Let there be lights

BozCatFan · Post by **BozCatFan** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 10:11 am

It is expensive, I don't blame you for that at all. You are probably not alone in this.

Cledus · Post by **Cledus** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 10:23 am

I have to concur with HelenaCat on the day games. For the Weber game, I didn't make it back to Billings until nearly 8 pm. For the UNC game, I made it back to Billings by 5 pm (the game started an hour earlier).

The fact that football games are Saturday afternoons are the main reason I'm even able to attend. If the games were at night, I wouldn't drive up from Billings to freeze my butt off and would just watch them instead on my 42" plasma.

Maybe that doesn't make me the most loyal fan, but I have a ton of sh... err, stuff to do on the weekends and spending a night in Bozeman is too much to ask. Sorry. It's hard enough trying to coordinate with my dad and brother, so I can't even imagine doing that with children.

Keep the day games, I say, as they allow me to be a fan who can more actively participate.

1BadBobcat · Post by **1BadBobcat** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 10:55 am

HelenaCat95 wrote:
BozCatFan wrote:Thats a good point, Helena Cat. Travel might be an issue but I'm sure you could get a hotel on occassion for night games. There would only probably be two or three a year.
True.

But it does add to the expense. It's already a "hit" to support the team and come to the games (don't get me wrong, I LOVE to do it). But with booster membership, tickets, gas, food, BEER, BEER, BEER (which is why my wife drives home ) Etc Etc.....

It costs a few bucks.

Honestly, the "night game" issue is the main reason why we don't make it to Basketball games. If they had more games on Sat afternoon, there would be a greater likelihood that we would make the drive down to see a game or two - but I'm not advocating moving BB games to Sat afternoon.

Very true HelenaCat. I also live in Helena (MT City) and my family drives back and forth for every home game. We make it to Bozeman maybe once or twice during the basketball season because it is harder for night games. I know where you are coming from on expenses - I love supporting the Cats and we always buy something from the bookstore every Saturday as well, but if you had to throw a night's hotel stay, a dinner, a breakfast, etc. into the equation, I am not sure we could make it for those games. Keep the day games. Besides, college football is supposed to be played in the afternoon daylight

catwiththehat · Post by **catwiththehat** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 11:15 am

Night games would be really cold for us fans that wear more body paint than clothes. Keep the football games in the afternoon and then go watch some volleyball in the evening.

BelgradeBobcat · Post by **BelgradeBobcat** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 2:56 pm

People who come in from out of town and people who paint themselves up definitely have more credibility on this issue than I do. I live 10 miles from the stadium-it's not too big a deal for me to get there an hour earlier.

I was only advocating maybe one or two night games a year in September. I watch those SEC night games on ESPN and those night games just look like a lot of fun.

The lights would also open up the occasional possibility of a Thursday night TV game. CSTV for example could televise us on Thursday night if we had lights. Again this would only be occasional. I'd never advocate what happens in Boise where they play almost every home game on a week night to accomodate ESPN.

I think a 2 or 3 p.m. kickoff would be ideal for everybody. The last ISU game I went to kicked off at 3. That was perfect for us to drive over and get back home at a decent hour. So I figured that could work for you folks who live in Helena, Great Falls, Billings, etc.

Finally, lights make the facility much more useable. If we get feild turf and lights we could host high school playoff games on Friday and Saturday (if the Cats are out of town), instead of these high school teams playing on a frozen field.

Just a few thoughts.

DaCats Forever · Post by **DaCats Forever** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 4:06 pm

IMO lights are a complete waste of money. It can't be that hard to get up in the morning for a noon start if you live in town. I understand out of town folks have a hard time, but I know people that travel from SE Montana to make games so it can't be that hard if you wanna make it. College football was meant to be played during the day and that's why 85% of the games are played during the day. Field turf is not real football either IMO. Weather is a factor unless you're in a dome, which should be outlawed too. Call me old-fahioned, but I love the outdoors playing on natural grass.

Citizen Griz · Post by **Citizen Griz** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 5:20 pm

Why would you want lights? I think holding your games in the middle of the day makes a statement: that your football game is the most important event on Saturday, not something that has to be pushed aside so it doesn't interfere with things like washing your car or buying groceries.

