What Will People Chuck At Booers Now?
People are annoyed about the change to Michigan Stadium's policy about bringing water bottles into the stadium. This includes myself. Also this crotchety old man grousing about dolla dolla bills ya'll:
“I thought it was a mistake, so I called to check,” he said. “The lady who answered the phone said it wasn’t. She said they had been getting a lot of calls on it.”
Starting with the season opener against UConn on Sept. 4, bottled water is banned, university officials confirmed. They said the policy was enacted for a variety of reasons and free water will be inside for the 100,000-plus fans attending each game.
“I understand why they are doing it,” Ulisse said. “They just spent all that money on the stadium. I’m sure they want to get some money back from the concession stands.”
For the record, the stadium expansion is going to make money and it's not like hawking a few extra bottles of water is going to make a dent in 226 million dollars anyway. I pinged Bruce Madej about the change and he got back to me instantly; in that response were a couple notes about what they're doing to cope:
· Newly installed water fountains located throughout the concourse (28).
· Complimentary cups of water available at each concession stand that has soda dispensing (Still finalizing numbers but they will be quite high)
In addition, the Absopure stands have been increased from four to "more than thirty."
As to reasons for the change, Madej had three:
- We have long lines and we can reduce wait times entering the stadium.
- We can reduce the potential for harmful materials to be brought into the stadium.
- We can reduce the distractions for our police officers so they can concentrate on other security measures.
In sum, Michigan is "really trying to increase the speed of getting people into the stadium."
I remain skeptical since it seems like the main effect of the policy will be to move the lines from the stadium gates to the concession/water stands, and if the complimentary water comes in a little tiny cup there are going to be a lot of thirsty people by the end of a noon game in September. The best part about bringing in your own water is being able to stay in your seat without braving the gridlock outside. Also if you get into the stadium before the band hits the field there aren't any problems.
For what it's worth, Madej did say they were looking into the logistics there, acknowledging that the current setup is impractical. If you can roll in and grab a 20-once cup of water with a lid, everything will be fine. Judging from the widespread anger and quick response from the department, at least they're devoting some time to the issue.
August 4th, 2010 at 12:27 PM ^
As an MMB member, I am continuously frustrated by the negative reactions from both the students and alumni. We can't please both and you know this.
We did a boy bands show and the alumni wrote self-righteous, uppity letters to our director. We did an opera show and the student section fell asleep. The Big Ten outlaws electronic amplification. What the hell do you want from us?
For starters? More damn sound.
Look, pregame was top-notch last year. The Victors gets played at a reasonable tempo with some nice new cuts. Prof. Boerma did a great job pointing the band around the stadium and having them play more frequently too. That stuff is all great!
But there's competition now, in the form of a seemingly quieter band (due in equal parts to placement, numbers, and balance) as well as RAWK MUSIC getting piped in that people react to. How do you compete? Not by pouting, but by being more clever, louder, and interesting.
Research what other popular bands around the country played in previous years to find fun, engaging, relevant shows or drill. Get groups to suggest these in the summer. Offer to meet with Prof. Boerma to discuss ideas.
Don't take this so personally. Nobody is questioning the work ethic of the band or its members. I put in my 4 years and can vouch for that. We're disappointed with the product as a result of management decisions.
At least everyone was entertained by "victors around the world" last year.
I understand that those who are used to bringing water bottles into the stadium aren't going to love this, but is this really a Massive Disaster of Unprecedented Proportion? Maybe it's just me, but I've never noticed a glut of water bottles in the stands - there are some, but I don't think we're talking about inconveniencing tens of thousands of fans here (meaning I don't think there'll be tens of thousands trekking back and forth for water continually). Sack up and buy a bottle of water or a pop if you're thirsty - you're dropping $50+ per game, another $4 isn't going to kill you (and you'll have spent $1 or $2 outside the stadium for the water, so really you're paying $2 or $3 for the convenience of not having to carry the thing in)...plus, hey, free water. So let's get this straight:
If you REALLY need a BOTTLE of water...you can still get one for a marginal 4%ish of the cost of your ticket.
If you just want WATER, you're now SAVING 2-4% of the cost of your ticket per game (if not more - free water can mean MORE water!!).
I just really don't see the big deal here.
You'd be surprised at how many bottles of water people go through at the stadium. It's well into the tens of thousands every game.
