Halftime Survey: Should we reduce the size of the student section?
Not to get all Saban-esque, and I know there was a lightning delay, but so far this season, it seems like a large chunk of the student section has zero interest in showing up for the actual games.
For today's game, it was clear that the rest of the stadium was nearly filled out, even against a non-rival on a bad weather day, so why is the student section only 60% full at the beginning of the 2nd quarter.
At this point is it just an inefficiency in the number of seats allotted? Should the Athletic Dept reduce the number of overall seats in that section, which would open up more seats for the regular fans who want to be there (and maybe even lower overall prices?
I'd like to hear the board's thoughts.
October 6th, 2018 at 5:22 PM ^
No is the correct answer
October 6th, 2018 at 3:18 PM ^
It's been pretty full the other games. Don't overreact to a game that was delayed by thunderstorms.
October 6th, 2018 at 3:23 PM ^
Went to Western game, and it was a half filled section. SMU looked the same on TV, and Nebraska didn't look very full either.
October 6th, 2018 at 3:37 PM ^
I was at all three of those games. It was never that empty except at the very end.
October 6th, 2018 at 6:14 PM ^
It’s hard to tell because everyone moves down. No game was more than 80% full in student section so far though.
October 6th, 2018 at 10:24 PM ^
That is not true. At the Nebraska game it was never more then 80% full. Nebraska fans whom I was talking to asked if that was normal here. Sadly I told them yes.
October 7th, 2018 at 2:26 PM ^
That's right. I posted the photo of the Nebraska game midway in the Fourth Quarter, and it was terrible. The students and their defenders can claim that the game was out of reach and that Michigan was blowing out the Cornhuskers by almost 50 points. That's okay, but it is pretty freaking ironic to then hear from the students and their defenders that they are the really superior fans in Michigan Stadium. I won't listen to anybody gripe about "standing" and "yelling" if they aren't even in the Stadium. The photographic evidence is pretty stark; in this thread I have posted the ugly picture of the student sections at the end of the 3rd quarter vs. Maryland. (Homecoming! With what turned into nice weather after the morning rains.)
Don't worry; I won't take any pictures of the student sections at the Wisconsin night game. I sold my tickets.
October 8th, 2018 at 9:33 PM ^
So all that and you sold your big game tickets ? Oh my.
October 6th, 2018 at 3:37 PM ^
I think the size of the student section is fine personally.
I guess my fear is that if it did get reduced, you'd never have a convenient way to expand it again.
October 6th, 2018 at 3:37 PM ^
Here’s my solution:
If anyone doesn’t show up by the end of the first quarter, then they forfeit their seat.
Then sell tickets for $20 bucks or whatever at the front gate of the stadium for whatever seats are empty.
I PROMISE you they could fill the stadium every week doing that. If people aren’t going to show up, there’s ZERO reason why those seats should stay empty all game when there’s thousands of people who would love to come watch the game.
October 6th, 2018 at 4:50 PM ^
I'm not sure what kind of market there is for tickets after a full quarter is over, but even if one exists, inventorying the empty seats (and verifying that the occupant is actually absent, and not simply in the concession area) would seem tough from a logistical standpoint. By the time you'd have your list of unused seats to sell to the public, it'd probably be halftime.
October 6th, 2018 at 6:09 PM ^
The market problem may be a valid concern but all you have to do is see if that ticket has scanned in bu the end of the first quarter. It should all be in the system already.
October 6th, 2018 at 3:38 PM ^
If it's an issue at Michigan and across college football, then reduce the student tickets and sell them to people who are interested in going. The students have their chance, why should they be coddled, babied, and everything else to get them to go to a game.
October 6th, 2018 at 3:42 PM ^
No, the students are paying tuition to go there, so should get absolute priority in all things related to sports tickets. As a freshman, I had to sit outside the student section because there was too much demand for student tickets (2007). That sucked because everyone in the section was old and barely cheered. Your annoyance at seeing a less than full stadium is worth a lot less than ensuring that every student is in the student section.
October 6th, 2018 at 3:54 PM ^
I agree, that would suck to have to sit outside the student section if you're paying tuition. I would have been angry if that happened to me.
That being said, 2007 is a far way from 2018. People clearly prefer staying at home (or in the dorm or frat) to going to the game. in 2003, when I was in school, missing the game was the worst thing in the world. Now it seems like it's actually preferable for a certain % of the students.
Attendance and viewing habits have changed over the last decade, so I think ticketing policies should adapt as well.
October 6th, 2018 at 4:45 PM ^
If you paid for your ticket, you can do whatever you want to do with it. And missing games now is not that different from 30 years ago as a student in Michigan stadium. The viewing largely sucks and, combined with ceaseless TV breaks, the experience is hardly exceptional. Missing a few lame games in favor of staying longer at the tailgate— I’d pick tailgate every time.
October 6th, 2018 at 7:02 PM ^
This is a dumb argument. Student tickets are a fraction of the price and allocated to a certain amount. Its stupid to allocate that same amount at that reduced price if the students dont show up.
If youd rather tailgate, then great. Do so. But you shouldnt get a discounted ticket if you do.
