Spartan Stadium experience

Submitted by UMxWolverines on

It's a giant concrete mess for one. The gas station on the east side sure is a nice touch. You only have to walk up like 10 different ramps to finally get up to the upper deck(which is in outer space). 

Video boards(excuse me, board) was awful, they had to stop the play and fix the clock and playclock more than once (I guess they brought spartan bob back for a game). 

Atmosphere: good lord I thought I was at a minor league baseball game for a while. Nice choice of music. Not. That crappy Gwen Stafani song especially did it for me. Plus they play that trumpet tune that is played at the Red Wings and Tigers games. Entrance video was a cheesy animation, and to top it off, they even did the "three helmets which one is the ball under" animation. I will admit it got pretty loud at times.

The campus is very nice, I will admit that, but Sparty, your stadium could use some tlc. Anybody else feel free to share their Spartan Stadium experience.

 

name redacted

October 16th, 2011 at 1:53 PM ^

its funny when we lose their are always certain types of ppl who have to make themselves feel better by finding wins in inconsequential things, like who's stadium is better.  moral victories are everywhere when michigan loses the actual game.

JT4104

October 16th, 2011 at 2:03 PM ^

my only complaints were the fans of Sparty cheering everytime a cheapshot was taken at a michigan player. Not to mention constantly accusing the refs of cheating when clearly cheapshots were taking place at an absurd rate.

Before anyone wants to say it happens everywhere, I would also like to add I've been to South Bend, Happy Valley, and Madison and have never seen this classlessness from those fan bases. They would actually cheer when a kid got up from being hurt and not boo him for standing.

A total classless fan base.

M-Wolverine

October 18th, 2011 at 9:27 AM ^

Who weren't even at the game making things up for those who saw it with our own eyes.

Listen to it again. It was 3rd down.  They start cheering when we call timeout, and have obviously stopped them short of the first down. Just because the tv zooms in on Stanton doesn't mean 100% people could see him down.  And keep listening to your own video...at the 42:38 mark the give the polite clap and cheer for him as he gets up and walks off the field. Not the act of a crowd "cheering his injury".

Don't tell people who were there what happened...and looking at your join date and posts, don't pretend to be a Michigan fan when you're probably just a Sparty trolling.

Brian

October 16th, 2011 at 2:53 PM ^

Get used to it, because that's where Michigan Stadium is headed, if it's not already there. How long before we have clips from Wolverine playing before third downs? Three years.

Section 1

October 16th, 2011 at 3:55 PM ^

Everybody in the conference is mic-ing their band now.  We do it, as you know better than anyone.  I witnessed Northwestern doing it last week, and Sparty doing it yesterday.  I've heard the Badgers doing it too.

And it is funny, how time and events might change your perspective.  I remember, ten or more years ago thinking that Spartan Stadium was very loud and very aggressive with its piped in stadium-rock.  Wow, how perceptions can change.  It seems like such a crappy low-end sound system and video board in E. Lansing now.

UMxWolverines

October 16th, 2011 at 3:26 PM ^

Oh and there was someone behind me that said "Why don't they sell beer in here? There's 100,000 people in here and they don't sell beer?" I wanted to turn around and educate him, but I didn't think it would be worth it. I don't know if he was a Michigan fan, msu fan, or neither.

jandern3

October 16th, 2011 at 3:37 PM ^

There is too much concrete, definitely. It could use some brickwork around the outside, and the gas station should be moved. I think all of these are in the plans for the near future, MSU just doesn't have the same cash inflow that UM does. All upperdecks are high, hence why they are called upperdecks. If you don't want to climb that high, buy a lowerbowl seat.

The video board is awful, as was UM's up until they replaced it this year. However they are replacing it after this season I believe.

It gets absolutely raucus in there for close games.

I have never seen or heard a first person account of something being thrown by an MSU fan at another person at an MSU tailgate. I'm starting to wonder if these are purely made up allegations. Jeering? Absolutely, plenty of it, but I would expect that. Physical attacks are another level that I'm not sure are nearly as common place as some UMers would like to think. (The student tailgate area gets a little more 'energetic', as do the students at UM when a rival is in town)

Nothsa

October 16th, 2011 at 4:03 PM ^

Living 10 blocks from it and being a football fan, you can hopefully understand why. Unless it's raining I always enjoy myself. It's loud against big opponents, and loud in key situations in all games. Tailgating, which is spread through campus, is very good, and the Red Cedar River corridor is pretty and classic in the fall.

I wouldn't want to sit near the student section, but then, that's probably true in most places. I've taken my little girl and not had any concerns about her safety or her experience. The band is good, and loud. The drum corps is fine. They do a good halftime show. The video board stuff is definitely cheesy, but I'm generally there to watch football. Usually I sit on the lower level, west side, among a lot of long-time ticket holders, most of whom are die-hard MSU fans (but not all! One guys an IU alum like me). The seats aren't great but they aren't bad either, and the fans know their stuff.

The outside, especially on the eastside, is definitely nothing special. The AD Dept has invested more in practice and other athletic facilities. The western tower is fine I guess, like most everybody's tower. Toilets on the west side are archaic, and lines are long.

I have walked around the student neighborhoods with M gear on, and gotten mild and good-natured heckling. I'm sure others have had it worse, but my own experience is what I have to report on.

