OT: Your stadium stories, worst experiences?
i want to be entertained and need a good laugh on this hump day, so let's talk about bad stadium experiences.
I was at the opening day in 2009 at comerica where there was a massive brawl outside the park before it even opened. I think it's on youtube. Anyways, I had a coke in my hand and a dude fighting got pushed into me and the coke went everywhere, splashing on the drunk next to me who probably had anger issues and he tried to fight me.
February 25th, 2015 at 1:40 PM ^
Any time I've gone to Michigan State to watch a game. Adults -- and presumably MSU grads since, you know, they don't have ANY non-alum fans -- were calling Michigan students fa****s. Always a good time.
February 25th, 2015 at 2:14 PM ^
I've been to all of one game in East Lansing (and I lived there for 6 years...) - I saw more people get kicked out of that game and more fights (in an adult section, right under the scoreboard) than I have in my entire time going to Michigan games (probably ~60 games at this point).
Then you have my wife's experience (she was a doctorial student at MSU); she always saw how they completely trashed their campus and how people acted, when she went to her first U of M game (and saw the tailgating) she was amazed at how classy people were.
February 25th, 2015 at 2:28 PM ^
I have been to EL 3 times for games and they have all been awful. Bad weather, rude fans, and awful results. I have pledged to never return.
February 25th, 2015 at 2:48 PM ^
Went to the MSU game this past year my senior year. Dude in his 50s told me to go back to Saudi Arabia and called me terrorist all game. (I'm not even middle-eastern or Muslim) He then followed me to the bathroom trying to start shit. Would've been a fight if not for his other 50 year old friend stopping him from approaching me.
Smh at the ignorance and bigotry.
Been to a lot of other stadiums including OSU. MSU is by far the WORST.
February 26th, 2015 at 10:41 AM ^
Agreed. I know it might not be popular to say but I've always found Ohio State fans to be a nicer group than Michigan State fans. It's not really close (for me), either.
February 25th, 2015 at 3:10 PM ^
Spartan Stadium always comes to mind.
February 25th, 2015 at 4:07 PM ^
as a 4-yr MMB member that I was ever physically attacked while in uniform was in Spartan stadium, as a sophomore. This includes multiple trips to Columbus, South Bend, West Lafayette, etc., etc. And trust me, as a band member we don't instigate or respond to provocation of any kind. Seriously, fuck them. So glad we won that game...
February 25th, 2015 at 8:31 PM ^
I sat in the student section for the Michigan-MSU game in East Lansing in 2013, when it was about 35 degrees and raining the whole game and the Spartans broke Devin Gardner over their knee.
Had the time of my life. Everyone around me was awesome and it was all rather fun.
February 25th, 2015 at 1:39 PM ^
silverdome for a lions game in the late 90's sitting the "family" section, fight broke out in our row, group of guys sitting in front of smelled like they hadn't showered in a week or 2 and then i had a cup of ice dropped on my head (luckily it caught more of the bill of my hat than my head) from the upper deck...
February 25th, 2015 at 1:41 PM ^
During a trip to Madison a decade or so ago, my buddy left his ticket in his room back in Ann Arbor so he had to scalp a new one... he then proceeded to pass out at the tailgate and never made it to the game. I'm pretty sure he keeps both tickets around as a reminder of how a road trip can go wrong...
February 25th, 2015 at 2:09 PM ^
Sat next to Jorge Cantu's wife at Comerica in '06 when the Rays were in town. She sure was super touchy about anyone heckling the Rays. Also didn't enjoy my retort of "Hey lady, if you don't like it then don't come watch your son play baseball." Somehow made it through with only a stern warning from security. Of course, her husband hits the damn game winning double in extra innings.
February 25th, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^
I went to the UM game when they played at BC, it was 93 or 94 I think, and Bostonians are not known for their hospitality. Knowing this, I went and kept my mouth relatively shut, but still clapped when I saw a good play. Late in the 4th qtr, apparently someone had enough of my shenanigans and threw a beer can at my head. It was about 90% full.
