Would you go to Michigan vs ND 2014 @ Neutral Site?
So with the ND series coming to an end, and ND trying to make it so they have more home games in this round of the series than Michigan by having the series start and end in South Bend, would you want to see the game take place at a neutral site?
Notre Dame is playing Miami (YTM) this weekend at Soldier Field in Chicago. The largest chapter of the UM Alumni Association is based in Chicago, and it's a far more entertaining city for night life than South Bend. So, would you want to see the final game in the series be at Soldier Field instead of South Bend? Or do you want it to be in Indiana?
I personally would love to see it in Chicago. No matter where it is I'm going to try and get tickets, but I'm sure they're going to cost an arm and a leg for this final game in the series.
Anyone like this idea? If it is at a neutral site, is there a better venue than Chicago you'd like to see?
October 1st, 2012 at 8:02 PM ^
I'm not normally a fan of neutral-site games, but given this lame attempt by ND to get out with one more home game in the series than us, I'd support it in this case.
October 2nd, 2012 at 10:58 AM ^
If I were Brandon and if, by some chance you could get someone semi-decent to come to Ann Arbor, I would cancel the last game with ND as the money difference between a single away game in South Bend vs a home game in Ann Arbor is huge.
From the South Bend Tribune:
"Hollis said that both schools have out clauses. If either school cancels, it must pay the other $1 million if notice is given within six months of the game, $500,000 for a cancellation that comes 6-24 months and $150,000 for a cancellation that comes 24 months or longer".
October 2nd, 2012 at 2:46 PM ^
Tweaks them right back and earns more money. Just find a decent team--maybe one to start a home and home series with, and to straighten out the scheduling issues that see us with OSU and ND both home or road games in the same year.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:02 PM ^
No. To hell with Notre Da... er, I mean neutral site games.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:07 PM ^
I think it makes sense in this case. If they were allowing the series to play until 2015 or asked if 2013 could be the final game, then yeah, I'm with you. We shouldn't have to play an extra game in South Bend, though.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:29 PM ^
But how does this solve that problem? We'd still play one more game in South Bend than Ann Arbor. The only neutral site that would feel more like a Michigan home atmosphere than a Notre Dame home atmosphere is Ford Field in Detroit, and that would be pretty lame.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:38 PM ^
We would have played in South Bend in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 (6 games), they would play in Ann Arbor in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 (6 games) with the last game in Chicago. Taking the series to 2015 would give each side seven games, cancelling after 2013 gives each side six.
October 1st, 2012 at 10:23 PM ^
My mistake. I was confused about the years and thought that this would come the year after our final scheduled game in South Bend.
I'd be good with this.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:43 PM ^
The only neutral site that would feel more like a Michigan home atmosphere than a Notre Dame home atmosphere is Ford Field in Detroit, and that would be pretty lame.Why do you assume this? Even if ND has a larger fanbase (which I question - we have far more actual alumni, and thus far more people with a family connection to our school), if they allocate the tickets 50-50, why would they outnumber us?
October 1st, 2012 at 10:25 PM ^
I didn't say they would outnumber us, but I think the confusion is my fault. I was thinking that this would be tacked onto the end of our current series as an additional "home game" for Michigan. The only place we'd get something that feels like a semi-home game (i.e. well more than 50% of the fans) is Detroit. In most other places, it'd probably be close to 50-50.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:03 PM ^
for the final (for a while) September game of M/ND would easily be the most expensive ticket in college ball for 2014. ~60,000 seats compared to ~80,000 and 115,000 (which both still made the top ten list). I'm not objecting or anything, just saying that those prices would be out of this world.
Then again, it's on the lake, at night, in September, and it's M/ND.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:14 PM ^
Spot on. Only way it would happen is if they went to a place like Jerry World where they could sell more tickets than at ND Stadium. Playing at Soldier Field, or Wrigley would net around half or a third the gate as at Michigan Stadium, two thirds to half a typical ND Stadium gate take. Gate for the last game was a little over $42 million at ND Stadium, last year Under The Lights easily pulled in $60 million in ticket sales. If they moved to Soldier they'd likely split only $32m, less than $22m for Wrigley.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:18 PM ^
Jerryworld got between $125-$285 per ticket, and this game could net more per seat. That's significantly higher than M or ND is bringing in for the one game (especially considering M gets nothing if it's in South Bend), plus the suits all go in one-off rentals. A few of those sales plus the outrageous face prices might bring it close to what ND would get, if not up to what M brings in.
