How's the Gopher football experience and Chain of Lakes? (St. Paul: how much, homes)
Minneapolis - St. PaulTwin Cities
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Student season-ticket sales have steadily dropped from 10,000 in the first year at the 50,800-seat TCF Bank Stadium, to 7,800 the second year to less than 6,000 last year. Now, with the team's first home game on Sept. 8 less than a month away, roughly 2,000 student season tickets have been sold for the $288 million on-campus stadium that was seen as a key to rekindling passion and attendance after almost three decades in the Metrodome....
....With student support for football at other Big Ten schools forming a stark contrast, the trend in Minnesota is troubling. The University of Michigan has sold 21,715 student season tickets so far this year, and the University of Wisconsin sold its 13,119 student season-ticket allotment in just 30 minutes.
Wow, that's too bad. You know, I lived in Atlanta for 20 years, and could never understand why Georgia Tech couldn't fill their stadium, which seats about the same as TCF. Unlike Minnesota, Tech actually had a LOT of good teams during that stretch, and fantastic football tradition to boot, right in the heart of the college football heartland. Tech doesn't have anywhere near the enrollment that Minnesota does, however.
I think there is a legitimate argument for these college teams struggling with attendance in major cities, though. Like Minneapolis, Atlanta is a town with so much to do that you can live there for 20 years like I did and still not get to all of it. Plus, the urban campuses do not (cannot?) provide nearly the gameday experience that the more rural ones do. Towns like Ann Arbor, Iowa City, and Madison are gonna stand still on football game day, while much larger places like Atlanta and Minneapolis barely skip a beat. The major cities that do have the full tilt college FB experience are generally ones with schools that have historic - and WINNING - programs, i.e. L.A. (USC), Columbus (Ohio St.)....and maybe Seattle (Washington), even though they haven't done much of late. Wow....I can't really think of any other major cities with good football programs.
Anyway....hope Minnesota can turn it around. I too believe that it all begins and ends with winning. What happened with Mason? He fielded some really good teams.....their rushing attack was phenomenal. If Minnesota ever expects to get in the mix with the big boys they need to keep people like that. Have heard good things about coach Kill, but man, it really seems like the deck is stacked against him. They may have to dangle major dough to lure a big name guy that'll draw in the talent.
If all else fails.....move the campus to St. Cloud, Rochester or Mankato, and BINGO - it's college gameday in Minnesota!! Yah......
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Mason was fired 2 days after his 10th season, after the Gophs blew the largest bowl-game lead (38-7) in NCAA Div I History to Texas Tech in the 2006 Insight Bowl. This was the 7th bowl appearance in Mason's 10 years as coach. The total number of bowl game appearances by all other coaches in the other 42 years since their first Rose Bowl appearance in 1961....7.
I'd go for a walk around Lake of the Isles, which then loops under a small bridge to Lake Calhoun (the water is connected by a lagoon, if you decide to rent a canoe or kayak and go that route instead!). Right near where the lakes connect is a restaurant called the Tin Fish. They have everything from full meals to ice cream, and you can sit there -- literally right there on the shores of Lake Calhoun -- enjoying your post-walk ice cream or cold drink or a romantic dinner. I think the Lake of the Isles/Calhoun combo hits the most highlights: nice views, the charm of Lake of the Isles (and some good opportunities to check out the beautiful homes in the area), and the totally different vibe of the larger Lake Calhoun.
But Lake Harriet has the Bandshell and that awesome snack shack place that serves amazing popcorn, ice cream, and now other fun foods like mini donuts, fries, etc. I'm not sure if they have cheese curds yet but if they have ones like the State Fair then it's officially the best snack shack of all time!
The best view of downtown is probably Calhoun though, even though Isles is closer to downtown.....but I could be wrong. Just do what Uptown_Urbanist said and loop around both (about 5.0 to 5.5 miles total). Also, you can buy beer/wine at Tin Fish as well!
