OT: sight lines for Tenn-VT Bristol game are terrible
What is this? A football game for ants?
August 27th, 2016 at 7:32 PM ^
It's a binocular friendly venue.
August 27th, 2016 at 7:34 PM ^
That's terrible. I've always said the best part about watching a game in the big house is that there's no honestly no bad seat.
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August 27th, 2016 at 8:34 PM ^
That said, in my mind , sorry, there are bad seats in the Big House. Apologies if that ruffles feathers. It takes one hell of a homer to argue that their favorite team's stadium has no bad seats in it!
Now, if your argument is that the worst seat in Michigan Stadium beats the most comfortable recliner at home, I can see that, though I think that debate was had here a few days back.
August 27th, 2016 at 9:27 PM ^
Parent poster wrote: "I've always said the best part about watching a game in the big house is that there's no honestly no bad seat."
I agree with that, but I think it's also true that there aren't many great seats. In most areas the bowl is (IMO, anyway) too flat. Well-designed modern stadiums have progressively steeper seats as you move away from the field. People in the upper decks are closer to the action and they have a better view than you'd get in the upper rows of Michigan Stadium.
I realize there's no accounting for taste. In Chicago, I think Wrigley is dumpy, but I understand why people like it. (I think it's cool that it's nestled in a neighborhood rather than all by itself off a highway. The pregame atmosphere is better than most in the MLB.) Cellular Field has much better sight lines, etc.
August 27th, 2016 at 9:34 PM ^
I don't think this is accurate. Yes, the lower portions of the bowl are a bit shallow, and that means that it's a bit harder to see over the person in front of you. But the design of the stadium, using closely-packed bleachers, means that most fans are quite close, especially given the rows they are sitting in.
Modern Stadiums are huge physical structures that are quite a bit larger than Michigan Stadium in terms of actual occupied space. And rather than using overlapping decks that jut in toward the field, the deck structures tend to exist to give space to luxury boxes, which means that the upper deck seats are waaaaay away from the field. The upper deck seats at LSU, for example, are much further than the equivalent seats in Michigan Stadium.
What Michigan Stadium could use a bit more of is steepness. A lot of SEC stadiums, which were little more than high school grandstands when Michigan Stadium was hosting 100,000, started steep and continue to be steep. Neyland Stadium, for one example, is much steeper than Michigan Stadium and the sightlines do benefit from that.
But Michigan Stadium isn't bad at all. And the seats that suffer from the shallowness, honestly, are the rows lower down. By row 60 or 70 the steepness has picked up, and the view is fine.
August 27th, 2016 at 9:37 PM ^
(*I flip between describing the modern construction of NFL behemoths and observing the characteristics of much older, but expanded, college stadiums. I know what I mean, but I understand if people get a bit confused here. I will say that the top row seats at a place like New Mile High are further than the top seats at Michigan, to the point I was making.)
August 28th, 2016 at 2:49 AM ^
but also more post-obstructed seats.
You were pretty much right on top of the action in the first row of the upper deck along a baseline/center ice at the old Tiger Stadium/Olympia. But that came at a cost of post-obstructed seats.
August 27th, 2016 at 9:28 PM ^
Where are the bad seats? It's a bowl, pretty much every section has great sight lines to the field. It's known for this. Curious where you've seen the bad ones?
August 27th, 2016 at 9:41 PM ^
The first few rows directly behind the benches, for one. Sat down there once for the Washington State game years ago, didn't see anything the whole time. Pretty much anything that low isn't good unless you're in the end zone between the sidelines.
August 28th, 2016 at 10:13 AM ^
And again, this is where "bad" is subjective. I know a lot of people are with you in using sight lines to the field as an important part of the metric. In that case, yes, the sightlines are pretty good the whole way around. A few years ago I decided to pay the extra money to sit in a "better" seat, given that if I'm buying a couple tanks of gas for the 4+ hour drive, food, hotel, etc. it's worth it to spend a little extra on the seats.
So to answer your question, lower row corners (in every football stadium) would be a "bad seat" in my mind since I think I miss so much of what's going on once the play crosses the 30. I think the most memorable seat I ever had was 2011 Ohio State, where I was two rows off the field and behind one of the camera guys. They had a flat screen TV on the side for the fans whose view might be blocked. I was able to see over the players, so that wasn't as big a deal, but it was real nice having the ABC broadcast on the TV for replays.
Other than that, I was about two thirds of the way up in section 44 for the 2005 "Touchdown Manningham, Michigan wins!" game against Penn State.
August 27th, 2016 at 7:34 PM ^
That's not super terrible but the endzone view would be
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August 27th, 2016 at 7:36 PM ^
Mm considering the front row at football stadiums puts you a hop over the rail from the sideline, this is bad.
August 27th, 2016 at 7:53 PM ^
Front few rows at a football stadium is one of the worst seats in the house if actually watching the game is a goal.
August 27th, 2016 at 8:12 PM ^
Especially at certain venues where the front row is on ground level. At least at M stadium it's raised up a bit.
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August 28th, 2016 at 9:57 AM ^
Technically the field is lowered, right?
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August 28th, 2016 at 2:56 AM ^
Ringside at boxing matches is terrible as well. Found this out the expensive way. Front row immediately above ringside is usually the way to go.
August 27th, 2016 at 7:38 PM ^
And yet it will undoubtedly sell out.
Now, if they had a race going on simultaneously? That would be some real entertainment.
August 27th, 2016 at 7:47 PM ^
That's the winner! The funniest thing I heard all day!