Post by **SonomaCat** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 5:47 pm

Just to chime in ... the anti-lights crowd pretty much has me convinced. They make some good arguments.

Next question in my mind ... if either UM or MSU got lights, would that impact whether the one one wanted lights?

BozoneCat · Post by **BozoneCat** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 5:54 pm

I am a huge proponent of getting lights. Not only would it be fun as hell to have a couple early season games that could be started at 3:00 or so, but there have been a few games late in seasons past where we were really just hopeful that the games didn't go into overtime. Adding lights would make the end of those games much more "see-able," not only for the fans, but more importantly, the players.

The obvious additional revenue from being able to hold high school games is another valid argument. Here's one nobody has mentioned yet: If (when) we get FieldTurf, that opens up the possibility of seeing a concert brought to Bobcat Stadium. How cool would that be?! If any of you saw the pictures of W-g when the Stones played there, you would be in agreement. I have been in the camp of "I like real grass" until this year, but I now want to see MSU install the FieldTurf when we do the upgrade. It just makes the field so much more usable. Not only that, but the #1 thing Kramer recruits for his team is speed, and our own field only serves to even that advantage out. We are a completely different team on turf, and I really don't see that changing any time soon.

vike_king · Post by **vike_king** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 5:57 pm

CatFamily wrote:Friday nights should be reserved for High School anyway! Why create conflicts... Saturdays give most people across the state a chance to travel to see the colleges play.... a lot of that would be eliminated by Friday night games and it would hurt the colleges because high schools traditionally play the vast majority of their games Fridays. I like Saturdays... best time to watch football and have a chance after to celebrate the Bobcats wins!

Except when both highschool teams have to agree to play on Friday night for playoff games and one coach claims his receiver can't see the ball at night so we have to play on Saturday and miss a Cat game.

Cledus · Post by **Cledus** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 6:03 pm

If any of you saw the pictures of W-g when the Stones played there, you would be in agreement.

Watching a 65 year old guy doing the "rooster?" Still not enough to persuade me in favor of night games. For that matter, couldn't rock concerts be held on grass just as easily as artificial turf?

BozoneCat · Post by **BozoneCat** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 6:08 pm

Cledus wrote:Watching a 65 year old guy doing the "rooster?" Still not enough to persuade me in favor of night games. For that matter, couldn't rock concerts be held on grass just as easily as artificial turf?

You are completely missing the point. Who cares if you don't like the Stones? There might just be a band that you like that could play in Bobcat Stadium, and wouldn't that be sweet?!

On your other point, NO, concerts cannot be held just as easily on grass. The setup of the stage and all the equipment would leave huge impressions on the field, as they weigh hundreds of thousands of pounds. Add in the couple of thousand people that would be seated on the field (who are incidentally usually the most rowdy), and our grass field would be torn up worse than after Cat-griz last year.

BelgradeBobcat · Post by **BelgradeBobcat** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 10:27 pm

Bay Area Cat wrote:Next question in my mind ... if either UM or MSU got lights, would that impact whether the one one wanted lights?

Heck that's the best argument to have lights-they don't have them in washington grizzly stadium yet!

I would bet that if one of us gets lights-the other will be soon to follow.

But before we get lights...how about a little more pavement in certain places in and around Bobcat Stadium? It was a real mess on Saturday after the snow from earlier in the week. The rest of Fieldhouse parking lot desparately needs to be paved. My wife almost made us walk home because she didn't want our muddy feet in her new car...seriously!

1BadBobcat · Post by **1BadBobcat** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 3:12 pm

BelgradeBobcat wrote:
Bay Area Cat wrote:Next question in my mind ... if either UM or MSU got lights, would that impact whether the one one wanted lights?
Heck that's the best argument to have lights-they don't have them in washington grizzly stadium yet!

I would bet that if one of us gets lights-the other will be soon to follow.

But before we get lights...how about a little more pavement in certain places in and around Bobcat Stadium? It was a real mess on Saturday after the snow from earlier in the week. The rest of Fieldhouse parking lot desparately needs to be paved. My wife almost made us walk home because she didn't want our muddy feet in her new car...seriously!

