Share your Big House “down in front!” stories

At the depressing Akron game. I, now regrettably, decided to stand and encourage people around me to do the same and cheer, since the whole stadium had fallen asleep. It eventually became clear no one in the vicinity cared, and after getting yelled at enough, I sat and shrunk down as small as I could to make myself invisible. The only thing I could hear for the rest of the game was the girl behind me critiquing the Robin Thicke album with the song “Blurred Lines” on it, the song being piped into the stadium.

I tend to be a follower in this regard.  Whatever the others around me are doing.   They sit, I sit.  They stand, I stand.  Really not a big deal.

“I didn’t pay $150 to stare at the back of your fucking head!” 

-Domer fan to another Domer fan, 2 weeks ago

I have never once heard the phrase. I don't question that people say it, but I've been fortunate.

Was the ND game this year, basically the entire stadium was standing because of the rain, and the lady right behind me choose to sit, early 2nd quarter she asked me to move because she could not see the game.

Great topic.

First, I bark out - let's go!  Fire up!  Trying to get folks to stand and I stand.

Then, I sit - - - and shortly afterwards, yell at people to "sit down". 

Then, I stand. 

Then, when everyone stands for a big play or whatever, I yell.... "down in front". 

I do this all game - - back and forth - - - sit and stand, stand and sit, sit and stand.   

I guess you could say I'm a jerk -- but, at least people do what I say.  

Go Blue. 

Not necessarily a down in front but at work when sharing how happy I was to hear ND was a night game I got a big eye roll from a colleague who is... older than me. Sigh... older generation couldn’t care less about an actual atmosphere in the stadium.  I also have family members who complain when people stand for large portions of the game. This time the eye roll is from me lol 

My beef is with the people who stand all game, talking to each other and not paying the slightest attention to the game. Yeah, I'm old and I don't relish being on my feet continuously for 3-4 hours. I'd like to sit down from time to time. I'm not talking 3rd down, but every once in a while.

My son and I went to a game. Two worthies showed up 20 minutes after kickoff, stood in front of us the entire game, and looked at each other the whole frickin' time while having a conversation. The crocheting lady had a better idea of what the score was than these two yahoo's.

Not The Bighouse, but when I went to the movie theater to see Basic Instinct years ago, the biggest dude sat in front of me. Think about it.

The visitors sit right behind me. The opening kickoff of an OSU game had two guys stand up, they where trying to get the rest of the section to stand up because "it's the fuckin' Buckeye game stand up come on." An older OSU fan said, "Sons, I didn't drive 5 hours to look at you ass the whole game. Can you please sit down."  They did.

I got stuck sitting behind Yao Ming and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (with Yao sitting on top of Kareem's shoulders because they only scalped one ticket).  I kept whispering "Down in front" to the people next to me.  

My observation, section 43, seats are narrower than ever and people with tickets in other sections are sitting there making the seats even more narrow ergo more comfortable to stand 

There can be no worse experience than going to a football game.

I went to two games in 2005--the Penn State and Ohio State games

My feet did not touch the ground. I went where the mass of drunken humanity took me. I do not, to this day, remember sitting down at all, nor getting yelled at to sit down.

I am a small guy--5-9, a buck 70. And that seat was still in no way big enough for my nearly non-existent ass anyway.

Besides, I have to figure that if a person can actually afford the price of a ticket nowadays, and the legal extortion known as a PSL (and how long is it until you have to pay to get a PSL?), he can afford a bodyguard to make me sit down--outside the stadium.

Fuck that. Give me the couch, my fuzzy jammies, my teddy bear to cuddle when Michigan blows it, and not having to look at the Don Canham Natatorium sign for four hours trying to get out by using the ONE FUCKING road leading in and out.

Colts game in Indy back when Harbaugh was playing. Had my ~8 year old son and my brother with me. Brother was an amputee and wasn’t able to stand for long periods.

i politely asked the two young men in front of us to sit (when their view wasn’t blocked) so my son and brother could see the game.

After about the 5th time leaping out of their seats as a play started to develop, I was ready. Before the bigger one was half way to his feet my hands were on his shoulders and he was returned to a seated position! Not a word from either party. Message sent and received.

I felt a little bad at first. Until my brother leaned over and said Thank You. He really wanted to see the game. I miss my brother(s).

It shouldn’t have to be all or nothing. A little courtesy goes a long way. But when my broken down old body needs to sit at the Big House I just use the end zone TVs and still enjoy being part of the “largest crowd watching a football game in America!”  

In the early 80's my girlfriend (now wife) and I were in the endzone near the student section when they played the Bullwinkle song. I stood up and did the "antler dance" thinking I  was cool enough to do so......  Well, I was wrong.  I was not only told to sit down but an "ass-hole" chant from several rows up erupted in my direction. Thus,  I remained silently sitting in justified shame for the remainder of the game. 

Been sitting in 23 my whole life, and ND was the first time everyone stood the whole game.

Let's keep it that way.

We don’t have a “down in front” story but I’ve got a “shut your mouth behind” story. 

I think it was last year or the year before we were at the SMU game. Blistering hot day. My wife and I were there with our grandkids having a great day. There were 2 empty seats directly behind us and right after the game had started, some dude and his girlfriend/wife stumbled in. She was apparently sober but the guy was absolutely wasted.

The National Anthem wasn’t even over and he started screaming and never quit with every other word the F - word. Just obnoxious and overbearing as ever. I think our entire section was staring at him (42).

We hadn’t finished our first drive yet (which was about to stall) and this guy was screaming, “F-ing Patterson sucks!!!”, over and over with a few, “Put F-ing McCaffrey in!!!”, sprinkled in. I thought my wife and daughter were going to lose it. After about 90 seconds of praying this guy would shut his face or pass out, I finally turned around around and told him it needed to stop. He looked at me and said, “Or you’re going to do what?” I told him if it didn’t stop, I’d drag his drunk hind end right through the nearest tunnel to the nearest security guy. Some dude about 6’5” and 250 about 2 rows down says, “And I’ll help!” He sat down for a minute and then got up and left, leaving his wife or girlfriend sitting there.

Later some other guy came & sat with her as though nothing had happened. They both seemed to enjoy the entire game as much as anyone else.

I totally get that people get crazy and love to yell and have fun at the games - so do I. But this dude was blitzed and had the most vile mouth ever. Never a good combination.

Ugh.  Unfortunately too numerous for just one to stand out.