For my rollicking crew (we're 2 adults, 1-2 teens), it's usually 2 16.9 oz. (500ml) bottles per person, with an ice water bottle to keep the other two cold.
And for the record, while I'm not quite as swarthy as Brian, I AM of Hispanic descent. And usually quite toasted walking into the stadium. Carrying 4-5 bottles of water, with another one frozen solid...but melting quickly in the September afternoon sun. How suspicious-looking am I?
On those hot days in September, it is hot as hell...everyone drinks water.
How about all those kids selling water along the way? Who will pay for their college?
I've never found lines to be a big issue. There will usually be a bit of a backup before the opening game and then the problem always seems to go away after that.
UM just catching up with the security arrangements already in place at major venues. More about re-allocating security resources and cutting costs in gate security staffing than selling more bottled water inside the stadium. Still dollars, but not concessions...
...that most other college football VENUES have the same policy. This isn't a cash grab, elsewise MICH would have been doing this for years like other teams. First it was the bags, now this. Blame the turrorists or sumpin.
We still have plenty of Bags at Michigan Stadium. They were sitting around me, booing the team throughout the Purdue game. Most of them sold their seats for the OSU game which paved the way for an entire different, yet as annoying, set of Bags to sit around us during that game.
Paul and Ninja can back me up on the Bags at the Purdue game observation.
My alcoholism will not be stopped by this absurd policy.
Why don't they just set aside a line for people who want to bring their own water into the stadium? That way, people who choose to buy their beverages inside the stadium (probably the vast majority of attendees) will not be inconvenienced, and the speed at which people can enter the stadium through the "normal" (i.e., no beverage) gates would still be much greater than the status quo.
But why go through a "water" line when you can put a water bottle in your hoodie and not be searched?
1. They're still going to search people regardless of whether there's a water line.
2. If they established a water line, anyone not in the water line caught trying to bring water into the stadium would be forced to dispose of their beverage.
Michigan Wolverines Box of Sports Tissues
This made me laugh, (and we can all use one) it is the featured merchanise item here:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/mmk
I've never been to Michigan Stadium so forgive me if this is a dumb question. Is there no alcohol served at the game? I'll be there Sept 4th (visiting from CT, but a Michigan fan) and am trying to figure out why everyone is so concerned about water?
Thanks.
No alcohol is served.
Just drink very heavily before the game on the golf course and you'll be just fine. My flask has never been confiscated as I duct tape it to my inner/upper thigh area. Just make sure you dont cut off your circulation and shave all your hair off in that area. Seriously have a good time, you'll never forget it and do splurge for the golf course parking.
its a 3:30 game in early september. it will be hot and sunny, hopefully. the game will last 4 hours, not including revelry before and after. you will need water.
What Will People Chuck At Booers Now?
owait.
That is totally cool how only the marshmallow juts out into the right margin.
What can I say ... I'm easily impressed.
chucking mallows that is.
I thought it was cool when I was a freshman. I doubt most young people don't even remember this "tradition"
Not to mention that, as it got later in the year and the marshmallows got cold, they could really sting when you got hit by one.
And there was always that one asshole who thought it was funny to put pennies inside. Ouch.
I think what killed it is the people who chucked them at the plastic glass over the cameras. I wouldn't know since my attendance was around 87.5 percent at the time (curse you Michigan for scheduling High Holy Day games) but I'm guessing the 'pock' 'pock' 'pock' of mallows hitting the shield was screwing with the TV coverage.
that and putting quarters inside them.
were the reason I started wearing a helmet to the games.
Okay, not really. But it's plausible, right?
I'm scrolling down the comments thinking to myself, "Ok Brian, 'what do we throw at booers now?' Hahaha, I got the perfect answer that people will love..." then BAM! Seven eighths of the way down I see you giant marshmallows that you can currently pick up at Meijer that you are supposed to use a whole graham (yes, a whole graham, that's like some Brandon Graham sized mallow stuff) and just completely ruin my excitement that I thought up the perfect response. Damn misopogon, I hate you, I love you, you impress me again, +1 to you, but I'm not happy about it because you had to steal my anticipated thunder as I slowly scrolled down the page growing exponentially excited as I failed to see any mallows.
You think I walk into a stadium and not know what's going on? Very well. I'll show you my Flask Technique.
