Hackett interested in expanding Maize Rage

Submitted by SAMgO on

Michigan Daily article: https://www.michigandaily.com/section/sports/hackett-interested-expandi…

Quote:

“I think it’s the kind of thing where some of the best fans would be willing to trade for their University and their students,” Hackett said. “That’s the idea — would you be willing to make something special for them, get recognition for it and get it back? But you give it to them for a game, for an Ohio State or Duke.”

The idea, essentially, is for season-ticket holders to offer their seats in a coordinated fashion for select high-profile games, clearing out full lower-bowl sections to create a more student-driven environment.

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MGoDillon

January 21st, 2016 at 3:00 PM ^

As a young guy, and not being very fond of the "old rich guys"... I have to say I don't like this idea. If you pay for a seat, and want that seat, you shouldn't then be asked to trade it away. It's just unfair to put a person in that position. Now if they simply are wanting to move the student section altogether year round, and not sell those seats to others, then I love the idea.



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Michigan4Harbaugh

January 21st, 2016 at 9:45 PM ^

Just look at that douche. He will never be able to show his face in Ann Arbor, or around his former teammates without shame.

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AcheBlue

January 21st, 2016 at 3:16 PM ^

It depends on what the goal is. If you want to treat the students better, expand the Maize Rage around the band. Those seats are often underutilized as it is, and more people distracting the 2nd half free throws can only help.

The "best" fans show up for >90% of the games as it is. They aren't going to give up their seats to students for the high-profile games. We could create a more intense home court advantage wth non-student fans as well. Perhaps the AD could consider moving season ticket holders with a lot of no-shows to the upper bowls and offering those seats to season ticket holders with exceptionally high attendance (more than a little self-interest here). They could likley charge the same PSD (no money lost) while creating a more intense vibe closer to the court.

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notYOURmom

January 21st, 2016 at 3:40 PM ^

I miss maybe one game a year in the lower bowl. The seats got worse and the PSD got MUCH worse during the Brandon years. I am going to be royally pissed if someone tries to manipulate me into the upper bowl on the grounds that your average undergrad is a better or louder or more committed fan than I am.

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Everyone Murders

January 21st, 2016 at 3:44 PM ^

I like the spirit behind Hackett's idea, but microeconomics, man.  How are you going to get season ticket holders to do this without significant holdouts? 

Maybe the better solution is before tickets go on sale to identify some games as "Total Maize Out" games so that the season ticket holders are on notice before they buy their tickets that they will be pushed upward for certain games. 

I think the best solution would be to incrementally increase the Maize Rage section, and if the students show that they can fill it like the Duke students at Cameron (but without ... you know ... being douchey Duke students) the AD can incrementally increase it again.

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tbeindit

January 21st, 2016 at 4:21 PM ^

Agree with this. One of the biggest misconceptions I've noticed over the last few years is this belief that the students show up in force for every game. The Maize Rage is awesome and has a lot of great people, but more often than not, the upper sections of the student section have a row or two of people (max). 

I understand that these would be better seats, have few total seats, and a bigger incentive to show up, but these kind of things concern me when you want to push the season ticket holders up.

That's why I like more of a mixed approach. Maybe just bring the students down for the marquee games and leave it as is (or just expand by the band) for the rest. I think that gives you better tickets to sell for games like Minnesota, but still gives you the great enviornment for the big games when you need it.

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notYOURmom

January 21st, 2016 at 4:17 PM ^

Can I just point out the irony of a lot of people who sit around watching the game on TELEVISION with no personal commitment at all suggesting it would somehow be better if the people that show up for LOTS of game were penalized by obliging them to give their seats to whatever undergrads because it would look nicer on TV.   If you are so eager to see the lower bowl filled up come fill it.

Because the people that dig out their cars and drive through the snow and pay $10 to park in the friggin PiHi parking lot 1-2 times a week all winter apparently are not worthy to occupy the seats that they already paid for twice.

Yes there are people in my area who DONT show up, but tell me how you would fill their seats without also yanking the seats of steady attenders?

AND GOOD LORD have none of you noticed that sometimes the Maize Rage has whole quadrants of the upper bowl filled and sometimes - like specifically the same damn games where some lower-bowl Old Guys dont show up - sometimes the RAGE is also highly diminished.  I honestly dont see much difference in attendance pattterns between the groups.

And where were all the Maize Rage kids over winter break?  Hmm?  

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ak47

January 21st, 2016 at 4:30 PM ^

The student section set up in Crisler sucks but a roving student section for big games is a horrendous idea and unfair to season ticket holders.  They missed the chance to do anything good during the crisler renovation and not it just sucks.  They should have bleachers around the entire court and there should be a steeper wall of students behind one basket, not off to the side with the band behind the basket and over a tunnel.  Who the fuck put a tunnel behind the basket?  Those always go in corners.  So much stupid went into that plan.

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bbardon23

January 21st, 2016 at 5:09 PM ^

something needs to be done... with our team looking to be prevalent in basketball from here on out the student section doesn't do it for me. I'm currently a student at IU and this team has people cheering for dudes coached by Tom Crean for christ sake.

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UMxWolverines

January 21st, 2016 at 5:09 PM ^

They screwed up during the rennovation. First of all theres 1,000 less seats. Second, they should have put bleachers around the whole bottom like Breslin has. I wonder if it hadn't been a better idea to just build a new arena.

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Bando Calrissian

January 21st, 2016 at 8:39 PM ^

1. Crisler was built too big to begin with. Reducing the capacity was the correct decision. Hell, they probably could have cut it back more.

2. The problem with the renovation wasn't with the student seating, but with the fact that DB completely reseated the lower bowl, upping PSDs and giving priority for seat selection in the hands of people with more Victors Club priority points, which just happened to be a lot of newer donors or previously middling donors who jumped to the top of the heap through the point bump from football luxury seating. Meaning people who stuck with the program through the dark ages got bumped to worse seats once the program got good again.

Which is why the AD now saying "maybe we'll get the lower bowl folks to trade their tickets for students" is so goddamn hilarious. I like Hackett and all, but it takes balls to talk to a lot of folks who are already grumbling about their basketball tickets and say "how about for the big games you go sit somewhere else?". 

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