Student Section going GA

Submitted by hailtothevictors08 on

  http://www.mgoblue.com/tickets/students-fbl.html

I am sure this makes many of you happy but as a kid whose tickets were going to have excellent senior standing next year and who always makes it before kickoff, I am really angry.

GA is just chaos 

(Edit: As a poster pointed out below, tickets are also way more expensive)

(Second Edit: To those thinking you will get good seats just for showing up before kick, you are wrong. Now that there is a reason to go early, we will have our own mini-Paternoville. For good games, you will have to be there 2 hours early. I love Michigan football, but as a grad student who also remembers pregames as the best part of being an undergrad, I really think this could kill some of the Saturday fun.)

 

tdcarl

April 23rd, 2013 at 12:34 AM ^

And us students understand that too. Its just that we can't really do anything about it since the students in this thread are the students in that picture. We can't be responsible for getting everyone there on time. This is like the teacher getting mad at the A student for the other students doing poorly. The A student might be able to help a couple other kids out, but there is no way he can save the whole class.



 

chewieblue

April 23rd, 2013 at 6:50 AM ^

I was accepted to UM for fall of '94 and had to make the fateful decision to go somewhere else since I could not begin to comprehend the out of state tuition since my family had transplanted to Ohio years before.

Each fall Saturday (even as I played for the small school I did attend) was like a gut wrenching cruel twist of fate not being able to be at, or even watch most Michigan games. Like many of you, I cannot imagine being a student at the greatest university in the world, and sitting around a bar, a dorm room or a beat up apartment to drink light beer and eat cold pizza.

I get why people are upset, but I also know that I would be there to get tickets on Thursday night if I was a student.

Slacks

April 22nd, 2013 at 11:39 PM ^

They should learn from the basketball experience. They need to have a process to address some of the key issues. For basketball line cutting, seat saving, and drinking in line are major problems. The AD has done little to stop it. The seating saving problem will be worse in Michigan Stadium. In fact I assume it will become standard protocal for greek life.

I hang out with probably some of the most intense Michigan basketball fans. We manage to get front row bleechers every game. We probably will be some of the first people in the Big House under this policy. We are the type of people that will benefit from this policy. Yet almost all my friends hate the policy (including the freshmen). Why? It isn't just about drinking and tailgating. Most of us are upset because now football will basically be a massive time drain. We already spend insane amounts of time waiting for basketball games. It just isn't fun to wait 7+ hours in a line.

bo_lives

April 22nd, 2013 at 11:55 PM ^

I'm fairly certain that nobody here in favor of this policy, which includes virtually all the mods, had to go through the harrowing experience that was the Ohio basketball game. I haven't missed or been late to a basketball game the past three years but I didn't get in the Maize Rage for that one because I had class until 4:00pm and by the time I got there at 4:20 there were already over 1500 people ahead of me. And then we had to wait for 4 hours inside a disgusting smelly tent with a bunch of drunk idiots, while watching numerous people cut in line claiming that they were seriously, totally there ahead of time, but just had to leave to go to the bathroom. try getting some studying done when you're so crammed you can't even move your arms... then we were nearly trampled when the DJ thought it'd be a good idea to yell "the gates... are... open!!!" and everyone surged forward, knocked down the barriers, and countless people from the back beat their way to the front as bodies flew everywhere

Under the old policy i probably would have had sideline seats in the first 30 rows for the Ohio game. And I would have showed up an hour early just like I have for every game the past three years. Under general seating, who knows? Maybe I'll still be able to show up an hour early before games and get those same seats but who knows? At the beginning of this year I wouldn't have thought 1,000+ students would show up before noon on a Tuesday for the Ohio basketball game. Excuse me if I'm a little upset at Dave Brandon's decision.

Section 1

April 23rd, 2013 at 12:08 AM ^

I hope that students who are lining up for Maize Rage seats realize that, like Second-quarter arrivals in football, theirs is a relatively new phenomenon.

Our Athletic Department is losing a lot of money, on Maize Rage seats.  At market rates (on the opposite sideline), those seats would command something like $1000 per seat PSD's.  Available mostly to super-elite-level Victors Club Points earners, who got that way by even larger donations.  That is, before additionally paying ticket prices roughly three times what students pay.