Any Carnival fans out there? ...anyone? :-P
In any case, I studied a little "Flask" myself. I guess I'll just have to double my smuggling technology... better get the scientists on that right away...
August 3rd, 2010 at 10:49 PM ^
Your honor, this is draggin' out.
-Dragon? I'll show you dragon.
Nobody seems willing to ask (or explain) what event prompted the school to change its security policy, or what the target of the policy change is (alcohol? terrorists with water bottles of doom? irate Cleveland Browns fans?). Dollars to doughnuts this was prompted by something hypothetical and extremely unlikely to happen (though I'd love to know whether Michigan's vendor contracts have variable prices based on policies like this).
We have no problem paying hundreds of dollars for seats, $30 to park, a crapload of food and beer beforehand...
...but increase the cost of water by $2-3 and the world comes to an end. Eat 1 less hotdog before you come. Drink one less beverage. Park 1/2 block further away. Buy cheaper seats. OR do none of the above and make use of the new and improved FREE water options.
This is what people are whining about. A couple dollars, at worst. Is this REALLY worth the internet meltdown?
i heard that you have to buy a slice of Domino's pizza and squeeze it to get water out of it. damn you, Dave Brandon, DAMN YOU!!!!
So can you or can you not bring in your own empty water bottle and just fill it up once you get in?
Only sealed ones were allowed.
IN bottles, once inside. At 0.10/bottle the expense would be minimal and the goodwill would be great.
is a good idea.
August 4th, 2010 at 10:07 AM ^
Hell, they could raise the ticket prices a buck to more than cover it, and still get good will by handing a nice chilly water bottle to everyone that came through the gate. They could even sell sponsorships for the bottles (instead of lame pom-pom thing, you get a water bottle with someone's logo on it).
I'm on record as saying I don't think this is a money grab, but I can also see why it bugs people - it comes across as pointless, and people hate being nickel-dimed. I have the same feeling about checked bags on airlines - raise everyone's ticket price $10 and let them check a bag for "free".
How many little cups do you think they'll allow per visit? One, I am guessing. The lines will be long, so if I am seeking proper hydration on a hot day, I'm sure to buy a bottle of water.
This is distressing... the markup on bottled water is ethically indefensible, and for rational consumers the expense of bottled water is financially unjustifiable. It is a scam, plain and simple. Most tap water is cleaner, anyway. It is a completely parasitic industry.
And I can't believe Madej thinks this will result in shorter lines ... because they have one more thing to screen for, now? Are you kidding? Seems like this is mostly about "harmful materials" -- alcohol or other stuff (dissolved LSD, perhaps?). Yet I hear they will allow booze in the luxury boxes... this is simply one more way the aristocracy seek to oppress the plebeians
I remember two years ago I drank ten of the tiny cups of water in 1 minute.
Also, once we paid the teenage volunteers working the stands $10 for a full 5 gallon jug and smuggled it down to our seats for continual hydration. After we drank it all we put coins in it and used it as a noise-maker.
August 4th, 2010 at 10:03 AM ^
And because it's free, there are hardly ever lines. I never brought a water bottle because it was a pain to carry around. So I'd just go to the free water stand, chug a few glasses, and go to my seat. If it was especially hot, I'd go back at half time. Really that's as hydrated as I could stand to get without needing to miss the game to make use of the oft-lamented troughs. Of course I rarely went to the games too wasted to stand up straight, so others' hydration needs might differ.
I just don't get the money grab angle - I really don't see how the University stands to make much extra money when they don't operate any of the concession stands anyway. If they did, I think they would have done it a lot sooner (like most stadiums). That said, they could eliminate the appearance of impropriety by offering bottled water for a buck inside.
I asked, "Does anybody know the reason? Usually, there is a reason."
And now we've got it. I think Bruce Madej's answer makes sense.
The security issue is with the bottles, obviously, not the water. They are not trying to make an extra buck or two, and they are not trying to piss off thousands of people just for the fun of it.
Plastic bottles, if you are determined enough, can be filled with, uh, liquids, and thrown, or otherwise used for purposes of general mayhem. Most big stadiums, arenas, events, etc., will not let you bring in water bottles. The new Michigan Stadium policy is consistent with most of the rest of the world; it's not some weird exception. It was nice that they let people in with factory sealed, clear water bottles; the problem, as Bruce Madej points out, is that it takes more people, and more time, to sort through who is bringing in approved water bottles and who is bringing in contraband containers. Getting people in through the turnstiles faster is a very worthy goal. Simplifying the security arrangements and the task of police and security officers is likewise a worthy goal.
