OT: MSU's Video Screens at Field Level
There has been comments on MGoBlog about MSU's ribbon of video screens above the stands that often flash bright colors when the visiting team has the ball in key situations. Some describe it as seizure inducing.
Now MSU has a walls of video screens at field level - right in eyeline sight of players looking straight ahead. MSU's players when on offense get to view a screen with stationary imagery and one that typically isn't bright. ASU's players when on offense often had to view moving imagery and/or bright imagery.
Is this (1) just petty, (2) an unfair advantage, or (3) no big deal? If it is no big deal, where is the line drawn with this sort of thing? Can we get military grade spotlights and flash it across the field at Lewerke when he comes to town?
September 16th, 2019 at 10:03 PM ^
Can we get sharks with friggin lasers?
September 16th, 2019 at 10:06 PM ^
I’ve heard we can only afford ill tempered sea bass. God I miss Brandon.
September 16th, 2019 at 11:02 PM ^
Unrelated to this comment but you can see their screens here. The crowd can't reasonably be looking at those. Seems like it shouldn't be allowed, and is ugly to boot. You'd think their "larger than Michigan's" screen and the two smaller ones and banner screen would be sufficient for telling the crowd to get loud on defense. Glad our stadium isn't so damn corny.
September 16th, 2019 at 11:23 PM ^
Very limited sample size. But the board is static on MSU's touchdown. And it is strobing and blinking on ASU's touchdown, as well as the play immediately prior.
Those were basically the only 3 plays of the game near the EZ, of course. :-)
September 17th, 2019 at 6:55 AM ^
The board was doing the same shit during MSU's possession that it was doing during ASU's possession.
September 17th, 2019 at 3:49 PM ^
The board said "Get Loud" and "Make Noise" while MSU was on offense? Somehow I doubt that. If it's blinking and jumping around while they are on offense too, that seems very foolish on their part.
September 17th, 2019 at 9:10 AM ^
And the film shows that "leaping" was, at best, questionable-far, far from the egregious violation it has been made out to be.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:15 PM ^
McElwain took the sharks with him when he left.
September 17th, 2019 at 9:19 AM ^
What isn't common knowledge is that MGoGeneticists and MGoPaleontologists are working to resurrect megalodon and MGoPhysicists are working on a MGoMegalodon mounted MGoRailgun.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:04 PM ^
Its petty on their end. Do you lack that much confidence in your football team that you have to resort to tricks like this? Shame really and the BigTen shouldn’t allow it but that’s just you know, my opinion.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:04 PM ^
Worked like a charm against ASU...
September 16th, 2019 at 11:23 PM ^
They'd need at least 13 players on the field if they didn't have those video boards.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:06 PM ^
Sparty is full of low life petty losers. This type of thing is par for the course.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:31 PM ^
I'll tell ya, though--it kinda works against you when the replays consist of your giant fork-ups. Eye-level and bigger than life.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:06 PM ^
Are we surprised that the school gets any lower to ensure that they achieve victory or at least pretend that they’re saving their face?
One of my proudest moments in life was ushering my children out of the elevator immediately once we walked in with multiple MSU coaches up in it while in Traverse City… They knew what I was thinking and I knew they were guilty.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:12 PM ^
That's one of your proudest moments in life, huh?
September 16th, 2019 at 10:24 PM ^
I have achieved a little…
September 17th, 2019 at 4:28 AM ^
You say that. And yet. . .
September 17th, 2019 at 4:29 AM ^
You'ser name sucks.
If you don't know NFG, and decided to pick a fight with him, ..
God have mercy on your soul!
September 17th, 2019 at 4:53 AM ^
You’re giving me waaaay too much credit.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:28 PM ^
Fairly certain they had no idea what you were thinking.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:06 PM ^
This should be investigated like many things sparty. Much to hide there.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:12 PM ^
How many screens? 12?
September 16th, 2019 at 10:17 PM ^
Not that many. Somewhere between 3 and 9.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:21 PM ^
6 on each side?
September 16th, 2019 at 10:26 PM ^
3 and 9 equals 12. I's good at math.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:46 PM ^
Better than Sparty!
September 16th, 2019 at 10:13 PM ^
Where else is this being discussed?
September 16th, 2019 at 10:17 PM ^
The screens are critical in displaying emergency information to the crowd and those on the field in case of the very common trash tornadoes that occur in this dismal venue.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:17 PM ^
Not that I don't believe it but photos and video would be nice.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:20 PM ^
Is this what caused them to count to 12?
September 16th, 2019 at 10:33 PM ^
It was Dantonini who suffered the seizure.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:49 PM ^
And then told the Michigan usher who greeted him getting out of the bus to “get the hell away from me”
September 16th, 2019 at 10:29 PM ^
I remember back in the Jamie Morris era Michigan going down to OSU and they had all the fans there in the end zone that M was driving toward holding up reflective cards. MSU just automated it.
September 17th, 2019 at 8:03 AM ^
Yeah, that was Harbaugh's senior year when he guaranteed the win over OSU. On the TV broadcast, you can see them on the PAT's because of the camera angle.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:30 PM ^
I didn’t notice this during the broadcast, but it wouldn’t surprise me. I did a quick google search to see if I could find this being discussed elsewhere, but I didn’t find anything??
September 16th, 2019 at 10:53 PM ^
Didn't seem to help.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:56 PM ^
It didn't? Otherwise they'd have had 13 players.
September 16th, 2019 at 10:55 PM ^
NCAA football Rule 1-4-2-d says "no equipment may be used to confuse opponents." 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
If one reads that rule at a broad level, it would seemingly apply here. A video ribbon isn't "football equipment", but it is "equipment that someone at MSU has control of."
To answer the OP's original question, I don't think it's petty for an opponent to complain about that. I've noticed it myself: their video ribbons are, to say the least, "attention getting."
The bands, of course, are prohibited from "creating any noise that prohibits a team from hearing its signals." That's why the music always cuts off as the opponent breaks huddle. That's could result in a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty too.
September 16th, 2019 at 11:26 PM ^
Can't wait for the next time Michigan goes there, Harbaugh pulls out the rule book to demand the refs start calling penalties for video screens, gets a 15-yard PF flag instead, M loses some bullshit game, and Sparty fans/Dantonio cheer with glee at their competitive advantage.
Because that's our lot.
September 17th, 2019 at 4:05 AM ^
Why do you even get up in the morning?
September 17th, 2019 at 7:34 AM ^
Funny... it looks like they had the correct number of “players” on the field for that stunt.
September 17th, 2019 at 7:35 AM ^
Laughing at my own joke apparently
September 16th, 2019 at 11:01 PM ^
I noticed these during the game, but didn't notice whether they were flashing/animated during plays. They are very bright and completely obnoxious, and I can totally see where they'd interfere with play if they were, indeed, animated during the action. But it would be classless, so it fits in with Sparty Bob and his merry band of jackasses...
September 16th, 2019 at 11:08 PM ^
With all the advertising they have in their stadium--and it is crazy how many ads they cram into every last little space--you'd think they would have enough revenue to spruce that dump up a bit.