2015 Home Game Promotions Announced
While I was snooping around MGoBlue, I saw that the individual home game promotions have been announced. Here is the list for the home opener vs. Oregon State:
• Michigan Athletics 150th Anniversary Celebration -- Join Michigan Football as we celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Michigan Athletics.
• Flyover -- Two AT-38s from the 435th Fighter Training Squadron of the United States Air Force will conduct the flyover at the conclusion of the national anthem. Two of the pilots -- Lt. Col. Jason "Ugly" Earley and Lt. Col. Michael "Vito" Ferrario -- are 1996 U-M College of Engineering graduates.
• Halftime -- The Michigan Marching Band's show "This Michigan of Ours" will celebrate 150 years of Michigan Athletics. Prior to the Marching Band performance, the Special Operations Command Para-Commandos will jump into the stadium (pictured).
• John Beilein -- Men's Basketball Head Coach, John Beilein will be presented the 2013-14 Bob Frederick Sportsmanship Award. This honor recognizes his demonstrated history of sportsmanship while leading the Wolverines.
• Baseball -- Michigan Baseball will also be recognized for winning the 2015 Big Ten Tournament championship.
• Giveaway -- 60,000 Maize Poms
• Student Giveaway -- 15,000 "150th Anniversary" Pennants
Of note for the rest of the saeson, BLUE pom poms will be given away at the UNLV game, Michigan State has been declared as the "Maize Out" game, and the Retired Jersey Ceremony will take place during the Ohio State game. Full List: http://www.mgoblue.com/promotions/fbl-gameday.html
August 31st, 2015 at 1:30 PM ^
Blue pom-poms? Cumong man.
August 31st, 2015 at 4:30 PM ^
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August 31st, 2015 at 1:31 PM ^
Just tell me I can bring water or charge me a buck. Thanks.
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August 31st, 2015 at 3:05 PM ^
August 31st, 2015 at 1:33 PM ^
Robin Williams MMB tribute (BYU) will be great, I'm sure.
August 31st, 2015 at 1:36 PM ^
August 31st, 2015 at 1:37 PM ^
YESSSSSS I am so beyond happy about the contiunation of the maize pom poms. They totally add to the atmosphere and appearance.
Hackett, I love you.
However, I wish we could cancel the UNLV Blue pom poms and just have maize pom poms against Ohio State.
August 31st, 2015 at 1:48 PM ^
I don't think Hackett really is involved with "Pom-poms or no pom-poms" decisions.
August 31st, 2015 at 2:30 PM ^
You don't think so? I mean, he might not care, but Michigan football games are the economic straw that stirs the drink for the entire rest of the department. If I were AD, I'd want to sign off on virtually everything related to Michigan home games.
September 1st, 2015 at 6:58 AM ^
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August 31st, 2015 at 2:05 PM ^
To each his own, but I can't stand the pom poms in actual attendence. They look cool on TV, but getting whacked with them repeatedly by the person behind you and not being able to see because of the ones in front of you sucks.
August 31st, 2015 at 2:16 PM ^
I went to an Angel playoff game a few years ago where they gave out thunder sticks. Imagine having to listen to the person behind you (and 40,000 others) bang those things together for 3 hours. Talk about a migraine.
August 31st, 2015 at 2:27 PM ^
After having an MRI yesterday, I understand how annoying that sound can get. Multiply that by tens of thousands and I could see how you could annoy the hell out of an opposing player.
Pom poms I don't get. It doesn't distract anyone and just looks "pretty" on TV. I'm more of a yell like hell type of guy anyways, so I'm not inclined to understand them. I was just hoping someone could shed light on if there is a strategic advantage. I'd wave a pom pom like a madman if it meant opposing wide receivers dropping all the passes.
August 31st, 2015 at 2:19 PM ^
Just a thought: Did you ever bother to politely ask the person in front of you to use caution in their pom-pom game? I know I'm careful to not hit/obstruct people behind me, so it's not out of the question for your game experience to go unencumbered by pom-poms.
August 31st, 2015 at 1:38 PM ^
August 31st, 2015 at 1:47 PM ^
I'd guess (and faintly remember) he's already been awarded the honor. He'll just be recognized at the football game for earning the reward.
August 31st, 2015 at 1:48 PM ^
When Beilein got it then it was a sleeper award but it's blowing up now.
August 31st, 2015 at 1:40 PM ^
August 31st, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^
Which I'm not fond of, I heard a CSB the other day. A few years ago MSU contracted with the AF for a fly-over at their stadium. As it turned out one of the pilots was a Michigan grad.
So on the way back to base he altered his flight plan to fly over Michigan Stadium and take some pictures. Apparently he wanted to show the other guys flying with him just how awesome our stadium was compared to theirs.
He got into a bit of trouble for that little incident.
August 31st, 2015 at 1:47 PM ^
What don't you like about flyovers?