Student season-ticket sales have steadily dropped from 10,000 in the first year at the 50,800-seat TCF Bank Stadium, to 7,800 the second year to less than 6,000 last year. Now, with the team's first home game on Sept. 8 less than a month away, roughly 2,000 student season tickets have been sold for the $288 million on-campus stadium that was seen as a key to rekindling passion and attendance after almost three decades in the Metrodome....
....With student support for football at other Big Ten schools forming a stark contrast, the trend in Minnesota is troubling. The University of Michigan has sold 21,715 student season tickets so far this year, and the University of Wisconsin sold its 13,119 student season-ticket allotment in just 30 minutes.
I do have to say that the significance of only 2,000 season tickets sold to-date a month from when the first game starts doesn't mean much. If I were a student at the U and knew tickets weren't hard to come by, I'd wait until school started and/or I moved to my dorm/apartment before securing those tix.....unless preferred seating is prioritized strongly by earlier entrants. However, if only 2,000 to 3,000 students ended up purchases (fairly cheap) season tickets for the Gophers then the team deserves to lose........there's no excuse for such a low output -- not with a school that's often top 3 or top 5 in the nation for enrollment!
But Lake Harriet has the Bandshell and that awesome snack shack place that serves amazing popcorn, ice cream, and now other fun foods like mini donuts, fries, etc. I'm not sure if they have cheese curds yet but if they have ones like the State Fair then it's officially the best snack shack of all time!
The best view of downtown is probably Calhoun though, even though Isles is closer to downtown.....but I could be wrong. Just do what Uptown_Urbanist said and loop around both (about 5.0 to 5.5 miles total). Also, you can buy beer/wine at Tin Fish as well!
Beer & Wine? Consider Tin Fish frequented.
Dumb question category: Any parks in St. Paul with views of that skyline?
To be fair, one of the pics was from the Illinois game, which took place during Thanksgiving weekend. There's just not going to be a whole lot of students on campus then.
There's a few major things wrong with the Gopher game day experience, mostly the fact that the U is too puritanical to let alcohol turn it into Mardi Gras 6 Saturdays a year.
1A) They didn't sell beer at the Bank prior to this season, at all! The idea of grown men watching college football & not being able to drink a beer is preposterous. 1B) Compounding that is you couldn't run down the block & slosh a couple back at 1/2 time due to the no re-entry rule. We'll now be able to buy beer but there's no doubt the puritans will have sales cut off at 1/2 time or invoke some sort of 3 beer max rule. Anyhow, it's progress. Next, we're so worried about a squeaky clean & healthy image that we won't 1C) shut down Dinkytown & University Ave & turn them into a massive party like other schools do. Let epople walk with drinks so long as they're in plastic containers. In my opinion the marching band should march right down University Ave into the stadium with the team following as the fans line the streets for the "Victory Walk". 1D) They need to loosen up on the students at the entrance to the stadium. You've got a better chance of sneaking a b-o-m-b on a plane at the Tel Aviv airport than a U of M student does sneaking a flask into the Bank. Give the people what they want, a game day experience that is a party with a football game at the end of it.
2) 11:00am kick-offs blow. How many college students are up & ready to go on Saturday morning by 8-9am? Not many apparently. I'm 42 & I don't want to get up early to race down to the stadium to tailgate for 1-2 hours. The SEC & Pac-10 have the advantage of starting their games at 3pm & 7pm which gives the fans time to get there, tailgate & work up a lather. At the Bank you've got to be there by 8am to even get your grill warmed up. No tailgating = no game day atmosphere.
3) 50 years of losing doesn't lend itself to excitement. Win & the students will come, it's that simple.
Student season-ticket sales have steadily dropped from 10,000 in the first year at the 50,800-seat TCF Bank Stadium, to 7,800 the second year to less than 6,000 last year. Now, with the team's first home game on Sept. 8 less than a month away, roughly 2,000 student season tickets have been sold for the $288 million on-campus stadium that was seen as a key to rekindling passion and attendance after almost three decades in the Metrodome....
....With student support for football at other Big Ten schools forming a stark contrast, the trend in Minnesota is troubling. The University of Michigan has sold 21,715 student season tickets so far this year, and the University of Wisconsin sold its 13,119 student season-ticket allotment in just 30 minutes.
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