Stadium Journey: Big Ten Football Stadium Experience Rankings (#6. TCF Bank Stadium)

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per Stadium Journey:

#6 Minnesota Golden Gophers, TCF Bank Stadium

When the Minnesota Golden Gophers moved back on campus with the opening of TCF Bank Stadium in 2009, the stadium still had a new feel and the Gophers were still getting used to their new digs. Now, with a few upgrades and finding a comfort zone, Minnesota seems to have settled in nicely at the horseshoe-shaped building known as The Bank.

http://www.scout.com/stadium-journey/story/1704334-big-ten-f

Go Gophers!!
 

If I wanted to get disowned, I would forward this article to my dad who is a Penn State grad. ;)
 



A lot of stadium rankings are based on reputation. Camp Randall certainly has one, but anyone that says it's a better stadium for watching the actual game than TCF has no clue what they are talking about.

There are a lot of logistical things I dislike about Kinnick, but I do think it's a good place to watch a game, minus the seat space.
 


BleedGopher said:
per Stadium Journey:

#6 Minnesota Golden Gophers, TCF Bank Stadium

When the Minnesota Golden Gophers moved back on campus with the opening of TCF Bank Stadium in 2009, the stadium still had a new feel and the Gophers were still getting used to their new digs. Now, with a few upgrades and finding a comfort zone, Minnesota seems to have settled in nicely at the horseshoe-shaped building known as The Brickhouse.

http://www.scout.com/stadium-journey/story/1704334-big-ten-f

Go Gophers!!
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We need to reclaim this nickname. When it was attached to Memorial Stadium, it was totally unique.
 

FireDaveLee said:
A lot of stadium rankings are based on reputation. Camp Randall certainly has one, but anyone that says it's a better stadium for watching the actual game than TCF has no clue what they are talking about.

There are a lot of logistical things I dislike about Kinnick, but I do think it's a good place to watch a game, minus the seat space.
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And the legroom space, and concourse space, and the restrooms, and the concessions . . .
 

FireDaveLee said:
A lot of stadium rankings are based on reputation. Camp Randall certainly has one, but anyone that says it's a better stadium for watching the actual game than TCF has no clue what they are talking about.

There are a lot of logistical things I dislike about Kinnick, but I do think it's a good place to watch a game, minus the seat space.
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Very good point on Camp Randall. You may have seen my post earlier, but my wife and I were in Madison last weekend and we scored some pretty cheap tickets to the Akron/Wisconsin game. I hate to say it, but Wisconsin beats Minnesota in a lot of things (student participation, Jump Around, Pregame atmosphere), but actually viewing the game was terrible. I was in the endzone, but my seat was angled towards the 20 yard line on the opposite side line. I couldn't believe how much wasted space there was on the sidelines/end zone and the concourses were dives (gravel is some areas).
 




MNfootballfan said:
Very good point on Camp Randall. You may have seen my post earlier, but my wife and I were in Madison last weekend and we scored some pretty cheap tickets to the Akron/Wisconsin game. I hate to say it, but Wisconsin beats Minnesota in a lot of things (student participation, Jump Around, Pregame atmosphere), but actually viewing the game was terrible. I was in the endzone, but my seat was angled towards the 20 yard line on the opposite side line. I couldn't believe how much wasted space there was on the sidelines/end zone and the concourses were dives (gravel is some areas).
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Jump Around is really overrated.
 



FireDaveLee said:
A lot of stadium rankings are based on reputation. Camp Randall certainly has one, but anyone that says it's a better stadium for watching the actual game than TCF has no clue what they are talking about.

There are a lot of logistical things I dislike about Kinnick, but I do think it's a good place to watch a game, minus the seat space.
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Yeah...experience is the whole environment. Got to admit...the tailgating before, Cheesy voiced announcer, Jump Around, Fifth Quarter, bar scene after...Mad-town does it pretty well.
 




PMWinSTP said:
Yeah...experience is the whole environment. Got to admit...the tailgating before, Cheesy voiced announcer, Jump Around, Fifth Quarter, bar scene after...Mad-town does it pretty well.
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....verbally and physically assaulting visiting team fans...yeah...great experience
 

Word said:
....verbally and physically assaulting visiting team fans...yeah...great experience
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Been to 10 games there and I can recall running into maybe three idiots. Ran into more at the games at TCF both...WI and IA games. IA fans are by far the worst visiting fans I've run into, hand's down.
 

It's all personal experience. I grew up in the state have been to Madison close to 25 times for football/basketball/hockey games. Never had a problem at basketball/hockey. Football the other hand got punched as a 13 year old(tutu atwell game) for simply wearing gopher stuff and have been punched two other times. I have learned to wear nuetral colors to football. Iowa been 6 times and have had a blast every time. Making my 5 th trip to Lincoln this year and again nothing but respect down there. I will say having been to 10 of the 14 other campus one name stands out for worse fans and it lies 220 miles se of Minneapolis.
 

