The Question:
Color changes, helmet stickers, rawk/band ratio, production: what was better/worse/different this time about the stadium experience?
The Responses:
Adam: What was better and worse and different was people going to the game. The neighborhood I normally park in had lots of people tailgating and throwing footballs around outside, and the tailgates that used to exist closer to State Street were back as well. It was nice to see people outside enjoying a game day in Ann Arbor, especially considering how tail gates disbanded more and more often as last season wore on.
The downside of attendance numbers that actually pass the eye test is traffic. Last season I got stuck once, and that was after the Penn State night game. Usually people were cleared out by the time I finished with the postgame presser and walked back to my car. The last thing I expected was to get stuck on Main Street after a game that entered garbage time early in the fourth quarter, but that's what happened. People care again, man. They stuck around.
As far as in-stadium stuff goes, I'm hoping the block M and end zones get repainted to match the uniforms soon. I think the darker maize on the uniforms is perfect. I don't really care who the apparel manufacturer is as long as the maize and blue we saw on the field Saturday are the maize and blue they use.
Sticking with uniforms, I was initially lukewarm on helmet stickers but have come around after seeing them in action. I can understand people's concern over a helmet that appears cluttered, but I think they look great. It's hard for me to argue with a uniform change that results in something that appeals to Harbaugh and appealed to Bo and not illegible maize letters or oddly placed stripes.
[After the jump: WE ARE WINNING AT THIS!]
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Ace:
Color Changes: I love the actual maize on the uniforms. Hopefully they'll re-paint the field soon so they match.
Helmet Stickers: It's tough to have too strong an opinion on these since nobody had more than a handful of stickers on their helmet. They looked fine to me, and while I'd prefer they just keep the helmet clear of any clutter it's such a minor gripe that I can't bring myself to care much either way.
Rawk/Band Ratio: I have to punt here, since the windows in the press box were closed, making it tough to hear much. I thought it seemed about the same but with slightly better, very Harbaugh song selection. There did seem to be fewer moments when the band had to cut off RAWK music; it might be better coordinated this year.
Enjoyment: The number one thing that stood out to me was the in-stadium replays. For one thing, there were more of them. For another, they were actually useful, utilizing angles that showed the play instead of going full pore-o-vision. Adam and I both mentioned that we were looking at the boards way more than we had before to catch replays; there were even multiple occasions when they showed replays that weren't immediately played on the ESPN broadcast. That alone provided a significant boost to my enjoyment of the stadium experience.
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Seth: MAAAAAIZEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!
The right two are photos by Bryan Fuller's camera at the same time of year and lunar cycle—that's about the best I can do to show the contrast. But we're way beyond having to prove this, since you could see the contrast. You could feel it. You looked down and saw Michigan wearing Michigan's color, not Adidas's. My MOM noticed it. And you were probably among those who wanted it:
The minority who wanted a color that really POPs lost out because Harbaugh is clearly among the 80%+ who believe there should be an appropriate level of classic orange in our color.
I too am the type of fan who has an Opinion on the matter. I've studied colors and how the brain reacts to them, in high school in extra-curricular journalism programs (I'd spend a week per summer at MSU doing things like creating magazine pages), at Michigan from an evolutionary biology perspective, and again much later when I was editing a magazine for appliance/electronics designers.
Colors trigger things in your lizard brain, especially those that you need red cones to view (probably—not sure of this—because they're the last of the three color sensors to evolve). Yellow takes the most work for your brain to see, to the point where its brightest shades start to interrupt your conscious brain. A lot of people don't like any yellow because your poor brain works hard enough. Or you may love it because you only feel alive when the synapses are motoring around in there. It's distracting, to everyone, and more so the greener the hue, but some people enjoy that sensation, while others get really bothered by it.
It doesn't say anything about you if you you're in one camp or the other—do you like spicy foods, and does that mean anything?—but if you're a brand it starts to say subconsciously loud things about who you are. Mountain Dew and Oregon bathe in neon because they're carving out a niche among the unapologetically obnoxious. Conversely, rulers of everything in history have gilded themselves at the first opportunity because golden shades make you think of the sun: brilliance, power, permanence.
I am personally thrilled that Harbaugh took Michigan back to its official color. Michigan's maize is that for a reason: it reflects who we are as a university and as a football program. We're not some teenager out to impress people with our acrobatic Xsports—EXTREEEEME! Michigan is collegiate royalty, descended from the sun god, and we shall rule for eternity. That's our color.
