NYCGOBEARS;841926538 said:

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Lol. No one could accuse you of being an overbearing soccer dad.

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Hey. It builds character.

When I was a kid neither parent could come to watch my little league games (both worked outside the home). So little league was a game for kids, by kids with no parental supervision (although there were adult -- i.e. teenage or young 20's--coaches). When we made mistakes they were our mistakes and not paraded before our parents. When we "did good" the coaches were sure to tell our parents later that evening.
So there was little shame on the kids for making mistakes. Mistakes were part of the game.

I agree with the experts who decry the helicopter parents who dote on every little thing that their Johnny or Janie (shows my age) do in life.
Kids have to have time to be kids ON THEIR OWN (within limits).

So go and enjoy the Cal games with a clear conscience.

Not terribly excited about the noon starts, but UCLA was going to be very difficult for me without the early start. Gotta be at SFO by 8pm for a red eye to Alabama (Robert Trent Jones Trail)....

Tedhead03;841926631 said:

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Seriously. People find a reason to complain about EVERYTHING. As someone who is stuck with AT&T Uverse and don't have access to the Pac-12 Network, my initial reaction to this thread was "AWESOME"! I get guaranteed access to 3 more games. I guess I'm just more of a glass half full kind of guy.

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We're actually GOING to the games, so I don't particularly care about the TV. Noon starts are terrible.

Bears2thDoc;841926633 said:

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This is Kid2th's first year with East Bay United Soccer.
Apparently, I am required to attend a 2 hour mandatory meeting on how to behave.

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2 hours? Some parents in that league must've flipped out at some point. Geez.

1230 games make me irrationally angry. how exactly are you supposed to peform a stirring rendition of the Cal drinking song at noon? I mean, I'll try, but dammit some of the necessary flair is going to be lost.

SadbutTrue999;841926685 said:

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1230 games make me irrationally angry. how exactly are you supposed to peform a stirring rendition of the Cal drinking song at noon? I mean, I'll try, but dammit some of the necessary flair is going to be lost.

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Start drinking earlier. Celebrate earlier. Pass out earlier. Overcome hangover earlier. Win win.

The people at FOX are:

2pm, 4pm or night in general are preferable (as a student). I don't like waking up just to go straight there.

SiniCal;841926663 said:

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whispered ps: just between us, i don't get the gameday binge drinking attraction. what's the point of winning if we can't recall stuff the next day? better to hold off on the lost-the-game remedies till we're safely home, umm, says the designated driver.

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Yeah, seriously. I'm sure the TV powers considered the needs of the binge-drinking crowd when they made their decisions about game times. LMAO.

Why a 12:00 start instead of 12:30? Don't a huge number of games usually start at 12:30? That accommodates the other large number of games that start at 9am PST and lets ABC, ESPN, and FOX do its around-the-country highlight show if those games end a little early.

510Bear;841926702 said:

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Yeah, seriously. I'm sure the TV powers considered the needs of the binge-drinking crowd when they made their decisions about game times. LMAO.

Why a 12:00 start instead of 12:30? Don't a huge number of games usually start at 12:30? That accommodates the other large number of games that start at 9am PST and lets ABC, ESPN, and FOX do its around-the-country highlight show if those games end a little early.

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Fox doesn't do a game before noon... they don;t need/want the 9am PT start time. They do have a game at 4pm. Also, they seem to have FX games starting at 1pm, so they get the staggered endings (good for catching channel hoppers).

72CalBear;841926552 said:

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For obvious reasons, many won't like it..But especially for homecoming vs Ucla..Even though its weeklong, there are alot of alums who come in on gameday and will now have to scurry/cram things in before kickoff. Cal students will also scowl since they sleep in so late and the stadium noise may suffer due to lack of refreshments for this vocal group! I hope the starting times change.

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I know that many won't like it but consider:
1. Cal games were traditionally at 12:30 (sometimes 1 pm).

2. Back in my day when Dinosaurs ruled the land, Cal students did not have any problem getting "stoked up" in time for games with a 12:30 start. They even smuggled kegs into to stands early in the morning thanks to a cooperative student "field official". This allowed the students to stay "stoked up" during the game.

3. A 12 noon start gives us plenty of time post-game to party and tailgate, and still have time to go out on Saturday night.
12 noon start sure beats a 5pm or even worse 7pm start.

4. For the Cal fans from far away (Fresno or farther). A 12 noon start gives them time to get home at a decent hour. Friends who sit next to me at Memorial (one of them a Pappy's Boy) come from the Fresno area, and they have not been able to attend most of the 5pm or later games.

grandmastapoop;841926692 said:

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The people at FOX are:

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Just noticed that "Big" "Dicks" sign below the announcers.

