Big House getting even bigger?
There's some good information in this piece by Angelique, but this part caught my attention...
On new scoreboards at Michigan Stadium:
"The reality is those scoreboards are old. They're old technology and they're old. I've already looked at sketches as to what that might look at and one of the scenarios could add a few seats."
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100427/SPORTS0201/4270381/1004/sports/Mich…
I wonder how many seats he means by "a few".
I'd love to see those sketches...
the plan eventually is to continue the end zone seating up and back until the entire bowl is even with the back of the luxury boxes, which would probably add 10-15K seats. The scoreboards would then be replaced with much larger versions on top of that.
Can you imagine how far away the seats at the top of the endzone bowls would be in this case? As much as everyone will likely hate me for saying it, I think an upper deck added to one or both endzones would be a better option... It would help hold our sound in, too.
April 27th, 2010 at 10:13 AM ^
But it's not a bad idea.
April 27th, 2010 at 10:20 AM ^
with the wave.
Also, you wouldn't be able to see the student section M from space anymore.
April 27th, 2010 at 10:32 AM ^
Maybe just one upper deck, then, and a monstrous HD scoreboard on the end where the students are.
April 27th, 2010 at 10:58 AM ^
You're in for a rude awakening.
then the stadium will start to resemble a horseshoe and nobody wants that.
April 27th, 2010 at 11:14 AM ^
Even before the luxury boxes, I was a proponent of adding an upper deck. "Welcome to Michigan Stadium...seating capacity 200,001..."
April 27th, 2010 at 11:20 AM ^
It has a beautiful ring to it... But Bo needs a seat now, too! So let's make it 200,002.
I have always enjoyed reading Angelique, from her take on Carr to how she has reported on RR and all things Michigan. There still is a place for MSM.
You might want to. There are a lot of good points in there beyond the Stadium one (though, like the OP, that one caught my attention). An interesting take from DB on a lot of things.
I would really like to see these sketches!
April 27th, 2010 at 12:42 PM ^
That's What She Said.
But why didn't they include that in the current construction?
I'd rather they did it all at once, and got it out of the way.
April 27th, 2010 at 10:05 AM ^
There's only a certain amount of change that can happen at once before people flip their shit.
April 27th, 2010 at 10:06 AM ^
$225 million in the hole for the current expansion.
Just built a baseball stadium, softball field, soccer fields, wrestling complex, indoor practice facility.
Replacing scoreboards and enclosing an upper bowl would probably be another $200-$300 million.
April 27th, 2010 at 10:09 AM ^
The Michigan Athletic Department is anything but "in the hole".
April 27th, 2010 at 10:16 AM ^
No but in all seriousness, the boosters are probably slightly tapped right now. Gotta give them a year or two to recover.
Plus, I'm sure there's something where they can only spend up to X amount of dollars without getting permission of Angry Michigan BLANK Hating God, and we all know he hates renovations.
The athletic department issued debt for $190 million in order to do the renovation. So it is "in the hole" even though they're in perfectly good financial shape and will certainly be able to pay it back (and probably have done that for much of it already).
(Source: http://www.umich.edu/stadium/faq/)
EDIT: It occurred to me that "in the hole" could also mean having less money/assets than is owed rather than just owing a substantial amount of money--by the former definition you're right, we're definitely not in the hole.
But I'm in your Mother's hole Trebec!
April 27th, 2010 at 10:38 AM ^
It's a money issue. No doubt.
I agree that Michigan Athletic Dept is not exactly in the hole - but continued spending will put them there.