October 6th, 2018 at 4:08 PM ^
This game is going great so I guess i’ll Find something else to bitch about?
October 6th, 2018 at 5:01 PM ^
I cannot answer your question, but will wait to see if he found something else to bitch about.
October 6th, 2018 at 4:16 PM ^
Chill. We haven't even played a marquee opponent yet.
October 6th, 2018 at 4:21 PM ^
You just confirmed my point.
If we only expect to get students to the stadium for ND/MSU/OSU, then we probably have too many student seats.
October 6th, 2018 at 4:22 PM ^
There is no determined “size”, implying limit. If you’re a student and you want season tickets you get them. Should students not get tickets at their school?
October 6th, 2018 at 7:27 PM ^
They should go to the games if they are privileged enough to buy season tickets. There was a time when the team sold out for how many straight games—but the shots on TV show large areas of empty seats in first quarter for last few home games, at least. Our fans are the weakest link in that stadium, but then we see how fragile they are as they tweet to fire Harbaugh because Maryland scores a lucky kickoff run.
October 6th, 2018 at 4:26 PM ^
No and this a bad thread and you should feel bad
October 6th, 2018 at 4:27 PM ^
Empty section is so much better???
October 6th, 2018 at 4:26 PM ^
Hell yes. Bunch of fareweather fans. Sad
October 6th, 2018 at 5:01 PM ^
*Fairweather fans. Students should always get a ticket if they want it, no matter what grouchy alumni/fans think.
October 6th, 2018 at 4:30 PM ^
Yes, then we can sell those extra seats to Alabama fans.
No, wait . . .
October 6th, 2018 at 4:30 PM ^
No, make it easier to sell student tickets so they can sell them to anyone. Less empty seats for lame games.
October 6th, 2018 at 4:31 PM ^
Maybe lower the ticket prices so more students can afford to go?
October 6th, 2018 at 4:39 PM ^
You are missing the problem. They have no problem selling the seats, they have a problem with those who "bought" them showing up.
Bought is in quotes, because you know the students aren't actually buying these seats.
October 6th, 2018 at 4:52 PM ^
Who? No one bought my tickets.
October 6th, 2018 at 5:02 PM ^
Lol you have no proof of this. Stop spreading misinformation
October 6th, 2018 at 4:34 PM ^
The easy solution is to not require validation for student tickets against non-marquee teams
October 6th, 2018 at 4:44 PM ^
The size of the student section is based on how many students buy tickets. If 18,000 students buy tickets, that's how big the section is.
Are you arguing that some students shouldn't be guaranteed the seat that they paid for? I don't think that's a great way to encourage attendance.
October 7th, 2018 at 5:27 PM ^
It's true; the phenomenon that we are seeing isn't explainable as a matter of students being unable to afford tickets. The University of Michigan made way-below-market-price tickets available to any students who wanted them. Students bought those season tickets; and now they show up late, and/or leave early, or just don't show up at all.
Arguably, the behavior suggests that student tickets are too cheap. Students buy them, it seems, without feeling much urgency to actually use them. They come and go as if admission had been for free. As if they had not paid much for them at all.
I certainly think that if a student has purchased a season ticket, the Stadium staff has to honor that ticket.
But if we see great masses of students buying tickets and then not using them, or at least not treating those tickets or the games with much seriousness or enthusiasm, then I think it is fair to reappraise how the student tickets are assigned and sold.
October 6th, 2018 at 4:46 PM ^
As someone who was at the game the rest of the stadium was not close to full...85% probably.
October 6th, 2018 at 4:51 PM ^
Not saying it was completely full. But WAAAY more full than the student section at the end of the 1st quarter:
October 6th, 2018 at 4:52 PM ^
Students also squeeze all the way down and don’t sit in their assigned seats against non-marquee teams
October 6th, 2018 at 4:58 PM ^
October 6th, 2018 at 5:05 PM ^
Look how much more dense the maize is in the student section than the old folks section. They push way down for games, even against shitty opponents. This old man yelling at kids stuff is so embarrassing in this thread
October 6th, 2018 at 4:57 PM ^
October 6th, 2018 at 5:05 PM ^
Old people telling kids what they should do with their tickets is way more embarassing
October 6th, 2018 at 5:09 PM ^
Most of our stadium is embarrassing.
Anyone (not saying you do) that shouts "down in front" shouldn't be pointing any fingers at students.
October 7th, 2018 at 2:55 PM ^
It is hard to point fingers at students inside Michigan Stadium during football games because so few of them are there. If you point at the first 15 rows, you might be okay and you'd be pointing at students.
I've been reading the crap about how great the student fans are because they stand for the whole game and yell a lot.
But more and more the photographic evidence is showing that the students are the most (literally) fair-weather fans.
October 6th, 2018 at 5:03 PM ^
We have midterms this week. Lots of people are very busy
October 7th, 2018 at 7:39 AM ^
October 7th, 2018 at 11:12 AM ^
Lmao. Yeah, screw your education! Watch football instead so I can see a full stadium on TV and not be 'embarassed'. Go back to yelling at clouds