Game Day atmosphere at TCF Bank Stadium

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vinko bogataj said:
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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Jules Perlt was the man behind that plan. You weren't dreaming.
 

tikited said:
Jules Perlt was the man behind that plan. You weren't dreaming.
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Thanks for confirming, Jules Perlt was the best. I feel privledged to have heard him, great memories from my childhood. Those days as a 7-10 year old going to games during the final years at Memorial are a big part of the reason I chose to attend the "U" over Iowa, ISU and Wisc. Remember a very nice blonde cheerleader greeting me while watching Michigan kicker Ali Haji-Shiek warming up from a tunnel before a game. Think it must have been the giant foam "Gophers #1" finger or Gopher cowboy hat the old man bought me that drew her to me!
 

Schnauzer said:
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.
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I know I'm in the minority. But do you have to know the scores right then and there? Nobody at the stadium is watching it live anyway - so what is the difference between finding out in real-time or when you get home? You're just as surprised either way. Not sure why people get more satisfaction about finding out something they cannot view just because it is in real time.

Until the rest of the world becomes crazy like me, I'll continue to try to avoid human contact, plug my ears, divert my eyes, avoid the internet, turn off my cell phone and email, and cover portions of my TV screen - all so people can find out scores of games in real time they cannot watch anyway.

Still don't get it.
 


Why wouldn't they want to know? It is just information, why should people wait for it? People like to find out about the scores of other games, that's why the score tickers are so popular. They aren't planning on watching these games, but are interested in the scores. I'm sure you've heard the cheers when it is announced at the stadium that Iowa or Wisconsin just lost. There just aren't that many people who are taping the games expecting to not hear the scores.
 



OMG! Ali Haji Shiek reference

vinko bogataj said:
Thanks for confirming, Jules Perlt was the best. I feel privledged to have heard him, great memories from my childhood. Those days as a 7-10 year old going to games during the final years at Memorial are a big part of the reason I chose to attend the "U" over Iowa, ISU and Wisc. Remember a very nice blonde cheerleader greeting me while watching Michigan kicker Ali Haji-Shiek warming up from a tunnel before a game. Think it must have been the giant foam "Gophers #1" finger or Gopher cowboy hat the old man bought me that drew her to me!
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+1 I'll take college placekickers of the 1970's and 1980's for $200 Alex. How about a Russel Erxleben or Kevin Butler shoutout for old times sake.
 

josh087 said:
I know I'm in the minority. But do you have to know the scores right then and there? Nobody at the stadium is watching it live anyway - so what is the difference between finding out in real-time or when you get home? You're just as surprised either way. Not sure why people get more satisfaction about finding out something they cannot view just because it is in real time.

Until the rest of the world becomes crazy like me, I'll continue to try to avoid human contact, plug my ears, divert my eyes, avoid the internet, turn off my cell phone and email, and cover portions of my TV screen - all so people can find out scores of games in real time they cannot watch anyway.

Still don't get it.
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You sure are, and you still don't get it. Don't forget to hold your breath till you pass out. You are not going to get your way, so stop the tantrum.
 

I think the beef jerky from Mackenthun's in St. Boni is some of the best that I've ever eaten. Why they don't sell it at TCF baffles me. Also, I'd love to be able to buy diet Sunkist orange at the games.
 



I was at the home opener, 2 minor complaints from me:

I bought tickets over the phone and picked them up at Will Call. There was a rather large crowd buying/picking up tickets that moved pretty slow. I noticed that 2 ticket windows were not open....somewhat annoying that the booths are not fully staffed for the Home Opener. By the time we got our tickets and walked in we were down 9-0, we were walking up the steps just at Fruechte scored so we missed a full 5 minutes of the game and 2 scores due to slow lines.

Here's the strange thing. From that side of the stadium you couldn't even hear that the game had started, you couldn't hear any noise or cheering even though we had 2 scores. It would be smart of the U to add an audio or video feed for those trapped in the ticket lines. I know the Vikings have audio outside the Dome of the radio broadcast, we should add that.

I know I could have gotten my tickets a little earlier, but we were enjoying the band on the plaza and I was waiting for a friend to show up and cut it a little too close to game time to get my tickets.

