Question on tickets re: legroom at Michigan Stadium
Sorry for the post, but at least it's still OT season! I want to take my son (7 years old) to his first game this year. We were supposed to go last year (thanks COVID) but didn't make it to one.
My problem is that I need some extra legroom, as I have two bad knees. Basically when I sit down I can't get my knees bent enough to sit comfortably. I'm in the process of getting ready to have double knee replacement surgery but I have been putting it off for as long as possible. I won't be having the surgery until later in the year, maybe even beginning of next year. So, with that being said, can anyone recommend a certain row, section, etc that has a little more legroom? I generally try to find an aisle seat so I can let one leg hang out a little farther! Any help is appreciated.
Get an aisle seat, or see if you can qualify for one of the handicap seats.
Edit to specify: Aisle seat by a section entrance if you can.
Do the handicap option. Even the aisle seats don’t provide much help and your legs will be hit by everyone going up and done the aisle. Plus you will need to get up and down every time someone wants to leave/return to the aisle.
20+ years with an aisle seat.
I had a severely sprained tendon in my knee in 2019 and was on crutches. They traded our bowl tickets for two handicap seats and it was great. You’re up above, right below the press/luxury boxes, so it’s not the full experience of being down below (although it is protected from rain), but maybe if it’s not a close game at the end then you guys can go lower for some of that.
Either way, I *highly* recommend the handicap option. I took my daughter, who was six at the time, to a game a few years ago and she was pretty miserable down with the hordes. It’s just not a quality experience if you’re not fully invested in the game (and sometimes even less of a quality experience if you are). Plus the handicap area basically has its own concessions with almost no line, and most kids seem to like stadium food more than the event itself.
Very cool you’re taking him. I hope you have a blast.
Man, I hate to say this but you’re going to have a hard time. The seats at the big house are not only narrow, but there is zero leg room. I find it more uncomfortable than flying coach.
my advice is to pick Western or NIU and arrive late. Hopefully the crowds thin out and you can be more comfortable.
Good plan, or wait to see what our record is after the WMU and NIU game is and perhaps you'll have no problem after that finding ample room.
I have a family friend that used to get tickets to sit around the railing. He would give them his seat tickets in the stadium and they would issue him the handicap seats which are actual chairs. Not sure if this is still a thing. Others might know better.
Michigan Stadium is (was?*) a great equalizer. All seats are equally uncomfortable.
Your best bet will be to find a seat on an aisle, stretch your feet into the stairs, and prepare for the worst. Your feet will suffer kicks, tripping victims, and dirty looks from passersby.
*The advent of luxury boxes and personal seat cushions has undermined this ideal. But for most of us, it remains a functional truth.
1) handicap seat
2) box seat
3) buy extra seat in front of you and explain to people why you need it open
4) aisle and angle
The remaining seats are all tough. I am 5’10 and my knees always go into the backs of the people in front of me.
Kneeing the person in front of you is a long-standing tradition, as is getting kneed from the person behind you. The row just behind the handicap row would work the best for you, but the row number varies depending on the section.
I don't recommend expanding into the aisle as you will be an unpopular tripping hazard.
Hope you can figure out a way to enjoy the game - there's nothing like it.
Also a Michigan seating tradition: "Ugh. Hey. Umm. HEY! Are you guys in our seats? We have tickets for these seats, so...I don't know...where's the usher?"
-(someone who shows up late in my row every fucking game for the last 40 years)
Time is relative man...
As a former usher, can confirm.
"Hey I think there's extra people in our row, can you come check?"
"Absolutely. Hope you enjoy your first time at the Big House. "
And, if he was like the dude who used to do that EVERY FUCKING GAME back when I had season tickets, he would be in the completely wrong row and section.
One time, at a Michigan game, this guy started kicking me when I wasn’t paying attention whilst talking to my son. He wanted to walk in front of me and my feet were in his way.
Was that you?
Can't comment on seat options, but I would just chime in to let you know that I know three people that had knee replacement surgery (and two who had hip replacements) and they universally all said afterward that they wished they had done it much earlier and not waited.
I'm sure you have valid reasons and they are none of my biz, but on the outside chance you are delaying just because "who the hell is in a rush to have knee replacement surgery," maybe just bite the bullet? From what I saw with the three that I am familiar with, you would be pretty close to 100% by the time football season starts, though not sure about two knees. Surely could be done with both by the latter half of the season? Others who have more than anecdotal knowledge welcome to chime in here, I know less than John Snow about this.
Other bit of advice from someone that paid a bunch of $$ to fly back from California and bring my 7 year old son to his first game and only narrowly avoided a disaster, pick a sure winner.
