Game Day atmosphere at TCF Bank Stadium

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Schnauzer

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Well, another year has started at the new brickhouse. I enjoy the atmosphere of a college game as much as I enjoy the game itself. So, with a few changes noted in other threads and the start of another year, here is my version of the good, the bad, and the ugly...

THE GOOD
1. I hope the student section builds on this. I sit near them and always get a kick out watching the student section. Lots of energy and more kids than I had anticipated, after reading the gloom in the Strib. I'd also add that the items they are putting in between the third and fourth quarter are very good. I find myself looking forward to it. 2. Hurray for finally using ALL the scoreboard for replays. I picked up on this right away. I understand the need for ads but the tenacity they used to show to leave them up there the whole time begged for the question: Why not just get a smaller scoreboard and use cheaper flip boards for ads if you are going to leave them up there the whole game? Very nice change and a good balance compared to the use of the video board during the first three years. 3. font change for scores and game data. Nice touch to keep building that "brand." 4. Bathrooms. Easy in, easy out... and clean. 5. All the things we have always loved about TCF are still there: wide aisles, great sight lines, etc. Just love the open concourses where the game and sound can still be enjoyed even if you are making a run to a concession stand or bathroom. TCF remains a wonderful place to watch a football game.

THE BAD
1. Band pit/microphone. It appears to be the biggest design flaw in the stadium: that pit makes it very difficult for anyone on the east corners or end to hear the band. they are sunk down in a hole, and the hole itself was amazingly designed to be too small to fit the band. Yikes. Furthermore, somehow the 'U' continues to lag far behind places like Michigan and Ohio State in having the band be heard over TV. It always sounds as though mic placement is only picking up sections of the band. Meanwhile, Hail to the Victors is an icon that can always be heard very cleanly at any home Michigan game, regardless of which network is broadcasting the game. The 'U' marching band deserves better. 2. Design of the student section. I wonder if the two deck design is an issue for the student section? I wonder if when it was designed if it would have been better to have the stands in the end zone remain together instead of separated into decks for the student section. Not sure. Just wondering if it is less fun for the students arriving later and sitting in the second deck, perhaps losing the feeling of 'partying as one.' 3. Concourses (talking space to move around). Info about the stadium is always quick to point out that the concourses are twice as wide as the Metrodome. They always fail to point out that the Metrodome has two concourses so the net result is about the same size! They can be just as crowded and difficult to navigate as the metrodome, but at least feel less crowded with the view to the field.

THE UGLY
1. Concessions. I can realize that the experience of going to the concession stand can change from stand to stand and game to game. That being said, as a veteran of every game ever played there, I have been beaten down to the point where I go only once per game now. I made my only trip there at the start of halftime on Saturday to order a couple hot dogs and a soft drink. They were out of hot dog buns... at the START of half time. I have had some excellent experiences at the concession stands, both in speed of service and quality of product. But, situations like I encountered on Saturday have been common enough that I have grown to avoid the food stands. It seems like the variety of choices have dwindled too. 2. Ads. It has been said many times, but the number of ads remains a pain in the azz. The new "red zone" ad is just another in a long line of annoying ads that intrude on the game itself.

That is my list and I realize that some of these have been mentioned in other specific threads. But from the overall stadium experience... what other items would you add to fall under the GOOD, BAD, or UGLY categories??
 

As for the bathrooms, I left for the bathroom after one of the Gophers extra points, and was back in my seat in time for the kickoff. No complaint there.

What would it take to redo the band area to improve it?

For concessions, I think they should rely more on vendors walking the aisles. A soda vendor came by once, I might a bottle of Coke from the aisle vendor rather than stand in line. When people can buy their snacks from aisle vendors, that shortens concession lines. Have the soda vendor come through more often. Can you get a hot dog from an aisle vendor? That would shoten lines as well.

Is there room to put up menus above the concession stands, so that people can read the menu while they wait? This would reduce the time people spend thinking about what to order.

I'm not that inclined to complain about the ads, but the Dog of the Week was strange.
 

