If we keep losing, cal fans and students won't even watch it on tv. Oregon fans? Kinda iffy, too. It'll be a Friday night game with little doubt in the outcome. Not too compelling for either school.
Levi's Stadium game
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Last: 12 yr ago by GivemTheAxe
I can't believe the virulent criticism of Sandy Barbour on the Levi's Stadium game. It was shoved down Cal's throats by the Pac-12. The last Friday night game at Berkeley, against Washington last year, caused significant problems. The Pac-12 and ESPN, the same people who bring you night games and eternal TBAs, require two weeknight games per team in every three year period. The Cal AD is doing the best they can. In any event, it will be a chance to see Levi's stadium for those of us who are unable or unwilling to shell out the megabucks it now costs for 49ers tickets.
Thanks, Sandy! Now we can sit in Friday night traffic and spend the night in an empty stadium, surrounded by red, grabbing our ankles while we get jail-raped by Ducks on national TV.
WAY TO SELL THE PROGRAM!
WAY TO SELL THE PROGRAM!
Phantomfan;842234082 said:
ON FRIDAY!?
What the hell?
I can understand a Saturday game, but a Friday Night game an hour from Campus...without traffic? Starting around rush hour?
And the reasoning she gives is to cause as little disruption to campus as possible? I think that basically excludes classes after noon on Friday for students who want to attend...wasn't that the issue with Washington? Maybe her thought is that no students will want to go, and with it off campus no one will even notice we have a game?
Stupendous!
There don't seem to be many classes after noon on Friday anyway.
Any CalTrain stops close by?
"Last year's Friday night game vs. Washington created a number of challenges, particularly around parking and traffic for those who live, work and attend school in the University area and our fans coming to the game."
Translation: All future Friday night games (and we can obviously assume Thursdays as well, since the same traffic problems exist then as well) will be played NOT in Berkeley, and thus NOT in Memorial Stadium.
Not. Good. At. All.
So we spend a third a billion dollars on a new stadium so we can play ELSEWHERE?!!!
And how on earth can playing in ANOTHER venue with about the same number of seats generate MORE revenue for Cal Athletics? Seven figures more??? There's NO way this pencils out.
First, are they assuming the new stadium will be such a draw, that it doesn't matter how the teams are playing when they play the game? (In other words, two unranked opponents no one cares about?) Because if this is their assumption, this year's ticket sales at Memorial should shoot that right out of the sky.
Second, I can only assume Cal will pay some sort of rental fee for using the stadium. I mean, come on, the stadium authority can't be so generous as to just let us use their facility gratis. And where do these big revenues come from when Cal vendors aren't the ones selling food & merchandise?
Unless the the 49ers stadium authority is paying Cal to play in their stadium, then there's no way this can make more money than playing in Memorial.
This makes no sense whatsoever. Perhaps someone answered my questions in posts following the OP, but I just had to voice my opposition and criticism before reading all the replies.
And the "even out our schedule" comment is ludicrous and laughable! Gee, we play one too many home games this year, let's play that game elsewhere? Jesus effing christ!
Translation: All future Friday night games (and we can obviously assume Thursdays as well, since the same traffic problems exist then as well) will be played NOT in Berkeley, and thus NOT in Memorial Stadium.
Not. Good. At. All.
So we spend a third a billion dollars on a new stadium so we can play ELSEWHERE?!!!
And how on earth can playing in ANOTHER venue with about the same number of seats generate MORE revenue for Cal Athletics? Seven figures more??? There's NO way this pencils out.
First, are they assuming the new stadium will be such a draw, that it doesn't matter how the teams are playing when they play the game? (In other words, two unranked opponents no one cares about?) Because if this is their assumption, this year's ticket sales at Memorial should shoot that right out of the sky.
Second, I can only assume Cal will pay some sort of rental fee for using the stadium. I mean, come on, the stadium authority can't be so generous as to just let us use their facility gratis. And where do these big revenues come from when Cal vendors aren't the ones selling food & merchandise?
Unless the the 49ers stadium authority is paying Cal to play in their stadium, then there's no way this can make more money than playing in Memorial.
