Saturday Attendance Fearmongering
Is the 100,000 attendance really at risk or is this a theme we will hear each week?
A 3:30 game in September albeit cooler than average with a chance of rain shouldn't keep too many away. Plus the secondary market is always terrible for these MACrifice games.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:20 AM ^
Hopefully we don't see Akron 2.0.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:25 AM ^
September 11th, 2014 at 9:37 AM ^
Now, not so much.
September 11th, 2014 at 11:00 AM ^
Seriously, I just looked that up -- App State beat the Campbell Fighting Camels 66-0 last weekend. I had never heard of Campbell University (apparently it is a Baptist-school in NC) and their nickname is quite interesting. The women's basketball team is the "Lady Camels".
Back on point -- App State and Miami are both equally bad in 2014. Thus, if we don't beat Miami (NTM) in similar fashion to how we beat App State ~10 days ago, we've got even bigger problems than we thought.
September 11th, 2014 at 11:56 AM ^
Exactly this. If we struggle to put Miami (NTM) away then we're in for a rough season.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:26 AM ^
I remember reading a Daily article in 2009 about the Delaware State game. We had just lost to Michigan State and Iowa in close games, and it was the weekend of Fall Break. It questioned whether the Big House would reach 100,000+ fans.
Bottom line: whenever an article about the Big House even remotely not reaching 100,000 fans can be written, it will be.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:31 AM ^
Well, it may not be fair weather in any sense of the term, but I'll be there and I'm excited for it. I'm looking forward to seeing the drumline do stepshow, hitting up the MDen, seeing Jon Horford haul in a TD, and watching us touch the banner and get a win. And is Blimpy's open yet?
September 11th, 2014 at 9:53 AM ^
Jon Horford, eh?
September 11th, 2014 at 10:32 AM ^
I am so confused...this gave me a good spit up laugh with my water.
September 11th, 2014 at 12:45 PM ^
Is there any doubt about whether Horford will be getting the start?
September 11th, 2014 at 12:47 PM ^
Is there any doubt that Devin Gardner can throw a ball all the way to Gainesville? Much less a basketball?
September 11th, 2014 at 2:43 PM ^
I think he means Devin Horford.
September 11th, 2014 at 6:46 PM ^
Big John Norfleet was clearly his intent.
September 12th, 2014 at 6:37 PM ^
or Horfleet?
September 11th, 2014 at 12:57 PM ^
Not if coach Harbaugh has anything to say about it.
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:31 AM ^
We had 106K+ in the stands for App State, so yeah...
September 11th, 2014 at 9:32 AM ^
No kidding I got an "Amazon Local" offer this morning (think Groupon with an Amazon logo slapped on it) for a "special package" for the Miami game
$65 includes ticket hot dog beverage t-shirt and program
which, as we all know, is WAY LESS THAN LOYAL SEASON TICKET HOLDERS PAY.
So, yes, we are at Desperation Defcon 6 or something.
Really, Dave? YOU ARE COUPONING OUR FOOTBALL GAME?
September 11th, 2014 at 9:48 AM ^
I got the same Amazon offer...and actually, it's a pretty good deal. Either way, I already had tickets to Saturday's game but yeah, that's a new low.
Diamond Dave sent me an email yesterday as well for $50 tickets (Reg $70!) because I ordered tickets through them before as well. Banging the drum!
September 11th, 2014 at 10:03 AM ^
That's not a good deal at all. You can buy a ticket outside the gate for under $20, no problem.
September 11th, 2014 at 3:42 PM ^
I just meant compared to face value and the stuff you get. Of course, with Diamond Dave's home schedule, it's a horrible ripoff this season (and last).
September 11th, 2014 at 12:52 PM ^
Just bought tickets for me and the boy for $23.00 each and I'm assuming the seats are comparable to what the university is offering for the deal. I know they're trying, but ticket prices for this one are just WAY too low to compete here.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:41 AM ^
Dave sent me a discount email. Endzone tickets are now $20 off the face $70. So $50 gets you endzone seats. Since that's where my season tickets are ... do I get a refund Dave ? How about some Mac & Cheese ?
Go Blue!
September 11th, 2014 at 12:04 PM ^
September 11th, 2014 at 9:42 AM ^
September 11th, 2014 at 9:45 AM ^
I would be baffled if we don't reach $100k. There will be enough people that see the incredibly low ticket prices as an opportunity to take their little ones or attend the one game they can afford this year.
Many people like myself who in the midst of anger, who vowed they weren't going attend or watch another game until the team/coaching staff provided us a reason too, all know, we will be sucked back in on Saturday.