August 27th, 2016 at 8:04 PM ^
I mean, yeah of course. I'd go. It'll be a spectacle and Tennessee should win comfortably. The atmosphere will be awesome.
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August 27th, 2016 at 9:25 PM ^
You say that as if it's not a sure thing.
The race game has been sold out for a long time. I just checked stubhub and the cheapest tickets available are endzone seats selling for a cool $145. Want one of those hot endzone seats that actually have a decent view? Over $200.
August 27th, 2016 at 7:38 PM ^
The backups for each team should race cars around the track during the game.
August 28th, 2016 at 2:51 AM ^
Great view...great view...crappy view...crappy view...Great view...
August 27th, 2016 at 7:43 PM ^
If you're in the endzone it'd be awful. But that's not a bad seat from where you're sitting.
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August 27th, 2016 at 8:00 PM ^
It's only about 100 yards away from the field. What's to complain about? Of course if something interesting happens in the opposite corner of the field, then you're probaly 250 yards away.
August 27th, 2016 at 7:48 PM ^
Hope those cables hold up. Tthat giant thing falling would always be on my mind if I were there
August 27th, 2016 at 8:02 PM ^
Considering those cables have failed once before (Nascar race at Daytona a few years ago) and they've had the chance to re-engineer... Highly doubtful. Plus this span is much shorter since Bristol is only a 1/2 mile track.
August 27th, 2016 at 7:52 PM ^
From the player's perspective on the field, I wonder how loud the game will be with the fans so far back.
August 27th, 2016 at 7:55 PM ^
Not that bad. Yes, you are far away but I'm sure it will be an awesome experience. I'd like to go just for the tailgate.
August 27th, 2016 at 7:56 PM ^
Meh, still gonna be a fun game, and the tailgating is gonna be crazy
August 27th, 2016 at 8:01 PM ^
It could potentially sell out, its really only an hour and a half from either campus. They'll probably only do it once as well because it's such a crappy venue, and most seats are so far away from the field they'd be sitting outside of Michigan stadium by comparison of distance.
August 27th, 2016 at 8:07 PM ^
Wife and her dad are going. I told them to take their binoculars. Ain't gonna be able to see shit without them. But they get to claim the largest crowd or something.
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August 27th, 2016 at 8:09 PM ^
So you're saying that a raceway doesn't make for a good football stadium? Get out!
August 27th, 2016 at 8:19 PM ^
Who cares. There are positives and negatives to any decision like this. It is not our teams. Why should we care?
August 27th, 2016 at 8:32 PM ^
I'll be honest. I'm bitter that this stupid event between two ok programs is going to have the record for largest attendance.
August 27th, 2016 at 8:37 PM ^
It's a one-off. I'm not going to worry that much about it. We still have most of the top ten.
August 27th, 2016 at 9:31 PM ^
I'd rather have them (attendance records) than not have them, but the whole "You are part of the largest crowd watching a college football game today ..." announcement is right there with the reading of Slippery Rock scores. The novelty wore off many years ago.
If someone told me that Harbaugh will stay here ten years and get Michigan a couple of national championships, I'd be OK with Michigan having (say) the eleventh-largest stadium in college football.
August 27th, 2016 at 10:25 PM ^
Slippery Rock is awesome. And Michigan must always have the largest stadium.
August 28th, 2016 at 1:09 AM ^
Ehh whatever.
As long as Harbaugh continues to win here, I'm okay with other venues surpassing us on the attendance records. What the hell does it matter anyway? What does it actually get you in the end?
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August 27th, 2016 at 8:32 PM ^
Neyland Stadium could basically fit in the infield of Bristol Motor Speedway.
August 28th, 2016 at 2:54 AM ^
Just fly it in for the game
August 28th, 2016 at 9:54 AM ^
That scaling isn't the same. Quite a bit smaller on the Neyland image. Point is still good though.
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August 27th, 2016 at 8:34 PM ^
I live in Memphis and several UT fans are excited to go to "Redneck Convention 2016". As they say, they're going to watch the game on the screen and be part of history. I tell them they're going to find their long lost cousin-sister.
August 27th, 2016 at 8:44 PM ^
The win will go to the fanbase who has shown up wearing the most school-specific camo gear
Over/under - 10,000 of those at the game
August 28th, 2016 at 7:03 PM ^
How will they even be seen to know who has the most?
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August 27th, 2016 at 8:35 PM ^
This is going to set the attendance record and that record may never be broken, except with another stunt like this.
As a one-off thing, eh, go for it. Yeah, it's really far away. You'll still be able to follow a fair amount of the action, though seeing which players are which will be impossible. Binoculars will be nice. People will get to say they were there.
I honestly don't think this is that different from playing a hockey game in a baseball stadium, and we're kind of use to that. Yeah, the hockey game is still closer, but you can follow a football a lot easier than a puck.
But it's a stunt and the fans who go will appreciate their own, rather more intimate venues.
August 27th, 2016 at 10:34 PM ^
We'll still own the largest crowd at a football stadium.
August 27th, 2016 at 8:37 PM ^
I'm just intrigued by the modifications made so that football could be played here frankly. It doesn't seem like it would be so bad unless you're up high in a corner and the action is opposite your endzone and moving away from you, but even at that, I bet the people stuck with those seat probably talk more about the experience than they do about the potentially shitty view of about half the field.
August 27th, 2016 at 8:42 PM ^
you're last.
August 27th, 2016 at 10:12 PM ^
That's ridiculous, son. You could be second, third, fourth, hell even fifth.
August 27th, 2016 at 8:43 PM ^
And that picture only shorts the short side. The other endzone has twice as many rows, much farther away.