February 25th, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^
Took my 9 year old son to his first UM game 2 years ago. It was effing Akron.
February 25th, 2015 at 1:46 PM ^
This one time at the craphole of a stadium at columbus I have beer throw at me by suckeyes fans and some few racial words was thrown in as well i almost went to jail that day
February 25th, 2015 at 1:46 PM ^
If UM is on the field, I'm standing. M Stadium is not designed for sitting anyways.
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February 25th, 2015 at 2:31 PM ^
I like standing during games too, but don't you see the guy's perspective at least a little bit (langauge aside)? Theoretically, one person standing can have a ripple effect that causes every single person in the stadium behind them to stand. Some people, especially older folks, don't want to do that, and understandably so.
Why don't you just get student tickets and validate them if you want to stand? I think it makes sense to have some sections designated for standing and some for sitting.
February 25th, 2015 at 2:51 PM ^
I agree with this. Stand all you want during key plays and touchdowns, but it can really ruin the experience for anyone who is not 6 ft tall or doesn't have the knees to stand and sit all the time.
February 25th, 2015 at 2:38 PM ^
I completely agree. Standing just gets you more into the game. It's a mental thing. M fans (other than the students) have it backwards. They think halftime is for stretching and standing and the quarters are for sitting (other than scoring and close games towards the end of games). No...no. Halftime is for sitting and resting, unless you're going to get food or to the restroom.
February 25th, 2015 at 4:10 PM ^
February 25th, 2015 at 1:48 PM ^
... on our walk to the stadium, a fine PSU undergrad decided to walk with us. He stuck his finger down his throat the entire way, trying to puke on our shoes.
February 25th, 2015 at 2:29 PM ^
Oh my god, Penn State is the worst.
Well, was.
I went there in 2009 and it was unreal, then went there again this year and they were totally neutered (wonder why). Also, I sat in your student section twice. Neither time was really bad, except the second time there was a girl behind me who kept knocking my hat off. Oh well, life goes on.
February 25th, 2015 at 2:32 PM ^
Then what are you crying about????
February 25th, 2015 at 3:07 PM ^
I'll bet you know where I'm thinking of. A close friends sister was in the marching band when we played there. A dude broke through the band's perimeter and cold cocked her square in the face. Nuthin but class down there - you know where I'm talking about.
February 25th, 2015 at 3:56 PM ^
She shouldn't have been standing there.
February 25th, 2015 at 4:52 PM ^
February 25th, 2015 at 5:08 PM ^
what yer sayin is you know a place where something like that might happen? Or is even likely to?
February 25th, 2015 at 4:13 PM ^
we had a "protection formation" when at visiting stadia if we thought the crowd might be hostile; larger males on the perimeter (and we had a lot of guys who could have played football at Div II level), petite females in the center. I imagine the MMB still does something similar.
February 25th, 2015 at 5:07 PM ^
through the formation
February 25th, 2015 at 1:48 PM ^
Was with my dad, behind one of the baskets. As the time runs out on our Championship dream and the confetti starts to fall, we leave our seats and walk up the stairs to the concourse. We were harassed by all these hick Louisville fans saying terrible things to us, when they should have been celebrating the win. I had to be separated from one man who was not very nice (to put it mildly). Needless to say, I have despised Louisville and their fans ever since.
February 25th, 2015 at 8:04 PM ^
I was once heckled by a (trashed) Louisville fan at a damn Cincinnati Reds game. I also mistakenly wore a Michigan hat to a concert at the same stadium and was told, "F*** Michigan!" no less than seven times. Ohioans, man.
February 26th, 2015 at 12:07 AM ^
I was at the same game, and had floor seats behind the basket. The only problem was I was in the Louisville section (but right above the tunnel that Michgan came out of).
I was next to a pair of Louisville fans, who were actually more nervous than I was the whole game, even at the end when it was clear they had it wrapped up. Before the final buzzer I turned to them and congratulated them on the win. They both embraced me and said they hoped our team would come back next year and beat Kentucky.
