Fireworks will NOT happen: Regents vote against them
By the looks of these tweets, it seems there will be no fireworks. This guy is live tweeting the board of regents meeting.
It looks like fireworks will be shot down.
https://twitter.com/Freephighered
Read some of the comments from the Regents...
Fireworks at #UMICH football games to be similiar to Winter Classic display. Will be shot multiple times during game.
— David Jesse (@Freephighered) July 17, 2014
Regents asking lots of questions about fireworks display at games. Uncommon for them to ask this many questions in public
— David Jesse (@Freephighered) July 17, 2014
Regent Ilitch: I don't understand fireworks during the game.
— David Jesse (@Freephighered) July 17, 2014
Regent Dietsch: Heard from lots of people opposed to it. I will vote no. Plans disrespectful to our neighbors.
— David Jesse (@Freephighered) July 17, 2014
Regent Dietsch: Fireworks "feels like a night at Disney" not a Michigan football game. @freep @freepsports
— David Jesse (@Freephighered) July 17, 2014
Bernstein: We are not Comerica Park (says no offense to Regent Ilitch, who is sitting across him).
— David Jesse (@Freephighered) July 17, 2014
Bernstein, @MGoBernstein: The fireworks should be on the field, not above the field.
— David Jesse (@Freephighered) July 17, 2014
Edit!:
UM Regents vote against fireworks at Michigan Stadium this season, citing safety, public disturbance concerns. @michigandaily
— Ian Dillingham (@IDillingham) July 17, 2014This reply was brought to you courtesy of "Preparation H".
The opinions expressed in this comment do not reflect the opinions of the assholes who use Preparation H. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of MadMonkey and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other primates. Examples of any analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world analytic products as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of any other primate or sponsor.Huzzah.
"Feels like Disneyland"
"Fireworks should be on the field"
Outstanding answers.
This entire thing was totally ridiculous. Instead of focusing on fireworks displays and skywriting over Spartan Stadium, how about we work on making ticket prices more affordable, or improving the student section?
Don't know if this has been posted or is thread-worthy, but Michigan has implemented a new "Football Student Task Force" for 2014.
http://www.mgoblue.com/tickets/students-task.html
The Football Student Task Force will be the voice of Michigan Stadium's student section. Members will be vital in giving feedback on policies and providing suggestions for improvements in order to make the student football experience and Michigan Athletics the best in every way.
Hopefully it's more than just a kabuki show.
is a big red herring, and am wondering what Dave will slip by us while we are dazzled by the fireworks flameout.
I knew it... a big, soft, fuzzy, loveable Willy the Wolverine is coming! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
This seems similar to the leadership council that Hoke implemented on the team. I wonder how much influence he had over this.
Remember what a farce the Ad pretending to care about students is. Does anyone have the Student Body President's comments about what students SAID they cared about vs. what the AD implemented? The answers and results were diametrically opposite.
Just because they were douchebags for a while doesn't mean they are incapable of learning their lesson and being better in the future.
(On a side note, if anyone can edit Dave Brandon's head over Saddam for this song, I may just ask them to marry me.)
and we have to hear it 5 miles away. Wow.
#ActLikeYouveBeenThereBefore
ASU also has extremely attractive girls in bikini tops at game. I've seen it on TV.
Get on it Brandon. That's one "WOW" innovation we can all get behind.
until about October when the heat dies and the layers start returning.
You mean no #GoBlueGoBoom #LetsGoBoom #GoBoom?
That sucks
Made possible by a generous donation from user MGoBlue24
Since there is no fireworks, does this increase our chances at "Dollar-a-Dog" night?
I would like that much better.
Honestly, this idea is as good, if not better, than any that the AD has had lately. Although the AD would lose some $ from other vendors, hot dogs are cheap, so they'd likely break even with the cost of the dog + labor. It'd help students sober up, everyone likes hot dogs, they are warm for the winter, people get hungry.... those are better reasons to hold a promotion than these cockamamie, amateur ideas.
Later tonight the Regents will express their displeasure on DB's mailbox.
I posted this in the movie thread - and I swear not to post it again after this - but it feels appropriate with the Disney comments and whatnot.
I have a passion to preserve tradition. We didn't stand up to Brandon in years past and look where it has gotten us. We don't stand up to him now, and in a few years we'll have strippers riding on mascots' shouldiners while shooting hot dog guns and dancing to Miley Cyrus.
Perhaps not. But damn well better believe there will be ads in the Big House and a bunch of needless faux-NFL horseshit.
Some old man in Section 1 will yell at you "DOWN IN FRONT!"
And don't cheer too loud either. Just sit and clap and enjoy the autumn breeze.
I understand your fight...but it's pointless.
Why? Because the folks like you weren't and aren't coming to the games when Brandon was/is doing nothing. So it's not about you (or I, because I'm way more in your boat than I am his).
It's about money. And if Brandon can fill your empty seats with a bunch of Miley Cyrus tweens, that's what he's going to do. Period.
If people like you filled the stadium week in and week out, the student showed up week in and week out. There would be no reason for Brandon to change.
But we started losing football games...you and your crowd and students stopped showing up, and Brandon is now working like hell to fill your empty seats with people you hate.
