BETTER Fluff: Michigan vs. osu Before Thanksgiving?

Submitted by JWG Wolverine on

Enough of this bs about The Game at night. See the other thread for why that is an awful idea.

We should spend that time campaigning on a far better cause, which is (assuming it is able to remain UM and osu's final game of the season), moving The Game to the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving.

rob f said it best in the last thread:

"Want to improve the atmosphere for The Game?  Move it to the previous weekend (before Thanksgiving) so that many many more students are in town and able to attend.  Move it to the previous weekend so as to end the tug of war for season ticket holders between going to The Game vs. going out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  Suddenly the supply of secondary market tickets dries up considerably and we keep the Ohio riffraff out. Moving The Game up one week will do much much more to improve the atmosphere than moving it to night"

Wolverine Devotee

June 20th, 2018 at 7:49 PM ^

I don't think moving back a week is gonna stop the weak spirited portion of the fanbase who sells their tickets to OSU fans.

Source: November 21, 2009. 

If I were AD I'd look to terminate season tickets of those who sell to OSU fans. 

JWG Wolverine

June 20th, 2018 at 8:01 PM ^

Just gonna totally ignore the variable that people maybe sold their tix because we sucked at the time? Moving back a week would totally help, especially under Harbaugh.

By the way, I am a season ticket holder and I (unlike many) went to that game. I also agree and want to spread the word on the fact that the AD should terminate season tickets of those who let them go south.

Bando Calrissian

June 20th, 2018 at 8:13 PM ^

OSU fans rather notoriously bought up tons of the single-game tickets back then (there were a lot of them, and I don't think they'd started pairing them with lesser games for ND/OSU/MSU yet). The AD was holding on to a lot of non-renewed season tickets knowing the renovations and ADA seating installation shifts were coming, as they planned to shift around tickets to make up for lost seating. Ergo, many, many seats were being sold as single games. During those years, our seats were surrounded by tons of random one-off people. Including that OSU game--I know because we got some drunk and confrontational OSU meatheads booted before the end of the first quarter.

But, really, why should the RichRod years be used as a baseline for normal Michigan Football trends?

East German Judge

June 20th, 2018 at 7:49 PM ^

....so does the general public or students miss the game because of Thanksgiving?  It is always a sellout and usually is one of the most attended games, if not the most of the year.  Did not know it was an issue???  If we start winning against THEEEEEEEE ohio, our fans will be less likely to put tickets into the secondary market, but keep in mind, for many people, selling this one games helps pay for all their season tickets and books, etc.

chunkums

June 20th, 2018 at 8:09 PM ^

Agree 100%. I live out of state now (Ohio specifically) and I like to see my family on holidays. Unfortunately, this means I can't ever attend The Game unless I want to skip out of my family. 

MGoFunkadelic

June 20th, 2018 at 8:35 PM ^

thanksgiving and the game go hand in hand. 

it is not thanksgiving without it. 

people who want to attend will stay in town to see the game or come back after the holiday in order to make it. 

making it a night game at the end of November just sounds frigid.

JWG Wolverine

June 20th, 2018 at 8:56 PM ^

"Thanksgiving and the game go hand in hand"

The weekend before Thanksgiving is still tied to the holiday of course, but removes the conflict factor of being family for the holiday.

Also, idk where you've been, but until a recent realignment, it WAS before Thanksgiving, so it's not like it's a tradition to have it after.

chunkums

June 20th, 2018 at 10:04 PM ^

Right, but the point of this thread is that people don't want to have to prioritize one or the other. I love Michigan football, but the opportunity to get the whole family together is a rare one. Additionally, not everyone in the extended family appreciates it when you spend most of the day in front of a television instead of, you know, talking to your family. 

carolina blue

June 20th, 2018 at 9:18 PM ^

With the big ten championship a week later, it sure wouldn’t hurt to have a bye week before then. It used to be a problem because we were all off while everyone else was playing. I can see it both ways, but I lean toward keeping it where it is. It’s rivalry weekend. 