I've always had respect for Louisville fans since then, so it's a real shame that some bad seeds had to ruin it for you.
February 25th, 2015 at 1:52 PM ^
The UCLA game in 2000 out here in Pasadena in Sept. in the afternoon felt like a freaking 100 degrees, it was awful.
I went with my GF, brother and 10 yr old nephew at the time, I drove and we were 5 miles from the Rose Bowl with 1 1/2 hours to spare and I listened to my older brother and took the route he wanted me to take instead of the one I wanted to take and we ended up missing the whole goddamn 1st qt. due to traffic, I was so pissed off and ended up getting into a heated argument with my brother in fhe car with my poor GF and nephew.
It was so hot and UCLA stadium staff were so inefficient, my GF fainted in the 3rd qt while we were in line trying to get refreshments. I had gone to the Rose Bowl game on 1/1/98 and that event was ran like fine wine but the reg season game was pathetically conducted
The game was going great despite the temperature and we were leading by 10 points in the 3rd qt but ended up losing 23-20 because a RS Frosh Navarre had to play because Henson had an ankle injury to start the season, it really hurt us that year that he was injured.
I fucking hated that day, sept games at the Rose Bowl should be played at night, period!!!!!
February 25th, 2015 at 2:05 PM ^
I have friends from Chicago who are ND fans and we went to many ND/USC games out here and I always found USC fans to be cool folks and carried themselves with class and their stadium was practically in the ghetto while The Rose Bowl was in a posh neighborhood yet their asshat fans, many of them acted like gangbangers, I felt like I was at a Raiders game.
What a bunch of jackasses!
February 25th, 2015 at 4:26 PM ^
Funny how two people can have different experiences at the same game. I went to that game too, but got there quite early. No problem getting in and parked on the golf course right next to the stadium. Had a great tailgate and met some of the nicest and most genuine fans I have ever encountered. It wasn't just hot for that game. It was brutal. People passing out all over the place. The vendors stopped selling water and just gave it away to whoever wanted it. They wheeled out huge buckets of ice water for people to dip their hats or their heads into. Then we go and blow the game in the fourth quarter. Even with the oppressive heat I very much enjoyed my day and it was a beautiful setting.
February 25th, 2015 at 11:01 PM ^
Wait, they gave away water? On a hot day?
What kind of market actualization is that?
February 26th, 2015 at 2:38 PM ^
Stop drinking and go to bed.
February 25th, 2015 at 1:53 PM ^
The Clock Game. Was about 20 yards from Duckett when he caught the winner. Worst-day-ever.
February 25th, 2015 at 8:07 PM ^
I love how one of the most-treasured games in MSU Football history was only attainable by having a jackass clock guy who was more interested in a Spartan win than doing his damn job.
February 25th, 2015 at 1:53 PM ^
Worst experience: Sitting next to Al Borges wife during the 2nd night game and noticing she has no clue nor did she care about the game. Drove me nuts
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February 25th, 2015 at 8:08 PM ^
In her defense, her husband seemed to have the same attitude during his Michigan tenure.
February 25th, 2015 at 1:53 PM ^
I was very disturbed the first time the tunnel hype video was louder than the crowd. It is just wrong to have the overall noise level drop when the team runs out to touch the banner. So wrong.
February 25th, 2015 at 1:57 PM ^
I was at M00N live and in person last year in Evanston, which was awful and boring as hell. If it wasn't for the booze I had before the game giving me a nice happy buzz, it would've been the worst thing ever.
The year before that, I was again at Michigan @ Northwestern. While the ending of the game became known for Gibbons' last second field goal scramble, sending it to OT, up until that point it was 9-6 in one of the worst games I'd ever seen in my life. In hindsight, it was just setting me up for the awfulness that was M00N.
In 2009, I was at Michigan @ Illinois when we failed on 1st and goal from the 2, and proceeded to throw away the rest of that season. I was in the 2nd row on the Michigan side of the field, and you could just see the spirit in the players die and their shoulders slump when Illinois marched it 99 yards to score on the ensuing drive.
