AZGrizFan wrote:
I like Davis' stadium, but they really need to complete those grass areas with seats and fully surround the stadium...that would be awesome.
Been to a few games there already...it's not bad...not big by any means (10,700 not including family seating in endzones), but appropriate at this point in time for the Aggies program. Design is OK, however they have an Alumni lounge that exits directly onto the main mezzanine walk, so it tends to get clogged up there with Alum standing around in the walkway yammering 'bout '82...(...back when they played St. Mary's women's academy...). Anyway, the grass on the end is "family seating"...don't forget, the weather's usually pretty nice especially since the games are now evening...the grass is a great place for families to go hang...but the Aggies new stadium is tarnished by their facility management which is some of the poorest I've seen.
1) No tailgating. In effect they only have two small parking lots where they allow ANY tailgating, and then NOTHING can be placed in the roadway, and NO ALCOHOL...and they do cite offenders (something Campus Police aren't shy about). Oh, and BTW, Aggie-files...don't start that "on-campus alcohol consumption was banned by the regents. It was not. Alcohol consumption is authorized on-campus for "sponsored group" activities (i.e., Donors), and even inside the stadium in the Alumni/Club members lounge, where elite donors/alum can go inside, have their drinks, then return to their seats. Stating it has been banned is a lie. If the individual universities CHOSE to faciliate a PUBLIC (i.e., non-elitist, working class) tailgate area, they could create "garden" zones on campus outside the scope of the Regent's edict. In a worst case scenario...contract with a private party off-campus parking facility for tailgaters use, and shuttle the tailgaters to the stadium. The current blanket "ban" on taligating is a pox on all California university football programs. The folks responsible for it, are unenlightened authoritarians.
2) Window ticket sales allows people to pick from available seats...not "G"-General Admissions, "V"-Visitors side, "F"-Family, etc...but by displaying maps through the window, letting the people choose, then looking up on what appears to be a computer to see what seating is available...was standing behind a group of guys trying to get 6 seats together...the computer wasn't capable of searching for 6 contiguous open seats, so, they'd ask for Section M, Row 12..."No? Try Section M, Row 13...No? How about Section...."...folks in line were yelling at them, and virtually every window was doing the same...stood in a line bout 15' deep for 35 min...people were freaking out, yelling shouting at the people buying tickets, until one of the Security people went inside, apparently chewed their azzes out, and et voila, the end line switched to General Admission, cash only...bottomline, whoever handles that process I'm sure felt it would be thoughtful and appropriate to empower the attendees by providing them the secular power to control their 'destin manifeste' with the ability to select the exact seat for the game. And then, reality paid a visit to Davis. (...tip to U.C. Davis sports facility mgmt....you can't make everyone happy all of the time...give the folks 3 or 4 choices "General", "Family" or "Reserved", and if they ask what "Reserved" includes, you answer, "Anything not included in General or Family. Cash or credit?", repeat three times, then shout "Next in line".)
3)Nothing can be brought into the stadium that could contain food, drinks, etc... They need to ensure the concessionaire maximizes their extortion victim count.
And they search...saw a middle aged guy...just your average Joe, have to raise his arms and get patted down...absolutely absurd. Got kids? If you dare attempt to bring a sandwich, or chips or snack bar...YOU'RE BUSTED!!! I've attended more rock concerts than I could ever recall (...really, I can't recall most of them...
)...and about half of them didn't search attendees...saw The Who at Oakland Arena...we smuggled in a half-gallon mik jug full of beer...under a jacket...in the Summer. But at Aggie Stadium, saw one young couple and their infant have to take a small knapsack with food and non-alcoholic drinks back to their car...they let the mother keep her milk bottle in her purse, however. Oh, and BTW...the Portland game this season got a little chilly outside, and, of course, the concessions ran out of water to make coffee and hot chocolate during half time, so there were no hot drinks after the first half. Always a good sign of a well managed business.
Recommendation: Solicit proposals to privatize Aggie Stadium management. Whoever's calling the shots for the university is clueless (btw...Slack State also has facility management issues [not talking design...they've got those, but that's a different discussion], however, they're taking steps to resolve some of them.)
listen i KNOW your proud they reached the finals man, i would be too. But please sit the fvck down.