RodentRampage said:
What would it take to redo the band area to improve it?
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I think the concept of a "band pit" is a good one and I like the "Pride of Minnesota" painted on the back of the pit. But, with the sound issues mentioned above and the fact the pit was designed from the start to be too small to fit the entire band, a "solution" is a tough one. Perhaps simply give it up and position the band in the same way it is done in all (or at least 95%) of other college stadiums? I realize that creates a couple rows stuck behind tubas, but the current design just doesn't live up to the idea when it was put on paper. Unfortunate, but a reality. The TV sound quality is another matter. This was just as big of a problem in the Metrodome as it is in TCF. For that, I just say someone needs to take a trip to Ann Arbor or Columbus, and do what they do.

Good points on concessions. Another problem is they put the TV's flat on the wall instead of angled so the people in line can actually see them. It all conspires to make a trip to the concession stand a long, unpleasant experience.
 

RodentRampage said:
As for the bathrooms, I left for the bathroom after one of the Gophers extra points, and was back in my seat in time for the kickoff. No complaint there.

What would it take to redo the band area to improve it?

For concessions, I think they should rely more on vendors walking the aisles. A soda vendor came by once, I might a bottle of Coke from the aisle vendor rather than stand in line. When people can buy their snacks from aisle vendors, that shortens concession lines. Have the soda vendor come through more often. Can you get a hot dog from an aisle vendor? That would shoten lines as well.

Is there room to put up menus above the concession stands, so that people can read the menu while they wait? This would reduce the time people spend thinking about what to order.

I'm not that inclined to complain about the ads, but the Dog of the Week was strange.
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Haven't had any problems the last couple of years a the concession stands but then quit going out a halftime after the first year also. Maybe we're just lucky. The vendor question is a good one. It would seem to offer a lot of relief to the concession problem. The odd thing is that most of the vendors in the Sections around us go up and down the aisle without selling a lot of food or drinks? We talk about it often. We buy our soda from them and tip better then we should because we feel sorry for the guys.

It's possible they don't make the trip more often because it's more work for less money then they make just standing in the concourse.

Pretty odd though.
 

I'll add to your concession frustration.

I had a 6 year old and an 8 year old in tow at the game. I waited in line at the concession stand only to find out that Dilly Bars and Buster Bars were not stocked AT ALL for the game. Then I was also informed that there were no hot dogs or brats (yes, start of halftime). So no DQ items and no hot dogs/brats. The only option was pretzel or nacho's? Give me a break.
 


DarrenTheGreek said:
I'll add to your concession frustration.

I had a 6 year old and an 8 year old in tow at the game. I waited in line at the concession stand only to find out that Dilly Bars and Buster Bars were not stocked AT ALL for the game. Then I was also informed that there were no hot dogs or brats (yes, start of halftime). So no DQ items and no hot dogs/brats. The only option was pretzel or nacho's? Give me a break.
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But we have beer tents!
 

I remember looking at the band pit when TCF first opened and I thought to myself that it seemed way too small to fit the entire band. I guess I was right. You would have thought that this would not have been an issue. A major goof up.
 

I make my bathroom/concession run after the first drive of the third quarter. Smooth sailing. The halftime rush has cleared out by then and people are settling in for the second half. (But don't tell anyone beyond this thread.)

For the concessions, don't get fooled by the Cash Only/Credit Cards sign. The guy at the counter said every station can handle either, so just pick the shortest line.
 

DarrenTheGreek said:
I'll add to your concession frustration.

I had a 6 year old and an 8 year old in tow at the game. I waited in line at the concession stand only to find out that Dilly Bars and Buster Bars were not stocked AT ALL for the game. Then I was also informed that there were no hot dogs or brats (yes, start of halftime). So no DQ items and no hot dogs/brats. The only option was pretzel or nacho's? Give me a break.
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I'm guessing a lot depends on where you sit. We're in the "poor people" seats in the lower deck, but we had vendors going by pretty much all game. The pop/water guy came by at least 5 times. I bought a frozen lemonade for my daughter, a bottle of water, a box of popcorn, all from vendors. There was also a vendor in our section selling Dairy Queen hot dogs. The one trip I made to the concession stand was early in the first quarter, I was back in about 5 minutes with a Dilly Bar, and I saw people behind us eating Buster Bars much later in the game, so there were DQ items available.
 



I do see some improvements in the game day atmosphere. Most natable to me was the giant Ski-U-Mah banner. ANyone have an idea on the dimensions of that thing?

My biggest complaint is that the scores for other games are updated very infrequently and, when they are, its usually about 1/2 hour offset from the actual game. If I could get decent internet reception on my phone, this wouln't be a big deal.