So yeah.  Line up for the Maize Rage section.  Knock yourselves out.  Yell and scream.  Jump around.  That's what you're supposed to do.  It's what the rest are paying for you to do.  You are standing on some rather expensive real estate.

DH16

April 23rd, 2013 at 1:28 AM ^

The more prominent the student section and the more it contributes to the atmosphere, the more they can charge for other tickets since the experience is greater. Not enough to make up the difference, but some.

TheGhostofYost

April 23rd, 2013 at 1:00 AM ^

The dumbest thing about this idea is that it won't do a damn thing for getting people to show up early.  The drunk sophomore sorority girl who comes 20 mnutes late the game isn't suddenty going to suddenly discover a new love for Michigan football and be super concerned about getting a seat close to the field.  The people show up late are the people who don't care much about football.  Having GA seating isn't going to make them care more about football.  I guarantee you we will see the exact same problems.

MGoRossGrad

April 23rd, 2013 at 3:53 AM ^

I agree that the some of the same problems aren't going to be rectified, but we also don't know to what end DB is working towards here.

If it's to fill the student section to capacity quicker, yes GA helps that.  More people who care about the game but may not feel inclined to get to the game early in previous years are more inclined to get the game earlier to get seats.  No more 40% filled student sections at kickoff.

If it's to completely fill the student section, no GA won't necessarily help that.  Like you said, not everyone is going to automatically make it to the game on time.  Some people may not even show up because they're so late.  Some student ticketholders who were "eh" about the games before are still going to be "eh" now.

Part of me thinks that DB wants to see the student section fill up quickly with those students who actually show up for the games, just as every other seat does, and then see if the remaining students actually fill the entire section.  If not, make the student section smaller.  There are students who don't really care about football, you say?  Great.  Give their tickets to alumni and friends that do.

 

bouje13

April 23rd, 2013 at 9:01 AM ^

Who doesn't give a fuck about football won't be seating in good seats. They can't come down I'm the second and be like " hey that's my seat" even though you've been there since before kick off.



Neodoomium

April 23rd, 2013 at 12:58 AM ^

I like this for a couple of reasons that benefit me personally.

 

1. Ticketholders driving in from Flint and Dearborn who probably weren't going to get totally hammered can be rewarded for already driving in early to find a parking spot.

2. Isolated single tickets like mine are more useful as GA than they were previously, as it's easier to hook up with friends already down there or plan something on the fly. It's also theoretically easier to sell off a ticket for a game I can't get to.

As much as I thought I'd hate the GA tickets for Hockey last year, it didn't affect me simply because I was getting there an hour before puck drop anyway. The tickets tied to our m-card was the more irritating part of that change.

Butterfield

April 23rd, 2013 at 2:09 AM ^

Wow. Smartphones, the interwebs, enhanced facilities and xanax... Life for students is easier than any previous generation and yet the youngins' seem to think they have it so damn rough. What a whiny group of little bitches that I'm not looking forward to hiring....

Partying Friday night, drinking Saturday morning, and making it to a noon kickoff on time, all while maintaining good academic standing, wasn't difficult for my class (2000) or any class before me.... What makes you so fucking different? Good luck when you have actual responsibilities that you need to balance. See what happens when you start a Facebook petition to override your terrible performance evaluations because you weren't able to show up to work on time.

Butterfield

April 23rd, 2013 at 3:02 AM ^

My hiring process is pretty standard but the first interview is what consistently prevents my organization from hiring people like you. It's okay to admit you don't have all the answers and show some deference to people with experience. Cocky dickheads like you are eliminated the second they walk into the interview panel.

Butterfield

April 23rd, 2013 at 3:38 AM ^

I seek a truce. It's a generalization and while I wouldn't make that comment in a research paper, it's probably appropriate for a message board post at 3am.

Obviously not all people your age show these alarming characteristics, probably not even a majority of you, but enough where it is impossible to ignore. I'm glad, actually, that you took offense to the comment. I'm hoping that's because you don't want to be grouped in with your peers who are threatening your collective reputation.

Butterfield

April 23rd, 2013 at 1:24 PM ^

I care about and value my Michigan experience, academic, athletic, and otherwise,  It's a huge piece of the person I have ended up becoming.  I'm not a prick, I'm a pretty good guy, but the apathy and lack of accountability by the current crop of students is infuriating.  It breaks my heart to see empty rows in the student section and support any measure to make sure that doesn't keep happening.  Will GA work to solve it?  Who knows, but I support any effort to motivate the kids to restore what was once a grand experience. 

