Shama: Does U Need to End Thursday Games?

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Ski U Master said:
Maybe to you, but there are many people that would say any Viking game is more important than any Gopher game, even a preseason game.
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I'm talking about importance as it relates to the impact the game has on the sport. Of course, a super fan of the Vikings will want to watch the game over the Gophers, just to get an idea of who will make the final cut. However, That doesn't make the Vikes game more important than a Gophers game where the outcome has real meaning to the season. In fact, the Vikings game has less importance than Twins game on Thursday.




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WAGopher said:
I'm talking about importance as it relates to the impact the game has on the sport. Of course, a super fan of the Vikings will want to watch the game over the Gophers, just to get an idea of who will make the final cut. However, That doesn't make the Vikes game more important than a Gophers game where the outcome has real meaning to the season. In fact, the Vikings game has less importance than Twins game on Thursday.
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Kind of irrelevant when we're talking about attendance/viewership though
 

Ski U Master said:
Kind of irrelevant when we're talking about attendance/viewership though
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The Gophers will have the second largest crowd on Thursday for a sporting event, and maybe twice the attendance of the Twins. I don't call that irrelevant.


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The ongoing almost perpetual angst about Gopher FB fan attendance is amazing.
If you are a fan and enjoy going to the games how many other people are there or not there should not have any effect on your fun.
It is not an election.
The Gophers simply have not had a break out season with a win at a major bowl in a very long time.
With the coaching staffs at OHST and now MI stockpiling prized recruits and excellent ass't coaches it becomes even more difficult. WI, NE, IA, NW and MI St are not going away either.
So just go and enjoy the game.
 

NFL should stick to Sunday on preseason games. They are a waste of TV time.
I don't care when the Gophers play, I just know I will watch them over any other team.
 


The potential conflict will be there as the NFL always plays final game on Thursday. I'd be able to go if it was Friday or Saturday. Saturday night would be my 1st choice.


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I love the Thursday night format. The guy who said the Twins are drawing 25,000 a night is on something. They may announce that, but the other night there were maybe 10,000 fans there. The Vikings, a.k.a. " The Little Darlings' of the North" have sold out the entire regular season.. I think it is unfortunate that they play the same night as the Gophers, but the Gophers haven't done themselves any favors with the late 4 pack promotion. This should have been in the works when they saw the confrontation. B.t.w....we had friends attend the concert at U..S bank stadium. Not very good reviews from the acoustics to the lack of women's restrooms. I guess Wolfe threw all his money into the suites. My one friend said it looks like a giant glass erector set.
 


This is a less stupid take than the Gopher and Vikings should share a stadium column....but that's not saying much.

I like the Thursday home opener. It's a nice change once a season.

Can someone clarify something. People are saying there's a HS football conflict. I thought HS was Friday nights. Is there only certain school or all MN schools?
 



I love the Thursday opener. I take friday off and it makes a really nice long weekend.



Go Gophers !!!!!!!!
 

pharmacygopher said:
This is a less stupid take than the Gopher and Vikings should share a stadium column....but that's not saying much.

I like the Thursday home opener. It's a nice change once a season.

Can someone clarify something. People are saying there's a HS football conflict. I thought HS was Friday nights. Is there only certain school or all MN schools?
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a good amount of schools start on Thursday, I would presume due to the upcoming holiday weekend. I am too lazy to count the actual number but it is not all of them
 

Shama ran out of stories IMO. The most meaningless Vikings game of the year, the Twins "playing downtown"? Are the Gophers hoping that some randos walking around downtown will find their way to TCF Bank Stadium? And the Saints? I'm a little surprised he didn't mention the semi-annual potluck at 1st Baptist that starts at 6pm.

I mean geez, at this rate I expected Shama to call on the U to form a committee that tries to find a date and time with the fewest conflicts possible. Monday morning at 4AM has very few conflicts, maybe that would work.

I prefer Saturdays just out of tradition, but stop this pointless hand wringing about other sports. It's time we grew up and became a real city that can sustain multiple events per evening.
 

Thursday night is great. Less time to anticipate the beginning of the season, a night game right off the bat, and a four-day weekend following when you take Friday off. Further, if you live in greater MN, you come down and do the fair at the same time, either Thursday morning/afternoon, or the previously mentioned Friday which you have taken off. I hope they never deviate from the Thursday opener.

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I also love the thursday night openers. Nothing beats football under the lights. Plus.....it allows me to be flexible on the opening saturday.....which has PLENTY of good games to choose from.
 

Hers's a novel idea....Make the Thursday night opener as close to a state holiday as possible....No unnecessary scheduling conflicts.....No high school football so the kids can go to the game......Get behind the only Power Five team in the state and make the biggest ticket in town......I get the fair, but everything else needs give the University of Minnesota support for this traditional game. Shame on the Vikings, Twins, Saints etc for conflicting games on this Thursday night!
 

