Empty seats
Was disappointed to see all the empty seats at the top of the northwest corner of the stadium Saturday, not just at the beginning of the game, but throughout the game. Are those just unsold tickets? Was it due to the noon start? I don't get it, if you can't get excited about the home opener, on a beautiful Saturday morning, in Harbaugh's home debut, against a Power 5 conference opponent, what will it take?
[Edit: Topic obviously touched a nerve, judging by the negs. Thanks for the reasoned responses. Not sure I buy the compaction theory. Just look at some of the photos from the UTL games and the stadium is full to the brim. If compaction is the answer, then why don't we see that impact at all games?]
September 15th, 2015 at 11:52 AM ^
-- sorry, upper-middle-class-but-can't-make-200K-in-San-Francisco-people's -- fault?
I am not a fan of the blaming logic in this thread.
There are a number of real reasons:
1) Noon games are early, 3:30 is better
2) Students don't take to assigned seats well, the upper rows suck, and so they pack down in with their friends
3) This was not Notre Dame, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, etc. It was a should win comfortably game. As glorious as the 2nd half was, it wasn't competitive and assured of a win, there are better things to do
4) The non-student sections are not full and leave early as well. It is just not as noticeable because people tend to sit in their assigned seats.
5) This is a problem in all of college football, not just at Michigan.
FWIW - I think the best way to fix the upper bowl problem in that corner is to go back to the John U Bacon childhood days, and 10 minutes after kick off, give those seats away to local youth groups (or re-sell them for $5 a seat).
September 15th, 2015 at 11:13 AM ^
September 15th, 2015 at 10:25 AM ^
One thing to keep in mind is that Michigan is one of the few schools (at least that I know) that guarantees students can get tickets. Most schools there is a raffle system of some kind, meaning if you get tickets you are more likely going, and if you can't make it, there is a significant market of students looking to buy them each game. While I am a believer that every student should be able to get tickets, it probably does not help the situation as you likely have a lot of students buying who are just not as interested in attending every game.
September 15th, 2015 at 10:46 AM ^
Indiana, Illinois, Duke, UVa, and on and on really are turning away students who want tickets and instead rationing/raffling them?
Most schools around the nation do not sell out their games, or at best sell out one or two games a year (think of Indiana vs Purdue--sell out--as compared to Indiana versus Middle Tennesee State--1/3 empty).
I would guess that the vast majority of schools have plenty of excess seating capacity and sell student tickets to all students who want them.
The rationing/raffles are proably limited to Duke basketball.
September 15th, 2015 at 11:16 AM ^
How about Wisconsin Football? My brother did not get football tickets until his senior year (most get them by Jr. year though because you are wheighted in the raffle by class standing). Although maybe thats more the exception than the regular.
September 15th, 2015 at 9:57 PM ^
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September 15th, 2015 at 9:38 AM ^
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September 15th, 2015 at 9:38 AM ^
September 15th, 2015 at 9:38 AM ^
I'm not saying anything new here that probably hasn't been said by someone already. I remember even in '05-'10 that the upper 10 rows or so were lightly filled in. People just moved down to sit with friends and everything.
Does anyone know if the seating policy is affecting ticket sales? I'm sure there are some lingering issues with ticket sales and pricing and so on.
Also, did the student section grow by one whole section? When I was watching the game it looked wider than it used to.
September 15th, 2015 at 9:43 AM ^
September 15th, 2015 at 9:47 AM ^
One of the main issues Saturday was not getting people to the game on time. It was getting them from just outside the gates to their seats. This was on everyone: fans forgetting how much extra time to budget, event staff working out the kinks, etc. it also wasn't unique to the student section. The south gates were zoos when I showed up, and the line to get into section 18 stretched past the entrance to section 17
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September 15th, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^
Thought it was 14,000 students last year and 18,000 this year. Most recent high was 2012 at 22,000 student season tickets.
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September 15th, 2015 at 9:41 AM ^
I tend to take a "the kids are all right" attitude when people complain about students
September 15th, 2015 at 9:57 AM ^
September 15th, 2015 at 9:42 AM ^
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September 15th, 2015 at 9:44 AM ^
Lots of empty seats at the Atlanta Falcons v Philadelphia Eagles game last night and it was a thrilling game.
September 15th, 2015 at 9:49 AM ^
I say this as a Falcons fan but Atlanta sports fan seem fickle and indifferent when compared to LA sports fans
September 15th, 2015 at 9:45 AM ^
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September 15th, 2015 at 9:48 AM ^
Can we maybe just chalk this up to it being the first game against the season to an opponent who were a 14 point dog and freshman experiencing hot and cold running shots for the first time?
