Michigan Basketball's Facebook page has a Crisler Arena construction update featuring several photos of the new seats that are being installed. They look like nice enough seats, but no cup holders?
Note also the new handrails:
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Michigan Basketball's Facebook page has a Crisler Arena construction update featuring several photos of the new seats that are being installed. They look like nice enough seats, but no cup holders?
Note also the new handrails:
So, are the areas not filled in with seats courtside still going to be bleachers for the Maize Rage?
Yes, the one side will still be Maize Rage bleachers while I'm guessing the other side will go to the season ticket-holder types. The only thing I'm unsure of is where the entrance from the PDC is going to come in, but from what I understand our (the Maize Rage's) bleachers should be on the opposite side of that. Everything is getting flipped around.
So are they flipping the court's logos too? It's important to have the Maize Rage on TV behind the bench.
I think the new entrance is going to be in the corner next to what is currently the opposing team's bench.
I'm still concerned with how they're going to organize seating for students to create a better home court advantage, but those seats look comfortable. Cupholders would be great, but I'm usually a bare minimum guy when it comes to a sports environment. I'm pretty encouraged, it looks good.
I like the bare minimum too....they should have just forgotten the seats and left the concrete. THAT would have been unique.
Make it like the terraces in Germany and what they used to have at English soccer stadiums. See what happens!
I still dont get how replacing the seats and the scoreboards will make for a better homecourt. The old seats were in fine condition, and throwing money at Crisler isn't going to give it any sort of uniqueness that defines venerable college basketball venues. Should've just built a new arena next to Crisler or converted Yost to hold bball and hockey temporarily.
We really needed the Russian dudes with the big Metallic Dandelion to test it out, but I'd be willing to bet the new seats don't absorb as much sound as those old pillowy auditorium-style seats.
The old seats were in fine condition
Are you kidding? Only if "fine" means having lots of broken springs in the seats and decade-old stains everywhere.
Um, what? There are no seats "below court level" at Crisler. If you've ever been to Crisler during or before/after a practice or at any other time not a basketball game, you know the floor is one level, from wall to wall. In fact, I think you can see it in the third pic above.
There's no seats below floor level, unless I'm completely misunderstanding what you're saying.
Ok, that makes much more sense, thanks.
Still, how much high can they be? They're folding chairs on some rubber. We can only be talking 2-3 inches right? That does make the biggest difference though when you're not looking up at something, so maybe that's all that is necessary.
The chairback seats are nice, but I have to agree that that was not Crisler's problem.
Any chance the cupholders will be going on the back of the seats of the row in front? That's what the Joe and other arenas do. Can't really see the back of the seats.
I realize that's a possibility, and I hope you're right. Not seeing any cup holders was just one of the first things that jumped out at me when I saw the photos.
Cupholders? We don't need no stinking cupholders. #flaskofwhiskeyinpants
A flask of whiskey.
Damn, I was hoping they picked the one with the block M on top of the seat back. :(
Better seats are nice but the set up for the student section is terrible. The maize rage is tiny and the best student sections either wrap around the court or form an entire wall behind a basket, we have neither and the student section is a bit of a joke because of it.
I think the student section looks great on TV. Not sure what you're complaining about.
Yeah, there's the bleachers behind the benches, but that's only half the students that actually attend games. The rest are next to the band behind the basket and sort of disconnected from the main maize rage section. As a result, those fans are not really into the game. Overall, the environment at Crisler isn't near where it should be. Especially now, sicne the program seems to be turning the corner.
I think if they changed the way the sections were organized to better, the arena would be louder and more intimidating.
They are suppose to be moving the band this year to above the tunnel (the current tunnel not the PDC tunnel). Maybe that means the maize rage will fill in the seats there as well. Time will tell.
I think the Maize Rage currently looks good . . . but the view behind the baskets doesn't. I really hope we can put them behind at least one basket. They can work their distracting mischief better there.
I thought the student section was being extended behind one of the baskets. See the third photo above--the far end in the photo looks like it's going to be all bleachers.
Not sure why my post got knocked as flamebait, I am part of the maize rage and enjoy basketball games and while its great that it looks good on tv my point was more to do with how the student section impacts the atmosphere of the game. I am from Maryland which has the largest student section in the country, it wraps all the way around the court and an entire wall behind the basket. You can get into an argument about the some of the chants but they clearly have an impact on the atmosphere and make it a tough place to play. Crisler on the other hand strikes fear into the hearts of nobody if you are honest with yourself. Just look at these chants utah state does and tell me you think we could pull that off with the way the student section is set up, the fact is right now there is a cap on how good the maize rage can be and its not very high.
The Alums should be on their feet. It's kinda weak sauce to bring that into your argument. Also, those diehards in the Rage (I was once one of them) do a TON of recruiting and put a lot of effort into expanding basketball's relevance on campus. Getting on them for wanting the other fans in the stadium to actually (GOD FORBID) stand during big defensive stops or at the end of the game is stupid. That's what they're there for - to create atmosphere.
A couple years ago I attended a meeting with some of the higher-ups as a representative of the Maize Rage. There were about 8 students there with some admin people. What they WANT to do is one of the following:
Wrap the student section from where it is to behind one of the baskets.
Or put bleachers in the other side in addition to the current bleachers.
The problem? The students haven't come through and attended games (all games, not just big ones) at the rate that the athletic department can sacrifice their high-paying alum seats for students. They want to do it, but the students have yet to come through.
Apparently, above the student section, you have to sit on a spike. Might make for interesting gamewatching.
. . . for the old seats as memorabilia. Could even raise some money for 'M' charities, pick one.
Who wants to buy a stained, faded, seat with malfunctioning springs? Not me.
cup holders are prob on the back of the seat in fron of you..
Are they going to put wooden benches on both sides? BIGGER MAIZE RAGEEE
Not another cloth lined seat, why not just have an all hard material (plastic, metal) seat? Personally, I thought the cloth seating was the reason Crisler felt like an auditorium. Thats just my humble opinion.
It would appear no more "Gold/MAIZE!" upper bowl and "Blue" lower bowl. It's all blue now...
According to a Crisler Arena construction update video, all the seats will indeed be blue.