Is that a sponsor. Or an editorial evaluation of the announcers.

Sorry but at my age, I am a little slow.

Its worth noting that 12:00 is the broadcast start time, not necessarily the kickoff time. The kickoff would likely be at 12:15 at the earliest and more likely closer to 12:30 with a 30 minute pregame show.

~MrGPAC

MrGPAC;841926716 said:

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Its worth noting that 12:00 is the broadcast start time, not necessarily the kickoff time. The kickoff would likely be at 12:15 at the earliest and more likely closer to 12:30 with a 30 minute pregame show.

~MrGPAC

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The pregame show is 30 minutes starting at 1130. I wouldn't expect a late kickoff. They have a 30 minute bridge show before the night game starting at 330 as well.

68great;841926713 said:

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Just noticed that "Big" "Dicks" sign below the announcers.

Is that a sponsor. Or an editorial evaluation of the announcers.

Sorry but at my age, I am a little slow.

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B1G is the new Big 10 (but we're really 12) logo. The other is a sign for Dick's Sporting Goods store.

That's a great picture.

Californication;841926678 said:

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Not terribly excited about the noon starts, but UCLA was going to be very difficult for me without the early start. Gotta be at SFO by 8pm for a red eye to Alabama (Robert Trent Jones Trail)....

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Which courses?

Honestly, I don't think it is that big of a deal and I don't get why so many people are so upset. We're allegedly kind of smart people, you'd think we could figure out a way to adjust and have a good time. Heck, I can have a cold beer after the game just as easily as before the game. And since I expect us to win they will be colder and smoother and more satisfying than on normal game days. Top Dog at 4pm and a later lighter dinner in the city doesn't suck. New stadium. New season. We haven't lost yet so hope springs eternal. It is all good. Drink some koolaid and quit complaining!

Go Bears!

i don't think its really the time, it's just that people probably prefer some variety.

tequila4kapp;841926727 said:

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Honestly, I don't think it is that big of a deal and I don't get why so many people are so upset. We're allegedly kind of smart people, you'd think we could figure out a way to adjust and have a good time. Heck, I can have a cold beer after the game just as easily as before the game. And since I expect us to win they will be colder and smoother and more satisfying than on normal game days. Top Dog at 4pm and a later lighter dinner in the city doesn't suck. New stadium. New season. We haven't lost yet so hope springs eternal. It is all good. Drink some koolaid and quit complaining!

Go Bears!

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The biggest concern is this: Football isn't life and death at Cal. It rates no where near the top of the list for most Cal students in terms of things to do. What it is is a social gathering, and in this generation, social gatherings seem to necessitate a certain level of intoxication. Asking die hard fans who are going to the games no matter what to adjust their routine and figure out how to get up 2 hours earlier to get to the stadium before it starts isn't that big a deal.

Asking a bunch of Fraternities to start setting up pregame at 8-9am instead of noon is huge...most of the people are still hung over from the night before at 8am. Then asking enough of the other students to wake up early enough to get a satisfying buzz going going into the stadium so they can be loud and yell and not care about it is a big deal. Hell...a lot of the students are so happy they don't have an 8am class to wake up for they are just as happy to sleep in until 1 or 2 in the afternoon (especially if they were partying on a friday night).

Asking freshman to get into the game when they aren't sure they even care when they don't have a fixed bed time for the first time in their life living "on their own" while they are testing their drinking limits often unsuccessfully to be there at noon and ready to go is asking a lot. That's where the new fans and fresh blood for the future comes from.

Not saying its life or death...but it would be truly unfortunate if every game was a noon game. And I'm not just saying that because I sit on the east side and don't like getting sunburns but almost always forget my sunblock!

~MrGPAC

grandmastapoop;841926517 said:

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This is horrendous. Hopefully it's just a placeholder? Ugh. The Ol' Blues are dancing in their wheelchairs.

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Depends on how old.

I've always hated the 12:00pm starts. The Cal football of my youth was a 1:30 in the afternoon affair. Leave home by 10:00- parked and tailgating no later than 11:00, done before dark and out eating somewhere by dinner time. Love 2:00pm and 3:00pm starts, and late afternoon/early evening ones, too- Memorial looks spectacular by twilight. Generally don't like the night games though- too cold, and too hard to eat out after (but one or two a year are fine, for the atmosphere they bring.)

GB54;841926632 said:

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1:30-2 pm would be best. Enough time to lollygag around in the morning and get out late enough to grab an early dinner in Berkeley

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Agreed, the 1:30-2p time slot has always been my preference for the same reasons you've mentioned.

oursdor;841926522 said:

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Beyond awful for us but pretty much uniformly terrible for the Pac-12. Six Pac-12 / Big-12 double headers, Big-12 gets four of the six 4pm "prime time" slots. The Apple Cup is a 12:30 start the day after Thanksgiving. In Pullman. Pac-12 gets a weekday championship game at 5pm again. Oregon couldn't sell out a game in that time slot. Imagine trying to get to the Coliseum, Memorial or the Rose Bowl on a Friday afternoon.

