was not that hard.

Jamie Morris ran wild on them, but it still came down to the last minute.  We won on a fantastic third down stop by us and a missed field goal by them.  My seat was right at ground level, and I was actually standing on the field of play to watch the field goal attempt because the ushers/security were focused only on the field goal.  When it missed, I had to run back to my seat for fear of some kind of "fan interference" penalty in my head.  

Afterwords we walked around the frat area, my jacket safely zipped up.  While walking, I heard a loud "FUCK MICHIGAN!!" and looked up to see a full keg of beer come flying out of a second floor window onto the ground below.  Good times.

 

charblue.

September 22nd, 2013 at 1:07 PM ^

toward Michigan over time, is our perception of it. Been to the Shoe any number of times, though not for The Game. And the prevailing attitude surrounding that stadium about Michigan is unchanging in my mind. Every one is different and so you can't brush every fan with the same personality complex or attitude.

But hating Michigan is just a way of life in Columbus, and doesn't matter what time of year it is. It just is. I can't even cross that state without feeling that or seeing that sentiment expressed in some form or another. 

In fact, when I come in contact with Buckeye fans today outside Columbus or if they see me dressed in Michigan garb, there is always a recognition of the rivalry first, not just human contact, as if not referencing this would ex-communicate you, so you have to be on guard because hating Michigan is more important than actually getting to know someone. 

 

 

Buckifan28

September 22nd, 2013 at 2:04 PM ^

Since moving from columbus to colorado a couple years ago, ive had WAY more people judge me based on the team I cheer for than I have EVER dished out as a Buckeye. Just last weekend at an Oktoberfest event in breck, I had a belligerent "Michigan Man" give me shit for 10 minutes about how "only a Buckeye would have his girlfriend hold his spot in the beer line" while I went to the bathroom. That I must like to "cheat the line just as OSU cheats in football".

I've been walking down the street in OSU garb and have a car with Michigan plates veer at me, honk and scream obscenities about me/OSU.

And this is just 2 occurrences in the past two weeks. I never seen more people judge based on my fandom than M fans.

Niels

September 22nd, 2013 at 2:23 PM ^

.....not really useful. There is no statistically valid way to determine whose fans are "worse". While I would, based on my experiences at the Shoe and in other locations, bet that in a cosmic sense OSU fans are nastier to UM ones than vice-versa, the sad fact is jerks on either side have a disproportionate impact on perception.

As a Philadelphia Eagles fan, I'm all too painfully aware of how this happens.

jvocke

September 22nd, 2013 at 5:51 PM ^

I've told the Buckeye folks around me that it's different in Michigan - it's different in Ann Arbor.  They bristle at the idea of it, and then share some 3rd time removed horror story about how someones car got keyed back in the day.  Without having seen the other side, they can't imagine that we really *don't* take the hate thing to the same level.  Again - painting with a broad brush and agree with your comment on the fact that doing so cannot be 100% accurate.

I have though gotten to know some 'good Buckeyes' and having lived down here in the snakepit for over 10 years, realize that we do have threads of commonality between us - and that's something that I didn't believe before I lived here.

To be honest - it was a bit more enjoyable when I was younger and could color every OSU fan as a belt buckle wearing, skoal chewing, funyun eating hillbilly who loved to drape themselves in scarlet and talk of pushing out-of-gas-cars across state lines and trying to go for 3 in late November.  I mean - that first trip to Columbus... they had *BILLBOARDS* out with "Screw the Blue" and an alternate version of "The Victors".  Hell, I don't think anyone of my friends even *knew* their song, much less created a different version of it!  And I was born & raised in Ohio.  Columbus was truly was like an inverse image of Ann Arbor.  Very much a negative.

Again - I know I can't speak for all people or all viewpoints.. only what my experience has been, how I've seen them change or how my own perceptions have changed.  Maybe it's just a maturation thing on my part.  I do believe the current wining streak has taken some of the nastiness out of them.  But I do agree that hating Michigan is still a thing that they pride themselves on.  As is often the case, the loudest ones usually set the biggest impression.