August 31st, 2015 at 2:02 PM ^
of money for no discernable benefit. I don't see why the military needs to be involved in a sporting event.
Then again, I also think it's silly that we perform the National Anthem before games.
August 31st, 2015 at 2:18 PM ^
Fair enough, but you can't tell me that the P-51 Mustang and B-17 Flying Fortress flyover for last years Utah game wasn't awesome.
http://www.engin.umich.edu/college/about/news/stories/2014/september/ce…
August 31st, 2015 at 2:23 PM ^
I like the historical stuff, especially considering the money spent on those fly-overs goes to the maintenance and preservation of historical aircraft.
I got a ride in a B-17 as a father's day gift a few years ago. I highly recommend it.
And for the record, I have nothing against the military. My dad was in the Army for 22 years. He didn't like singing the National Anthem before games either.
August 31st, 2015 at 2:19 PM ^
NASCAR
I don't mind the National Anthem so much, but I think singing America the Beautiful or whatever it is they sing during the seventh inning stretch nowadays is overdoing it.
August 31st, 2015 at 2:22 PM ^
I had read somewhere that the USAF has requirements that these pilots fly a certain amount every month/year/whatever and these flyovers are a way to keep their time up (not totally sure how true that is). That said, if they're going to waste that money anyway, we might as well be entertained by it.
I don't mind the National Anthem being played at sporting events, but I wouldn't be able to give you a satisfying reason why we do.
August 31st, 2015 at 2:59 PM ^
August 31st, 2015 at 7:46 PM ^
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August 31st, 2015 at 3:08 PM ^
August 31st, 2015 at 3:27 PM ^
It is called the sound of Freedom...let it ring
Most of those pilots are and their aircraft are going to burn that fuel anyway. Why not let us see it.
Go blue!!!!
August 31st, 2015 at 3:34 PM ^
that the "sound of freedom" is a machine designed to kill people.
August 31st, 2015 at 9:57 PM ^
If they are muslims, I'm okay with it.
August 31st, 2015 at 9:57 PM ^
I believe the DoD chalks it up to recruiting
August 31st, 2015 at 2:18 PM ^
I'd really like to see them fly even lower like they used to - you know, so your hair gets singed by the afterburners and you can't hear completely for an hour or so.
August 31st, 2015 at 2:27 PM ^
I was downtown Detroit a few years after 9/11. Walking down Jefferson I hear this low roar that just keeps getting louder and louder. Out of nowhere an F-15 comes screaming down the Detroit River, 100ft above the water, tops. He must have been going close to 500 or more. He hops over the Ambassador Bridge and continued on in that direction.
No idea what he was doing. Either a training exercise or Ice Man fucking around.
August 31st, 2015 at 7:47 PM ^
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September 1st, 2015 at 9:06 AM ^
Picture or it didn't happen. As an AF vet, I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt, even if that pilot was the CC or was in a unit with a commander who liked to look the other way, that if a pilot pulled a stunt like that, s/he would have been flying a desk the moment s/he landed.
You've been watching too many 80s films.
Here's the reg on flying ops:
http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a3_5/publication/afi11-202v3/afi11-202v3.pdf
Here's what happens when one violates that reg:
August 31st, 2015 at 1:56 PM ^
the only one who really does not like the "maize out" for football? Seriously, am I?
August 31st, 2015 at 2:02 PM ^
Down in front
August 31st, 2015 at 2:11 PM ^
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August 31st, 2015 at 2:16 PM ^
Does this mean that State game is perhaps going to be a night game?
August 31st, 2015 at 2:21 PM ^
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August 31st, 2015 at 2:24 PM ^
Yeah, I forgot that they had announced that in the spring...
August 31st, 2015 at 2:56 PM ^
Then the 4th quarter may be played at dusk. Not a perfect situation, but it will have a bit of that night time feel.
August 31st, 2015 at 2:23 PM ^
think of Michigan stadium as a "mish mash" of all kinds of different colors and types of apparel. If you go back and watch classic games, circa 97, there is no central color but the stadium just looks natural and classic. I don't know, it just does not add much to me. I think the best idea would be a version of the terrible towel but that doesn't seem to be in the cards.
August 31st, 2015 at 2:59 PM ^
It's looks like a giant heartbeat when they do aerial shots.
August 31st, 2015 at 3:16 PM ^
If by not liking the maize out you mean that you wish everyone wore maize for every game, then I agree with your sentiment.
August 31st, 2015 at 3:05 PM ^
60,000 pom-poms. Why not just give one to every person coming through the gates? That would look aMAIZEing.
August 31st, 2015 at 3:37 PM ^
This is a joke, right? Pom poms and 
FanFest presented by Meijer.
I disapprove. Band is great; honoring other UM sports is great. Anything else is superfluous, even the flyovers.