Changes/updates you'd like to see to The Big House
With the major South Competition and Performance project completed this winter that including 3 new stadiums build on the South athletic campus and the Canham and new arena projects on their way to being presented to Regents this summer, it got me thinking "what's next?".
Now this doesn't have to be a major renovation, but what changes would you like to see to The Big House?
I'd like to see them finally paint championship years on the boxes so they aren't plain Blue anymore, maybe re-start the brick program and have people buy bricks again.
Something/anything highlighting the past players on the concourse? It seems like as far as the Big 3 sports go The Big House does the least to do that.
April 30th, 2018 at 10:22 AM ^
i mean i'm not into seeing other dudes wizzing, but when they put in the water free urinals it felt like something was lost.
April 30th, 2018 at 11:39 AM ^
it was the water.
April 30th, 2018 at 11:41 AM ^
the Killers?
Close in the endzones. Increase capacity and ramp up the noise. Plus it would just add to imposing visitors and bring back the old bowl shape. Also paint something, anything, on those sky boxes. We have championship years and retired numbers we can honor.
Take a season and honor a championship year every game before the game and another during halftime. By the end of the season they'll all be up there.
Paint the seats or at least the "M" embedded in the seats so it looks fresher when empty.
I like the NC years on the press box and the retired numbers.
I like painting the endzones blue, with lettering in Maize.
I can't believe I made it 112 comments and there were no suggestions of marshmallows. At least bring it back for MSU/Ohio State.
I am also with the crowd that is done with bleacher seating. I am paying thousands of dollars in Preferred Seat Donations to sit on a cold, hard bleacher. Don't have to do every section, but at least sections 44, 1, 2 and 22, 23, 24.
Weren't those banned after the natural grass got pulled because apparently they're a real pain in the ass to get out to of the field-turf
April 30th, 2018 at 10:17 AM ^
I'd like to see a realistic seat size in the bleacher section. I bought some seats in the endzone bleachers last year on the second hand market and the seat numbers were painted what seemed like about 13 inches apart. it was obvious that all the "regulars" (maybe season tickets?) were casting some serious side-eye at my buddy (180 pounds) and me (admittedly quite a bit more than 180) for taking up more than our share of space although we really tried to keep it within our bounds.
don't get me wrong, i relish the experience of being crammed in like sardines and I agree with the people saying let's get even MORE folks in.
but the bleacher seats were sized up in a time when the world was, er, leaner.
April 30th, 2018 at 11:48 AM ^
April 30th, 2018 at 11:57 AM ^
"the bleacher section" otherwise known as 99% of stadium...
The best way to preserve seat space is seat covers. I know you have to pay extra for it (and on secondary market may not even be able to), but it's worth it for keeping your full seating area open.
April 30th, 2018 at 10:27 AM ^
April 30th, 2018 at 10:49 AM ^
April 30th, 2018 at 11:08 AM ^
April 30th, 2018 at 11:08 AM ^
April 30th, 2018 at 11:09 AM ^
Marshmallows... Snowballs thrown at OSU's band and cheerleaders (truck in snow, if you must)... Championships and retired numbers (with names) on the skyboxes...
And open up a couple of gates where people can walk in and just look at the inside of the stadium. Fence it off from the seating sections so nobody can 'get in', if you must. But fer Godssake, let people look at it! Walking over from Chrisler during bball games, or just stopping by to look in, are chidlhood memory makers. For me, showing my 7 year old the outside of a stadium while driving by means nothing. Especially when we live in Virginia, and have very limited opportunity to see it. If I could stop and show him the field, on my way through to visit family, it would do more to create a lifelong obsession with Michigan football than I can ever do watching on TV.
Michigan Stadium is a college football showplace. It is in every Keith Jackson tribute. Let people see it!!!
April 30th, 2018 at 11:27 AM ^
I'd like to see them list the national titles around the suite seatings. If you look up there, it's just really bland right now. Even if you brought back the old Michigan Stadium letters that were sitting above the sky box prior to the reonovation, that'd be fine.
I'm good with the food they have because I never eat in the stadium anyway. Long-term, I'd love to see them enclose the end-zones with more club/suite seating. While I'm not sure what the demand for that extra amount of seating would be, it'd be a great way to help keep the noise in the stadium.
April 30th, 2018 at 11:32 AM ^
April 30th, 2018 at 11:35 AM ^
I echo those who say more wins. And the likes of OSU and MSU having winless decades there like my beloved childhood.