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Oregon vs SC would have sold out in *any* time slot- and will this year (if they're both the winners as projected.) And if Cal made it to the CCG, and had any kind of legitimate shot at winning it and going to the RB or better, I doubt we'd have much trouble selling it out, either- maybe not even if it were at 2am on a tuesday...

MrGPAC;841926735 said:

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The biggest concern is this: Football isn't life and death at Cal. It rates no where near the top of the list for most Cal students in terms of things to do. What it is is a social gathering, and in this generation, social gatherings seem to necessitate a certain level of intoxication. Asking die hard fans who are going to the games no matter what to adjust their routine and figure out how to get up 2 hours earlier to get to the stadium before it starts isn't that big a deal.

Asking a bunch of Fraternities to start setting up pregame at 8-9am instead of noon is huge...most of the people are still hung over from the night before at 8am. Then asking enough of the other students to wake up early enough to get a satisfying buzz going going into the stadium so they can be loud and yell and not care about it is a big deal. Hell...a lot of the students are so happy they don't have an 8am class to wake up for they are just as happy to sleep in until 1 or 2 in the afternoon (especially if they were partying on a friday night).

Asking freshman to get into the game when they aren't sure they even care when they don't have a fixed bed time for the first time in their life living "on their own" while they are testing their drinking limits often unsuccessfully to be there at noon and ready to go is asking a lot. That's where the new fans and fresh blood for the future comes from.

Not saying its life or death...but it would be truly unfortunate if every game was a noon game. And I'm not just saying that because I sit on the east side and don't like getting sunburns but almost always forget my sunblock!

~MrGPAC

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getting drunk and recovering from the previous night's hangover is more important than cheering on your school's football team.

Glad you cleared that up for me.

FiatSlug;841926756 said:

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getting drunk and recovering from the previous night's hangover is more important than cheering on your school's football team.

Glad you cleared that up for me.

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I'd be at a game at 4am if thats when they decided to have it. The post wasn't about me, it was about the general student population. Football just isn't that big a deal (in general) on campus.

~MrGPAC

Day games are terrible...

Games at night. Tailgate in the day.

MrGPAC;841926735 said:

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The biggest concern is this: Football isn't life and death at Cal. It rates no where near the top of the list for most Cal students in terms of things to do. What it is is a social gathering, and in this generation, social gatherings seem to necessitate a certain level of intoxication. Asking die hard fans who are going to the games no matter what to adjust their routine and figure out how to get up 2 hours earlier to get to the stadium before it starts isn't that big a deal.

Asking a bunch of Fraternities to start setting up pregame at 8-9am instead of noon is huge...most of the people are still hung over from the night before at 8am. Then asking enough of the other students to wake up early enough to get a satisfying buzz going going into the stadium so they can be loud and yell and not care about it is a big deal. Hell...a lot of the students are so happy they don't have an 8am class to wake up for they are just as happy to sleep in until 1 or 2 in the afternoon (especially if they were partying on a friday night).

Asking freshman to get into the game when they aren't sure they even care when they don't have a fixed bed time for the first time in their life living "on their own" while they are testing their drinking limits often unsuccessfully to be there at noon and ready to go is asking a lot. That's where the new fans and fresh blood for the future comes from.

Not saying its life or death...but it would be truly unfortunate if every game was a noon game. And I'm not just saying that because I sit on the east side and don't like getting sunburns but almost always forget my sunblock!

~MrGPAC

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I appreciate your thoughtful response.

I was in a house - one of the crappier houses, dispraportionately filled with guys that fit the 'won't go to games' demographic - and have no doubt that even we would have had zero problem adjusting pre-game festivities, waking up earlier, 'preparing' to yell loudly, etc. Heck, even we would have figured out this just meant more time in the warm afternoon sun to consume beverages and start our Saturday night early.

I think we collectively have some weak arse soft fans. Younger people that can't handle a noon start time are probably the next generation of Old Blues that yell at other people to sit down...

FiatSlug;841926756 said:

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getting drunk and recovering from the previous night's hangover is more important than cheering on your school's football team.

Glad you cleared that up for me.

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That had to be cleared up for you?

Did you not go to college?

MrGPAC;841926764 said:

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I'd be at a game at 4am if thats when they decided to have it. The post wasn't about me, it was about the general student population. Football just isn't that big a deal (in general) on campus.

~MrGPAC

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But that's an even bigger indictment, dontcha think?

