OT: So --- Northwestern. They don't know where they are playing 5 of their 2024 home games
Seriously, what do these ADs actually DO besides raise $$$? Anything logistical? How is this not figured out at this point?
The Ryan Field renovation (boondoggle) has been a known thing for a couple years now. Northwestern may actually play a 2024 "home" game against Wisconsin in Green Bay.
Connecting this to Michigan, Northwestern's 2025 game vs Michigan may also be moved to Green Bay - that appears to be an option they're exploring.
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:35 PM ^
They can use Ford Field like MSU did for a "home" game against PSU last season.
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:39 PM ^
i had the pleasure of being at Ford Field and doing a 'devin bush' on the sparty logo. not kidding.
February 22nd, 2024 at 3:36 PM ^
I think you were a former athlete at Michigan. What sport did you play? Hockey or football or something else?
Sorry to pry, but you always have a bunch of different unique ways of looking at stuff (living on a farm in the UP with a lot of kids who sound like some have been recruited for sports). And I think this was another aspect of who you were, so just have been trying to figure it out. Thanks if you feel like answering.
February 23rd, 2024 at 12:03 AM ^
Not revealing anything secret... in another recent thread, XM shared some memories of his days on the hockey team just before Red B. took over. Modestly, he claimed to be mostly a bench player but he may have been minimizing his role. But yes, between the law enforcement career breaking up L.A.'s notorious 1980s gangs, life on the farm in N. Michigan, and raising a whole brood of kids right, I take inspiration from this guy. We don't always see eye to eye on every single topic, but I think he's got fatherhood (and life) nailed impressively. This Devin Bush move on the Sparty logo? Icing on the cake.
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:38 PM ^
Ugh - my bad, I meant to link directly to the Wildcatreport news item --- not the NU message board discussion on the news item.
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:47 PM ^
At least you had a workable link in your post.
Here you go:
https://twitter.com/WildcatReport/status/1759701590556983603
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:38 PM ^
FYI lots of chatter on the Ohio Twitters yesterday, sorry X, that their "homecoming" game against OSU will be moved to Wrigley Field.
Given how good OSU is probably going to be next year maybe that's for the best.
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:57 PM ^
i think i saw that reported here in chicago
February 22nd, 2024 at 4:05 PM ^
I have high hopes that they will be undone by mediocre QB play in a key game, while McCord has a great year.
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:41 PM ^
I would buy tickets to watch Michigan play an away game in Green Bay.
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:48 PM ^
yeah...take the ferry boat across the lake and get a chance to go to lambeau without having to deal with the nfl bullshit. go wild buy a cheesehat and circle back thru the UP.
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:56 PM ^
This is the way.
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:30 PM ^
MIL lives walking distance from the field. We will be there if this happens.
February 22nd, 2024 at 3:30 PM ^
Lambeau is the best tailgating environment in the NFL.
February 22nd, 2024 at 5:42 PM ^
That would be a great road trip
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:45 PM ^
Fire NorthWARDEstern!
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:29 PM ^
Northwestern has a better NIL program than us. Even an AD this incompetent is doing better than Warde.
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:51 PM ^
the bears played home games in champaign when they renovated soldier field. good luck NW.
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:38 PM ^
Come to think of it, I saw no mention of groveling at the feet of UIUC for use of Memorial Stadium.
February 22nd, 2024 at 1:52 PM ^
It feels crazy for an FBS team to not have this all settled way in advance (outside of a disaster situation), let alone a Big Ten team. I can't imagine the meltdown we would all have if the Big House was torn down for a replacement and then Michigan was like "Alright we're tearing it down now, home games will be played... somewhere, idk, we'll figure it out later lol"
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:27 PM ^
Man, let me tell you about what’s going on with the Oakland A’s…
February 22nd, 2024 at 8:57 PM ^
Which is why Northwestern will eventually get pushed out of the B10 - I give it around 10 years.
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:02 PM ^
Wrigley Field, Soldier Field, Arlington Heights, Naperville...seems like there's a lot of options in the Chicago area.
February 22nd, 2024 at 7:51 PM ^
Where in Arlington heights? The bulldozed area the bears own? Not sure where else could house a game, but maybe missing something.
February 22nd, 2024 at 8:38 PM ^
That's exactly what I was talking about. It was a joke, but it's Northwestern, so a bulldozed area is actually probably fine.