TheGhostofYost

April 23rd, 2013 at 3:25 AM ^

I realize it's become quite popular among middle-aged men to bag on younger generations in an effort to assert fake superiority, but if you're going to be a douchebag, at least bring some facts to the table.  

You graduated in 2000, a year that saw a 31-year low for unemployment, and your generation responded by leaving us the biggest pile of economic shit in about 80 years.  But hey, that's nothing compared to the revolution of anti-anxiety drugs, right!?  Oh wait, Xanax has been around since the 1970s.  You couldn't even get that one right.  

Butterfield

April 23rd, 2013 at 3:27 AM ^

Yes, because my generation, in our early 20s, was making the decisions which drove the economy into the ground....or we were starting out in entry level jobs. Can't remember which.

And while xanax was invented in the 1960s as you mention, the millenial generation is the first to use it as a crutch when the slightest stress occurs. The drug isn't the problem, the problem is the increasing tendency amongst younger Americans to take the easy way out.

Butterfield

April 23rd, 2013 at 7:35 PM ^

Okay, the younger generations you want:  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201001/the-dramatic-rise-anxiety-and-depression-in-children-and-adolescents-is-it 

And no, it doesn't mention xanax but if A) anxiety is being diagnosed more often in younger people and B) xanax is the most prescribed anti-anxiety medication, it doesn't take much of a leap to understand that xanax is being prescribed more than ever. 

TheGhostofYost

April 23rd, 2013 at 9:40 PM ^

 

I'm not even trying to be a dick, but are you actually reading the articles that you're posting?  The above article is about how children and adolescents are becoming more anxious and depressed despite unchanged diagnostic criteria.  It in no way supports your argument that young Americans are increasingly "taking the easy way out" or using xanax as "a crutch when the slightest stress occurs."  If anything, the article directly contradicts your claim by asserting that young people are legitimately enduring more anxiety and depression and that there may be socially explainable reasons.  

It seems like you just have a problem with the diagnostic criteria.  I'm not sure how that can be blamed on the people being diagnosed.  Finally, this article isn't even a comparative analysis.  It says nothing about the rates of diagnosis in people of your generation.

 

 

 

Glock_Rivers

April 23rd, 2013 at 2:22 AM ^

As a Syracuse student (yeah, the Final Four was hell for me) I have to say general admission is the way to go, shitty fans get shitty seats for the most part and people who actually want to get great seats earn them by getting there early.

Neodoomium

April 23rd, 2013 at 2:41 AM ^

Man, some of the doomsday scenarios being suggested are quite hysterical. Nobody's going to be camping out for a fortnight for anything. Come on.

However, I don't think the AD has thought this through entirely, as no details were given on how gameday is going to work. I suppose they have some time to figure this out, but just letting it be anarchy outside the gates until 10 AM while the stadium staff looks on through the fence is going to backfire too. I would personally prefer "blocks" of GA sections assigned by seniority to give people a slightly better chance of going where they want to go rather than just letting every student in at once. 

The people who want to be in the 5th row in 2013 are the exact same people who wanted it in 2012. They were already there at 10 AM. 

 

Also, to complete a thought I had started about Hockey, the worst offense to the "premium" section at Yost was not GA tickets (we were all there early anyway) or the M-Card (which was silly and just made transferring tickets more cumbersome), but rather the elimination of about 4 rows worth of space in the section to be given to... nobody. It would have been moderately less annoying had they put wheelchair seating or even super rich jerks there, but they carved out a huge chunk of the section and stuck 3 folding chairs in it for the American Red Cross volunteers. No offense to those guys, but what the hell?

tbeindit

April 23rd, 2013 at 9:07 AM ^

They actually did this for the Final Four games this year.  Student seating was general admission, but it had blocks of seating.  There were plenty of problems with how it worked, but those were more administrative.  I think this system would work much better than the currently proposed one.  Most people still get there early and they can move around within their area

DH16

April 23rd, 2013 at 11:40 AM ^

Was AWFUL. Had my front row seat become 4th row after a bunch of guys jumped in front of it cause there was space. Intoxicated and all, they refused to move and security wouldn't kick them out.