I'm not saying ND would bring in more cash, but I doubt it's that low.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:21 PM ^
The other way it could happen is if we dig in our heels and say we're cancelling the 2014 game otherwise. And why not? ND pulled a bush league move by informing us on the day of the 2012 game that they were exercising the out in the contract. The contract called for either school to give three games' notice before exercising the out clause. They may have legally upheld that provision but certainly didn't respect it in spirit.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:29 PM ^
To reach a gate of $32 million at Soldier Field (capacity 61,500) you'd have to have an average ticket price of $520. I know that's just an average but still, that seems insanely high for a one-off game. I'm beginning to think my original post was not that great an idea now in terms of revenue for the schools. (not that either is hurting for money)
October 2nd, 2012 at 9:52 AM ^
I am curioius where are you getting these numbers for gate revenue? $42m divided by 80000 seats is $525 per ticket. $60m divided by 140000 seats is $526 per ticket. I don't think ND or UM averaged that much per ticket...
October 1st, 2012 at 8:02 PM ^
October 1st, 2012 at 8:10 PM ^
October 1st, 2012 at 8:12 PM ^
serve them notice that we're cancelling the 2014 game, write them a check for breaking the contract, and find someone else from a so-called "BCS Conference" for a home game at The Big House. I'm sure we'll make more than enough $$ doing so to cover that check to ND and then some.
But that's just me...
October 1st, 2012 at 8:17 PM ^
October 1st, 2012 at 8:45 PM ^
Yeah, I'd be OK with that. Any decent home game would probably make it worth it. Even if it wasn't, I'd be OK sticking it to ND.
EDIT: Although I continued thinking about this, and we should be pretty fucking good in 2014. Beating the shit out of ND, in South Bend, in our last game would be pretty sweet.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:16 PM ^
October 1st, 2012 at 8:19 PM ^
Let's go play in the Canadian wilderness. Wolverines care about Wolverine football about as much as Irish people care about Fighting Irish football.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:38 PM ^
You're thinking too local.
Moscow here we come!
October 2nd, 2012 at 12:37 AM ^
I see where you are going with this...go to Canada or Russia so we can attempt to gain an in on Sparty's monopoly of worldly recruits.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:21 PM ^
I'm in Chicago, so: HELL YES.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:42 PM ^
I know there's the four of them downtown according to the alumni association website, but I life 45 miles out from the city in the NW burbs and can't get downtown easily. Of the UM bars in Chicago which do you think is the best? I want to make a trip downtown for a game this year but don't know which one to go to. Have you been to them?
October 1st, 2012 at 9:08 PM ^
Well, see, when I say I live "in Chicago", I'm lying. I live in Grayslake, as my medical school is in North Chicago. I've only been here since August, and I've not yet ventured downtown to a bar for a game. Several friends of mine go to Duffy's on a pretty regular basis, and they love it. But that's the extent of my knowledge.
October 1st, 2012 at 10:10 PM ^
Just to clarify, Duffy's isn't downtown. I used to live around the corner at Oakdale and Clark. It really is a great place to watch a game. I only watched one football game there, but it brings in a great crowd for basketball. Just make sure to get there early if you want to sit.
October 1st, 2012 at 10:13 PM ^
I know things about things, I swear.
October 1st, 2012 at 9:35 PM ^
The Diag is pretty nice.
October 2nd, 2012 at 12:24 AM ^
Seriously. Of the 4 UM bars in Chicago, that one wins based on name alone. I'll have to make sure to make the trip to that one.
I'm like Diabeetus - I say I'm "from Chicago" but I live about as far from downtown as he does - I'm in Gilberts, which is further west but not as far north as Grayslake.
October 2nd, 2012 at 1:05 AM ^
I'm from Algonquin, so basically take 72 and turn left on Randall. If you've been to Algonquin Commons, that's pretty much where I live.
