Thoughts on my first Gopher game The Bank

[MNfootballfan]

Guys that play D2 and D3 are guys that never made it in my my mind, its like playing minor league baseball or Intramural football, its just for fun.

Are you serious? I attended a local D2 private college on a football scholarship. Granted, it wasn't D1, and my scholarship wasn't full, I don't know if I would have been able to afford the school without my scholarship. I never played Intramural football (granted you probably have) but playing D2 football requires a lot of time and effort.

 

[MBAGuy]

Guys that play D2 and D3 are guys that never made it in my my mind, its like playing minor league baseball or Intramural football, its just for fun.

You know Decker was very close to going to SJU, right?

I played D3 ball in the MIAC, and neither the talent nor the environment compares with Big Ten football. But lets not call all D2 and D3 players a bunch of wash outs. It is both disrespectful and ignorant.

 

[GopherVotary]

I was thoroughly embarrassed when some clown yelled, "You dumb N-word!" in section 219, when Troy Stoudermire dropped the easy catch along the Gopher sideline. I've never been more ashamed to be a Gopher fan.

Next time, send a text to 612-875-4877 and get that a-hole kicked out. That season ticket needs to be revoked. Although I like Gopherprof's line of thinking also.

 

[Viperman69]

I had a great time at my first Gopher game at the Bank. It was overwhelmingly good, but here are some observations of mine:

I am personally biased, but if you want a better experience in MN, go to a MIAC rivalry game at St. John's - (vs. Bethel sucks or UST). You will see passionate fans there, I didn't see much of that at The Bank. At SJU, you get 2-3,000 students from two schools (SJU and College of St. Benedict) with a combined enrollment of ~4,000, but you can't get 10,000 students from an enrollment of 50,000?

Sorry man. I agree with you about great games in the MIAC. But don't dog Bethel. Bethel University Rocks !!!

 

[Viperman69]

Guys that play D2 and D3 are guys that never made it in my my mind, its like playing minor league baseball or Intramural football, its just for fun.

That's funny. Intramural football. You're living in a dream world.

 

[Viperman69]

I am personally biased, but if you want a better experience in MN, go to a MIAC rivalry game at St. John's - (vs. Bethel sucks or UST). You will see passionate fans there, I didn't see much of that at The Bank. At SJU, you get 2-3,000 students from two schools (SJU and College of St. Benedict) with a combined enrollment of ~4,000, but you can't get 10,000 students from an enrollment of 50,000?

How can i say this without sounding rude. You simply can't compare the big ten to the miac. There's no better football experience in the state than watching a game at the Bank and you know it. No doubt, there's tons of "fans" that need to be won over yet. But you still can't compare D-1 football to the miac. There's high school teams that draw more fans and have bigger fields than sju. Actually I would put the prep bowl ahead of any miac game; there's more D-1 talent there than a miac rivalry game.

I agree with you about you can't compare Dl and Dlll. But if you haven't been there (to a SJU game) you really shouldn't rip on it. I've been to Eden Prairie and other big high school games, it doesn't compare to a SJU-Bethel/St. Thomas game. STJ does have one of the nicest football fields around. They get over 20,000 for a big game. That from a student base of around 3000. The Prep bowl last year on Friday had 22,000 from 4 games. That's 8 cities coming to the dome and still barely beats a SJU game. Now compare that to the U that has a student base of over 45,000 and they can barely fill 10,000 student seats on a good night and barely fill a 50000 stadium. Don't get me wrong. I love attending Gopher games. And Dl is great. But there is a lot of support in Dlll. It's not just some pickup game

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Sorry man. I agree with you about great games in the MIAC. But don't dog Bethel. Bethel University Rocks !!!

Yeah, I'm a Bethel grad so don't rip on us too much.

 

[Schnauzer]

Some of my favorite basketball memories are of a packed Lund arena during more than one Gustavus run deep into the DIII NCAA basketball tournament. 3K people in an arena that small make a roar that is guaranteed to make the hair on your arms stand up. That being said, I couldn't begin to compare it to William's arena and Gopher basketball. Just two different worlds. I have seen MORE than my share of MIAC football, including several games at St. John's and again... two different worlds. Apples and oranges. I like good apples and I like good oranges. I just don't see any reason to compare.

 

[GoAUpher]

Some of my favorite basketball memories are of a packed Lund arena during more than one Gustavus run deep into the DIII NCAA basketball tournament. 3K people in an arena that small make a roar that is guaranteed to make the hair on your arms stand up. That being said, I couldn't begin to compare it to William's arena and Gopher basketball. Just two different worlds. I have seen MORE than my share of MIAC football, including several games at St. John's and again... two different worlds. Apples and oranges. I like good apples and I like good oranges. I just don't see any reason to compare.

Exactly. Some of my favorite sports moments took place at DIII basketball games. They're both great in their own right and there is really no need (nor basis) to compare them.

 

[Maximus]

I am personally biased, but if you want a better experience in MN, go to a MIAC rivalry game at St. John's - (vs. Bethel sucks or UST). You will see passionate fans there, I didn't see much of that at The Bank.