This makes no sense whatsoever. Perhaps someone answered my questions in posts following the OP, but I just had to voice my opposition and criticism before reading all the replies.
And the "even out our schedule" comment is ludicrous and laughable! Gee, we play one too many home games this year, let's play that game elsewhere? Jesus effing christ!
oskidunker;842234443 said:
Why do we get dumped on two out of three years for the one Friday night game per year???? What about other teams that have no yet played ANY Friday night games????
Two points. She should have asked that other teams be given th opportunity. If the game were forced on us(I don't see why the Pac 12 wants to Highight Cal) she should have done what WSU did and make the Academics leave early Friday afternoon so there would be game parking.
Someone please explain to me how this benefits Cal or the 49ers? I don't buy her explanation.
P.s Don't buy any tickets at you season ticket holder rate and hope to make money on this, you won't.
All of the other CA schools have already played a weekday game. SC played two thursday and one friday game this year alone.
socaliganbear;842234559 said:
All of the other CA schools have already played a weekday game. SC played two thursday and one friday game this year alone.
Stadium will be green and red like a Xmas tree... Duck fans and empty seats. pass.
What opposing team would have a problem with playing on a neutral site for their "away" game? Um, NONE, that's who!
Or is this an admission on behalf of Cal Athletics that Cal really offers no real home team advantage for its games in Memorial?
Remember Oregon 2006 or Tennessee 2009? THOSE games were HUGE home field advantage games for Cal football. I still smile from ear to ear thinking about the excitement of those home Games in Memorial. No way that happens in Santa Clara - save for perhaps a Rose Bowl being on the line. And even then, how special would it be to be playing for all the marbles NOT in Memorial, knowing Cal Athletics WILLINGLY gave away a home game experience to play in the South Bay?
What a total fucking give away to the opposing team! Wow, this has proven beyond a doubt that Barbour (and perhaps most of her top staff) is (are) a total and complete moron(s).
Fire her already.
Or is this an admission on behalf of Cal Athletics that Cal really offers no real home team advantage for its games in Memorial?
Remember Oregon 2006 or Tennessee 2009? THOSE games were HUGE home field advantage games for Cal football. I still smile from ear to ear thinking about the excitement of those home Games in Memorial. No way that happens in Santa Clara - save for perhaps a Rose Bowl being on the line. And even then, how special would it be to be playing for all the marbles NOT in Memorial, knowing Cal Athletics WILLINGLY gave away a home game experience to play in the South Bay?
What a total fucking give away to the opposing team! Wow, this has proven beyond a doubt that Barbour (and perhaps most of her top staff) is (are) a total and complete moron(s).
Fire her already.
This is exactly how Barbour wanted to drop her now-aborted Big-Game-at-Levi plan on us -- in an e-mail announcement as a fait accompli with the deal signed.
Thank the gods that a certain blogger leaked that plan ahead of time, which allowed for a massive pushback from alumni that scuttled that plan before it was finalized.
Thank the gods that a certain blogger leaked that plan ahead of time, which allowed for a massive pushback from alumni that scuttled that plan before it was finalized.
Olee Berkeley-eye;842234583 said:
This is exactly how Barbour wanted to drop her now-aborted Big-Game-at-Levi plan on us -- in an e-mail announcement as a fait accompli with the deal signed.
Thank the gods that a certain blogger leaked that plan ahead of time, which allowed for a massive pushback from alumni that scuttled that plan before it was finalized.
Jeffrey Earl Warren, where are you????
Pretty clear there was going to be a game at Levi, come hell or high water.
Let me put it another way:
How would Cal Football feel if Oregon decided to play their home game with us somewhere other than Autzen? I'm pretty sure Cal would be partying in the streets! How sweet would that be for them to give away their home field advantage for us! No way in hell would they do that.
And how do you think their fans would react if the Oregon Athletic department, in their infinite wisdom, scheduled their "home" game offsite? They'd burn the athletic department to the ground!
How would Cal Football feel if Oregon decided to play their home game with us somewhere other than Autzen? I'm pretty sure Cal would be partying in the streets! How sweet would that be for them to give away their home field advantage for us! No way in hell would they do that.