We came back in 2012 for the Northwestern game that looked all but over with about 4:00 minutes left after NW went up 31-28 and Gardner then threw and threw an interception on the ensuing possession. As M sputtered on offense and my son became increasingly distraught, all I could think was that I had just given him the most disappointing intro to M football humanly possible. I had to decide whether to start the "can't win 'em all, head up" speech, or double-down and possibly exacerbate things and look like an idiot by going with the "games not over, still time on the clock" approach. Being used to looking like an idiot, I went with the latter and it paid off, but came oh so close to backfiring as they eked out a double-overtime win.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/323150130
I’m in sec 43 row 58.
Three rows down - row 56 - is last row right behind wheelchair seating. There is a narrow concourse in front of that row that the ushers keep clear. But you could stretch your legs out. Good luck!
Aisle seats are not the answer. You'll have to stand and contort yourself for everyone going in and out.
During UTL2 I had a kid running up the stairs trip and fall into my twice-surgically repaired knee. The EMT service in the stadium is awesome. They carried me out a fancy gurney/chair. The tv cameras even caught a little bit of it.
Your best bet is to get a handicap seat. You'll be at entrance level so you wont need to deal with stairs.
As a young man, any seat would do. As an old man the seat in front of my flatscreen is a fan favorite. And by fan I mean me.
Seriously the last few times I have been in the stadium the handicapped seats were mostly open. I suspect you would qualify but I guess you would have to call the athletic department.
I have seats in the outdoor Club area (300 level - I'm in 305) on the east (visitors) sideline. There are handicap seating areas at the top of my section and several others. The area is wide open for wheelchairs and they will put standard chairs out for people with broken legs or other issues that make standard seating a problem. Not sure how you qualify for these seats, but you can always call the ticket office and ask.
On the Michigan side of the stadium, at least, the row right at entrance level (I think it is row 72) does have a noticeably larger amount of legroom. I would call the ticket office (they would know) and confirm this before buying there, though.
Here is an aerial photo that shows what I am talking about. But I can confirm from sitting there that it is more spacious.
Go for top row, 96. Tons of extra space, you can stand up whenever you like. Nobody ever puts a knee in your back.
Trade for a seat behind a rival fan and annoy the shit out of them.
I like that idea. If you have to sit in uncomfortable seats (and so do they) make the best of it both by having yourself some fun AND simultaneously making the enemy even more miserable.
Trade for a seat behind a rival fan and annoy the shit out of them.
Another option is to stand up the whole time. Need more people in the stands actually standing.
You would probably want to look into the handicap seating options. There is generally not much legroom at a typical seat in Michigan Stadium unfortunately. One of many limitations of being inside something that, modernized as it is, was built some 90 years ago (a bit more than this actually).
Depending on the game you attend, unfortunately, there may be many empty seats, so you MAY not have to worry about leg room.
On a side note, make sure you are in your seat early so you and your son can watch the band come out onto the field. I still get goose bumps when that happens.
Call or e-mail the ticket office, hopefully they can give you what you need.
The student section is always empty. You can move there.
I hope you and your son can go and have a great time.
I always just buy the cheapest tickets available and sit behind the student section. There always extra seats at the top of the student just under the press box so you can usually rest your feet on the bench in front of you. They are the nose bleeds but you get a back rest, foot rest and an overhang to give you shade or shelter from the rain.
My dad took me to my first Michigan game in 2007 (tickets were cheap that year) against PSU and I’ve been a fanatic ever since! Good luck to you and your son!
Go Blue!!!
You want seats in Row 56 in Sections 1-7 or Sections 39-44.
^this
Take him to the WMU or Rutgers game and just hit some cheap tickets. Next you’ll walk from the section you purchased your tickets in to the student section. Usually a lot of room at the top. Students pregame to hard and don’t make it to the game!
We have tix next to upper portal on Visitor side, one with no bench/seat in front of it on 25. We can probably part with a couple tix for the good of the cause.
Shoot me an email to [email protected] and let me know what you’re looking to get for them!!
Will do!
As people are saying, fans are jammed in tight in the big house. Now on the other hand, you may have plenty of legroom at Spartan stadium....
1. Find cheap tickets.
2. Go sit in the top rows in the student section.
I'm 6'5" and I basically have to ruin the experience for the person in front of me. I started getting piggyback seats instead of rows. So 2x2/3x3 instead of 4 or 6 in a row. Easier to do on lower level games obviously, but then you can have a kid/wife/nephew/niece in front of you, instead of a stranger.
It’s not a ball game till we get on the benches. Leg room? Vertical for 4 hours. All seriousness (sorta) if you’re not able to participate in said vigor, try the handicap spots.