Also, the scoreboard kept cutting off the yardage stats in the lower right hand quarter.

I hope the Gold Out can get a little better with every try so that once we are good enough to get a national audience it will be impressive.

Go Gophers!
 

Go Gophers Rah said:
I do see some improvements in the game day atmosphere. Most natable to me was the giant Ski-U-Mah banner. ANyone have an idea on the dimensions of that thing?

My biggest complaint is that the scores for other games are updated very infrequently and, when they are, its usually about 1/2 hour offset from the actual game. If I could get decent internet reception on my phone, this wouln't be a big deal.

Also, the scoreboard kept cutting off the yardage stats in the lower right hand quarter.

I hope the Gold Out can get a little better with every try so that once we are good enough to get a national audience it will be impressive.

Go Gophers!
Click to expand...

Damn right and it's worse then last year! Hope that was opening day "jitters".
 

Go Gophers Rah said:
I do see some improvements in the game day atmosphere. Most natable to me was the giant Ski-U-Mah banner. ANyone have an idea on the dimensions of that thing?

My biggest complaint is that the scores for other games are updated very infrequently and, when they are, its usually about 1/2 hour offset from the actual game. If I could get decent internet reception on my phone, this wouln't be a big deal.

Also, the scoreboard kept cutting off the yardage stats in the lower right hand quarter.

I hope the Gold Out can get a little better with every try so that once we are good enough to get a national audience it will be impressive.

Go Gophers!
Click to expand...

I agree on all those points. Loved the Student Section banner (talk about a great moment to pour yourself a drink from your flask). They do need to beef up the out-of-town scores capability.

This also seems to be the best communication to date on a gold out. I will be there in gold next saturday (but still predict it will be another in a long line of gold out failures)
 




Breakin' The Plane said:
I'm guessing a lot depends on where you sit. We're in the "poor people" seats in the lower deck, but we had vendors going by pretty much all game. The pop/water guy came by at least 5 times. I bought a frozen lemonade for my daughter, a bottle of water, a box of popcorn, all from vendors. There was also a vendor in our section selling Dairy Queen hot dogs. The one trip I made to the concession stand was early in the first quarter, I was back in about 5 minutes with a Dilly Bar, and I saw people behind us eating Buster Bars much later in the game, so there were DQ items available.
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If I remember correctly, the soda/water guy came by our section once, there was no vendor with hot dogs. Now that I think about it, I hardly remember any vendors coming by. Not even the cotton candy vendor. It looks like the experience can be very uneven though the stadium.
 

The networks are in charge of the mic's for the band. BTN is gradually getting better. The first season, they had a lone microphone on a standard mic stand that you could probably buy at Target. The thing got caught in the net a couple of times during field goals and would get airborne. They also would forget to shut off the mic during play.

And I don't think any gold out is a total failure compared to the last one at the dome. Yellow pom poms against empty blue seats.....while playing Michigan. Yeah, that was a good one.
 

RodentRampage said:
If I remember correctly, the soda/water guy came by our section once, there was no vendor with hot dogs. Now that I think about it, I hardly remember any vendors coming by. Not even the cotton candy vendor. It looks like the experience can be very uneven though the stadium.
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Normally, I'd be of no help on this subject, as I've never purchased anything from a vendor before, but I've been in the same seat for each year at the Bank and I don't think there were more vendors than normal. I brought my daughter to her first game, so I basically had to pick my battles before the wheels came off and she got too crabby. In addition to the other vendors that I also mentioned, I had to put my foot down for no mini donuts more than once, sno cones and cotton candy too. Our section must just be lucky.
 


DarrenTheGreek said:
I'll add to your concession frustration.

I had a 6 year old and an 8 year old in tow at the game. I waited in line at the concession stand only to find out that Dilly Bars and Buster Bars were not stocked AT ALL for the game. Then I was also informed that there were no hot dogs or brats (yes, start of halftime). So no DQ items and no hot dogs/brats. The only option was pretzel or nacho's? Give me a break.
Click to expand...

Same thing happened to me. Thankfully I heard about it and tried a different stand. Brat was cool and bland. I was too hungry and did not care. They need to be on the ball with this stuff is it ARAMARK?
 