And how do you think their fans would react if the Oregon Athletic department, in their infinite wisdom, scheduled their "home" game offsite? They'd burn the athletic department to the ground!
I'm not driving 5 hours to go to Santa Clara. I drive up to be on campus and enjoy the Cal surroundings on Cal gameday. Friday nights are for high school games. And Friday's (for me) are a work day. I wouldn't be able to work and drive up in time for the game even if I wanted to....and I don't want to. NFL stadium vs. Memorial.......I pick Memorial. Home game off campus for any reason other than a bowl?..... nope.
The University thinks that they can do anything and the fans will just line up and take it. They are probably correct. For an organization that pretends to be worried about the "game day experience" they certainly or doing their best to screw it up. I really don't think they care about any of this. I think they are worried about money so they are chasing a paycheck. And they have made up a bunch PR/BS to make themselves feel better about doing it. I mean was anyone really worried about whether we would be the first college game played at Levi Stadium? This is a remedy to a bunch of situation that no one but Sandy was even thinking about. I might have respected them a little if they had just come out and said we need the money.
It pains me to say this but after 50 years of watching Cal football, I am probably not going to renew my season tickets.
Go Bears!!
It pains me to say this but after 50 years of watching Cal football, I am probably not going to renew my season tickets.
Go Bears!!
A few folks have already brought this up, but for the benefit of those of you who don't live in the area, this Halloween Haunt thing at Great America is a very big deal - so big in fact that there just simply has to be a plan to deal with it or this will go down as one of the worst traffic snarls of all time.
The Halloween Haunt started in 2008 and has grown in size and complexity each year since (I know because I was there in 2008 right after Lehman Bros went bankrupt and it was basically me, my son and 5,000 Great America employes trying to jump out and scare us. There were no other patrons in the park - because who would be stupid enough to spend $50 on this when it looked like we all might need to start growing our own food in our back yards to survive - and so we got lots of "attention." To compound the problem, Great America thought it would be "spooky" if they turned off all the lights and filled the place with fog. We couldn't walk a foot without having someone chase us with a machete or a chain saw. We finally had to hide in the bathroom to escape. My boy was fine, but I still have nightmares. But I digress).
This is now a major event in the South Bay. I was there this year on the Friday before Halloween and it was more packed than any Saturday in July. Tens and tens of thousands of patrons who all arrive more or less at the same time as the kickoff for the Cal/Oregon game.
For those that don't know, Great America and Levi stadium share a parking lot. Much more importantly, they are both reached via the same exit off of Highway 101. There's no other real viable way to get there if you are coming in your car from outside the area.
I'm just not sure how the logistics on this can possibly work, but I seriously hope someone has taken the Halloween Haunt into consideration or we have a big problem.
The Halloween Haunt started in 2008 and has grown in size and complexity each year since (I know because I was there in 2008 right after Lehman Bros went bankrupt and it was basically me, my son and 5,000 Great America employes trying to jump out and scare us. There were no other patrons in the park - because who would be stupid enough to spend $50 on this when it looked like we all might need to start growing our own food in our back yards to survive - and so we got lots of "attention." To compound the problem, Great America thought it would be "spooky" if they turned off all the lights and filled the place with fog. We couldn't walk a foot without having someone chase us with a machete or a chain saw. We finally had to hide in the bathroom to escape. My boy was fine, but I still have nightmares. But I digress).
This is now a major event in the South Bay. I was there this year on the Friday before Halloween and it was more packed than any Saturday in July. Tens and tens of thousands of patrons who all arrive more or less at the same time as the kickoff for the Cal/Oregon game.
For those that don't know, Great America and Levi stadium share a parking lot. Much more importantly, they are both reached via the same exit off of Highway 101. There's no other real viable way to get there if you are coming in your car from outside the area.
I'm just not sure how the logistics on this can possibly work, but I seriously hope someone has taken the Halloween Haunt into consideration or we have a big problem.
This sounds fubar.
socaliganbear;842234167 said:
We are the study.
