Shama: Gophers the major loser in US Bank Stadium opening, widens gap between teams

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gophmeister said:
What prompted this article is Shama probably talked to someone associated with the new stadium who doesn't like the competition for events TCF Bank stadium poses. We will always be the better concert venue.
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I disagree with that.
 

MNBadgerGuy said:
One aspect to the cold weather games at the end of the season is that I think it benefits the Gophers. The typical Gopher team over the last 20 years has been less talented than some of the powers in the B1G. You put two teams on a field in perfect 75 degree weather and the more talented team is going to win that game more often than not. You put those teams on an outdoor field in 20 degree weather and that neutralizes a lot of the talent gap.

I'm sure for the Kill era and beyond the Gophers are getting more talented, but I'd rather take my chances with OSU on a miserable, cold day than in climate controlled conditions.
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Totally agree that being exposed to the elements helps the Gophers as a team. It does not help attendance though. The die hard fans will still show up. But the causal fan, which is needed to sell out games, don't show up when the weather gets bad.
 

I show up. But when Weather sucks and getting killed i leave early

Sent from my LGLS665 using Tapatalk
 

Vandy said:
+1. For me, there is nothing like a college football game day... Frankly, I do not care where it is, but have loved every game at TCF...I also have no plans to visit US Bank Stadium. Football needs to be outside and we have seen it all the past few years. That includes temps in the 90's, the frigid Ohio State game, snow, having to clear the stands for a thunderstorm... It is all good.

And the atmosphere with the band, students, traditions, kicks the snot out of an NFL game in my book.
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You nailed my sentiment
 

I would bet that the students and players would absolutely love to have at least one game played in US Bank.
 


Positive thoughts (hey, it's the end of a busy workday)...
... With all the sellouts happening at TCF we'll be building that upper deck in no time. TCF ends up holding about 15,000 more people than U.S. Bank making it by far the better stadium for Minnesota's winning football team (that'd be the Gophers).
 

It's really a stupid take by Shama (not quite sure who he is) because there is VERY little crossover being between Gopher and Viking fans. I mean there are plenty of people that passively root for both teams - but as far as the consumer that can buy tickets for both Saturday and Sunday, well - he must have a very understanding spouse/sig other.

Minneapolis is a REAL city and can support multiple teams. In about 4 years, the novelty of the Vikings stadium will be gone and we will be exactly where we were before where the consumer mostly cares about winning (just ask the Twins).
 

Plinnius said:
I would bet that the students and players would absolutely love to have at least one game played in US Bank.
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Seriously doubt it. Give up a real home advantage? Locker room is probably smaller too.
 

I understand your point, but what I did not clearly state was that the Gophers are having to (and have in recent years) drop their price point a great deal to fill those premium seats, at least that is what I expect with US Bank Stadium opening. Unless you sit up in those private areas at TCF and actually see how many people are in those areas, it is hard to know what is going on. (and know what sort of discount they gave to fill the seats) I have no idea what goes on up there, but I do know the market is flooded and the Vikings are the kings of this market and charge the most by far. The Twins have a top 5 MLB stadium and are crapping in their drawers right now for some perspective.

I do know that when TCF opened it was a shining jewel in this barren marketplace and the Gophers had a chance to harvest some hay. The Brewster debacle and the liquor controversy sort of killed the ability of the U to get top price for those premium areas, and I doubt they have ever recovered the lost momentum. Winning the West in 2014 would have changed the story.
 



SelectionSunday said:
Yes, the cold/poor weather stuff is a ridiculous argument, actually quite amusing. NFL regular seasons go all the way through the month of December, the B1G no later than the Saturday after Thanksgiving. At most, a B1G team is likely to play 2 home games in November?

Oh, the humanity!
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That Shama column, starting the false weather premise, reads exactly like the garbage written on the Iowa Rivals site and the old BadgerManiac site in the years after TCF Stadium was approved and announced. They silly comments about fall weather in Minneapolis vs. other Big Ten cities was repeated by this hapless sap Shama.

Pretending sellouts driving by masses of suburban Twin Cities based Iowa and Wisconsin fans, most of whom did not attend UW or UI by the way, were a good thing for the Gophers, should be embraced is fallacy number two.

There are more to be exposed...
 


Plinnius said:
I would bet that the students and players would absolutely love to have at least one game played in US Bank.
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Why? Do the Michigan players want to play a game at Ford Field? Does Oho State ever travel 100 miles down the road to Cincinnati to PB Stadium? Playing in NFL stadiums is generally a bad thing if you have a great, relatively new stadium and those that deviate from that tend to be teams like Temple, Tulane, SDSU, and yes, Miami. I love how the Gophers get ripped by the Iowa and Wisc. fans for our poor attendance and stadium size, and then they completely overlook the attendance for teams in other major markets (or near them) who have equal or far worse attendance than the Gophers starting with the Oregon Ducks.

