Game day at the Doyt...

[WhoDeyBG]

I decided I was going to post this at half, so this isn't a result of my anger/bitterness over the loss. I also know that there have been many a thread about these sorts of things. I post because I have heard people at BGSU read this site sometimes, so maybe they will see it. I also wanted to see how many other people are just driven nuts by these things. I also plan to e-mail GC about these things, so I won't just "vent" here. Well, here it goes:

1. Concessions today were awful. With a capital A. I have had pretty standard experiences there over the years (been going to games consistently since '03), but today was just bad, and everyone I talked to had very similar experiences. I forget who technically hires the workers, but it just wasn't efficient at all. I appreciate that the workers are out there working and making some money, but they had a hard time doing the math to give my change back for two pops. Everything is priced on the dollar, which you would think that would make it fly, but it didn't. They didn't have calculators, they didn't have a cheat sheet, and they really didn't know where things were. I saw so many people bail from lines because it was just bad. I know concessions has always taken a beating, but if today was a window to see how they are going to be this year, it just doesn't work.

2. I have never been to a game (I miss maybe one home game a year) where there wasn't an issue with the referee's mic. Frankly, it is just flat out embarrassing. This is a D-I university, and we cannot get the mic right ever. I want to know what dollar amount is needed to remedy this. There has to be a system that works better. It takes away from watching the game when the ref cannot be heard, and it's worse when he tries to speak and it's just loud feedback. It's been years of it, and it's never been fixed.

3. Lastly, and this much more of a pet peeve, but it has to do with the flag poles that are on top of each side of the stadium. I just think it really looks trashy when some of the poles have flags and others don't. There are easily enough poles for a flag of each MAC team, but there isn't even a flag for each of them flying. It would just look so much better to have all the poles filled, have each MAC team represented, and if there are extra poles, the state of Ohio flag can't hurt too much. It would just make it look more complete and not like someone forgot to do something.

Once again, not trying to come off as a whiner or complainer. I guess one of them is strictly from today, but it was BAD, one has been over and over again from the years, and the other is a pet peeve. I love coming to the games, and always will, I just hate that it comes off as high school-ish when things like this happen, and I feel they can be fixed.

Go Falcons! Beat the RedHawks!

[factman]

agree on all points

[FortWayneFalcon]

agree on all points

3rd!

[Falcon Commander]

I heard a woman say she was in line for 20 mins to get waited on, where she was, they had run out of hot dogs before the half another said the 'cheesburger' was the worst ever tasted and threw it away! Also, that the people running that stand, did not have a clue about the operation.

Not a good way to get folks to return for more Sat fun.

[footballguy51]

And to think, we privatized the concessions so Dining Services didn't have to run them anymore. This company comes in, raises prices to NFL prices, and then produces a terrible product and has zero customer service. Give me dining services back!

[AyZiggy97]

Concessions are bothersome, but I don't really care about the other points. Officials aren't mic'd in baseball or basketball, and today's referee was incomprehensible anyway. The only flags I care about are the ones thrown on penalties.

Maybe allowing people to carry in some food, as is done in some baseball stadiums, would fix the concessions problems.

[jpfalcon09]

Is it really needed to blare the screech after every first down? It gets really annoying after awhile.

[WhoDeyBG]

Haha, yeah, my wife isn't a big fan of the screech either. I'm cool with it, because it's unique to us, but just turn it down a notch or two.

[transfer2BGSU]

Is it really needed to blare the screech after every first down? It gets really annoying after awhile.

That's one of the Freaklings!

[Globetrotter]

These things have never really effected the game day experience for me. I don't go to the game for a pop or a pretzel. With that said I think people who care about the concessions have been upset with there quality for years.

[bgsufalcon24]

Here are my thoughts about gameday:

1.Concessions, as many have said, were slow and inefficient. They were much, much better when Dining Services was running things - price, customer service, everything. I wanted to get something and figured I'd wait till after halftime, only to not see the lines die down until late in the 3rd quarter when they were out of most items.

2.The microphone. Honestly, there have been very games I've ever attended where you can hear the referee consistently. That's just low class and cheap.