You bring up another good point. Even if you are a fan of having lights at the stadium, there are so many more things that take priority right now. More paving, possibly a better playing surface, horseshoing in the endzone, more skyboxes, a better sound system/scoreboard, etc.

BozoneCat · Post by **BozoneCat** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 10:32 pm

1BadBobcat wrote:You bring up another good point. Even if you are a fan of having lights at the stadium, there are so many more things that take priority right now. More paving, possibly a better playing surface, horseshoing in the endzone, more skyboxes, a better sound system/scoreboard, etc.

Well, I personally know that the offer has been made to landscape the parking lots for no cost if and when they decide to pave them. I truly believe that if the powers that be were a little more aggressive in searching out not only $$$ donors, but people who can make donations in kind, we would get this ball rolling a heck of a lot faster.

Post by **SonomaCat** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 11:48 pm

I would love to see the parking areas landscaped with pavement in the parking spots only, but I would hate to just see them turn the whole area into blacktop. But something with lots of trees separately rows, etc, would be an incredible addition to the look and function of the stadium.

BelgradeBobcat · Post by **BelgradeBobcat** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 9:50 am

Bay Area Cat wrote:I would love to see the parking areas landscaped with pavement in the parking spots only, but I would hate to just see them turn the whole area into blacktop. But something with lots of trees separately rows, etc, would be an incredible addition to the look and function of the stadium.

The entire fieldhouse lot all the way to Kagy-er Bobcat Blvd.-desparately needs to be paved. It's just a big mudhole right now and for late season basketball games-whenever the frost comes out of the ground. And its dry and dusty in the summer.

I think the tailgating lots should stay grass, but the drainage around some of the gates at the stadium needs to be fixed and there needs to be more paved surface. The gate at the south end of the student section had a lake in front of it-it was a mess.

I would think lights would be a minor addition to any future remodeling-what's another 100K when you're talking several $million.

BozoneCat · Post by **BozoneCat** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 1:25 pm

I think a very nicely landscaped path between the Fieldhouse and Bobcat Stadium would be sweet, i.e. the path the team walks from the locker rooms to the stadium. A line of very nice, big trees on both sides, gold-engraved (not real gold, duh) Bobcat paws instead of fading painted ones, and an actual pathway would be a pretty sweet and impressive march into the stadium.

I would actually like to see the tailgate areas paved for parking, but with large grassy areas where kids can play, big kids can toss the football, etc. Right now, the whole area just turns into a sloppy mess, and it is gross to walk through. If it was paved, it would be a whole lot easier to clean up, too, as they could just run a sweeper through after everyone left.

grizbeer · Post by **grizbeer** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 2:46 pm

some pics from E-griz with WA-Griz lit up:

The stones concert and the evening game against NH were unbelievable. I really can't wait for lights to be added to WGS. Hope the Griz get another night playoff game this year.

BelgradeBobcat · Post by **BelgradeBobcat** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 10:23 pm

I couldn't resist digging this thread back up. In today's Chronicle there's a story about App State and their increasing attendance and awesome gameday atmosphere by Tim Dumas. The article states that they used to average about 14,000 per game (about like us) but in the last couple of seasons their attendance has increased to about 23,000. Here's an excerpt from the article that I find interesting:

Sure, the winning has helped, but the school has made an effort to become more fan friendly by adding tailgating and switching its home kickoffs to 3:30 p.m. The mid-afternoon starts help alumni and fans, many of whom live in Charlotte or Winston-Salem, more than 100 miles away, a chance to take children to soccer games or do yard work before heading to The Rock.
"Were a small community that relies on people driving an hour and a half, two hours, even three hours to our games," Cobb said, "The biggest thing, outside of the way the team's playing, is that it's fun to come to the games. We've really pushed the notion of tailgating." (I retyped this so any typos are mine and not the authors)

With the exception of the 3:30 kickoffs due to lack of lights at Bobcat Stadium, I see MSU doing a lot of the same things (except the new rules that put a damper on student tailgating).

One thing I hope we come out of this game with-a new perspective on how to do things with our gameday. I hope the folks who can make it down there take it all in and let us know what we at MSU can incorporate into our gameday.