Oregon
UCLA
Stanford
Oregon St.
Ga. Tech
Pittsburgh
Miami - terrible number of people in the stadium
Northwestern
Colorado
Boston College
Houston
SMU
Rice
TCU
Arizona State - most of the rest of the PAC 12, pre- Pete Caroll at USC even
Vanderbilt
USC when they do not win
Cincinnati
Memphis
Cal


There are very few major market/ NFL cities with College football teams that draw well. USC when they win, and the Washington Huskies are two of the exceptions. I am not sure why in this market people have some erection for playing in the "shiny" new NFL stadium.
 

I still think the years in the Dome did harm in that it did not develope the alumni base that students get when they enjoy the football game day experience on campus. With winning football, games on campus we should again (but it will take time) have a more interest from alumni and as result more tickets sold. Once we get the effect from this it can snow ball. (no pun intended)
 



Rog said:
I still think the years in the Dome did harm in that it did not develope the alumni base that students get when they enjoy the football game day experience on campus. With winning football, games on campus we should again (but it will take time) have a more interest from alumni and as result more tickets sold. Once we get the effect from this it can snow ball. (no pun intended)
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Absolutely agree with this. The Dome move damaged the program by moving the games off campus and alienating fans that enjoyed the atmosphere of outdoor football at Memorial Stadium. It was exciting in the dome when Lou Holtz had a competitive team put together and Mason had some nice teams too but the atmosphere absolutely sucked. US Bank is not a college football stadium. Boo.
 

PMWinSTP said:
Seriously doubt it. Give up a real home advantage? Locker room is probably smaller too.
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Yeah I seriously doubt 18-23 year olds, many who have aspirations to play in the NFL, would want to play 1 game in the NFL's newest stadium 3 miles from where they play now. Just like they hate the idea of wearing alternate uniforms. :rolleyes:
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Yeah I seriously doubt 18-23 year olds, many who have aspirations to play in the NFL, would want to play 1 game in the NFL's newest stadium 3 miles from where they play now. Just like they hate the idea of wearing alternate uniforms. :rolleyes:
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Outstanding...glad we are in agreement. I knew you'd see my point.
 

PMWinSTP said:
Outstanding...glad we are in agreement. I knew you'd see my point.
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Mark my words....they won't play one,, game in that erector set, unless of course Wolfe want's to acquire a bowl game. Which at this time is a moot issue.
 

Plinnius said:
I would bet that the students and players would absolutely love to have at least one game played in US Bank.
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I am sure this statement is true but:

Sid Harmtan circa 1980 said this exact same thing about the Metrodome!! Joke.

I missed this probably but I am guessing the cost to play a game at US Bank would be prohibitive. If we played at US Bank (never happen) it would not sellout, it would cost the University a ton of money and the empty seats would be more fuel for the critics of the program.
 

oldauggie said:
I am sure this statement is true but:

Sid Harmtan circa 1980 said this exact same thing about the Metrodome!! Joke.

I missed this probably but I am guessing the cost to play a game at US Bank would be prohibitive. If we played at US Bank (never happen) it would not sellout, it would cost the University a ton of money and the empty seats would be more fuel for the critics of the program.
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Really do doubt they would "absolutely love" to have a game there, unless it is the B1G Championship, otherwise not going to happen. Caveat would be if they can't play at TCF...like because of construction if they were expanding it. :D
 

PMWinSTP said:
Really do doubt they would "absolutely love" to have a game there, unless it is the B1G Championship, otherwise not going to happen. Caveat would be if they can't play at TCF...like because of construction if they were expanding it. :D
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Why would Wisconsin play at Lambeau field? I'll bet the Gophers play a game at US Bank Stadium within 5 years.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Why would Wisconsin play at Lambeau field? I'll bet the Gophers play a game at US Bank Stadium within 5 years.
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Not the essence of original comment, but Really? You are comparing that to a chance to play on arguably the most storied and historic field in pro football? Really?
 


PMWinSTP said:
Not the essence of original comment, but Really? You are comparing that to a chance to play on arguably the most storied and historic field in pro football? Really?
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Been there for a game, Vikings vs Packers. It has great atmosphere and everything is true that you hear about it but no, he can't compare this glass monstrosity to Lambeau. Not even close to the same thing and maybe that is what is lost in this discussion. Perspective.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Why would Wisconsin play at Lambeau field? I'll bet the Gophers play a game at US Bank Stadium within 5 years.
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I think a kickoff classic-type game is a little different than a regular home game. That is the back end game of the '14 game vs. LSU played in Houston. There's money involved with this; it's not just for the opportunity for Wisconsin & LSU kids to get the experience of playing in NFL stadiums.

If the Gophers got to the level where they'd be involved in these big payout first games, where they'd have to have a return game somewhere else at a "neutral" site (i.e.: vs. Clemson in Atlanta), then maybe I could see it. But there definitely needs to be a few years of consistent winning before that would even become a discussion.
 