There were a bunch of plastic bags blowing around Saturday. I hadn't seen that before, and I assume it's simply the crazy wind we were getting.

peg dash fab

October 16th, 2011 at 4:18 PM ^

My daughter — the one shown in my photograph — was heavily recruited by State, and agreed to apply as a personal favor to one of the MSU faculty. We drove up from Ann Arbor and parked. A few minutes into our walk to the department office, she turned to me and announced in utter seriousness, "I can't go here, Dad".

"Why, honey?", I asked.

"Its all that green and white, all those S-es, the statues ... No, Dad, I can't."

That was such a "raised her right" moment for me.

Anyway, this is just to say that some would disagree with you about just how nice the MSU campus is.

P.S.: And then she broke my heart — and my wallet — by turning down a full tuition scholarship from Michigan and accepted a partial scholarship from Indiana. Kids today, sigh.

bluewave720

October 16th, 2011 at 4:43 PM ^

Can't wait to hear the same sort of comments spoken by my current 3 year old who is already intellectually superior to her old man.

It's kind of a weird situation.  Wifey is a state grad, her whole family went to state, but they live in Ann Arbor.  So, we visit, and I take the rascal on campus and point out the locations where "daddy did something cool as an undergrad."

And for the record, paying the half tuition at IU is so much better than it coulda been . . . 

MGlobules

October 16th, 2011 at 4:21 PM ^

but this does come across as pretty sour-grapes-ish. If you think about why State fans hate Michigan, a lot of it has to do with elitism. And one reason I have always found it hard to hate on them is they operate at such a serious disadvantage funding- and prestige-wise. In fact, they have been killed by the legislature in the last few years, while M has been able to take advantage of its well-heeled alumni base and endowment to keep growing.  

Dantonio is a petulant, lemon-sucking ass, and his team has clearly taken the lead from him and from Narduzzi's thuggish approach to D. (In fact, their ugly is making it easier for me to swallow the loss. They were the better squad, but we weren't far off. And besides, who would want to BE them?)

But making fun of their stadium? I dunno, not resonating with me right now. 

Spar-Dan

October 16th, 2011 at 5:54 PM ^

Damn straight.  There's tons on money being spent on campus, but none of it at the stadium--yeah, the expansion, again, was not for the average fan.  Obviously, as a season ticket holder, this is a sore point.

karpodiem

October 16th, 2011 at 4:25 PM ^

I was in section 121, row 25. Maybe five rows up there was a guy who looked like The Dude, with an extra 20 lbs, sunglasses, block M hat, and shorts. Constantly taunting msu fans and calling them the Tartans (green & gold = Wayne state) not even the msu brah's would challenge this guy. The entire second half he stood there with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, defiant until the end.

bronxblue

October 16th, 2011 at 5:09 PM ^

As someone who walked around that campus for 3 years, that stadium is pretty average regardless of who is playing.  It is just a generic box on a generic campus (don't let the "prettiness" confuse you - 5 minutes off campus looks like nothing), and it doesn't surprise me that they are playing it like a minor league baseball stadium.  Good they won, but that stadium is crap.

Space Monkey

October 16th, 2011 at 5:27 PM ^

The one thing I noticed that has not yet received comment was that the students got there asses out of bed in the morning. They were all over tailgating and their section was the first one full for a noon game. At the big house our student section is half empty until midway through the first quarter. They were also a bit more active and had more coordinated cheers. Maybe they just take more speed before the games.

Even back in the 80s as a student I noticed we were always pushing it to get to the game on time. Some things never change.

I only had one vulgar comment projected my way. Otherwise I thought it was much tamer than I thought it would be. Lots of UM and MSU fans were intermingled at the tailgate parties.

Overall I had a great experience. I am now spoiled with our video screens. Actually our old ones were better than the one State has.

 

 

MFan73

October 16th, 2011 at 10:28 PM ^

but then I pointed out how it could be because it was a rivalry game, and the same might not be said for say, a Florida Atlantic.  Besides, I feel like our students show up for noon games on time when the opponent is a rival and/or big name program.  With Ohio State on Thanksgiving weekend, the true test (assuming it is a noon start) will be when Nebraska comes to town.

MFan73

October 16th, 2011 at 10:24 PM ^

but then I pointed out how it could be because it was a rivalry game, and the same might not be said for say, a Florida Atlantic.  Besides, I feel like our students show up for noon games on time when the opponent is a rival and/or big name program.  With Ohio State on Thanksgiving weekend, the true test (assuming it is a noon start) will be when Nebraska comes to town.  As for my dislike of the stadium, it was the lack of bathrooms in the upper decks.  The concourse was very crammed, and then there is only one bathroom for each gender.  I left to go after UM's band had finished playing at halftime and I had trouble getting through the mob of people (and lines for concessions - really, in the space!), plus I was told by event staff that the lines would be very long.  Not wanting to miss half of the third quarter, I decided to hold it until later.  I know that we are fortunate to have such a great and unique stadium, but I feel at the level at which the upper deck is, an extra bathroom is quite necessary, plus the concessions at only the intermediate level should be quite sufficient.

Spar-Dan

October 16th, 2011 at 5:46 PM ^

I've been a season ticket holder at MSU for years, and I couldn't agree more.  The place is old and needs as much attention as the Breslin Arena has gotten a couple of times over.  They've added boxes for the beautiful people but the rest of us unwashed masses have to pee in a concrete trench.  The place has no personality (other than concrete), and I have serious scoreboard envy.  I'll take our team, but I'd take your stadium (even if they downsized it to match).  The place must be paid for, that's all I can think of.