Hail Harbo

June 20th, 2018 at 9:53 PM ^

All P5 teams play that weekend, most on Saturday, a few on Friday, and the Mississippis will play on Thanksgiving this year.

This is a function of the twelve game schedule and having bye weeks at meaningful times of the season, e.g. not the first or last week of the 13 week season.

Playing The Game the weekend before Thanksgiving wasn't a tradition, playing The Game as the last regular season game for Michigan and OSU was the tradition.  People tend to forget that The Game is played following Thanksgiving from time to time whenever the first Saturday of November falls on the third of fourth of the month.  The one exception that I could find was 1984 when evidently the Big 10 didn't schedule a bye week though they started the season a week early.

pz

June 20th, 2018 at 9:59 PM ^

I agree - particularly because of students. Blaming it on "weak" fans who sell to OSU fans is ridiculous. I don't specifically fault people for selling their seats - that's their choice.

However, if the game is situated in a way that makes it extremely difficult for a significant portion of our student body to easily attend, it is wrong and should be changed. OSU does not have nearly the same issue from a student POV which I think is a real challenge in preserving home field advantage.

Change it back to the week before Thanksgiving or push the whole thing back another week so that students can attend with ease.

aaamichfan

June 20th, 2018 at 10:10 PM ^

Everything about that game is 50-75% as fun as it could be. Tailgating is rather subdued, the stands are not packed like they should be, most student areas aren't going nearly as crazy as they would be. 

I agree 100%. Horrible weekend to have the game. 

WeimyWoodson

June 21st, 2018 at 12:20 PM ^

UM in general is more subdue of a place for a game.  First several games of the year (minus when they have ND at night) are super chill, students don't make it in until halfway through the first quarter.  For non students you have lots of fans yelling at others to sit down so they can watch the game, etc.

I've been to three OSU/UM games and two were pretty electric from the beginning, the one that wasn't was the 2013 year where DG went off and everyone thought we were going to get killed.  But the one ND night game I went to was insane!  

Overall compared to some other schools who are just rabid fan bases I feel like Michigan games are more like a symphony rather then a rock show. 

rob f

June 20th, 2018 at 10:13 PM ^

+1 to you, JWG Wolverine.

While I agree with others who have essentially posted that if there's a will there's a way to attend The Game, the reality of it is that it is a tough choice for many out-of-town/out-of-state fans and season ticket holders with family obligations or priorities on such a high-volume travel weekend. 

Here's a link to an article citing AAA travel statistics showing just how busy a travel weekend Thanksgiving really is:

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/busiest-travel-day-108182.html

  I haven't missed a single one of the OSU @ Michigan games since 1977 when I first got season tickets, but keep in mind that The Game was prior to Thanksgiving for the vast majority of those years. The change came about due to both conference realignment and the desire by conference leadership to shorten the gap between the regular season and bowl games.  With the B1G Championship now permanently scheduled for the first weekend of December, is there still a good reason to play on the weekend following Thanksgiving?  IMO, no.

Initially, I liked the idea of having THE GAME after Thanksgiving, but now that my kids are grown and that I'm a grandparent, my opinion has changed.  I'm still not planning to ever skip the OSU @ Michigan game but can now understand how it is a difficult choice for many.

As for the students, it's a hard fact that many students simply can't stay in Ann Arbor for The Game.  And being that the students are the single loudest segment of fans at The Big House, if you want a more pro-Michigan atmosphere, then schedule it for when the students are in town.

BlueMan80

June 20th, 2018 at 11:39 PM ^

The game was always the weekend before Thanksgiving when I was an undergrad.  Glad I never had to choose between going to The Game or going home for Thanksgiving in Boston.

i have season tickets these days and it does goof up the long Thanksgiving weekend.

MaineGoBlue

June 21st, 2018 at 6:52 AM ^

You don’t have to choose between family or football.  Tell the family that you’ll graciously host thanksgiving on the odd number years.  Works well...