3.The MAC refs blow, as usual - assuming those weren't MWC refs instead, and so does the clock operator. How long does it take to figure out that Wyoming took a timeout with :54 left, and thus the game clock doesn't restart on the next play until the ball is snapped? Seriously, that was a 6 or 7 minute delay. Ridiculous.

4.The screech is really loud. I think it should be restricted to really big plays, ie: touchdowns, change of possession on defense, etc. Hearing it after every first down is tiresome.

5.Since when did we stop playing Hells Bells on 3rd down? That really annoys me because playing that often gets the crowd into the game on key downs. I didn't see that today, at all, which brings me to my final point:

6.Family Weekend sucks, not just because of the obvious (we never win), but because it impacts the gameday experience in a negative fashion. The students are often spread out across the stadium (and much, MUCH quieter) due to the presence of their parents/family. This leads to less crowd noise and a much less intimidating atmosphere for opposing teams. The amount of students standing on the west side today barely even crossed the walkway, when its usually 2/3 of the way up the stadium. Overall this was one of the quietest crowds I've ever seen at DLP, no noise at all until the final drive, and family weekend is partially responsible for that.

[Falconfreak90]

I never buy concessions anymore....we grill out before and after the game and enjoy real food for a lot less $$$. The prices at the concession stands are outta my league anymore. LOL.

[BGFalconfromCincy]

I never buy concessions anymore....we grill out before and after the game and enjoy real food for a lot less $$$. The prices at the concession stands are outta my league anymore. LOL.

The way concessions are everywhere at every level I never understand why people still go to them at games anymore. Spend less and get better food before or after the game, BG has plenty of options for that

[transfer2BGSU]

3.The MAC refs blow, as usual - assuming those weren't MWC refs instead, and so does the clock operator. How long does it take to figure out that Wyoming took a timeout with :54 left, and thus the game clock doesn't restart on the next play until the ball is snapped? Seriously, that was a 6 or 7 minute delay. Ridiculous.

00:53.9 actually.

Don't blame the clock operator. He started the clock when the referee did his winding motion. You have to follow the directions of the officials on the field. When the ref says to start the clock, you start the clock.

Winding motion starts the game clock. A chopping motion starts the play clock.

BG challenged a call in the third quarter yet the official did not charge us a time-out when we lost the challenge. Game ops did not change the time-outs even though we should have been charged for one.

[hammb]

1. Like others on here I never partake in the concessions. I get the food and drink I need in the parking lot before the games, and oftentimes after the games. That said, it's still a MAJOR issue for the gameday experience. A lot of people expect to be able to get a snack and drink at the games. Even though I didn't have personal experience with them, I overheard some people walking back to their seats in the middle of the 3rd quarter complaining how they had been in line for over 30 minutes to get concessions at halftime. I'm sorry, but that just can't happen. The point of hiring a professional company to manage concessions is so they can run things in a professional manner. That is obviously NOT happening. I'll be anxious to see how the concessions run at the Stroh...a state of the art facility. I suppose it's possible that the facility at the Doyt limits the ability of the concessions to run smoothly, but no matter what it's a major issue. If it means a remodeling to make it work more efficiently, so be it, but you cannot pretend to be a division 1 university if you can't even get concessions to your fans.

2. We were making fun of this joke all game long. My season tickets are with a lot of band parents and other parents who haven't been around long. We were chatting about how bad the mic was on the ref...they were appalled that this has been an ongoing issue for so long. I really want to know how much a decent wireless mic costs nowadays, because I'd be willing to put money towards it. NO, it doesn't mean a hill of beans in the grand scheme, but much like the concessions issue it REEKS of low class and unprofessional. It shouldn't be asking that much to get a decent freaking microphone.

3. Didn't notice the flags, but agree that it shouldn't be asking that much to have flags on all the poles.


Oh, and to the falcon screech, I have always hated it. Among the most annoying noises in the world, and it's hardly unique. There are countless college teams that play a roar or a screech or something after big plays. I could live with it after big plays, but not after every single first down.

Overall, I love this team, but the gameday experience BLOWS. Between the horrid scheduling, the piss poor gameday experience, and the generally lousy teams over the years we should really be happy that we have any fans showing up to games.