I equate Camp Randall to the Municipal dump site up here in Ely. Well, actually the dump site is cleaner and more organized. You have places for deadfall, recycle, appliances, demo, lubricants,and garbage. Look around The Camp after the game....it is a DUMP! If you get out of there without getting doused with bad beer, verbally abused, and duck a Sunday punch; consider yourself lucky. The " jump around" reminds me of the scene in the original King Kong when the natives are jumping up and down with spears hollering: " Kong, Kong.....The band?,
with that step it reminds me of the apes in the movie " Return to the Planet of the Apes"
But hey.....when the most famous person in Wisconsin is a choice between Richard Domers and Ed Gein, well, it is what it is.
 

Went to every MN/IA game from 1985 to 2008. Had a blast , saw some good games, blowouts and upsets along the way. Always enjoyed the trip to Iowa City. Tailgating was super fun there.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 

tikited said:
Jump Around is really overrated.
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Only because it isn't ours. It is as overrated as Clemson running down a hill, a Florida State Seminole Horse smashing an arrow into midfield, Texas having a longhorn on the field, or any other silly tradition. It is theirs and they own it.... that's what makes it great. In my opinion it is pretty incredible seeing 70,000 + people go crazy.
 

PMWinSTP said:
Been to 10 games there and I can recall running into maybe three idiots. Ran into more at the games at TCF both...WI and IA games. IA fans are by far the worst visiting fans I've run into, hand's down.
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Obviously weren't sitting behind the group from Fargo like I was several years back.
 

I think Jump Around used to be cool. Last time I was there two years ago, it's almost like it's gotten corporate, being introduced & stuff.

It's like Wayne's World after it was taken over by Noah's Arcade....
 

FireDaveLee said:
I think Jump Around used to be cool. Last time I was there two years ago, it's almost like it's gotten corporate, being introduced & stuff.

It's like Wayne's World after it was taken over by Noah's Arcade....
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Exactly. Completely forced. Everyone around us was more interested in taking selfies, etc.
 

tikited said:
Exactly. Completely forced. Everyone around us was more interested in taking selfies, etc.
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Interesting... Much different than what I saw last weekend. It wasn't forced, but you could definitely see people getting more and more excited for it as the time came. Interesting, a majority of the student section left following Jump Around, but that could also have been due to the game.
 

I have heard that all visiting fans to Camp Randall get raped, murdered, beaten, chair legs placed in eye sockets, spit and or vomitted on, pelted with snowballs and verbally assaulted. All at the same time. Oddly enough that feedback mainly comes from fanbases that have been on the losing end of the games more often than not.

I always love the threads analyzing fan bases. I went to the UW-Gopher game in the first year the bank opened and took a lot of "verbal assault" by multiple drunk gopher fans - does that mean your fanbase is all drunk assholes?

Every schools fan base has a handful of idiots that could make your experience uncomfortable. I've always found that if you don't instigate anything at an away game you get treated pretty well. And if you go out of your way to introduce yourself and have a good time at an opposing tailgate most people enjoy having the visitors involved.
 

MNBadgerGuy said:
I always love the threads analyzing fan bases. I went to the UW-Gopher game in the first year the bank opened and took a lot of "verbal assault" by multiple drunk gopher fans - does that
mean your fanbase is all drunk assholes?
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That's really surprising. I kinda thought we were the most mild fanbase possible.

The only incident I've ever seen / been involved in between fan bases at TCF was a blind drunk Badger kid at the dome who came through down the row and shoved some older Gopher fan into her seat as he plowed his way through with his head down (blind drunk so I don't think he knew what he did), lady's husband said something to the kid and after he passed me the kid turned around and raised his arm like he was going to hit the old man who was behind me at this point....

I grabbed the kid (couldn't tell who he would hit) by the neck and stared him down. Kid backed away. Security sat right above us so they met him at the top of the stairs. His buddies were put in charge of him from there on out. Never saw him again.


Honestly other than that the only fights or even scuffles I've seen were during Gopher Badger games were between fellow Badger fans. Never saw anything else.
 

We've got the nicest stadium, but have a long ways to go on everything else. Camp Randall is a complete dump, but they do everything else well.

As for the list...

Overrated: Michigan State
Underrated: Penn State
 


Jike Spingleton said:
We've got the nicest stadium, but have a long ways to go on everything else. Camp Randall is a complete dump, but they do everything else well.

As for the list...

Overrated: Michigan State
Underrated: Penn State
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This list seems to be a rating of the current state of the programs with some stadium experience mixed in.

WAY overrated: Michigan -- I get Jesus coaches there now, and the program is truly historical, but the stadium is not a great overall experience.

WAY underrated: I would flip-flop Penn State and Michigan and be pretty happy with the list. PSU's stadium is a great place to watch football with a knowledgeable and friendly fan base. The only negative on my trip to Happy Valley was paying $300 to stay in a holliday in express.....
 

Maximus said:
Prove it.
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Unfortunately I did not record these verbal assaults at the time, not sure what I was thinking. I will make sure to wear a body cam for any future badger-gopher games I attend at the bank, and will report back immediately on any horrible mistreatment.
 

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