The Gophers will most likely be playing in TCF Bank Stadium well after US Bank Stadium is demolished. The Gophers may have gotten a boost in attendance had they become serfs in US Bank Stadium, but it would fade. Playing at the Vikings stadium may allow larger crowds for big games, but it would feel pretty empty for games that weren't so big. 50,000 in a 50,000 seat stadium is a great atmosphere. 50,000 in a 70,000 seat stadium, that feels empty. I remember seeing some NSIC games at the Metrodome - they had about 2,000 people, and it felt like a tomb. But those 2,000 people in a 2,000 seat stadium, and it's an entirely different atmosphere.

There is cold weather all through the Big Ten, they aren't exactly on the beach with pina coladas on the shore of Lake Michigan in November. Who wants to give up a September afternoon of outside football to go inside? How many times have you been inside the Metrodome wishing the game was outside? The Vikings stadium meets their needs, TCF Bank Stadium meets the U's needs.
 

FireDaveLee said:
I think a kickoff classic-type game is a little different than a regular home game. That is the back end game of the '14 game vs. LSU played in Houston. There's money involved with this; it's not just for the opportunity for Wisconsin & LSU kids to get the experience of playing in NFL stadiums.

If the Gophers got to the level where they'd be involved in these big payout first games, where they'd have to have a return game somewhere else at a "neutral" site (i.e.: vs. Clemson in Atlanta), then maybe I could see it. But there definitely needs to be a few years of consistent winning before that would even become a discussion.
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I agree with the winning, and they would never take away a B1G home game away from the Gophers. It would have to be a non-conference game early in the year against a big time opponent to make it work. There's still an opening on the 2019 schedule for a home game, and that's another year the Gophers avoid Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan St, so there is room for a big time opponent.

My mention of Lambeau was not to degrade the history of that stadium and playing a game there. I think it's awesome. But for those of you downgrading the new stadium and saying its comparable to the metrodome are not being realistic either. The new stadium is more comparable to the Cowboys new stadium, which holds big time college football games every year.

I just don't get the Vikings inferiority complex. If the Gophers could attract a big time opponent, and play on national TV in the NFL's newest stadium in their backyard, how would that not be a good thing for the Gophers program/players and even recruiting moving forward?
 

PMWinSTP said:
Seriously doubt it. Give up a real home advantage? Locker room is probably smaller too.
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Yeah, because they really need a real home advantage against Indiana St. THAT game is going to be well-attended, I'm sure.
 

Rog said:
I still think the years in the Dome did harm in that it did not develope the alumni base that students get when they enjoy the football game day experience on campus. With winning football, games on campus we should again (but it will take time) have a more interest from alumni and as result more tickets sold. Once we get the effect from this it can snow ball. (no pun intended)
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Agree completely. Most of my generation is the lost generation of Gopher football fans (graduated 1995). I didn't live on campus (as was common back then) and never attended a game during college. Fortunately (or, sadly more often than not unfortunately) I became a bigger fan after I graduated. Many of my friends didn't go regularly because getting between East Bank and the Dome was a nightmare back then. And the team was awful, which didn't help anything. Who wants to go through the effort of getting there just to see the team get pounded by a mediocre team?

Would it be as bad now with light rail and a decent team? Maybe not, but on the other hand students don't exactly flock to the Bank now and it's blocks away.

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Yeah I seriously doubt 18-23 year olds, many who have aspirations to play in the NFL, would want to play 1 game in the NFL's newest stadium 3 miles from where they play now. Just like they hate the idea of wearing alternate uniforms. :rolleyes:
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Just ask Chris Sale what he thinks of alternate uniforms. :p I think a lot of players would like to play a game in US Bank Stadium. Just ask the players on the teams that played games at AT&T Stadium. Not necessarily just because it's a pro stadium, but because it is an extravagant palace.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
I just don't get the Vikings inferiority complex. If the Gophers could attract a big time opponent, and play on national TV in the NFL's newest stadium in their backyard, how would that not be a good thing for the Gophers program/players and even recruiting moving forward?
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These are the arguments that got us into the metrodome. The only message to recruits you're sending is you're second rate.
 

Lakeville Goldy said:
Agree completely. Most of my generation is the lost generation of Gopher football fans (graduated 1995). I didn't live on campus (as was common back then) and never attended a game during college. Fortunately (or, sadly more often than not unfortunately) I became a bigger fan after I graduated. Many of my friends didn't go regularly because getting between East Bank and the Dome was a nightmare back then. And the team was awful, which didn't help anything. Who wants to go through the effort of getting there just to see the team get pounded by a mediocre team?

Would it be as bad now with light rail and a decent team? Maybe not, but on the other hand students don't exactly flock to the Bank now and it's blocks away.



Just ask Chris Sale what he thinks of alternate uniforms. :p I think a lot of players would like to play a game in US Bank Stadium. Just ask the players on the teams that played games at AT&T Stadium. Not necessarily just because it's a pro stadium, but because it is an extravagant palace.
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You do know he was being sarcastic, right? I see no chance of them playing there in a regular season game unless they have to for some reason.
 

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