...it recaps his radio appearance from last night. Topics discussed according to Angelique and Rothstein:
- The RichRod not-so-hot-seat: “I understand it but it’s amazing to me people keep asking the question wondering if they’ll get a different answer. And they’re not. So they can keep asking it over and over and over again but they’re not going to get a different answer.” - Progress on the response to the NCAA Notice of Infractions: On track and count on some sort of self imposed penalties. “I participate in everything because at the end of the day, I’ll be one of those that goes before the infractions committee, and to the extent we put in place self-imposed penalties, that’s certainly going to be something I’m integrally involved in.” - What impact the WVU inquiries have for the program: Michigan has “nothing to do with that. We’ll find out information as you do, as the public does so far as I know. We don’t have any real standing or position in that. We’ll sit back with interest as a lot of people are, I suppose, to try and find out what that’s about but we will not be involved in that process.” - The sale of suites at Michigan Stadium: sold a few at the Spring Game - New scoreboards at Michigan Stadium: covered above - The first night game at Michigan Stadium in 2011 against Notre Dame: previously covered in a separate thread - Whether there will be advertising in Michigan Stadium: Yes for special events (Spring Game, The Big Chill); No for football games - When construction for the basketball player development center will begin: Immediately after the completion of Spring Commencement
April 27th, 2010 at 10:13 AM ^
...A2.com piece by Rothstein, Brandon's discussion of Big 10 expansion gets the full treatment.
Article Highlight:
“Anybody who comes up with a proposal that said Michigan shouldn’t play Ohio State,” Brandon said, “should be institutionalized.”
April 27th, 2010 at 10:20 AM ^
he not only speaks with authority but he sounds like a huge Michigan fan. This guy sure seems to know how to make things happen.
Bring on the new scoreboards!
Also, I really dig his answer about night games in the Big House.
"We're always the ones playing on prime-time national TV in front of hostile crowds, screaming at us, and thankfully we've done really well. We've won two-thirds of those games. But the reality is we've never had the opportunity to let somebody else feel what that's like. I like the idea that Notre Dame can come to Michigan Stadium and feel what that atmosphere is going to be like on national TV, prime-time. Let them fly home at 3:30 in the morning."
EDIT oops didn't see the thread on this already. still very cool.
April 27th, 2010 at 10:21 AM ^
i love the idea of adding seats, even an upper deck. the stadium would be thunderous. i love DB's attitude and his ambition. he seems to have the vision necessary to take UM Football thru this century without sitting around with thumbs up asses. UM Football tradition will continue, and it will grow. Unlike the green fairies in Southbend where their tradition is generally stagnant.
I really do not believe DB would say what he said about the seating if it wasn't at a minimum on the table, and potentially in the works (early stages of course).
Tradition, Ambition, Hard Work = Dominance
Go Blue!
April 27th, 2010 at 10:46 AM ^
I like his vision.
Now more than ever, is not a time to rest on our tradition. It is a time to create new traditions capitalizing on our past ones.
Night games - over due.
Expansion of Big Ten - time is now. Be BOLD. Force the issue or we will be forced to cope with another conference's boldness. Let the Big Ten dictate the future.
Expansion of Big House - we have had a waiting list as big as 20,000 in the past. Don't know what the numbers are today, but the Big House must remain the Big House.
Bring it on - we are ready!!!
April 27th, 2010 at 11:48 AM ^
He covered every burning question I wanted to know about. Scoreboards, advertising and WVU allegation stuff.
And I'm totally for an upper deck. More noise, and hopefully enough people to make us the biggest stadium in the world. Capacity: 150,001. Chew on that North Korea.
Mr. Yost, your dream will become a reality...
Wait a minute. You do realize that upper decks would pretty much eliminate walking around the stadium in sunlight. Plus they just added those new buildings right behind the end zones, so I don't know how that would work either.
you mount the extension slightly 'on top/in front' of the lower bowl so there is a little bit of a lip (shade too) underneath the lower bowl. you'd be higher yes, but at least you wouldn't need the hubble since you're too far back.
how this would be achieved without any obstruction in the line of sight in the lower bowl, I leave to our well educated engineers to deduce.
DB is totally amazing. He isnt afraid to spend and he will keep michigan at the top of the college football world. My only issue is that he really didnt say how many seats would be added if they do decide to build an upper deck. When will the scoreboards be replaced?? If they build an upper deck on the end zones, wouldnt that mean that the bottom deck could not be used until construction is over??
Oh by the way, he said that the basketball performance center will begin construction immediately after the commencement but he didnt mention when the new field turf will be installed. Does anyone know when it will?