This is why we're able to increase gameday profit. They are obviously cutting back on rent to see how the traffic thing plays out. Plus gouging Oregon fans for 80 bucks doesn't hurt the bottom line. This is a cash grab. Washington last year wasn't too bad. AD feeling the pressure to bring in additional revenue.
Sebastabear;842234619 said:
A few folks have already brought this up, but for the benefit of those of you who don't live in the area, this Halloween Haunt thing at Great America is a very big deal - so big in fact that there just simply has to be a plan to deal with it or this will go down as one of the worst traffic snarls of all time.
The Halloween Haunt started in 2008 and has grown in size and complexity each year since (I know because I was there in 2008 right after Lehman Bros went bankrupt and it was basically me, my son and 5,000 Great America employes trying to jump out and scare us. There were no other patrons in the park - because who would be stupid enough to spend $50 on this when it looked like we all might need to start growing our own food in our back yards to survive - and so we got lots of "attention." To compound the problem, Great America thought it would be "spooky" if they turned off all the lights and filled the place with fog. We couldn't walk a foot without having someone chase us with a machete or a chain saw. We finally had to hide in the bathroom to escape. My boy was fine, but I still have nightmares. But I digress).
This is now a major event in the South Bay. I was there this year on the Friday before Halloween and it was more packed than any Saturday in July. Tens and tens of thousands of patrons who all arrive more or less at the same time as the kickoff for the Cal/Oregon game.
For those that don't know, Great America and Levi stadium share a parking lot. Much more importantly, they are both reached via the same exit off of Highway 101. There's no other real viable way to get there if you are coming in your car from outside the area.
I'm just not sure how the logistics on this can possibly work, but I seriously hope someone has taken the Halloween Haunt into consideration or we have a big problem.
Hmmm...so no tailgating? Frankly it sounds like a cluster****.
One of the reasons I enjoy going to games at CMS, is to get back to Cal, where I went to college. Walking through campus.
Somehow, that experience won't be the same parking at Santa Clara. And sitting a red stadium.
Go Bears!
Somehow, that experience won't be the same parking at Santa Clara. And sitting a red stadium.
Go Bears!
Cal Geek;842234629 said:
One of the reasons I enjoy going to games at CMS, is to get back to Cal, where I went to college. Walking through campus.
Somehow, that experience won't be the same parking at Santa Clara. And sitting a red stadium.
Go Bears!
You've always come across as quite a defender of bad news barbour... starting to have a change of heart?
I think this might be it for season tix for me for a while. Really cant justify $2000 when one of two marquee games are pulled out of the season ticket package. Id have liked this if it was included but asking me for another 300 on top of the 2000 I already paid for this shitty on the field product where you leave by halftime? Not til dykes is gone and there is a decent team on the field. Ill buy a 60 inch tv instead and watch the games from home
gobears725;842234048 said:
calbears.com posted this on facebook
good grief, bitch, bitch, bitch (my apologies to female dogs and Dollies)
DrDanger;842234077 said:
Relax.
Bigger picture in evening out the schedule.
Line the Fresno State debacle/game in Candlestick?
briloker;842234636 said:
I think this might be it for season tix for me for a while. Really cant justify $2000 when one of two marquee games are pulled out of the season ticket package. Id have liked this if it was included but asking me for another 300 on top of the 2000 I already paid for this shitty on the field product where you leave by halftime? Not til dykes is gone and there is a decent team on the field. Ill buy a 60 inch tv instead and watch the games from home
The Big Game and UCLA aren't big enough for you? Arguably I'm interested in watching Washington games too nowadays given our recent history.
FremontBear;842234638 said:
Line the Fresno State debacle/game in Candlestick?
That was basically a necessity in scheduling around AT&T Park availability IIRC.
My feelings are mixed on this idea....BeggarEd;842234632 said:
You've always come across as quite a defender of bad news barbour... starting to have a change of heart?
soflabear;842234090 said:
...and then opts to play a big-time opponent at another stadium.
If we wanted an off-campus stadium, we should have built one. We didn't do that; therefore, we should play our home games in memorial.
+1000.
If we're going to lose big, we might as well make some money?