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:08 PM ^
It's weird that the article mentions Guaranteed Rate being 10 miles south of Evanston like it's a problem, when SeatGeek Stadium is even further south. Not to mention Lambeau obviously being even further away (it's in Green Bay, WI not Green Bay Rd).
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:16 PM ^
Heck. Just add a few thousand seats to the Loyola Academy football field and call it a day.
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:19 PM ^
My son goes to Northwestern and will be a Senior this fall. Those kids are getting chumped for their last year at the school. And nobody cares about them. The students are an afterthought.
And yes, the students do go to the games, and they tailgate / pregame before them. Northwestern is a small school and the students are not enough to fill in the stadium, but they do show up . . . much more than I thought before I became familiar with the school.
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:28 PM ^
By that token, they can never renovate their stadium b/c it will always affect students that are there. This happens at every institution and while it sucks for your son for his senior year it's not really an argument to not have this happen.
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:19 PM ^
Eh, I think their admin did fine. Getting that new stadium is huge -- it'll be much nicer and smaller, so fewer embarrassing TV shots of an empty, dilapidated Ryan field. There were so many moving pieces with getting the project going (raising capital, getting local government approval, deciding on a site (they decided to use the same site), so it's not like the admin had total control over the timeframe.
Even if they have to play a season in Green Bay, in the long run, the new stadium is worth it for them.
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:37 PM ^
No! Every deviation from the norm is a sign of wicked incompetence and greed! GTFO with your reasoned take and recognition that things can be complicated sometimes! :-)
February 22nd, 2024 at 3:41 PM ^
Sure, there are a lot of things the AD had to facilitate ... but wouldn't a first step be "we have an agreement that we can play games at Stadium X" while this is being done?
My current employer did a facility renovation for several months in 2022 - we couldn't go into that office then. They figured out alternative spaces for us during that period.
Kansas is renovating their stadium this year - they're playing 2 of their 2024 home games at the Sporting KC facility, they're playing the other 5 at Arrowhead. (which technically means, yes, they're playing the majority of their home schedule in a diferent state!)
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:39 PM ^
They should use the field at Evanston Township High School.
February 22nd, 2024 at 3:33 PM ^
New Trier is an option too!
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:43 PM ^
Michigan playing Northwestern at Lambeau? Count me in!
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:46 PM ^
Pull a Friday Night Lights and just build your own damn stadium
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:46 PM ^
If Michigan plays at Lambeau Field, I'm there for sure. (Disclaimer: I'd very likely be there if it was at Ryan Field too)
February 22nd, 2024 at 2:47 PM ^
Everything about this new stadium project is a boondoggle, why not add to the fun by (checks notes) playing home games in another state?
Seriously, the whole motivation behind this stupid thing was their insecurity over having too many opposing fans at their home games, and now they're going to go do stuff like play Wisconsin at Lambeau?
February 22nd, 2024 at 3:00 PM ^
Bill Martin did one very notable thing during his reign as the UM AD. He renovated the stadium, while we still used it. It is terrific, looks great and the new and old parts blend in beautifully.
That was in a stadium nearly double the size the NW stadium.
February 22nd, 2024 at 4:25 PM ^
What they are doing to Ryan field is not really a renovation, its much more. They are demolishing about 70% of the stadium.
February 24th, 2024 at 1:38 PM ^
Well yeah, it's a demolition and re-build venture to a lot more than 70%, as it involves underground facilities support.
The project is privately funded by the the Ryan family, and will be the most high end stadium in the BIG.
Check out the site plans on line, will be a true destination weekend and season tickets would be a great investment .
I've bought season tickets for several years as they are stupid cheap, and you sell all but a few games either MSU/UM.
Every fan base makes the trip to watch their team, usually 60% visitors.
Good for Northwestern.
February 22nd, 2024 at 6:15 PM ^
I didn't realize that they were actually proceeding with the boondoggle to build the new Dyche Stadium.
February 22nd, 2024 at 8:54 PM ^
ADs do none of the day to day operational components - at that level, depending on if it’s public or private, they have 20-30 redundant administrators working on those items.
February 23rd, 2024 at 12:27 AM ^
To be fair to NW, they’ve had a pretty eventful year. This included battling a not insignificant chorus of folks who tried to exploit the recent scandal as a way to prevent NW from moving forward with building the new stadium. Hell, they had to bribe the Mayor to get it approved (scandalous characterization all mine).
Seems like a safe bet that NW will spend most of the season at Seatgeek.