Other than that, something I would like back is a full student section for pre-game...
April 30th, 2018 at 12:01 PM ^
April 30th, 2018 at 12:36 PM ^
More noise. I'd be surprised if we are in the top 8 in the country in home field crowd noise but we are always number 1 in attendance. I went to the white out game at PSU last year and it was the loudest game I've ever attended. We have the numbers, we just need to build up. Whether thats more seats, boxes, or just more brick structure.
Serious question: Who keeps actual statistics on crowd noise?
as is, we've had major projects for 15 years plus (rebuilding foundation work, outside work, sky boxes, scoreboards.) Time to let it sit and breathe for awhile.
Would however like to see them improve the wifi service.
Long term, and maybe not in my lifetime, would love to see an upper tier added in the South endzone, with a nice imposing brick facade along Stadium Blvd.
Also longterm, how about a tunnel under Stadium and Main for pedestrians to Pioneer.
we need to work hard to get MSU and OSU home games back on opposing years. I'd be willing to see the University fork over a big check to see that awful schedule decision go away.
I am a season ticket holder, and have been my whole life (dads tickets prior). I am guilty of this with a caveat. I wait in the line until I reach the doors, then hop over to the exit side. There are always the last 4 open urinals. the line wouldnt be as bad if people didnt always stop at the first available urinal. there are alsways urinals open at the exit.
- Allow small handbags back into the stadium. Nothing big, wristlet size will do.
- Move the band into the north end zone - that way the entire stadium can hear them even when not mic'd.
- Shift a couple sections of students to the southwest corner. Get that area amped up a bit. My voice isn't what is used to be by trying to help carry that quarter of the Big House for so long.
- BRING BACK LEMON AND STRAWBERRY CHILLS!!! That Minute Maid crap is a pale shadow of what used to be an -awesome- warm weather item.
- Get the cheerleaders, MMB, endless down time promos on the video boards, and the pumped in music more in unison - doing the Go... Blue chant so many times gets run over.
- To the MMB: Don't play "Respect" unless the team is doing well enough on the field to warrant it.
- Get the point across to the people coming that when we want a Maize Out, that doesn't mean wear a blue shirt and a maize belt or gold ring. It doesn't mean wear your black jacket or hoodie. Doesn't mean to wear your white tee with hints of maize throughout. What helps the Penn State white out actually work is people wear, well, white. Not every other color in the Crayola box.
- Encourage the Alumni Band to play a LOT more often at Homecoming.
That'll do for now. :)
Let the MBB control the music.
If they decide to use any piped-in music at all, encourage the band to jam with (and over) the music to make it more of a live, game-day experience.
- High quality wifi
- Better and less expensive food choices. For example, how about hot dogs that are truly grilled, instead of those steam/boiled hot dogs (gross) they sell for $7 now. Don't sell stale dry pretzels (choking hazard). How about nachos with something more than just cheese and jalapenos (where's the beef?)? The last time I had something at Michigan stadium that tasted good was when Mr. Spots had a concession stand there abou 8/9 years ago.
- Sell beer / alcohol
- Give away pom poms during big games, especially night games (remember Under the Lights? the pom poms were great)
...get out of Row 12 that doesn't require sacrificing your entire halftime, plus half of the minutes of the third quarter.
Noon games are the worst, because my diabetic dad eats breakfast on the way to the game at 9 am, isn't hungry at noon, but should probably eat around 2 so he doesn't pass out. Getting out of the stadium from row 12 in the end zone is damned near impossible around that time, and I end up missing half of the third quarter.
Bringing food down with us at the beginning of the game would be far more practical if there was someplace to put it that didn't risk it getting squished, stepped on, spilled on, or otherwise mauled. I've taken to trying to sneak sammiches in in my jacket pocket, which is much easier later in the year than in the dead heat of summer (used to be fall) games.
First world problems, I know. But we like both row 12 AND not passing out in the middle of the games.
Maybe rather than create an entire bottom tier exit for those of us who either just want a damned hot dog at halftime, need to escape a thunderstorm during a mandatory evacuation in a timeline faster than how long it takes said thunderstorm to pass through town, or, get out before death in the unlikely event of some sort of bomb/errant airplane/mass shooting event, they could just have people selling food in the aisles. At least I'd die from the second two things with a full stomach.
Working public wifi
Working public wifi
A real wolverine in a cage at mid field during the coin toss
Just leash it instead. No cage necessary