You want to sit with your friends so you sit with your friends and crowd in. I'll be more worried if this keeps happening when B1G play starts
September 15th, 2015 at 9:52 AM ^
September 15th, 2015 at 9:52 AM ^
September 15th, 2015 at 9:54 AM ^
September 15th, 2015 at 9:54 AM ^
I've seen multiple posts about the BYU game having a lot of tickets available. Seems strange to me since that is one of the games I'm most excited about this year. I'm sure it will be packed once it actually comes down to game time, but they should be a ranked opponent coming in and is a huge game from Michigan's standpoint in regard to getting ranked. In other words, I think it's going to be a big game so I don't get the lack of ticket interest at this point.
September 15th, 2015 at 9:55 AM ^
Well - please do "get" the compaction theory will you. My son is assigned row 93 - he moved up to row 30. The students sit wherever they want in their section and squeeze together, the aisles are full and there is an average of more than 1 to a seat. They are standing the whole time and fit in to be with their friends.
September 15th, 2015 at 10:59 AM ^
Sure, if you can explain why it happens at some games and not at others.
September 15th, 2015 at 12:43 PM ^
Sure.
1. For the "important" games, more students sell their tickets on exchanges like stubhub. Those buyers were less likely to allow others to cram down to their row.
2. The ushers "enforce"/ stop people from walking down/across to different sections more frequently for those games (at least that's what i experienced from 07-11, for bigger games like UTL or maize out games / coordinated stuff like tshirts giveaways like 2009 Penn state - the games where the student section forms a block M with colored tshirts))
Some students give up cramming down to lower rows after a few tries, especially if they don't have friends already at those rows, or if the game already started and they have an OK view from their assigned seats at upper rows.
September 15th, 2015 at 9:55 AM ^
September 15th, 2015 at 10:07 AM ^
There is at least 3 years of accumulated apathy. It will take a while for the students to get in the habit of showing up on time and staying the whole game. In BLL Bacon notes the fans, particularly students, stuck with the team from 08-13, and it was really just Brandon and the GA policy that caused student attendance to fall in the last couple years. It will be almost as long to recover that goodwill with the students. HARBAUGH will go a long way to speed that up, and winning, especially against MSU and OSU, will do even more.
P.S. to the AD, if you're listening--if the students want to jump on the field after a win over Ohio State this year, let them go. Being on the field in 2011 and 2012 as a student is somethig I won't forget. It's an experience that cannot be replicated at home. That's the way to build loyal fans.
September 15th, 2015 at 10:22 AM ^
I noticed it also....was it in the student section? If so, I was wondering if the Jewish New Year yesterday might have had something to do with it as some students might have gone home to be with their families.
The student section was slow to fill up. Maybe the early start, perhaps. These 12 PM games are ok on rare occasion but three in a row plain sucks, particularly in September when the weather is great and a great deal of fun can be had just being outside in Ann Arbor before games.
September 15th, 2015 at 10:27 AM ^
I assumed it was just compression. I was a student in the early 80s (pre HDTV and every-game-on-tv) and recall walking up to stand on the top row and look out - the tops few rows were always open. A lot of students move down and cram in to sit with their friends etc.
September 15th, 2015 at 10:36 AM ^
...had intended to reply to a sub thread comment.
September 15th, 2015 at 10:38 AM ^
Instead of the student section going all the way up to the top of the stadium, why don't they have it go about half-way up then expand over to accomodate the student section. This might prevent compaction and make the stadium look "fuller". Don't the students deserve the best seats in the house anyways?
September 15th, 2015 at 10:41 AM ^
I was at the game, in great seats courtesy of another mgoblogger. I definitely noticed the empty seats. Another thing I noticed was all the rules. No food to be brought in, no drinks, no cups, no beach balls, no toilet paper, no flags, no banners, no purses, no bags, no camera lenses over 6 inches, etc., etc., etc. I can remember a ton of things happening in the stands when I was a student that have been obliterated and outlawed. Ya know, I'm a kind of boring guy, but the nanny state and the rules can just kill the fun and the spontaneity of college football.
September 15th, 2015 at 11:55 AM ^
This. There has to be a connection between all the shit that's been banned lately and attendance as well. And don't give me it has to be done for ''security''.
September 15th, 2015 at 12:52 PM ^
There has to be? I don't know about that. It's annoying, but never once have I thought "oh I was going to go the game but they won't let me bring my [beach ball / 7 inch DSLR lens / red solo cup]"
The policy itself is annoying (saw the guy in front of me get turned around beause of the no bags policy), and I don't think its right, but as much as you think it's impacting attendance my personal opinion highly doubts it has any significant impact at all.
September 15th, 2015 at 2:32 PM ^
Here's the thing. We can all live with some rules. And we can all surreptiously break some rules if we want. (Yeah, I had a sandwich in a pocket, along with a couple granola bars. Didn't see any ticket takers checking anyone's pockets too closely).