Vasav

September 22nd, 2013 at 1:42 PM ^

I was there for The Game in 2008. Most of the folks there were pretty cool beforehand. Unfortunately, when we went inside an usher tried to take my friends' ticket from him, and then some jack-wagon called me "hajji" the whole game. The guy behind us was cool though, and scared the racist hecklers into shutting up after things got really out of hand on the field. It was extra miserable since we got whupped like we did, but the drunkest fans seemed to be emboldened by the win and tried to get in our face and make it a bit more miserable. So I don't care much for Ohio Stadium. But you get jerks everywhere, I've seen them in Michigan Stadium too.

wiper

September 22nd, 2013 at 2:26 PM ^

i went to the horseshoe a couple years ago with a bunch of friends. didn't go into the game just stayed tailgating. never once took off my M hat. there were a couple people that yelled some things, but really people left me alone. 

i'm not a small guy though, probably semi-intimidating looking and was with 7 other similar sized/looking people, so there were probably easier targets. haha

almost went wtih my 2 friends next week to the wisky/ohio night game, but it's him and his wife, and my wife was going to go and i wasn't a) going to NOT wear my M hat but also b) let her be around the type of behavior that others and then myself would be engaging in. ;)

going back at people is fine when you're with your 7 drunk buddies. not so much when you're with your 4'11" 100lb wife. lol

SteelBrad

September 22nd, 2013 at 6:23 PM ^

There are some fans who give both sides of this rivalry a bad name. But I've met lots of good ones and even consider some close friends.



That being said, Northern Ohio is just plain pointless. No offense to anyone who lives there. It's just that if you live in Southwest Michigan driving into Ohio is dreadful.

Section 1

September 22nd, 2013 at 11:51 PM ^

I was there for the SDSU @ OSU game as well.  And I've been to a handful of other games in Ohio Stadium.

In my opinion, they are the best fanbase in the Conference.  They are marginally more loyal, more knowledgable and better informed than other fans in the Big Ten.  These are gross generalizations; talking about hundreds of thousands if not millions of fans.

They have a better game-day atmosphere in Columbus, although I've seen similarly great atmospheres in Ann Arbor, East Lansing, Madison and Evanston.  OSU's great advantage is that they have such a good "surround" for Ohio Stadium.  By the banks of the Olentangy and adjacent to Lane Avenue, the 'Shoe is fortunate to have lots of tailgating space, including a small handful of dual-purpose parking structures and parking that surrounds St. John Arena and the Athletic campus on the north side of Lane Avenue.  Plus the Blackwell, and a host of other university properties that are useful on game days.  Spartan Stadium, which is a crummy old stadium, enjoys some of that same advantage.  Michigan's Blue Lot is nice, and so is the UMGC.  But Michigan is lacking in tailgating space.  Northwestern might be better than Michigan; only Madison is more cramped.

That Michigan flag with the screw through the M is a fixture at tailgates near the Ohio Stadium rotunda every football Saturday, and has been there for years.  Yawn.  The guy who owns it will no doubt be overjoyed to think that it has been mentioned on MGoBlog.  "Worst State Ever," anyone?

Advertising in the 'Shoe; yeah it is a bit obnoxious.  They have a lot of it.  There are big banners with the Honda (see; Marysville Plant) logo that are actually tasteful and dramatic.  They feature black and white photos of historic Buckeyes.  The OP is thoroughly correct about the horrendously cheesy animations on the Ohio Stadium scoreboard, and the loads of advertising on it.  Brian Cook once appraised OSU's net revenue advantage over Michigan thanks to stadium advertising.  I seem to recall a number of something like $1.2 million a year.  Somebody correct me if I'm off on that figure.  Looking at the Ohio Stadium scoreboard and the rest of the clutter inside the 'Shoe, it is a pretty awful aesthetic price to pay for that revenue.

