How safe are Michigan football games?
I know there will be people who will think this is pretty reactionary to the Boston Marathon. Those events did prompt me to post this, but I've always thought that this topic should get some conversation.
So how safe are Michigan football games?
We all know that on any given Saturday, our favorite stadium holds more people than any other facility in the country. It's announced every gameday. Now, I'm not one to get shaky before going to the mall. I think that parents who see school shootings have reason to be concerned, but that it's hugely unlikely anything would happen to their local school. But Michigan Stadium is different. Large crowds accumulate all the time, but ours are scheduled and frequent and really, really large.
As evidence that something could happen, I give a specific example. My uncle has season tickets to Michigan football games. He also has Asberger's. He is a very smart, kind person, but also prone to erratic and very offputting behavior. Like the time he smuggled a sack of potatoes into Michigan Stadium to taunt Notre Dame fans. He shouted obsenities about the potato famine for the duration of the game. The ticket scanner wouldn't have let him in with a sack of potatoes. No problem. He just pushed them through the wrought iron fence and collected them afterwards. You can connect the dots with where I am going.
So I pose this, is it ridiculous and inflammatory to have some concern about going to football games? Will something happen? Unlikely. But could it? I guess by begging the question, I am asking for some dialogue on the subject. Should security by heightened at Michigan Stadium, not as a knee jerk reaction to current events, but as an admittance that the world is offering many more risks that it has in the past? Or is this just increased awareness of a very real but probably minimal threat?
EDIT: After going 0-5 on the the voting, I vowed not to look at this thread. I suppose I'll just throw on my tinfoil hat and take my lumps...
April 18th, 2013 at 11:55 PM ^
To be fair, I am not concerned enough to even debate not going. Just posing a question, one that has been answered pretty resoundingly. I still stick by my speculation, as I won't walk back my thoughts because they are unpopular. I also won't play the martyr and post about this topic in every thread from here to eternity, either. Never knew about the snipers though, that is pretty cool.
On second thought, martyr was a poor choice of words...
April 18th, 2013 at 11:25 PM ^
There's lots of securety, both visible and tucked away. If someone was diabolical enough they could find a way to make it into an ugly scene, but that's true anywhere that isn't a layered military fortress. While you could turn Michigan Standium into one of those (probably) it would be ugly and it would take all of Friday to get the fans in there and all of Sunday to get them out.
Ultimately I must just default to Benjamin Franklin who once said "those who sacrific liberty for security deserve neither". While that's a bit severe, I think the moral of the story is to seize the day. If fear can drag you away from what you love, you've already lost it.
April 18th, 2013 at 11:49 PM ^
...one of American's finest Libertarians! Always did love that quote.
April 18th, 2013 at 11:29 PM ^
I was REALLY hoping this topic was going to be in regards to something reasonable, like the behavior of fans/opposing fans/bringing young children.
I was sorely disappointed.
April 18th, 2013 at 11:33 PM ^
Why do people consistently fail to examine probabilities when evaluating risk? It's annoying. Even if you were at the Boston Marathon when the explosion happened, your chances of being killed or injured were pretty damn small. This is a silly concern.
April 18th, 2013 at 11:33 PM ^
Your visit must've been during the GERG years.
April 18th, 2013 at 11:34 PM ^
This phrase gets thrown around jokingly a lot, but it truly applies here. If you let something as simple as this prevent you from going to football games and cheering on your team, the terrorists win. Sick freaks like that want you to live in fear. But if you don't want your tickets anymore, let me know. I'll be happy to take them off your hands. If I'm going to die, I'll die happy watching a Michigan football game.
April 18th, 2013 at 11:34 PM ^
April 19th, 2013 at 12:27 AM ^
Eh the snipers are mostly for show. If anyone actually tried to carry out an attack, there is no way the snipers would have enough time to react.
April 18th, 2013 at 11:36 PM ^
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April 18th, 2013 at 11:36 PM ^
Terrorism is intended to scare you. If you let it scare you away from doing things you love, then you let them win.
I've been on Boylston Street at the Boston Marathon before (2 years ago) cheering on a family member. I'm not going to let the terrorists scare me away from going back. In fact, I'm more motivated to go back to prove the terrorists wrong (and hopefully some day I can run the damn thing myself).
April 18th, 2013 at 11:36 PM ^
Not safe at all. You shouldn't go to another Michigan game and should give me your tickets instead.
But seriously, anyone who worries about terrorism has no grasp of statistics. Your chances of dying due to terrorism pales in comparison to the chance of dying from a car accident, or drowning, or foodborn illness. Worrying about terrorism is pointless and is giving in. The media blows so many things out of proportion for viewership and money that stupid people buy into. Children are probably safer today if they are allowed to leave their house alone than they were 50 years ago, yet today no one lets their children out of their sight. Stop falling for this shit, no need to live life always looking over your shoulder.
