Michigan to add "Enclosed Seating"... it's about time

It's official. The Big House will be getting another make-over. This one will cost a mere $226 million, but the return on that investment could be priceless.

For those that have visited Michigan Stadium on an afternoon in the fall, you are well aware of the cramped seating, terrible aisleways, less than stellar bathroom facilities, and low quantity of concessions. In addition, there is only a single concourse for everyone to walk on to get around the stadium (that's 111,000+ on any given Saturday) making entering and exiting the Stadium a chore in itself. The proposed renovation will attempt to address these issues. Numerous bathroom facilities will be placed on the north and south ends of the concourse in addition to more concessions. Both seats AND aisles will be widened to allow easier access to and from your seat. An additional concourse will be added to attempt to break up the high traffic flow.

In addition, what amounts to two large buildings will be added to the sides of the stadium, one of them replacing the old press box and adding additional outdoor seating, the other being comprised mostly of what the University has called "enclosed seating" with some additional outdoor seating as well.

The largest concern of most fans was whether this would remove Michigan Stadium as the largest college stadium in the country. In actuality, the capacity will, in fact, INCREASE after all is said and done, swelling to over 108,000 capacity (in actuality accomodating probably closer to between 112,000-114,000 people).

Now, the rumor has it that Michigan Stadium is one of the quietest stadiums in the country, and rightfully so. Two things have always contributed to this. First, the architecture of the stadium is shaped like a bowl, and a wide bowl at that. Noise has a tendency to flow out over the edges of the stadium, at times causing people to say it sounds louder from the outside than it actually is. Second, the ticket holders located closest to the field and in the prime seats have always been a little more elderly than your average college football fan. They're the ones who can afford to pay the donation and sit on the 50 yard line (and when I say sit, that's exactly what they do...all game long...and they'll kindly ask you to do the same if you happen to stand in front of them).

In my opinion, these boxes are aimed at these fans. In essence, they will be more inclined to move to the boxes, all the while making huge donations to the University, and opening up the seats closer to the field to fans willing to stand and cheer. In addition, with the added capacity, this will actually bring fans who otherwise couldn't acquire tickets into the stadium. Also, the structures on the sides of the stadium may improve the acoustics of the stadium, forcing the sound back in onto the field instead of allowing it to escape over the edge. Couple this with the growth of the student section and Michigan Stadium might actually become a difficult road game in the not too distant future.

The project is expected to be completed in the year 2010. This fan says it can't happen soon enough.