Entitled students is the problem here, and a GA policy isn't going to fix that.

RP

April 23rd, 2013 at 6:39 AM ^

They should make it all GA so the stodgy old grandpas who contribute nothing to the game atmosphere can't just waltz in from their RVs 10 mins before kickoff.

Actually, this demographic might just be MGoBlog seeing these comments.

Are we going from "Some students are showing up late" to "Many students aren't even coming because fuck these prices and general admission". Face it. It's still college. Not everyone is a football fan. Many just go for the tailgates and wander on to the game.

Section 1

April 23rd, 2013 at 11:41 AM ^

...and your description of the problem suggests the solution.  The solution is not General Admission.

The solution is to cut down sharply on the number of student tickets, until we see the student sections filling up entirely and on time with hard-core supporters.  Make tickets expensive enough that no student would let one go unused.  Keep assigned seating, and enforce that assigned seating. 

And (I'd like to think that this is technologically possible) award student-seating priority based upon how early each ticket is processed into the Stadium.  So if you want the best seats (Section 25; lower rows if that is what you want; etc.) you earn that priority by showing up early for all of the home games in the previous season.

Wolverine Devotee

April 23rd, 2013 at 9:04 AM ^

You know, it's ridiculous that people are paying just to be on the WAITING LIST  for season tickets. And students aren't even showing up.....when they have season tix at a discount price....

lewan_long

April 23rd, 2013 at 9:24 AM ^

Since there's so much opposition to either have all assigned seats or having all GA

Isn't the best solution is look at what other schools did? 

As mentioned earlier in this thread, there are examples of Wisconsin, Alabama and Penn State, where seniority/credits/contribution to the University (e.g. glee club/ other athletic teams, volunteers, student organizations) determine the section, or the ability to choose the section, for the student. 



On the other hand, within that block (say 20-30 rows), then you have GA within that section.



There are multiple downsides with a full GA, and a few posters of this thread act like going full GA will solve everything and "punish those entitled students". 



Isn't it better if we can combine a point system (e.g. MCard swipe to track attendance/time), with other factors (credits, class standing, being a member of glee club/solar car team/swimming team etc) to let students choose which block they want to apply for when they buy tickets.

Then go GA for those sections when they arrive?

(In addition, this rewards the students by their contribution, in that they might prefer a seat more towards end zone/midfield, where full GA have no control of that. Some might prefer to get a seat in the first few rows at the corner to interact with players after a victory, others might prefer a good view from rows 30-50 closer to midfield. A full GA, or assigned seats, does not offer that flexibility) 



Then say 15 minutes before/after kickoff, if a certain block is not full, maybe an usher can hold up a sign to indicate to other students ppl are free to move to that block?



I know there are flaws to everything and 'm just throwing ideas out there, and it does take more resources to get a system in place. But at least this can eliminate the early lining up problem stated by some here, for a full GA, and also preserving some sort of seniority and recognizing student contributions on campus. But it also ensures people have to get there early to get a good seat within their block, or risk losing their assigned block if they are like 15 minutes late (or whatever cutoff time is for ppl to move freely between blocks). This makes sure within say 10 minutes of kickoff, all the “good seats” should be filled up, and people who do care, will show up early, avoiding the disastrous scenarios that we saw in the pictures with 30-50% empty.



i still think this is much better than the current debate of having all assigned seats, or acting like Full GA is the solution (if it is, try doing it for the entire stadium, like the spring game - o right, even that the recruits/parents and other VIP get a better section)

the Glove

April 23rd, 2013 at 10:24 AM ^

Its funny how time changes us. When I was younger I would have probably been upset by this, but now that I'm 30 I'm completely in support of it. It's embarrassing to have the student section that empty at the beginning of the game.

HELLE

April 23rd, 2013 at 10:26 AM ^

prices have jumped nearly 50%, but I think I understand their reasoning. Raising the prices should reduce the number of students purchasing tickets. Assuming students place more importance on things they enjoy, the more dedicated student fans will purchase tickets at a higher percentage than the lesser student fans. A smaller student section that is packed is better than a large one with empty seats. Then the seats freed up by lack of student demand can be sold at full price in those four game packs. I don't have a problem with this.