October 2nd, 2012 at 9:22 AM ^
I'm in the Gilberts Town Center development off of 72, right behind that bar Cruisin'. We're definitely practically neighbors. I was just shopping at Algo Commons on Sunday. What year did you graduate? I'm class of Dec 2003 (a semester early, would've been Spring 04 with my wife otherwise).
October 2nd, 2012 at 10:12 AM ^
I'm a transplant, so I guess it's forgiveable, but I've never even heard of Gilberts. When you said NW suburbs, I thought you meant somewhere near where I live (Long Grove). Then again, you're not that much farther to downtown than I am, and you have a straight shot out on 90.
My sister lives in the Lakeview East neighborhood and took this pic of Duffy's one football Saturday:
When I first moved to Chicagoland after graduating, the bar was Joe's on Weed. Watched the Brady-Terrell-Shea Orange Bowl there with some friends.
October 2nd, 2012 at 11:17 AM ^
I grew up on the Deerfield/Buffalo Grove border, went to Stevenson, and had a ton of friends in Long Grove. I drive through it daily as I work in Lincolnshire now.
Our best friends bought a house in the development first, and we fell in love with it when we came to visit them, but I had never heard of the town before myself. We moved out to Gilberts because we bought our house in 2006, before the housing crash, back when 240k for a 3 bedroom townhouse was a great deal that you could never hope to find in BG. If only I had a time machine...
October 2nd, 2012 at 3:50 PM ^
A high school friend used to live a little farther down 72 from you; I've passed Crusin' and those railroad tracks more than a few times. My mom's place is right off of County Line and Randall, and I worked at Potbelly's right there during high school.
I'm undergrad class of 2012, but went to IU, not Michigan.
October 2nd, 2012 at 12:39 AM ^
there was a place that listed all of the UM friendly bars in all cities in one spot...man that would be helpful.
Also, does anyone know of a place where I can get a stream of the game, I'm out of town/in a wedding/kids soccer tournament...
October 1st, 2012 at 8:26 PM ^
Fuck notre dame. Put the game in Chicago. Anything to spit back in their faces for quitting.
October 1st, 2012 at 8:29 PM ^
Fuck 'em!
October 1st, 2012 at 8:49 PM ^
October 1st, 2012 at 8:53 PM ^
Sure, but ND would never give up their manufactured extra home game in the series reboot.
October 1st, 2012 at 9:10 PM ^
to kick their asses one more time in South Bend and then end the series ....
We could leave singing "It's Great to Be a Michigan Wolverine" ....
October 1st, 2012 at 10:20 PM ^
October 1st, 2012 at 9:41 PM ^
Fucking fuck no.
October 1st, 2012 at 9:54 PM ^
October 1st, 2012 at 10:35 PM ^
I cannot believe that ND is dropping Michigan but not Moo U.
Weird.
Fuck em.
October 2nd, 2012 at 12:19 PM ^
The Notre Dame / Michigan State rivalry goes back a lot farther than the Michigan / ND rivalry. Back in the early part of the 20th century, when Notre Dame couldn't get a lot of midwest teams to play them due to religious prejudice, Michigan State (Michigan Agricultural College back then) was one of the few teams that would schedule them.
Sparty and ND have faced each other 75 times and without interruption since 1948. Michigan is the more storied program and the bigger draw, but ND has a LOT more history with MSU.
October 2nd, 2012 at 7:34 PM ^
Well technically, it doesn't go back farther than ours - we were their first opponent ever (and actually taught them how to play). But the two schools stopped playing in 1910 and didn't resume on a regular basis until the 1970s. You're correct that they've played MSU a lot more often that they have played us, though.
BTW, the Domers may claim that it was anti-Catholic prejudice that caused other programs to shun them, but they also had a reputation in those days as a program that didn't play by the rules. We stopped playing them after we became convinced that they were fielding players who were ineligible.
October 1st, 2012 at 10:38 PM ^
Aircraft carrier.
In all seriousness, I'd prefer to run up the score on them in South Bend with our current and incoming superclasses. Something that damefan can suck on for 3 years.