I saw a lot of casual fans who have tickets just because they can brag to their friends that they were there for the inaugural season (some of them, my co-workers).

I ain't buying this one. It seemed like the entire stadium was standing the entire fourth quarter even jumping around like the student section and of course the 10 minutes of solid booing in the fourth...can't say I've seen that kind of passion/emotion in a Gopher crowd in my lifetime.

 

[Gopherholefan]

Are these high schools in Canada?

Nope, right here in the twin cities!! Big schools can get just as many, 3-4000, fans. I heard the big school rivalry game in Rochester gets 5-6000 fans every year as well.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Guys that play D2 and D3 are guys that never made it in my my mind, its like playing minor league baseball or Intramural football, its just for fun.

Wow, there are so many things wrong with your post. First off, virtually every Major League player plays in the minors, many times for 3+ years. Then comparing playing D2 and D3 ball to intramurals?

And I'm guessing you never played football after high school (or maybe not even high school). I played D2 ball in the Northern Sun. We worked our ass off every day just like D1 guys do. They're just more talented.

The comment about playing just for fun. Why do you think D1 guys play? It's something like less than 15% of incoming D1 freshmen will ever get invited to an NFL combine and/or make an NFL team.

 

[year of the gopher]

Okay, ripping D2 and D3 athletes is not the right approach. They train, practice, and play hard.

That said, it is an effing joke to even infer that the experience of ANY D3 football game is on par with Gopher football.

SJU football gets written up in the media because Gagliardi is ridiculously old, they have some nice traditions that most D3 schools couldn't pull off, and publications like to write cute, feel-good stories about small schools. That is all.

 

[KoolAid]

Nope, right here in the twin cities!! Big schools can get just as many, 3-4000, fans. I heard the big school rivalry game in Rochester gets 5-6000 fans every year as well.

The original poster, APEC2003, stated that these high school's had BIGGER FIELDS than some colleges. C'mon, bigger fields? Canada?

It was an attempt at humor and clearly, you didn't like it. So I'm sorry and very disappointed in myself - I can and will do better.

I think a guy in my section Saturday night pretty much summed up the DI vs DIII battle the best. He told a middle aged MSU lady fan that, "Sparty sucks, f*ck you." Words of wisdom.

 

[SJUgopher]

Sorry man. I agree with you about great games in the MIAC. But don't dog Bethel. Bethel University Rocks !!!

I wasn't dogging Bethel. Very good FB program. Good game this year, too. Gliadon's 49 yard FG to win it was amazing (which is longer than any of Ellestad's).

I just say Bethel sucks because of a sign the Rat Pack put up when they scaled the Palestra 7 or 8 years ago.

 

[Schnauzer]

SJU... I think the part of this that you might be missing is anybody will have warm feelings about their alma mater. I have just as much fun when I attend MIAC games as I do Gopher games because that is the world I come from. Heck, I LOVE the atmoshpere at the new Gustavus stadium as much as the new TCF bank stadium...

But, the two experiences are very different and I wouldn't be nearly as interested to attend an MIAC game with two teams I had no rooting interest in. Don't mistaken your feelings for your own school with some sort of apples to apples comparison to a DI football stadium. Heck, I really enjoy the "atmosphere" at my kid's association elementary games on weekends but in that case the "atmosphere" is really 99% interest in my kids. St. John's, to a casual observer has a football atmosphere that does go beyond the level of the football being played. It is special, and it is probably better than any DII stadium despite the football quality being a slight peg lower. Take an impartial observer... have them attend a packed game at Clemens and a packed game at TCF, and they might enjoy both experiences but they will choose to return to TCF. Any time you are an alum, it just makes the comparison apples to oranges.

All this has nothing to do with the comment earlier from someone comparing DII and DIII to intermurals. Yikes. That is just plain crazy and sounds like it could only come from someone who knows nothing of athletics in those divisions.

 

[MNfootballfan]

Wow, there are so many things wrong with your post. First off, virtually every Major League player plays in the minors, many times for 3+ years. Then comparing playing D2 and D3 ball to intramurals?

And I'm guessing you never played football after high school (or maybe not even high school). I played D2 ball in the Northern Sun. We worked our ass off every day just like D1 guys do. They're just more talented.

The comment about playing just for fun. Why do you think D1 guys play? It's something like less than 15% of incoming D1 freshmen will ever get invited to an NFL combine and/or make an NFL team.

I know exactly what your saying. I did the same. I also remember working 9-10 hours a day in the summer out in the sun, only to leave work to make it to workouts in time. I will never say anything about D1 vs D2 vs D3 athletes, the bottom line they are all living the dream. Of course my ultimate goal was to play at the U of M. Unfortuantely I wasn't good enough. I was still able to fulfill my dream and goal of playing college football at Concordia St. Paul. Each level has their own trials and tribulations. Obviously the best athletes are playing D1, no is debating that. Someone who says D2 and D3 football are equivilent to Intramurals is very ignorant and uneducated.