Mind you, I used to enjoy things that are now banned. I really liked having a bottle of water with me. I actually liked having an apple at halftime. And I've lost track of the number of adult beverages that I've smuggled into the Stadium and Yost.
But there are my personal preferences (which would include an open bar and a beer tap at the Mezzanine level in Section 1) and then there are the inevitable Rules. The NCAA, the Conference and the Regents are not going to let us drink whatever we want to, and security is, well, it's security.
I think Bruce Madej's answer is totally legitimate. It's too bad that such rules exist, but they do. There is an upside here, apparently, and it is getting into the Stadium faster, and easier.
I ask this sincerely, and only because you've apparently been around the block a few times.
Did people throw this much of a shit fit when food was first banned from the Stadium? I know water and food aren't exactly on the same level of "necessity," just curious.
(who roomed with Old Man Yost on road trips) would take me to games as a little boy, with a bag of sandwiches and a thermos of coffee for him. And the gradual banning of things (food, chairbacks, umbrellas, bags, bottles) was so gradual, and always in response to things like spectator complaints (umbrellas) larger crowds (bags) and new inventions (chairbacks, plastic water bottles), that I don't ever recall any big issues about barring any of them.
I would say this, to Bruce Madej, Joe Parker, Rob Rademacher and the other Stadium Managers: people really seem to like their water bottles. So maybe they should sell bottled water inside, at cost. It doesn't say much for the notion that plastic water bottles might somehow be weaponized, to then sell them inside the gates.
But it does allow people to have water inside, and yet not clog the entry-inspection points at the turnstiles.
I think some people will be irritated at first by this new regulation, but like everything else that has come up over the years, people will adjust and eventually forget the liberties that used to be allowed. When my dad was in undergrad (early '70s) he told me of the days when students would set up kegs in the aisle and pass the cups down to everyone in the rows around them (drinking age was still 18 back then so alcohol wasn't regulated as harshly on campus).
If people want to smuggle in harmful stuff, they do it discretely... like, stuffing a flask in your pants. If they actually want to prevent such harmful materials from coming in, they'll have to do pat-downs to make sure people aren't bringing in bottles ... which will result in longer lines. Otherwise, they're just harming the legitimate water-bottle-bringer-inners while the libation-bringer-inners will continue doing what they do
I don't see how this policy will be effective in achieving its stated purpose. Though it will make it easier for them to kick you out, once you're in.
Thanks for the email. We appreciate your input. The water bottle policy was instituted for several reasons including to help the flow of traffic through the gates. Bottles have not been checked in the past, or at least not thoroughly. With new security procedures planned for this year, a tighter checking procedure is planned to be in place. If water bottles were allowed in, we would be forced to thoroughly check all bottles as they come through which would cause enormous back-ups at the exterior gates. As we found out last year after restricting all bags, the ticket taking process at the gates flows a lot easier if items are not brought in. This policy would not have been put in place without ensuring that our guests would have access to free water. In past years, we only had 4 water fountains and 3 "free water stations". This year, we will now have 28 water fountains and 40 concession stands that will give out free cups upon request. These cups will be 9 oz. size. In addition, every other concession stand will offer bottles of water for sale with the exception of Dippin Dots and Lemon Chill locations. While we knew this would be an unpopular policy, we felt that it was the best move to help with the overall logistics of bringing 109,000 plus fans into Michigan Stadium. Thanks again for the email and please do not hesitate to contact me with further questions. Rob Rademacher Associate Athletic Director University of MichiganThis seems to say they've never been checking water bottle before (which seems accurate), but hasn't been what they seem to have been promoting up to this point. I have no idea on cup size, but is 9 oz bigger than what they've given out previously? Because 28 water fountains for 110,000+ people, outdoors at that, kinda disgusts me. The whole thing still stinks of a money grab to me.
August 3rd, 2010 at 10:51 PM ^
We can still bring giant bottles of liquor and black tar heroin, right?
August 3rd, 2010 at 11:32 PM ^
Another way they are attempting to appease us is supposedly in at least half of the stadium they will have vendors coming through the aisles to sell items.
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