Facilities wish list
Warde was quoted a while ago saying they were planning on updating the stadium scoreboards last year or this year. My guess is that has been delayed with the Covid.
This has me thinking of the major projects I would like to see completed. For me, I’ve always wanted to see the stadium locker rooms be brought up to this decade or some sort of connection between the football practice facilities and the big house. What’s everyone else thinking?
February 15th, 2021 at 11:08 AM ^
I want to see a new B1G championship banner hung in the football facilities.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:11 AM ^
That would be ideal!
February 15th, 2021 at 11:09 AM ^
50,000 more stadium seats.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:16 AM ^
Just sell 5k of the students seats to the general public to start. The student section is rarely full.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:39 AM ^
i want to be very wrong, but i don't think we might ever see another 100K+ crowd at the big house, maybe ever.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:46 AM ^
Give it time. Either the vaccine works as desired or a better one comes along or people just decide they're done with this. It all might take longer than we might like but this won't be forever.
February 15th, 2021 at 12:58 PM ^
if this list is representative of season ticket holders, i'm not liking the odds. karens won't want to attend with the unmasked, unvaccinated savages, or the savages won't go to the games if they're required to wear masks and/or get vax'd. one group or the other will at least diminish if not outright refuse. and i reiterate, i hope i am 100% wrong.
February 15th, 2021 at 1:30 PM ^
I'm as "Covid-19 cautious" as anyone, but I think the days of 100K in the Big House will be back sooner than we think (not 2021). Slightly different mix of people for a while likely (i.e., less elderly) but even that may revert to historical mix with time..
February 15th, 2021 at 10:08 PM ^
I agree. Anyone high risk who wants it will be vaccinated well before September (hopefully before June) and many others will also be vaccinated by then too. I would be very shocked if we aren’t living in a much more normal world by the time football season rolls around. I know that I am seriously considering the trek to Ann Arbor for a game.
February 15th, 2021 at 2:18 PM ^
I wouldn't be surprised, but not for that reason. If more people realize the product on television beats all the traffic and at a fraction of the cost, they might rather stay home and use the money elsewhere.
February 15th, 2021 at 3:25 PM ^
This to me is the most likely reason we may have seen the peak of attendance. I never thought I’d prefer watching at home over the stadium experience, but after a couple years of watching at home I don’t miss it at all. Several of my peers have made the same decision for ‘21 after experiencing the comfort of watching from home this year.
February 15th, 2021 at 2:21 PM ^
Glad I'm considered a "Karen" now (even though that is exactly the opposite of what is meant by the term "Karen"), because I wouldn't sit in a stadium full of people, during a pandemic that has killed... *checks notes*... 2.4m people and counting. Interesting world view. You don't seem like the same dude who posted here for years, and was almost universally appreciated.
February 15th, 2021 at 3:59 PM ^
'karen' may have morphed but as it relates to covid it means the hyper-vigilant and/or paranoid. but hey, i was an equal opportunity poster calling the others 'savages'. and we just disagree on a topic, still the same guy. if you're that upset about losing lives, there's another practice we permit that takes multiples more in this country and in the world every year. that's a conversation worth having, but not on this forum.
February 16th, 2021 at 10:33 AM ^
That's not what it means, man. Not at all.
Also, false equivalencies are false.
February 15th, 2021 at 3:03 PM ^
Inconceivable! You keep using that word (Karen’s). I do not think it means what you think it means.
February 15th, 2021 at 4:06 PM ^
As if Karen isn't anti-vax.
February 15th, 2021 at 4:36 PM ^
Hi Karen. Knew I could count on your insightful commentary.
February 15th, 2021 at 3:01 PM ^
Considering half are wearing red on the most important of game days, that would be fine with me until the ship is righted.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:44 AM ^
What they really should do is add rows in the endzones and then widen all the seats in the stadium. Keep capacity at about the same level but make the seats more comfortable.
February 15th, 2021 at 12:56 PM ^
If it were possible (which would require an alternate universe) I'd take the existing seats and tilt them up several degrees for better sight lines. That way, when I'm sitting behind a three-hundred-pound, sun-blocking galoot, I'll have a chance of seeing what's happening on the field.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:12 AM ^
Yost Ice Arena slowly replaced brick-by-brick so it's guaranteed to be functional for another 100 years. I love that place. The intimacy of that venue is amazing.
EDIT: See XM's response below regarding Yost from a player's perspective. My angle is from a selfish fan perspective!
February 15th, 2021 at 11:19 AM ^
Seconded
February 15th, 2021 at 11:13 AM ^
Retractable roof
February 15th, 2021 at 11:17 AM ^
For Yost? That would be interesting.
February 15th, 2021 at 2:08 PM ^
I'm with you on that. It could just be some awning type things for some shade and then bring back real sports.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:17 AM ^
Either a tunnel w/ monorail between Schembechler Hall and the stadium or if that's not doable - helipads and M-branded Chinook helicopters.