Other than that, the game day experience was great, I thought the beer lines were very reasonable as far as how they looked and the speed they moved.
 

ruppertflywheel said:
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...
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How odd. You sit in an entirely different part of the stadium and are able to have a different experience when it comes to sound and concessions. Is that because sound travels to different parts of the stadium in different ways and you go to a different concession stand or because Schnauzer is a anal whiner? Hmmmmmm..............
 

I hadn't seen Rupert's comments because he is on my ignore list and he knows that. Probably not the last time he will "try" something like this. Whatever. Rupert's reputation is what it is.
 

GoAUpher said:
How odd. You sit in an entirely different part of the stadium and are able to have a different experience when it comes to sound and concessions. Is that because sound travels to different parts of the stadium in different ways and you go to a different concession stand or because Schnauzer is a anal whiner? Hmmmmmm..............
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Hmm...I wonder why no complaints from other friends in and around your section.
Odd. Don't you think? And yes, you're right. Schnauzer is a anal whiner who Pearl Harbor's
holer's over on Beckyville.
 



ruppertflywheel said:
Hmm...I wonder why no complaints from other friends in and around your section.
Odd. Don't you think? And yes, you're right. Schnauzer is a anal whiner who Pearl Harbor's
holer's over on Beckyville.
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So you know that there are Holers who are near him? And assuming there are some the absence of a comment implies disagreement? So in addition to choosing the illogical answer with your comparison you are also a psychic. Got it.
 

ruppertflywheel said:
Hmm...I wonder why no complaints from other friends in and around your section.
Odd. Don't you think?
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Not really. There have been a lot of complaints about the sound of the band and about concessions. Your experience seems to be the outlier.
 

GoAUpher said:
So you know that there are Holers who are near him? And assuming there are some the absence of a comment implies disagreement? So in addition to choosing the illogical answer with your comparison you are also a psychic. Got it.
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I guess the 8 or so of you complaining should e-mail Teague. Quite frankly if it has been such a on going problem don't you think after 3 years it would have been addressed? Option B would be to have your ears tested for hearing and take a class in anxiety to overcome your fears of the concession stands....lol and cheers fellow Gopher fan.
 

ruppertflywheel said:
I guess the 8 or so of you complaining should e-mail Teague. Quite frankly if it has been such a on going problem don't you think after 3 years it would have been addressed? Option B would be to have your ears tested for hearing and take a class in anxiety to overcome your fears of the concession stands....lol and cheers fellow Gopher fan.
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Again, there are many people who have complained about the band situation and concessions. Your assertion that there is no problem is a minority position. Your assertion that since the problem still exists after three years it must not exist is peculiar at best.

And no one has in any way, shape or form done anything to even suggest anxiety or fear of the concession stands. Thinking that the band cannot be heard well or thinking that concession lines are too long in now way connotes anxiety or fear.
 

ruppertflywheel said:
I guess the 8 or so of you complaining should e-mail Teague. Quite frankly if it has been such a on going problem don't you think after 3 years it would have been addressed? Option B would be to have your ears tested for hearing and take a class in anxiety to overcome your fears of the concession stands....lol and cheers fellow Gopher fan.
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I'm not complaining (nice strawman lumping me in though). I'm just pointing out that your comparison made no logical sense. I don't have concession problems because I rarely buy anything (that's what a tailgate lot and an empty water bottle are for). I don't have sound issues as bad as some others b/c I sit in a part of the stadium where it's typically not an issue. If you aren't able to comprehend that sound waves will travel to different parts of a stadium in different ways (i.e. some parts of the stadium will get great sound while others get terrible sound) and that the design of the pit has an impact on that effect then I don't know what to tell you.
 

How bad is the will call situation? might have to use it this Saturday and heard I was pretty bad last week. Should I budget an hour or two for will call?
 

Grant said:
How bad is the will call situation? might have to use it this Saturday and heard I was pretty bad last week. Should I budget an hour or two for will call?
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I don't think you need to plan on standing in line that long, but you may consider getting there earlier than you'd have thought. Not speaking from experience here, just off the anecdotal stuff that's been out there.
 

Grant said:
How bad is the will call situation? might have to use it this Saturday and heard I was pretty bad last week. Should I budget an hour or two for will call?
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I heard a report/interview on one of the local tv stations. The U was aware of the problem and plans on correcting it for the next game.
 

