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 5:04 PM ^
The students compress downward in the section, as the game wears on they all push forward, they don't sit down in their assigned seats.
October 6th, 2018 at 5:05 PM ^
What a lot of people fail to get is that who's to say if you reduced the student section you end up with the students that do attend on a regular basis. The one thing they could do is track student ticket attendance and provide some kind of prioritization for those that do attend. It's too bad that it is such a bad look to see so many empty seats in that section. Only going to get tougher to keep stadiums full as televisions get better and better and cheaper and cheaper.
October 6th, 2018 at 5:08 PM ^
I agree. A couple people have posted similar suggestions.
I wouldn't mind it if next season they said that if your ticket wasn't scanned for 4+ games, you're not getting tix again.
It would at least force people who don't want to go to a game to re-sell them to someone who will actually go.
October 6th, 2018 at 5:07 PM ^
I think so. I think the student section size should vary, as well as prices for tix.
In the world of modern stadiums they have up to a dozen zones of upgrades between nosebleeds and premium boxes. I think the technology and insight exists to plan around high and low profile games, as well as summer and fall weather
October 6th, 2018 at 5:32 PM ^
The size should vary to the extent of how many students buy season tickets. It’s one of the privileges students should always retain given the cost of tuition— $65K in the case of the half that attends from out of state. And at many such selective schools game fees are included in tuition and always guaranteed.
The only change that should be considered would be to void the need for student ID for sake of using such tickets. But I wish to believe that this came about because many of us got tired of having ugly non-Michigan students complaining in our sections over not respecting assigned seats.
October 6th, 2018 at 6:26 PM ^
Ticket prices do vary. Take a look at face value for all games.
October 6th, 2018 at 5:36 PM ^
With the weather issues today and how the students actually use those seats I'm not concerned about today having what appears to be a bunch of unsold seats.
You can bet solid money it won't look like that in one week when Wisconsin comes to town.
October 6th, 2018 at 6:20 PM ^
You’re an idiot. 100%
October 6th, 2018 at 6:25 PM ^
I would look at the survey results if I were you.
October 6th, 2018 at 6:24 PM ^
As long as the students bring it in big games you can’t bitch. At all. Those games are their duty and purpose. They are supposed to be the difference. As long and they do that, sit back and shut the hell up.
October 7th, 2018 at 2:30 PM ^
"...sit back and shut the hell up..."
I'm so confused. Last I heard from the students and near-students and student-defenders, it was a problem that I was sitting back and not making enough noise.
October 6th, 2018 at 6:26 PM ^
No. Replacing them with boring alumni (of which I am one, although I try not to be boring) won't make the atmosphere any better. At least the students cheer, get loud for the defense, and stand up.
October 7th, 2018 at 8:38 AM ^
Actually, as an alumni myself I enjoyed the seats we used to get (but don't anymore, sadly) through the Alumni Club.
October 6th, 2018 at 6:30 PM ^
In the old days, students could unload tickets to civilians without a surcharge for non-students. IMHO, this allows the general public better access to affordable tickets if students choose not to attend.
October 6th, 2018 at 7:08 PM ^
We were at the SMU & Nebraska games. Knowing these games are all televised it’s almost embarrassing. Indeed. Cut down that student section.
October 6th, 2018 at 7:15 PM ^
Do people realize that the students, while growing up, only seen terrible Michigan teams? People forget all they've seen is us lose to MSU and OSU every year.
October 7th, 2018 at 2:32 PM ^
Of all of the excuses for crappy student attendance, this one has to be the most laughably fantastic excuse I've heard so far.
October 6th, 2018 at 7:52 PM ^
How about if students have to pay the difference between student prices and face value for any game they have a tix scan after 1st quarter or later. If they dont pay their tab they cant get tix next year.
Would address the "we are poor we cant afford it" stuff
October 6th, 2018 at 8:54 PM ^
No. How do we know it’s the same students missing every game? We see more empty seats in the student section because everyone moves down towards the field. If that happened in the other sections we’d see similar situations. The rows around me haven’t been full so far this season I’m sure I’m not the only one who can say this
October 6th, 2018 at 9:05 PM ^
I am okay with a slight recuction. Maybe 2,000 seats.
October 6th, 2018 at 11:52 PM ^
No - increase the size of the students.
October 7th, 2018 at 2:37 PM ^
I might be interested in increasing the size of the students to 6'7" and 268 lbs. And out of all 28,000 of them, we'd probably get a few good walk-ons at Tight End and Defensive Line.
October 7th, 2018 at 7:24 AM ^
I was at game (non-student) and was surprised at attendance in a good way for non-student crowd. Was also surprised how sparce student attendance was. The fact that most students live close and most non-students travel, kind of surprising to see disparity in % of attendance. The students that were there were lively and much more energitic than non-student crowd. It will be a packed house next week around the stadium. Night game and hours to get the liquid inspiration fully engaged should make for a fun night.
In short, at this time, I would say no to lessening student section. That said, I would restrict future student ticket availability if tickets are bought and not used for most games.
October 7th, 2018 at 7:49 AM ^
No, but I wish they didn’t pack themselves down, leaving the top rows empty.
Perhaps reduce the size of the ‘seats’ in the student section, keeping the total the same, then sell the top rows to the public?
October 7th, 2018 at 5:37 PM ^
I do not believe that "the students just like to pack themselves more tightly into the lower rows" can ever explain the large swaths of upper-row emptiness in their sections.
I say this for two simple reasons.
1. The bleacher seating at Michigan Stadium is not so generous that people standing together very tightly could shift the numbers of total attendees that way. In every other part of the Stadium, no one could possibly imagine standing and packing 50% more people into any given row. That's what they are trying to explain, by suggesting that it is all jut due to students shifting downward by choice.
2. Related to the foregoing point, we all know that there are big games (Notre Dame night games, OSU, MSU) when the student sections do seem to fill up. Presumably the students are just as motivated in those games to try to move down and pack the lower rows. But it is never so much that they don't seem to fill the upper rows (mostly). I think this proves the extent to which some/many students buy season tickets but just don't show up except for some really big games.
October 7th, 2018 at 9:27 AM ^
No. It’s looked pretty good this year. As many have said, the top is never filled because the students cram into the lower levels.
Today was worse than usual due to rain. The end.
October 7th, 2018 at 2:08 PM ^
Ahh, MGoBlog...
More bashing of older alumni. More "Up in back!" bullshit.
More excuses as to why the student sections look so terrible for most of the First Quarter and most of the Fourth Quarter and lots of times in between. The weather was bad! We are having midterms! The score was out of reach! Noon games are too early!
Just imagine what the "Up in back" crowd would say if an older alum made those kinds of excuses. Just imagine the outpouring of ageist hatred if the alumni sections ever looked this bad as seen in my photo below.
The photographic evidence as to the student section attendance is not going away. Last week I posted the photo of the student sections (more than half empty) midway through the Fourth Quarter against B1G opponent Nebraska.
And now, here is the student section before the start of the Fourth Quarter yesterday. I like to capture the scoreboard to demonstrate exact game-time of my photos. Note the "15:00" and the 4th Quarter on the board. The third quarter has just ended in this picture:
