GameDay in Times Square and Professor Thom's

Submitted by BKWolverine on

Anyone living in NYC going to be in Times Square on Saturday? I am thinking about checking it out and it would be great to meet up with some fellow Wolverines. For those not in NYC, any good ideas for a sign?

 

Also, this:

ESPN College GameDay had so much fun at Professor Thom's last Saturday that they're coming back for more this SaturdayCan you blame them?
 
Times Square is playing host to GameDay this week and they will be sending a camera crew to Thom's to shoot some live cutaways! They have requested that we pack Thom's as much as possible for this.
 
The catch? They will be shooting from 9am-10am.
 
The reward? Free mimosas, coffee and egg sandwiches for everyone who shows up to proudly represent our great University! Bells Brewery will also be in the house giving out free Bells on the deck for an hour starting at 11am.
 
So make sure to go to bed early tonight because Saturday is going to be a long one!
 
See you tomorrow#GoBlue

NYC Fan

September 22nd, 2017 at 12:07 PM ^

I left NYC 3 years ago, but I do recall it being Michigan on all TVs, a Michigan themed menu, Michigan Audio during the game and Michigan tunes (Born and raised in South Detroit, Down on Main Street.....) at halftime and commericals.  Just don't sit Downstairs.

If you didn't make reservations the monday morning before kickoff, you weren't getting a table.

Indiana Blue

September 22nd, 2017 at 12:25 PM ^

stand in line ... then try and grab 2 stools at the bar.  @ seats for 5 people works (especially if you have ladies present).  I can't fucking sit during games on TV ... buckets of beer means no waiting.  Was ther last year for The Game ... and the crowd was AWESOME.  I'll be there again next year for the GAME.

Go Blue! 

ijohnb

September 22nd, 2017 at 10:01 AM ^

is kind of all AHRG about the Time Square-Gameday thing.  I kind of think it is a cool variation on the idea.  Frankly, Gameday has kind of started to take on a been there-done that feel the last couple of years.  I kind of thing this is a good idea for a week.

buddha

September 22nd, 2017 at 11:50 AM ^

Ha! Broadcast in Chicago or an iconic location in a city that's universally considered the Capital of the World.

I think the Times Square option is sweet. To me, there are so few intriguing matchups this weekend. It'd be a cool idea for ESPN to rotate sites annually during these kinds of comparatively boring weekends: Santa Monica Pier, Golden Gate, Navy Pier, etc...kind of a great way to bring the fan experience to a far more diverse audience than simply pitching tent at one campus.




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I Like Burgers

September 22nd, 2017 at 12:11 PM ^

They have gone to random non-traditional sites the last few years.  They did one in North Dakota, one at James Madison, they been to Army-Navy...the Times Square one is the first one that's not associated with a game though.  Curious to see how it turns out.  

I do think a Chicago one would be cool, but I don't think the Cali ones would work.  For one, you have to get up really early in the morning because Gameday goes live at 6am local time on the west coast.  Don't think you'd get a ton of students or alumni showing up at 4-5am at Golden Gate Park or Santa Monica.

Also, while this weekend is light on blockbuster matchups, I think there are a lot of intriguing games.  Games where you really find out what a team is going to be like this season.  Things like UGA-MSST, or Arkansas-TAMU (the hot seat bowl!), or USC-Cal, or UCLA-Stanford.  And Michigan-Purdue fits squarely in that bracket as well.

buddha

September 22nd, 2017 at 12:19 PM ^

These are fair points. I hadn't considered the time change difference when I suggested CA sites.

And - for the record - I am not against a Chicago site. Chicago would be a very cool host for this type of event as well. Having said that, considering this is the "first of its kind," there's no better place in the country - with more colleges represented, etc. - than the country's largest city, NYC. I don't live in NYC or Chi, so I don't have a pony in this race. But - to me - a Times Square Gameday experience would be pretty freaking cool...and - if I was an exec at ESPN - it may be a good barometer for success that may open other sites for this type of experience in the coming years (like Chicago).

As far the games this week, I think we agree to disagree. Aside from the UM game, and possibly the USC-Cal game, I have a hard time getting emotionally invested for any of these games. It'll be a good weekend to enjoy the weather outside!

In reply to by ijohnb

I Like Burgers

September 22nd, 2017 at 3:52 PM ^

But you get to see who is more trash: UCLA or Stanford

And I'm not really sure who I'm rooting for in that game.  I really don't like either coach and think both are overrated.

Brodie

September 23rd, 2017 at 9:05 AM ^

While I would agree, of course, that Chicago has a rather intimate relationship with college football due to the preponderance of recent college (especially Big Ten) grads walking around, it doesn't have more fans than NYC for any particular program... they just play kind of an outsized role in Chicago's local culture because they are so highly concentrated. 

SAMgO

September 22nd, 2017 at 10:11 AM ^

What's the atmosphere at The Montrose in Brooklyn for Michigan games? Looking to mix it up a bit from Prof Thom's once in a while, is it a little more relaxed? Assuming it still has full audio for our games?

lilpenny1316

September 22nd, 2017 at 11:24 AM ^

But I believe that a college site should host a college program.  They missed an excellent opportunity to broadcast from Iowa City this weekend.  They could've set up shop outside the Children's Hospital.  You also have #15 TCU @ #6 Okie State.  I even think Alabama @ Vandy might be a surprisingly good game to cover.

I wonder if this is a cost cutting move at ESPN.

I Like Burgers

September 22nd, 2017 at 12:18 PM ^

Times Square is one of the most expensive places you can shoot live TV.  Accomodations for cast and crew alone would be significantly higher than normal.  There is zero chance this was a cost cutting move.

I do think the children's hospital location would have been a good one though.  And Gameday will very likely be at Oklahoma State on Nov. 4th for Bedlam which is why they aren't there this weekend.  That's shaping up to be a hell of a game.  Likely a top 4'ish sort of game.

lilpenny1316

September 22nd, 2017 at 1:17 PM ^

From a purely Michigan POV, the Big12 leaders needs to start dropping some games or else Bedlam could be a CFP play-in game.  I like it better when they are out of the playoff conversation.  But if OK and OK State are undefeated on Nov. 4th, it will be great for college football.

The reason I thought Times Square could be cheaper is because they already have the setup from GMA, so they don't have to move as many resources to accomodate a live set.

 

Perkis-Size Me

September 22nd, 2017 at 4:56 PM ^

Absolutely no way in hell this was a cost-cutting move. 

New York City is one of the most expensive cities in the world to do anything in, and Gameday is setting up shop right in the most crowded area of it all. Space is at an absolute premium there. The rent you pay to live there is probably 2-3x what it would be most anywhere else, and you get maybe half the space in return.

If ESPN was worried about cutting costs, they would've stayed as far away from NYC as possible, and they definitely wouldn't have hosted Gameday twice in the first week of the season.