Bands.  Yes, OSU's band is louder, and it is one of the premier marching bands in the nation.  They do some fantastic things with that band.  I've seen them in concert with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra outdoors, which was brilliant.  I've seen them in their Skull Sessions (the band concerts that they have in St. John Arena a couple of hours before the game.  Michigan should do something like that.  (They do, sort of; the concertizing at Revelli Hall on game day mornings; but they practically fill St. John Arena for theirs.)  The OSU band is all brass -- it is a military band that marches.  The Michigan Marching Band, with its woodwinds, is a concert band that marches.  Michigan's band sounds better as a concrt band.  The MMB recording(s) for Vanguard under William D. Revelli are peerless.  OSU's band sounds better in a stadium.

Stadium Architecture.  I am hopelessly prejudiced.  Michigan Stadium is the superior stadium.  I don't expect to change any loyalists' minds; whatever.  The Ohio Stadium renovations were more drastic; they obliterated more of the original architecure than we did, and their added architectural details seem less genuine than ours.  I think in future years, both the original design of Michigan Stadium and the 2010 rededication-renovations will be seen as true genius.  It is the greatest large stadium in college football.  The only competitors are the places that are smaller (Yale, Notre Dame) or more dramatic (Rose Bowl, LA Colosseum) or which have very deeply engrained traditions (OSU, Camp Randall, pick-your-favorite-SEC-school).

Incidentally, there is a persistent myth that Michigan somehow has the worst, most narrowly-painted and uncomfortable bench bleacher seats in all of football.  Sorry; the numbers are painted just about the same in all three decks at Ohio Stadium, and most other places I have seen in the Conference.  As of now, with the 2010 renovations done and seating/aisles expanded, Michigan's seating is no worse than other similar stadiums.

Slacker students.  FAMU/OSU versus Akron/Michigan.  So these two tomato can games supposedly exposed the slacker-student fans.  I can say this as an eyewitness to both, as well as some other noteworthy games (SDSU @ Wisconsin, OSU @ Wisconsin, and Michigan @ Wisconsin).  Michigan's game with Akron (supposed, uh, tomato can) was the worst turnout aby students I can recall in many, many years.  It was pathetic.  The late-arrival students at OSU for their FAMU was nowhere near as bad as what we saw for Akron @ Michigan.  And mostly, that kind of lax turnout never happens at Ohio Stadium.  They were packed for San Diego state this year.  But the champs for lazy student turnouts are the 11:00 am games at Camp Randall Stadium.  Wisconsin students are bad for good teams, and bad for bad teams.  They do a little better for their 2:30 games, and much better for their night games.

Finally; for anyone who cares nothing for stadium aesthetics and history, but rather only about the game...  Replays: I defy anyone to show that Michigan is anything other than just about the worst school in the Conference for showing replays of disputed plays.

 

The 'Shoe, back when it was actually a horseshoe shape.  Dedication day, October 21, 1922.  Five years before the Big House was completed:

Average_Pete

September 23rd, 2013 at 7:41 AM ^

My first time at the Shoe was in 2000, when Drew Henson ran the naked bootleg left to seal the victory.

 

I stopped in Marion, Ohio, before the game to switch cars with my Uncle who lives there.  My Ohio relatives were adamant about not driving into Columbus with Michigan tags.   They also suggested I not wear any Michigan gear to the game, as, "some of the fans would get upset."



Nonetheless, we faced the typical heckling walking to the stadium, when we sat down, and when we stood up to cheer.  

 

After Henson sealed the win, we sat and watched the finals seconds tick off and cheered.  That's when Buckeye fan became Buckeye fan.  My cousin (who was eight at the time) and I were pelted with trash, cups, food, and various other objects.  We ran back to my Uncle's car and as we ran, someone threw a "D" battery and hit me under my left eye, fracturing my left orbital socket, giving me a concussion, which led to double vision for three weeks.