Schnauzer
Pretty Sure You are Wrong
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2009
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Well, two home games have passed and we have seen the results of the stated changes to the gameday operation. From my perspective, here is a break down:
WHAT IS WORKING WELL:
1. Concessions... I know there are still problems but overall I have found it much easier to get food and get back to my seat. Saturday, I waited until the busiest time of the game (half time) to run to the bathroom and then stand in line for a brat and some nachos. Last year, the idea of being able to hit the rest room AND the concession stand and still be back to my seat in time for the second half would have been crazy. Saturday, it all worked pretty well and I moved through the concession line reasonably fast. Perhaps it could be faster, but it was at least on par with the Metrodome.
2. pat downs. Hurray! Much easier to get into the stadium now. No worries. No cattle lines.
3. Band... hats off to the band because they seem to have made some adjustments that have mostly fixed something I thought was un-fixable given the poorly designed pit they have to sit in. I noticed that they now direct their instruments to one side or the other when they are playing in-game and it has made a big difference. I can hear them much better this year.
4. Student section... I was one of the big complainers at the empty student section last year. Their work to sell more public tickets in that area has led to a stadium that at least LOOKS more full than most of the games last year. I realize the amount of tickets sold is lower but the student section at least looks better given the public tickets they have sold.
WHAT IS NOT WORKING WELL:
1. The scoreboard... They said it was the 2nd or 3rd biggest scoreboard in college football. In practice, it is being used in a way that SHRINKS it to normal size. They need to take some lessons from Target Field, or even the Metrodome on how to run a scoreboard. The Scoreboard at TCF uses waaaay too much of its space for static advertisements that look like they might as well be wooden signs. They rarely (ever) wipe the ads off the board to show video on the whole screen. Why not be a little more creative on the ads (still show them but also show replays FULL SCREEN) like they do at Target Field? Or, if they insist on showing the ads the whole time, why not build space next to the video screen for ads that can rotate like window blinds, like at the Metrodome? If they wanted to show static ads the whole game, it seems like a bazillion dollar scoreboard is an expensive way to do it. SHOW ME REPLAYS FULL SCREEN. It just looks like it is being run in a lazy, fan-unfriendly way. This is my biggest gripe with TCF Bank Stadium.
Which one does a better job of mixing ad and video space?
2. Band pit I included this as something that is 'working well' because of the fine adjustments the band has made to make the most of the space they have. That is good news but overall the structure of the band location is the one thing that was a misfire in the stadium design, in my opinion. First, the band area was built too small to actually seat the entire band (because the extra space needed for each band member wasn't accounted for). Second, sinking them in a pit and facing them towards the open end of the stadium made it hard for the sound to be maximized. I realize part of this is due to my seat location (I am in section 133, right next to the student section) but I always hear the visiting bands as well or better than our poor band, trying to be heard from playing out of a hole.
3. Concourse. Well, in practice the concourse is doing its job. This isn't a huge gripe. I have been able to use the concourse to reasonably get around within the stadium. I am including it here because of the way it was described as the stadium was built. Nearly every stadium primer boasted how the TCF Bank concourse was double the width of the Metrodome concourses. Well, that sounds great until you realize that there are TWO concourses in the Metrodome and only one in TCF. Since the decks are roughly the same size, it just means you have double the number of people trying to move through a concourse that is double the size. It is a wash.
Anyway, that is my list. What other items do you see as working well, or not so well, now that we are all getting used to the stadium in its second year?
WHAT IS WORKING WELL:
1. Concessions... I know there are still problems but overall I have found it much easier to get food and get back to my seat. Saturday, I waited until the busiest time of the game (half time) to run to the bathroom and then stand in line for a brat and some nachos. Last year, the idea of being able to hit the rest room AND the concession stand and still be back to my seat in time for the second half would have been crazy. Saturday, it all worked pretty well and I moved through the concession line reasonably fast. Perhaps it could be faster, but it was at least on par with the Metrodome.
2. pat downs. Hurray! Much easier to get into the stadium now. No worries. No cattle lines.
3. Band... hats off to the band because they seem to have made some adjustments that have mostly fixed something I thought was un-fixable given the poorly designed pit they have to sit in. I noticed that they now direct their instruments to one side or the other when they are playing in-game and it has made a big difference. I can hear them much better this year.
4. Student section... I was one of the big complainers at the empty student section last year. Their work to sell more public tickets in that area has led to a stadium that at least LOOKS more full than most of the games last year. I realize the amount of tickets sold is lower but the student section at least looks better given the public tickets they have sold.
WHAT IS NOT WORKING WELL:
1. The scoreboard... They said it was the 2nd or 3rd biggest scoreboard in college football. In practice, it is being used in a way that SHRINKS it to normal size. They need to take some lessons from Target Field, or even the Metrodome on how to run a scoreboard. The Scoreboard at TCF uses waaaay too much of its space for static advertisements that look like they might as well be wooden signs. They rarely (ever) wipe the ads off the board to show video on the whole screen. Why not be a little more creative on the ads (still show them but also show replays FULL SCREEN) like they do at Target Field? Or, if they insist on showing the ads the whole time, why not build space next to the video screen for ads that can rotate like window blinds, like at the Metrodome? If they wanted to show static ads the whole game, it seems like a bazillion dollar scoreboard is an expensive way to do it. SHOW ME REPLAYS FULL SCREEN. It just looks like it is being run in a lazy, fan-unfriendly way. This is my biggest gripe with TCF Bank Stadium.
Which one does a better job of mixing ad and video space?
2. Band pit I included this as something that is 'working well' because of the fine adjustments the band has made to make the most of the space they have. That is good news but overall the structure of the band location is the one thing that was a misfire in the stadium design, in my opinion. First, the band area was built too small to actually seat the entire band (because the extra space needed for each band member wasn't accounted for). Second, sinking them in a pit and facing them towards the open end of the stadium made it hard for the sound to be maximized. I realize part of this is due to my seat location (I am in section 133, right next to the student section) but I always hear the visiting bands as well or better than our poor band, trying to be heard from playing out of a hole.
3. Concourse. Well, in practice the concourse is doing its job. This isn't a huge gripe. I have been able to use the concourse to reasonably get around within the stadium. I am including it here because of the way it was described as the stadium was built. Nearly every stadium primer boasted how the TCF Bank concourse was double the width of the Metrodome concourses. Well, that sounds great until you realize that there are TWO concourses in the Metrodome and only one in TCF. Since the decks are roughly the same size, it just means you have double the number of people trying to move through a concourse that is double the size. It is a wash.
Anyway, that is my list. What other items do you see as working well, or not so well, now that we are all getting used to the stadium in its second year?
Second, I knew coming in that the same complaints were raised down in Texas following the erection of Godzillatron so I tempered by expectations considerably to include the ads. The space used to display the game is still prob about 3 times larger than the Dome's screen which is still nothing to sneeze at. I do agree that doing full screen on replays seems like a no-brainer though.