I was also at Michigan @ Northwestern in 1996 when we lost on a last second field goal.
Maybe I just need to stop seeing Michigan whenever they come to Illinois.
February 25th, 2015 at 2:00 PM ^
I was at M00N as well as the year before. M00N was terrible, but the year before it was rainy and about 40 degrees. Maybe we both can't see Michigan play at Northwestern again.
February 25th, 2015 at 2:02 PM ^
the UM/NW game and the last second scramble. What a crazy day. And cold, wet and miserable it was to boot.
February 25th, 2015 at 2:43 PM ^
I went to M00N as well, promising my buddy that the game would be a 'pillowfight to end all pillowfights.' Having M00N end up as M00N was all that I could have asked for, very fun day.
February 25th, 2015 at 2:09 PM ^
I was at the 2007 game vs Florida. Terrific day for the program. I cried a little bit because I was so sad to see Carr leave.
February 25th, 2015 at 2:12 PM ^
It was an absolutely beautiful day, and Michigan broke a long losing streak to OSU, yet, the beginning was just not a fun experience. We got into our seats and even though they weren't great, people were jammed in, so my wife didn't have a seat. An OSU fan three rows back was drunk out of her mind and somehow found us. We played the don't engage game until my wife finally told her to just leave us alone and somehow she did.
As the first quarter starts, my wife is sitting on my lap when we sit down. When we stand, an old man next to me is leaning hard into me. I just assume this is how the day has to go until HE flips out saying I'm in his space. I show him how when I sit down I am not on his little Michigan seat cushionAnd stand up and sit down a couple times to show him. He then complains about where my feet are (directly in front of me). He then says "don't fuck with me". By then I've had enough and yell at him to go get the ushers, go home, or just deal with it.
My wife is crying cause she hates conflict, and his wife (who is much bigger) switches seats and there is now plenty of room. People leave our row and the rest of the afternoon is a great success (outside of build me up buttercup right before an OSU sure TD is overthrown right in front of us), but that soured my many great experiences in the big house. I expected the OSU fan stuff, but not the crap from the old man rooting for the same team.
February 25th, 2015 at 4:30 PM ^
February 25th, 2015 at 2:17 PM ^
I was a student manager and during the first pre-game warmups I'm holding balls for Remy Hamilton to practice kicking when, out of nowhere, a D-cell battery nails me in the side of the face. It knocks my glasses off and I have time to catch them in the air just before I get woosy and drop in a heap to the ground. Remy grabs our trainers who come over to take a look and tell me to just take it easy as I assure them I'm okay.
As we head up the tunnel back into the locker room after warmups, I get pelted with wads of marshmellows... only they feel like hacky sacks when they hit. I pick one up off of the ground and find pennies stuffed in them. A few also liberally dump beer through the grates above us.
Ricky Powers fumbles and we lose to Wisconsin for the first time since 1981. The fans go NUTS and storm the field... I'm clad head-to-toe in Michigan gear on the WISCONSIN sideline with one other manager, and getting VERY nervous. A fan comes up from behind and throws a shoulder into the other manager; now I'm flat out scared. Then, out of nowhere, a giant hand clamps down on my shoulder and the sholder of my compatriot. It's a Wisconsin coach. He points to two freshman O-lineman celebrating and says "you two escort these gentleman over to their sideline and don't let any of these motherfuckers touch 'em!" They did, brushing aside anyone who got near us.
The managers start packing up our sideline, as fast as we can, when we hear something over the P.A. to the effect of "we have a pulse-less (something or other) in section (something or other)" and I think, "that's an odd thing to say..." and then one of the equipment managers says "dude, have you seen it over by that fence?! People are like dying and shit over there!!" We quickly head over to that area where we see Wisconsin players, some of them crying, IMPLORING students to "GET BACK! BACK UP!!" There are students pressed up against a chain-link fence wide eyed and terrified. This one girl was so blue I thought she was already dead. Our medical staff orders us to get into the locker room as they start lending assistance.
NOTHING about that game, aside from that one coach's act of humanity, was something I'd characterize as even remotely positive.