I am going to be in Greensboro, N.C. for my sisters wedding and I am already looking at places to go watch the game at, decked out in Michigan gear.
September 11th, 2014 at 12:10 PM ^
But it's good to have goals. #lochdawg
September 11th, 2014 at 12:17 PM ^
Haha good look. Never noticed that.
September 11th, 2014 at 6:34 PM ^
I read it as assurance that the gate will be $100k. Seems like a safe bet.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:47 AM ^
Even though the announced attendance and the actual attendance will always vary (probably because the announced attendance usually include everyone within a four-block radius, like most venues), I still don't know that we've yet reached the point where demand for seats at a Michigan game goes elastic and attendance starts to drop like that - the program still has that wonderful problem of brand equity, recent performance aside for the moment. So, yeah, I think it would take a bigger calamity than it would at most institutions before the 100,000 mark was in serious jeopardy.
September 11th, 2014 at 12:23 PM ^
When they announce the "attendance" is it really attendance (people in the stadium) or is it still just ticket sales?
There have been a number of occasions that I recall since 1982 where there were not 100,000 people in the stadium at all, even if you are counting the players, band, ushers, media, etc.
There is no way that there were 100,000 people anywhere near the stadium for some of those famous fan-endurance games like Minnesota in the '80s, Purdue in the '90s, Northwestern in the '00s.
If it's ticket sales, they can fudge those. They can just quietly sell them to themselves and just eat them. It seems like they will announce 100,000 no matter what. Who really checks?
September 11th, 2014 at 1:25 PM ^
I've heard it's based on the turnstyles at the gates. So on one hand it actually reflects people in the stadium, but it also includes people working the game, concessions, security, etc.
September 11th, 2014 at 2:22 PM ^
That isn't quite right. Michigan and many other schools base their announced attendance figures on the number of tickets sold, not on the number through the turnstile. Michigan then adds to the number of tickets sold, the number of other people in the stadium without a ticket (as you note).
September 11th, 2014 at 4:01 PM ^
Since they scan the tickets at the turnstiles, it shouldn't be difficult to get accurate attendance data.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:48 AM ^
We all used to laugh when other teams had to use ticket pacakges and gimmicks to entice fans.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:49 AM ^
I sold my two tickets to Michiganders for $100 for the pair -- before the season. Thankfully I did that. It came with the ticket package to PSU and Maryland games. I think it will be close, but I'm going to say announced attendance will be around 101,000 with probably 94,000 actually in attendance.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:52 AM ^
The ticket market will correct itself and there will be 100,000 in attendance. Granted, that means we could very easily see tickets outside the stadium being sold for under $40. Student tickets, I can imagine, might be nearly free in the secondary market.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:58 AM ^
Tickets under $40 outside the stadium aren't exactly a rarity for a shitty non-conference game. Student tickets have essentially been free on the secondary market for a couple years now for just about everything but the big games.
September 11th, 2014 at 12:55 PM ^
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September 11th, 2014 at 10:04 AM ^
Maybe if they bill it out as a train wreck the stadium will be over capacity.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:53 AM ^
Main stream media is bored apparently.
Driving home yesterday I flipped on 97.1 for a few minutes (mistake I know)...Valenti was saying that RR was actually turning UM around and it's Hoke that is driving the car over the cliff. That clown lambasted RR every chance he coud and now he is defending him. My god the msm will twist and turn any narrative there is to make it in their favor.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:55 AM ^
And also ask MSU and thier fans about the swaths of empty seats,rows,sections in their upper deck in 2 weeks against EMU...you know the defending B1G and Rose Bowl Champion MSU Spartans.
September 11th, 2014 at 9:57 AM ^
I posted about this, but on Tuesday I was able to put together a 99-seat block on MGoBlue.com. 99 seats. Together. I bet if I had kept going I could have made it bigger.
Something's up. They're not going to let it drop below 100,000--Dollar Dave will have marketing interns beating the pavement on gameday handing out free tickets to everyone on the street before that happens. It's not terribly surprising, I just can't believe it's happened this quickly.
September 11th, 2014 at 10:55 AM ^
I just tried it again, offered another 99 seat block in section 15, rows 5 through 12. Weren't even nosebleeds. How?
September 11th, 2014 at 11:34 AM ^
Jeebus, I really hope that's some kind of software glitch.
September 11th, 2014 at 12:28 PM ^
I just tried the same thing, and the best I could get were rows 86-93 in section 14.
September 11th, 2014 at 12:30 PM ^
That's what they were offering me Tuesday.