GBMARIN;842234552 said:
There don't seem to be many classes after noon on Friday anyway.
Any CalTrain stops close by?
The only students who score tues thurs schedules are football players. I had soc3 on Friday afternoon, and at least 4 other classes in that slot. Of course, I spent most of that time at the bears lair.
TomBear;842234592 said:
I'm not driving 5 hours to go to Santa Clara. I drive up to be on campus and enjoy the Cal surroundings on Cal gameday. Friday nights are for high school games. And Friday's (for me) are a work day. I wouldn't be able to work and drive up in time for the game even if I wanted to....and I don't want to. NFL stadium vs. Memorial.......I pick Memorial. Home game off campus for any reason other than a bowl?..... nope.
Cal Geek;842234629 said:
One of the reasons I enjoy going to games at CMS, is to get back to Cal, where I went to college. Walking through campus.
Somehow, that experience won't be the same parking at Santa Clara. And sitting a red stadium.
Go Bears!
+1.
StillNoStanfurdium;842234640 said:
The Big Game and UCLA aren't big enough for you? Arguably I'm interested in watching Washington games too nowadays given our recent history.
Those two or three are decent, but ill probably get nice secondary market seats (2) in field club or stadium club for those games and save the money from my 4 bench back seats to pay for it...
...and this is the only game everyone can plan for at this stage. You already know the date and time, so for all those that do not like the 6 and 12 day TV time game scheduling, this doesn't apply. Take a half day off, go and enjoy it and root for the Bears. Its not a part of the season ticket plan for many, but I can tell you the Ducks charge $90 a ticket to their home games.
wifeisafurd;842234637 said:
good grief, bitch, bitch, bitch (my apologies to female dogs and Dollies)
The reality is that transportation access for a Friday night game will be better for the majority of fans at Santa Clara than it would be at Berkeley, without the conflicts related to school.
Furthermore, if the statements on this board are any indication, season ticket sales are likely to crash for next year. Therefore, taking a game with a guaranteed gate return (I'm guessing the 49ers promised both teams a minimum payout, regardless of actual ticket sales) makes sense
Sandy has said in her email part of this is gauging fan reaction. Basically you have 2 choices.
1. Support this and buy tickets because you support everything Cal does and the fact that we are a world class University means lets play in a Big Time Stadium and get the money we desperately need to pay for the stadium.The band is there, that's reason enough alone.
2. Boycott the game and make your feeling known that you will not support taking away the college experience on campus and the necsessity of making up for poor marketing and design of the ESP program.
I can understand both points of view.
1. Support this and buy tickets because you support everything Cal does and the fact that we are a world class University means lets play in a Big Time Stadium and get the money we desperately need to pay for the stadium.The band is there, that's reason enough alone.
2. Boycott the game and make your feeling known that you will not support taking away the college experience on campus and the necsessity of making up for poor marketing and design of the ESP program.
I can understand both points of view.
oskidunker;842234741 said:
Sandy has said in her email part of this is gauging fan reaction. Basically you have 2 choices.
1. Support this and buy tickets because you support everything Cal does and the fact that we are a world class University means lets play in a Big Time Stadium and get the money we desperately need to pay for the stadium.The band is there, that's reason enough alone.
2. Boycott the game and make your feeling known that you will not support taking away the college experience on campus and the necsessity of making up for poor marketing and design of the ESP program.
I can understand both points of view.
This is reasonable. No amount of internet arguing is going to change anyone's mind, so state your reasons and move on.
I like the idea of playing in a big time stadium, but would prefer it for one of our OOC games. I understand we have to host x number of games in y number of years and this seems like a decent enough solution if the night games at Berkeley were such a disaster. If I were a student I'd be thrilled as long as transportation is provided for free. Seems like a fun little trip.
I think the AD department's projection of "seven-figure dollar" increase is probably based on the "well, if UO is undefeated and Cal is undefeated we will make a ton of money!" line of thought. Par for the course for public finances though.
Make no mistake about it though. Cal/UO will be the guinea pigs for testing weeknight traffic in the area. I'm going to go ahead and suggest to everyone attending to take a half day off work and save yourself some grief.
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