If I recall we had this same discussion a few years ago that the Gophers should play on Thursday because they couldn't sell enough tickets on Labor Day weekend because so many people were either up north or at the fair. Also they needed the parking for the fair. We would not be having this conversation if the Vikings played a Saturday night game as used to.
 

BarnBoy said:
Aside from attendance, there are some positives to playing on TH night: 1) national exposure (fewer games to compete with) 2) two extra days to prepare for game #2. Sincerely, Mr. Glasshalffull
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These are the main two reasons I love that we open on Thursday nights, and they are more persuasive than anything Shama wrote.

The NFL should not have scheduled a meaningless preseason game (but one that season ticket holders already have paid for and thus many will attend) to conflict with the Gopher opener. They could've played it Friday.
 


BarnBoy said:
Aside from attendance, there are some positives to playing on TH night:

1) national exposure (fewer games to compete with)
2) two extra days to prepare for game #2.

Sincerely, Mr. Glasshalffull
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Yup and pretty much all that needs to be said. The one other thing I'd add is that playing at home the first game allows all the freshmen to be on the sidelines which I think is important for team unity.
 

I am not a big fan of the Thursday starts myself. That being said, the reasons Shama laid out are ridiculous. Now, I don't know why they need to schedule college football 20 years out (slight exaggeration), but they do. The Gophers have no idea who will have home games next year on the opening Thursday. What are they supposed to do?

As far as the Fair, I don't like them overlapping because of the parking situation, but I don't think it really affects attendance, and I know quite a few people who take Friday off to go to the Fair after the game. I can't imagine many casual fans choosing to hit Canterbury that night that otherwise would have gone to the game. Hey, Valley Fair is open too, what about that? And let's not forget Renaissance Festival is opening soon. Cripes, might as well cancel the season.

FYI - In 2013 the Gophers and Vikings played on August 29th at home. The Twins did as well, but I believe it was a day game (last game of a 3 game series vs. KC). I don't know that it was any more of a goat rodeo to get in or out than last year's Thursday opener was. Although the Saints were out of town that day, so that probably changed the whole balance of people. :) But if I recall, I think the Vikings and Gophers actually started at the same time that year (could be wrong on that, just going off of memory).
 

WanderingGopher said:
The NFL should not have scheduled a meaningless preseason game (but one that season ticket holders already have paid for and thus many will attend) to conflict with the Gopher opener. They could've played it Friday.
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A) The NFL doesn't care about Gopher football. B) The NFL schedules every team to play its final preseason game on that Thursday. They will do the same thing next year.
 

Thursday night games are a pain in the ass, and they're dumb.

As for attendance and such it's all about Ws.
 

Thur

Until a week ago I was planning on being an Ex-season ticket holder, but after the announcement of the donation freeze next year I reconsidered and renewed.

Before renewing, I had zero plans to go to the Oregon State game and this was in large part due to the Vikings and State Fair but not because I was going to either event. I simply did not want to deal with the over 200,000 people in the area at the same time.
 

As I think about it, I wonder if the Vikings were scheduled at home on the last two preseason games in case the stadium was not ready so they gave them the two extra weeks of the preseason to get things done. All of the week four preseason games are slated for Thursday so they can have ten days before the first games of the season. So, I guess I understand the NFL's dilemma on this one. Go Gophs
 



As a random Big Ten fan, I like Minnesota having a Thursday night opener so I have a B1G team to watch.

I was going to say it may provide a smidge of a scheduling advantage to help you win the game, but OrSU doesn't start the Fall semester until September 21.
 

BarnBoy said:
Aside from attendance, there are some positives to playing on TH night:
1) national exposure (fewer games to compete with)
2) two extra days to prepare for game #2.
Sincerely, Mr. Glasshalffull
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Like others, I agree with this. This could be a good poll question. I'm guessing 65% in favor of Thursday night opener.
 

FireDaveLee said:
My question is why do the Vikings constantly WANT to host the last preseason game? Shouldn't you be fighting for the first 3 games & not want the one that hardly anyone wants to show up to so you can get more concession revenue?
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I think the buffer for the new stadium played a factor in it this year.

The Stadium is hot right now, Target Field had a waiting list as well when it opened, and the Gophers sold out every game when their stadium. I'm bummed about he low attendance, but compared to other Big Ten cities we have a hell of a lot going on, that's not necessarily a bad thing either.
 

ICHawk24 said:
As a random Big Ten fan, I like Minnesota having a Thursday night opener so I have a B1G team to watch. I was going to say it may provide a smidge of a scheduling advantage to help you win the game, but OrSU doesn't start the Fall semester until September 21.
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The (slight) advantage comes in game two, with two additional games to rest and prepare. Not a big deal this year (Indiana State) but maybe has been in other years.
 

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