Whoops, meant to reply to OP
April 18th, 2013 at 11:38 PM ^
April 18th, 2013 at 11:40 PM ^
April 18th, 2013 at 11:41 PM ^
April 18th, 2013 at 11:42 PM ^
April 19th, 2013 at 12:05 AM ^
Asperger's Syndrome will be eliminated as a separate clinical disorder in DSM-5 and merged under the autism spectrum disorders. Just thought the OP should know.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSM-5
As for security at Michigan Stadium, I have on multiple occasions seen women not allowed to enter Michigan Stadium with large purses. After 9/11, security inside the Big House has been beefed up especially compared to other sporting venues. There are always going to be people who slip through the cracks, but compared to pre-9/11, the difference is night and day.
April 18th, 2013 at 11:44 PM ^
...when I die, I would want my ashes spread across the Michigan Stadium field. If some terrorist or lone wolf wack job wants start some shit, so be it. They will likely help accomplish my one dying wish. That way, the terrorist definitely do NOT win.
April 18th, 2013 at 11:46 PM ^
April 18th, 2013 at 11:48 PM ^
April 18th, 2013 at 11:49 PM ^
April 18th, 2013 at 11:51 PM ^
A couple years ago there was this freak occurrence. Hopefully, stadium security has stiffened since then.
However, I'm not one to live in fear. I won't let those cowards dictate what I do and where I go.
(First time posting a link on here. Hopefully, it works.)
April 18th, 2013 at 11:54 PM ^
April 19th, 2013 at 12:03 AM ^
....about 12 years ago. Right after 911, all eyes were on Michigan Stadium since it would be housing the largest event since the 911 attacks. IIRC, we didn't even postpone the game. We walked on the field 5 days after 911, played Western, beat them like we would have done any other Saturday, and life goes on.
Us 1
Terrorists 0
April 19th, 2013 at 12:17 AM ^
when I think of michigan stadium I first think of how crazy it was when woodson returned the punt against OSU.
The second thing i think of is the moment of silence for the game after 9/11. I doubt anyone who was there that day doesn't think about it at least during the season every year...
And maybe the loudest national anthem I've ever heard too.
April 19th, 2013 at 12:05 AM ^
April 19th, 2013 at 12:09 AM ^
OP, First off, it's Asperger's Syndrome, named after Dr. Hans Asperger who discovered the diagnosis and most recently folded into the diagnostic criteria for Autism in the most recent revision of the DSM. It used to be it's own illness. I'm sure your relative is an interesting individual with a series of unique, sterotypical special interests and perhaps some social interactive difficulties.
Regardless of illness status, however, you probably should support the guy not to be smuggling items into the stadium. It's dangerous and if he gets caught you'll lose your seat access. Given the situation at Boston and the fact that we all know Dave Brandon creeps the MGoBlog threads then you know this sort of thing will somehow be monitored over the coming year.
FWIW, I find downtowns in most big cities a more immediate threat than showing up in Ann Arbor, parking, eating breakfast at Zingerman's and then walking down to the stadium.
April 19th, 2013 at 12:11 AM ^
April 19th, 2013 at 12:22 AM ^
but why worry.
April 19th, 2013 at 12:22 AM ^
Get a good buzz going and there's nothing to fear. Not even fear itself.
April 19th, 2013 at 12:24 AM ^
The terrorists won the day they banned marshmallows.
You win the thread.
If I'm gonna die and it's not from having sex, let it be watching Michigan football. Preferably the last seconds of a blowout national championship game in 40-50 years
Why not die from both at the same time?
. . . . . .
Woa I had no idea there were snipers on top of the stadium. There has to be some times they get totally enthralled with watching the game and not security though right? I mean come on, I dare you to find one person that didn't have their eyes glued in the fourth quarter of the UTL game
at every home game as they walk past me in the hallway of the 5th floor suites on the east side (i'm a server in the suites) to get to the stair well to get up to the top.
every friday night during the season the ann arbor cops show up with the dogs to do a complete sweep of the stadium for bombs. The dogs are also back in the morning of the games.
also home land security has been trying to get the universtiy and ann arbor to shut down stadium and main on game days since 9-11 happened and its only happened once and that was for the UTL game.
There is risk everywhere. You either assume it or you don't. I'm way more concerned about drunk drivers on game day than I am an act of terror, but if someone wants to commit a heinous act, particularly if they are willing to die in its commission, it is very hard to stop.
Michigan Stadium is as vulnerable as any other facility where thousands congregate. How many food trucks come into the stadium? How far is the Big House from Ann Arbor Airport, to say nothing of the planes that fly around all day with banners trailing behind them? How dense are the crowds trying to get into the stadium shortly before a game starts?
I worry way more about someone tearing an ACL.
It's ok, I have several Horcrux's just in case of this very thing.
If it did happen, I would hope that all who died got a special place in Football Valhalla next to Bo and Ufe.
April 19th, 2013 at 10:36 AM ^
Must you be a Viking to go to Valhalla?