This was my first time to a gopher game and I took my ten year old and 2 other dads and sons as well. We had a blast. We had great seats in the front row corner endzone near the student section. No problem with any emenities and would much rather go to a gopher game than a vikings for many reasons. Even tho we were by the students, which made it fun to people watch I felt it was way more family friendly. The band, the cannon, the cheer leaders, the student section, our kids dancing on the big score board, goldy, the parachuttes, the weather, 5$ parking and shuttle, it was all awesome. And the game was fun to watch too. By far one of the best experiences for my ten old and his buddies.
 

Go Gophers Rah said:
I do see some improvements in the game day atmosphere. Most natable to me was the giant Ski-U-Mah banner. ANyone have an idea on the dimensions of that thing?

My biggest complaint is that the scores for other games are updated very infrequently and, when they are, its usually about 1/2 hour offset from the actual game. If I could get decent internet reception on my phone, this wouln't be a big deal.

Also, the scoreboard kept cutting off the yardage stats in the lower right hand quarter.
I hope the Gold Out can get a little better with every try so that once we are good enough to get a national audience it will be impressive.

Go Gophers!
Click to expand...

I noticed that too. It seemed to happen only when they ran the black screen "crawler" below the yardage information. When the crawler was turned off, then it was fine.
 

Bad - Not enough inflatables. But can there ever be enough?
 


when I was a student I loved sitting in the top deck. There seemed to be A LOT less security up there, if at all, which is why flasks were passed back and forth like there wasn't enough time left in our lives to get drunk.

Also for the band pit, just take out the walls, let the band meld with the student section so they can seat the whole band and we can storm the field more easily. Suspend a couple mics above it so the band and student section can be heard!
 

Go Gophers Rah said:
My biggest complaint is that the scores for other games are updated very infrequently and, when they are, its usually about 1/2 hour offset from the actual game. If I could get decent internet reception on my phone, this wouln't be a big deal.
Click to expand...

They need to ban the showing of any and all scores at all sporting venues. I record about 10 college football games each Saturday, and I would like to watch them all without the ending of the game spoiled by constant updates. It's bad enough that ESPN has a constant scroll of all games on the bottom of their screen - but now when I cover that portion of my TV, they now flash scores on the SIDE OF THE SCREEN AT THE SAME TIME. ARE YOU KIDDING ME???!!!!

Think about this - you're in a theater watching "The Hunger Games." How stupid would it be if they ran a scroll across the screen telling the audience the ending of "The Dark Knight Rises" playing at the theater next door???

If it were 1973 and there was no way I could be at a Gopher game but also watch another game later in the day at the same time I would totally understand. But this is 2012, the technology is there.

I just don't get it.
 

^ I think you're in the minority of people that don't want to hear the score of other games. I think most people want to be updated more about the other games going on.

I'd like to see Sweet Caroline be forever taken away, but that's mainly because I hate that damn song. I am probably in the minority of that one.
 

emann said:
^ I think you're in the minority of people that don't want to hear the score of other games. I think most people want to be updated more about the other games going on.
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I'm with you. Score updates are part of the fun of being at a game seeing what else is happening around CFB.
 

I really have no complaints when we win. I always have a lot when we lose.
 

Excuse me, bad and ugly at TCF Stadium? Mic and concessions are categorized as bad and ugly. Cmon man, we sit in section 143 and other than the first game against Air Force have never had a problem with concessions. We hear the band fine. Our good friend Schnauzer has always come across as somewhat anal and black and white in his approach to life. I would venture to guess he hangs his cloths by brand name and has his shoes all lined up, tied, and toes pointing out. Albeit, in the eyes of some "corrections" need to be made, but bad and ugly?, Unreal...
 

Yeah, if you were to poll the stadium crowd on the out of town scores I think you would find the vast majority WANT to know what is going on elsewhere (90-95%?) and if you added a question about "are you currently dvr'ing 10 other games and will watch them all later?" I think you'd probably find one person doing this at that level, and his name is Josh.

Comparing it to a movie theater is lost on me. These are live sporting events we are talking about.
 

Gold Vision said:
I'm with you. Score updates are part of the fun of being at a game seeing what else is happening around CFB.
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Loved the old days when they periodically announced scores randomly (I didn't dream they did that right?)...

"Wisconsin 21......Illinois........... 24"
 

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