Nah, forget all this facilities nonsense - just pay the players.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:18 AM ^
Call up Ross. Let’s do both!
February 15th, 2021 at 11:19 AM ^
Skate park for the athletes is tops for me.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:22 AM ^
You must be an insurance agent.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:25 AM ^
A 50 foot statue of Tom Brady would go nice with that.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:19 AM ^
A McDonalds with those bags from Tennessee.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:29 AM ^
Hi speed WiFi in the stadium?
February 15th, 2021 at 11:44 AM ^
And Crisler.
February 15th, 2021 at 12:05 PM ^
Yeah, the current wifi situation in the stadium is beyond Turrible!
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February 15th, 2021 at 11:30 AM ^
Thought you meant personal facilities.
I'm building a bomb shelter in my backyard.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:36 AM ^
Neat... But I'm not sure 20' underground is going to buy you much protection. Might be better to into procuring used missile silo's in the Dakota's. Or maybe an old Nike station in upstate NY?
February 15th, 2021 at 11:41 AM ^
Every bit helps. Problem is if the Chinese or Russian nukes are poorly aimed they could miss DC and I could be at ground zero in Warrenton.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:47 AM ^
Not sure if it's still for sale or not, but every once in a while they pop up for sale. This one would've done the trick and was a steal at $500,000.
February 15th, 2021 at 12:06 PM ^
Very cool, thanks.
February 15th, 2021 at 1:45 PM ^
They are cool...
until one considers they [should be labeled as such] are HAZMAT sites.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:37 AM ^
i haven't been in yost since my playing days, but our dressing room used to be on the second floor and we had to walk down a flight of stairs in our skates to get to the ice. as a college kid it didn't bother me, but it is weird. if they haven't fixed that already then maybe do that.
or maybe just replace yost with a modern rink. i know when we moved back to the UP that NMU put in a really slick new stadium with an olympic size sheet of ice and simple but well thought-out design/seating, etc. if NMU can do it, so can our wonderful alma mater.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:44 AM ^
Per Wikipedia, perhaps the locker rooms were moved in the 96/97 renovations:
February 15th, 2021 at 11:56 AM ^
maybe, maybe not, in that there were other locker rooms at yost, but they were for the visiting team and for the regular, non-NCAA use of the rink. i would hope someone on the board would know and, better yet, might even be able to swami up some pictures if there's a new michigan locker room. it was nothing special back in the day. it even had an.....8 track tape player. (most of the board will probably have to google what that is).
February 15th, 2021 at 12:04 PM ^
Not me, BBA Ross Class of 77.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:55 AM ^
Replace Yost? Yeegads, man!!!
I never played there, hell, I've never actually been there to see a game. But just seeing it on TV and in pictures alone makes me want to keep it forever. Its a beautiful building - unique in its design, seating, and sound. One thing we do too much is replace items that have both/either historic significance and/or nostalgia built in. Things like Yost get replaced simply because we can. It's often easier to raze a building and replace it than it is to rebuild it from the shell out. But sometimes, the extra expense would be so worth it...
Yost seems like one of those 'sometimes'. Gut the interior and restore/repair the exterior shell. Build a modern facility within the existing structure to preserve the look and feel of an iconic building.
February 15th, 2021 at 12:18 PM ^
I have to downvote for replacing Yost. The MacInnes in Houghton is home for me, but Yost is an incredible place to watch a hockey game. Way too much character to move on from that building.
Also, the Berry sucks.
February 15th, 2021 at 12:35 PM ^
i can handle the downvote, though may have to get into counseling....i will say i always liked the ice at yost. but walking down stairs to get to the ice was odd.
and i am curious why you say that about the berry? also had good ice, brand new facility, the guys who ran it were my yooper buddies so we had a very good chance of having any/all ice time we wanted. what's not to like?
February 15th, 2021 at 12:43 PM ^
Mostly just the team that plays there, but as a fan, I prefer higher, steeper stands to the low seating all the way around. It makes a big crowd feel smaller, while higher stands tend to make a small crowd feel bigger (in my opinion). I guess I can't speak to skating experience as I can barely skate. My opinion is entirely based on the fan experience. Although I have noticed from the games I've attended there that they often have issues with puddling in the corners that delay the start of the next period. Maybe that's changed in the 6 years or so since I've been there though.
But mostly I can't help being petty toward NMU as an MTU grad.
February 15th, 2021 at 12:54 PM ^
ah, confession (NMU v. MTU rivalry) is good for the soul. not an NMU grad but have a warm spot for the school. friends and some family attended, wife was a prof there, etc. and really, i guess i like schools like MTU for the same reason - over the years those two schools have had some great hockey teams and i love being in a smaller (~5,000) arena with a bunch of folks, a substantial percentage of which i might actually know.
February 15th, 2021 at 11:45 AM ^
For me, I’ve always wanted to see the stadium locker rooms be brought up to this decade
What's wrong with them now?