If the student population can't be bothered to attend a football game at 12:00 Noon on a Saturday because they're too hung over from the night before, then I say they've chosen their priorities: getting drunk on a Friday and recovering from a hangover on a Saturday.

Don't care if it means that for a season or two there will be far fewer students in the stands. Eventually, priorities will shift.

Phantomfan;841926772 said:

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That had to be cleared up for you?

Did you not go to college?

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I went to UC Santa Cruz, in fact. And I attended every Cal home game from 1981 to 1984 (save the 1982 Big Game because I was flew to New Jersey the day before).

FiatSlug;841926773 said:

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But that's an even bigger indictment, dontcha think?

If the student population can't be bothered to attend a football game at 12:00 Noon on a Saturday because they're too hung over from the night before, then I say they've chosen their priorities: getting drunk on a Friday and recovering from a hangover on a Saturday.

Don't care if it means that for a season or two there will be far fewer students in the stands. Eventually, priorities will shift.

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It's been that way for many, many years. I don't see priorities shifting, unless it's to people going to the library and not to the game or partying. Though these particular games (UCLA, Oregon, Stanford) are big enough that students will still show, it doesn't mean they will be as rowdy and the gameday atmosphere will be as good as a later kickoff.

Under the new TV contract, on average, it seems ~1/3 of any team's home games should be at noon or 1pm. ~2/3 will start later. Of course that's on average.... but noon games aren't going to be the norm.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. If they were late afternoon games they would have already passed out and wouldn't attend.

I dont think getting the houses to participate will be a problem, from my experience, it just means you party all day. I think our fairweather slightly older fans will be the issue. Culture will be slow to change, if at all.

68great;841926709 said:

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I know that many won't like it but consider:
1. Cal games were traditionally at 12:30 (sometimes 1 pm).

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Cal games on TV were exceptionally rare.
Fans at Cal games were equally rare

68great;841926709 said:

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2. Back in my day when Dinosaurs ruled the land, Cal students did not have any problem getting "stoked up" in time for games with a 12:30 start. They even smuggled kegs into to stands early in the morning thanks to a cooperative student "field official". This allowed the students to stay "stoked up" during the game.

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I am not sure what this has to do with modern times...
Now bringing in your own booze is much harder (bringing in your own water is is a 50-50 proposal). Therefore, everyone has to get their buzz pre-game. Not hard to understand..

68great;841926709 said:

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3. A 12 noon start gives us plenty of time post-game to party and tailgate, and still have time to go out on Saturday night.
12 noon start sure beats a 5pm or even worse 7pm start.

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Go out Saturday night? The game IS the going out Saturday night. Plenty of time to get together and have a real tailgate pregame, get motivated, get to the game, leave, eat, sleep, read paper about how Tosh cried after his unit got abused.

68great;841926709 said:

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4. For the Cal fans from far away (Fresno or farther). A 12 noon start gives them time to get home at a decent hour. Friends who sit next to me at Memorial (one of them a Pappy's Boy) come from the Fresno area, and they have not been able to attend most of the 5pm or later games.

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Why not? Hotels, friends, family etc.
A day trip from Fresneck is a marathon event anyway. How does sitting in the noon-day sun make that block of time easier?
(I used to drive from Reno for every game; Noon games meant two nights in town - anyone who can drive 4 hours after a game do not do it right... I am exhausted after games for a good 8 hours).

68great;841926674 said:

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Hey. It builds character.

When I was a kid neither parent could come to watch my little league games (both worked outside the home). So little league was a game for kids, by kids with no parental supervision (although there were adult -- i.e. teenage or young 20's--coaches). When we made mistakes they were our mistakes and not paraded before our parents. When we "did good" the coaches were sure to tell our parents later that evening.
So there was little shame on the kids for making mistakes. Mistakes were part of the game.

I agree with the experts who decry the helicopter parents who dote on every little thing that their Johnny or Janie (shows my age) do in life.
Kids have to have time to be kids ON THEIR OWN (within limits).

So go and enjoy the Cal games with a clear conscience.

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Kids whose parents ALWAYS attend EVERY SINGLE ONE of their events get the following message: "Whatever I do is so very, very important." Then, 1-2 decades later, they're posting their mundane life on facebook and just can't understand why the rest of the world doesn't dote on them.

I try to make my kids' stuff, sometimes even missing a Cal game, but if it's a big game (like Big Game, for example), I'm like, "Sorry, can't make this one kid, go have fun and try to win. See ya after the game."

GB54;841926782 said:

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Six of one, half a dozen of the other. If they were late afternoon games they would have already passed out and wouldn't attend.

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Wow, Cal students are puss now-a-days. Late afternoon and they are down for the count? Ridiculous.