I really don't blame you (or the students)...because we sucked. And I don't blame Brandon...because it's about money.
What I don't understand is give me ONE school like Michigan that isn't winning, but still fills the seats week in and week out like they did when they won. Texas maybe?
Florida's got attendance problems, Alabama did when they sucked. USC, MSU, Notre Dame.
Everyone is struggling. Brandon's job isn't to leave those seats empty...I disagree with how he tries to fill them, but if you're not going to games and the students aren't going. What's he supposed to do? Just sit there with 80k when he could be selling those seats, to yes, even tweeny boppers, and making more money to support his athletics department?
Football drives the ship for everyone else folks...those seats have to be sold or everyone and all sports are effected.
Rather than attack Brandon, it's my belief that people should STFU and go to games...then they'd have a leg to stand on in my eyes. But bitching when many of you (not saying you) don't attend, well that's just silly.
I agree that DB needs to try to fill those seats. But the problem is the things he is doing to attract people aren't working, and in the mean time he is discouraging long time customers. The bunch of Miley Cyrus tweens aren't going to pay astronomical prices to get crammed into a stadium for four hours and then sit forever in traffic on the way home because there is rock music in between plays and fireworks at the end. That stuff works at minor league baseball games because those games are relatively cheap and easy entertainment for the family as long as there is something to make everyone in the family happy. If he wants to attract the casual fans, he needs to set the prices at a level that doesn't discourage the non-die hards. Otherwise, he needs to stop all the crap that is ruining the experience that made the die hards love the games in the first place.
there wouldn't be empty seats if Brandon weren't failing so miserably at his job.
The reason so many people have bailed on the team is that Brandon has jacked prices up so much that unless the team wins 10+ games every year, a lot of people don't feel like it is worth $3,000 to come watch them. They feel like they can watch them go 8-5 for free at home.
Brandon has priced the tickets like this is the early 1990s when Michigan won Big Ten titles every year, not 2014 when Michigan hasn't sniffed the Big Ten title since 2 coaching staffs ago.
If you pay my PSL, I'll ante up for season tix.
The politics behind this are somewhat interesting. Why was the Athletic Department allowed to put this proposal on the agenda only to have it shot down?
When she was President, I would assume that President Coleman would have spoken with some of the Regents about the proposal beforehand, and instructed Mr. Brandon to take the item off of the agenda, because there is too much opposition.
I guess the new President isn't familiar enough with the Regents that he could have saved the department from the mild embarrassment of being told "no".
The new president IS familiar. New sheriff in town, and all that.
is the one that presented the plan to the Board of Regents. Pretty ballsy of her to defy the new president in town.
Maybe it was clear that this was going down and neither the new President or Brandon wanted to be there. VP Churchill was sent up there to take the beating.
Good, maybe he'll have a little better handle on the AD than the previous President. I'm still waiting for her apology for making a fool of herself and the University by getting trashed in front of 100,000. Or is she still doing the mature thing and claiming she sounded like Lou Holtz because she was "tired"?
I don't have a problem with the athletic department publicly being told no. Sometimes it's good to get your wrist slapped where everyone can see.
Wooot!!!!! The regents finally stood up to Dollar Bill Dave!
from the Board of Regents in some time. Aren't they usually just a 'rubber stamp' committee when it comes to the agenda of Regent Emeritus Brandon?
Vice President and Secretary of the University of Michigan. That's who presented the plan to the Regents, not DB.
MLive has some additional coverage here - (LINK)
One minor thing that I found intriguing was that the margin on the vote was 4-3 against for Miami, but 5-2 for Penn State. I have no idea why it was a closer vote for the Miami game really, but I found the difference interesting.
Laurence Deitch was perhaps the most vocal opponent, if the article is any indication. In his own words:
"I am a fan. I have religiously attended Michigan football games for 50 years. I can honestly tell you that I have not been wanting due to that lack of fireworks," Deitch said.
Deitch also objected to the rather small amount of liability insurance that the company that would have done the display happened to have - $5 million.
will likely draw more complaints from nearby residents.
They were only supposed to be for halftime and after the game for Miami (NTM).
The difference in games is because one Regent thought day game fireworks would be ok but night game fieworks too late. I did find it interesting though that this was a PARTY LINE vote. Republicans were cool with the fireworks, Democrats all voted against it. I never thought I'd live to see the day that fireworks became a partisan issue. But maybe this is also a veiled shot at Dave Brandon whose conservative leanings have never been a secret, even when he was on the board. I wonder if he's lost 2/3 of the Board of Regents anytime he has to send a proposal to them.
Somebody who can put together a quick parody of Katy Perry's Firework to make Brandon feel better. I'd do it, but I'm washing my hair tonight. This might get you started.
Get the offense to score
Fans will really like it more
Just own the scoreboard in the night
Like the first Under the Lights
Dave Brandon gets no fireworks,
Some regents think it makes us, look like jerks
Might make some neighbors go, "Oh, oh, my"
As they shoot across the sky
(And I did not even hate the fireworks idea - seemed cheesy, but not as bad as rawk or ads.)
You hair has lost some of its luster - and I say that as a friend.
We shouldn't even have an electronic scoreboard. Where has the tradition gone?