On the rest: Helmet stickers I'm fine leaving to the personal choice of the coach. But I'd like to get the band-to-Special K ratio down to, oh, 100%-0%. Especially in the pre-game. This week the whole stadium shook at "Baaaaaaand Taake the Fiiiieeeld" and the feeling of "omigod MICHIGAN is back" was coursing through my nervous system from that right up until it was rudely interrupted by Hells Bells and Eminem. I hate that. I hate it especially because when the PA system quits for touching the banner, The Victors is dramatically quieter. The effect is we get less loud just in time for the most iconic moment of the pageant.
I wish the scoreboard would shut up for more commercial breaks, and the band would play more vintage MMB stuff. "Sweet Caroline" is like they're begging to take some of Kenny Fisher's time. You're the MICHIGAN MARCHING BAND! This is YOUR building! If anyone not named Jim Hackett or Carl Grapentine comes near the PA system stick your motherfucking horn in his face and blare:
It's all about the blue baby, yeah!
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David: Color Changes: I do like the return to maize. I'm probably one of the few people who never hated the trend toward brighter and brighter yellow, but I didn't need it. The maize does have a classic/old school look and feel to it, especially after I looked through some of the pictures. It's still kind of funny with the brighter yellow still on the field turf...
Helmet Stickers: So, I was frustrated when I first heard Michigan was going back to helmet stickers. I just feel like they clutter up my favorite part about Michigan football, the Winged Helmet. However, when I saw them, they actually look all right. Perhaps, as helmets get filled with stickers, they could become less visually pleasing, but for now I can be on board.
I do like the extra competition that it provides, though. Harbaugh is certainly not short on that. It would be interesting to know what the different qualifications are for obtaining a sticker, though.
Sound: I didn't notice a ton of difference in the band/speakers ratio. Maybe slightly less rawk music. But then I didn't mind the piped in music as much as most people seemed to mind it. I also have thought the band's song timing/choice hasn't been so great -and even gotten a little stale- since Nix left after the '06 season. Probably why hearing the prerecorded stuff hasn't bothered me quite as much. However, if I don't hear Sweet Caroline, Don't Stop Believin' (Gator Bowl 2010 ruined that one), or especially Build Me Up Buttercup during a crucial 4th quarter review, I definitely won't complain.
Enjoyment: Um...all right, you know what I enjoyed? Aside from Harbaugh's antics -which are amusing, for sure...especially when there's a certain comfort level in the game- I enjoyed Michigan starting to live up to the potential that seems to be on this team. You could see the OL get better. Smith looked more patient and followed his blocks. And the defense started to hit a few levels that I haven't seen a Michigan defense hit in way too long. You could see adjustments on both sides of the ball. Finally, I could relax and really enjoy watching a Michigan football team outplay its opponent with the almost assured belief that there will be constant growth and improvement that will result in the increasing probability of this happening against deeper and more talented teams.
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Brian: If a Michigan fan exists who isn't enthusiastic about the return of real actual maize I have not run across him or her. I can only imagine he would be Special K's tween child. He probably has a twitter account on which he peddles all manner of uniforms less eyesore than fashion crime, and listens to Billy Joel/Limp Bizkit mashups. We did not remember what we had lost until it was once again amongst us.
I'm not going to like the helmet stickers. Everyone older than me thinks they're the best; I got used to the clean look of the Carr era and provide it.
I was disappointed by both the volume and frequency of the RAWK music, because I am secretly 80 years old in all ways other than liking helmet stickers. Can we have like four seconds of time in which some song is not inserted into the game for no real reason? The student section will start doing a chant and then they'll give up because they're being shouted down by AC/DC or whatever. I accept that it's never going away. I would like to see it reduced to hype up stuff when Michigan is on defense.
At least the music selection was hilariously Harbaugh-influenced?
Miscellaneous stadium atmosphere bits: the house ads for the department were reduced to field hockey and volleyball saying they had games later that day and you should stop by, which was an improvement. We were not exhorted against using anti-gay slurs or reminded that we can have Big House weddings.
Agree with Ace that the replays were much better. They replayed the flagrant Darboh uncalled pass interference right away, which I don't think is something they would have done in the past. It spurred a bunch more booing, justifiably. It also confirmed my earlier conviction that the ref made a terrible call on that play. There was still some pore-o-vision but it was much reduced.
Also, it's very nice that Michigan's board is all football, no ads. When you go to other stadiums those boards are busy showing you ads so they don't use their full size or they spend some time showing you a logo. Michigan does not do that.
Mostly it just felt like we won. It'll take some time for the full impact to be felt. But having Jim Harbaugh run out of the tunnel with his charges wearing actual maize, no athletic director in sight, was a misty moment. All that is over.