Written by Lloyd Ribner III (@Ribner3)
There will be some new things, both good and bad, happening at Memorial Stadium this year.
Oxford English Dictionary defines tradition as, the
transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation.
The Indiana Athletic Department has decided to add new game day
traditions. While I applaud their effort to try and beef up the college
football experience in Bloomington, the fact of the matter is that you cannot
simply create traditions.
Which is essentially what Fred Glass and company are trying to
do. This is like marketing a sandwich with words such as tasty or delicious in
front of it. If that sandwich were truly either adjective the vendor would
likely not have to mention it.
True traditions in college sports come organically; they are
marching formations from the early 20th century like at Ohio State,
or mascot entrances such as at Auburn. Signs put up in locker rooms long ago
like the one in South Bend or new songs that are adopted by the student section
as a means to celebrate the moment like at Camp Randall.
If one is going out of their way to “create tradition”, the
likelihood of it being adopted as a custom that will be passed down as students
graduate is rather minimal.
That does not mean that Indiana should sit on their hands and do
nothing to improve the game day experience. The decision makers in the athletic
department decided to let the fans in on what was going to be brand spankin’
new for the 2013 football season at and around Memorial Stadium.
Instead of having you delve into the 49 point “Football Gameday
Experience Highlight Summary”, including when and what to cheer, I figured we
could highlight some of the best and worst of the Gameday Manifesto.
Good
Technology Upgrades
Thankfully those old tube televisions with the casing around
them that you could find on craigslist in the “free stuff” section are out and
new flat screen TVs are in. Sure getting excited about flat screens makes me
sound like I am on a 2002 episode of MTV Cribs, but it was a total eyesore
without them. In addition cell service will be improved as a new antenna system
is being installed.
Bad: Flash
Mobs
Sure flash mobs were lovable when they first arrived a few years
back, but lets be honest they have been played out. In addition the fact that
there are “Thursday Flash Mob Rallies” basically ruins the entire idea as the
whole point of a flash mob is spontaneity.
Good: Big
Jake is Back
For those of you who don’t know what Big Jake is, shame on you.
Actually hold that thought, shame on the Athletic Department for taking it away
in the first place. Big Jake was and now
once again is a cannon that will shoot off after the Hoosiers score. It’s less
generic than fireworks, kids love it and it fires up the entire crowd.
Bad: No
Spoiler Alerts
I don’t know about you guys, but when I enter a stadium for the
first time for a given season I like to look around and see what new stuff is
going on, most specifically on the video boards. Please don’t tell me what the
video is going to be when the Hoosiers take the field or what type of
pyrotechnics will be involved. I will not share such things with you as we here
at Hoosier Huddle care about your experience and would never ruin that!
Good: More
T-Shirt Guns
With the Hoosiers having just one t-shirt gun last year, they
decided to up the ante in 2013. They didn’t just get a second one for the other
side of Memorial Stadium; they quadrupled their arsenal and now have four
weapons shooting out 100-percent cotton goodness. All right, this might sounds
silly, but we have all been there. Sitting in the stands, acting all casual,
but inside hoping the t-shirt gun comes over towards your section and you end
up with that free souvenir. Sure it is likely to have a sponsor’s logo
emblazoned and you will never wear it outside of yard work or going to bed, but
let’s be honest there are very few things that get everyone excited. From those
in the student section to the boosters shelling out thousands to be at the
games. One such item happens to be a free t-shirt.
Bad:
Performance Fan Giveaways
In theory these are great. I generally love them. However, IU
dropped the ball again. Many schools partner with companies such as McDonalds
to offer free fires when a team scores over a certain amount of points. Fans,
most especially of the student variety, love FREE. Unfortunately, that memo has
not reached the desk of the powers that be in Bloomington. Sure some discounts
are theoretically better than none, however when the marks needed to make them
happen are so over the top, you might as well just skip them. For discounts
from Kilroy’s and Papa John’s the Hoosiers have to score 50 points. Last year
with a rather dynamic offense Indiana averaged just 30.8 points per game and
never reached the 50-point plateau. The Hoosier defense, far from being an
elite unit, needs to achieve 8 defensive stops on the day for similar
promotions. Don’t worry though! If both of those happen in the same game this
year, you receive a free hot dog, at the next game! Sure that assumes that you
as a fan are going to back-to-back games but at least it’s free, right?!