But a long time ago, back before my time, fraternities used to bring small kegs into the stadium. In the late 70's, when I was there, you'd see a constant blue haze of marijuana smoke hanging over the endzone where students sat. Flasks were common. Beachballs were common. After touchdowns, you'd see streams of toilet paper rain down into the endzone. Girls used to be passed up from the front up to the top row of the stadium. Maybe they'd check your bag, to make sure you weren't bring in glass bottles, but you could bring your own food, your own drink, your own Michigan flag, your own banners, etc., etc. It was a big party. Mind you, it was irritating to me sometime, because I wanted to watch the game. But let's be honest: there are plenty of students who went to games because it was an event, not because they were football fans. Batting around beachballs, having a drink, smoking a joint, passing up girls, were part of the experience. Now, I personally never drank, nor did I smoke, nor did I smoke marijuana, nor did I initiate passing up coeds, nor did I bring in beachballs, nor did I bring in beer, or kegs, or a flask. But it doesn't bother me that others did.
Another thing was that you could sell your ticket to anyone. Now, with the surcharge, and the hassle, it almost isn't worth selling. In the past, maybe someone would sell their ticket for $5, 10, 20 bucks. Now, it doesn't work so easily.
To me, it would be a great compromise if you were allowed to:
- Bring in a sandwich and a piece of fruit or chips or carrots or granola bars.
- Bring in a sealed water bottle, or, alternatively,
- Bring in empty water bottles that you could fill at a spigot designed for that purpose.
- Bring in a beachball.
- Bring in a purse.
- Allow students the open market for ticket resale.
I understand that we'll never go back to the days of smoking, cigarettes or marijuana. I understand that for safety and sexual abuse reasons, we'll never see girls passed up the stands again. But right now, the post-9/11 security measures, which in many ways are just a money grab, kind of sour me a bit.
September 15th, 2015 at 9:53 PM ^
MSU has problems getting students to games even now because of their police state.
MIPS on campus, handling of student sections, lack of on campus bathrooms, etc. So students simply stay at their off campus parties where they dont get harassed by the cops and treated like potential terrorists trying to enter the stadium.
I applaud their efforts.
Only by refraining from attending specifically bc of these 'security theatre' antics will they stop.
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September 15th, 2015 at 11:01 AM ^
we shouldn't be complaining. The stadium looked more full than any game last year including probably penn state. Harbaugh
September 15th, 2015 at 11:05 AM ^
plus when the students finally got done filing in (mid 2nd quarter), the stadium was basically full except for maybe two or three rows at the very top. People are upset over nothing.
September 15th, 2015 at 11:03 AM ^
September 15th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^
September 15th, 2015 at 11:40 AM ^
This may not be a popular answer but here it goes.
The way I see it those kids don't really know Michigan football. The last time we won a B1G title they were around 8-10 years old. It will definitely be filled for the big games, but not packed at the top of the student section till we are winning double digit games on the regular.
-my 2 cents
September 15th, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^
100% agreed. I grew up in the 80s and 90s... It was a no-brainer going to Michigan games.
How do you think a kid who was born in 1997 feels about Michigan football? They were 11 years old in 2008.
I was 11 years old in 1991.
September 15th, 2015 at 11:58 AM ^
Another thing to take into account, is that there are a ton of students (a lot of which are international students) who simply buy season tickets just to sell them. Not all of those scalpers succeed on a game to game basis, so there are naturally going to be empty seats in the student section based on that.
September 15th, 2015 at 12:06 PM ^
15 minutes after kick off sell the tickets for $20 as general admission. They can tell by the UPC codes how many seats didn't get filled. Get some fans in there that want to be there and maybe don't want to plunk down the full rate.
September 15th, 2015 at 12:47 PM ^
Slipery slope....I could see a lot of people choosing to forego buying tickets all together and just waiting for the after kick off discount.
Once we start winning again, this won't be a problem.
September 15th, 2015 at 12:18 PM ^
How many excuses do you really want?
Oh let us count the reasons to leave Michigan football games early or not show up at all.
Jeezus, you could fill that entire area with Kindergarten-age kids from Ann Arbor and Detroit or some kids from the Boys and Girls Club and they'd all be fucking estatic and, it goes without saying, less stoned and much louder.
I'm serious.
Make it so.
September 15th, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^
These young fans didn't grow up like some of the older fans did.. They have no clue what a winning Michigan program really looks like.
This all goes away once we start winning more.
September 15th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^
A long, long time ago in a stadium far, far away (from where I now live) the top of the student section was a coveted spot where the flasks flowed more freely. Especially on a beautiful day like last Saturday. I was stunned at the bare spot at the top of the student section on Saturday and felt a lot of sadness. :-(