Will call? Get season tickets and you won't have a problem.
 

I have rarely had problems with the concessions. Other than the first season when nobody could figure out how to use a calculator to correctly add my total, I can't say I've had an issue. I can usually get to the concessions or restroom and back to my seat before missing hardly anything. I do avoid the concourse during halftime like the plague, however.

It does seem to be pretty dependent on where you are. I sit in the corner in section 133, and it's never that bad. Whenever I'm in the concourse between the 20's, the lines seem to always be significantly longer.
 

ruppertflywheel said:
Hmm...I wonder why no complaints from other friends in and around your section.
Odd. Don't you think? And yes, you're right. Schnauzer is a anal whiner who Pearl Harbor's
holer's over on Beckyville.
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Rupie....

You don't need any help destroying yourself over on the bucky board. Trust me, its not him, its you. In fact, any time you want to go make an ass out of your self back over there instead of over here would probably be greatly appreciated by the vast majority of us.
 

Grant said:
How bad is the will call situation? might have to use it this Saturday and heard I was pretty bad last week. Should I budget an hour or two for will call?
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I walked past the Will Call window about 30 minutes prior to game time. The line was REALLY long at that point.
 

Things that bothered me on Game Day

Schnauzer said:
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??
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BAD: Showed up at 9:00 for Victory Walk and found out it was at 8:00 this year! 3 hours before game time - don't know how many fans will show up to support Gophers 3 hours before game - especially at 8:00 am!! So went over to Goldy's Lockeroom to check out merchandise and they locked the doors at 9:00 am because the gates were open? Lock the inside doors not the outside doors to fans wanting to buy Gopher gear!! What kind of marketing is that! Still wish they would have someone sing the National Anthem at the start of the game - love the band but National Anthem without someone singing it - just not the same!

P.S. One other thing that bothered me this summer I went to Vikings Training camp in Mankato and went into Scheels Sporting Goods looking to buy some Gopher Gear, went to the College section of the store - shocked to find 3/4 of display was Iowa Hawkeye's and 1/4 Gophers - what the hell? Future QB Phillip Nelson's from Mankato!! We just can't get no respect anywhere!!
 


maroonfive said:
Will call? Get season tickets and you won't have a problem.
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Not necessarily. For example, my wife and I are in a group of STH with two of my college buddies, and we got to the game well before they did. I was going to leave their tickets at will call so as to avoid having to walk back down to the gate to meet them, but alas, I did not care to stand in line for over an hour and miss kickoff.
 

MFGOPHER4 said:


Still wish they would have someone sing the National Anthem at the start of the game - love the band but National Anthem without someone singing it - just not the same!
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Since I rarely arrive at my seats in time for the National Anthem I wasn't aware the U does not have someone sing it. If that is true then I need to start getting to my seats earlier. I wish that would catch on everywhere. Did you ever notice when a band plays the National Anthem they play it the same way every time and hit all the correct notes in the right order without adding or subtracting any new ones? The other benefit of just having the band play is that it allows everyone else to sing along which is the way it should be. Many of us have had quite enough of semi-talented attention seekers putting their own spin on the song by adding or subtracting notes and sometimes forgetting the words.
 

Go4Broke said:
Since I rarely arrive at my seats in time for the National Anthem I wasn't aware the U does not have someone sing it. If that is true then I need to start getting to my seats earlier. I wish that would catch on everywhere. Did you ever notice when a band plays the National Anthem they play it the same way every time and hit all the correct notes in the right order without adding or subtracting any new ones? The other benefit of just having the band play is that it allows everyone else to sing along which is the way it should be. Many of us have had quite enough of semi-talented attention seekers putting their own spin on the song by adding or subtracting notes and sometimes forgetting the words.
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The big reason that the U has ditched singers for the national anthem is the delay in the PA system. Basically the singer would have to be actually singing slightly ahead of the conductor and the band in order for the sound to line up by the time the sound waves hit the seats. Some singers got it, others were not as lucky. Just having the band play the anthem ensured a consistent quality of sound during pregame. Not to mention it avoids stray notes making it through the sound system and throwing everything off a bit.
 

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