What could make game day in Athens even better?
Just a little over a week from now a large segment of the Bulldog Nation will reconvene in Athens to cheer the Dawgs on Between the Hedges. It’s a time of year when optimism runs high and fans eagerly look forward to the tailgating, Dawg Walk, ringing the chapel bell and all the other traditions that make up game day at UGA.
It’s hard to beat a fall day in the Classic City watching SEC football. As my friend Steve put it this week: “How do you improve what’s already the greatest place and college stadium in America?”
Other devotees of the red and black think there’s room for improvement and that UGA perhaps ought to be looking at what some of its SEC neighbors are doing to improve the game day experience for their fans.
They’ve noted that Auburn is adding wireless internet access in the stadium and will allow fans to bring in tablets or even laptops. AU is also doing stadium tours on Friday nights and even experimenting with serving dinner on the field to donors and eventually perhaps the general public.
Meanwhile, Bama is releasing an app that allows fans to see real-time stats. And Tennessee is instituting various fan-friendly improvements, including more flat-screen TVs around the stadium showing what’s on the Jumbotron, for when you’re away from your seat.
I asked Claude Felton, UGA’s longtime sports communications director, if there was anything new for UGA fans this season.
The main thing, he said, is that “while there are some guidelines, fans will now be able to bring trailers, cookers, etc. on campus from a tailgating standpoint.”
Of course, if the cooker or trailer takes up another parking space in a university-controlled lot in addition to the one your vehicle is in, you’ll have to pay for a second parking permit.
There’s also been some renovation inside Gate 10 (the main gate under the bridge where the team enters from the Dawg Walk), with new graphics highlighting the football team as well the 1996 Olympics torch that resides in the stadium.
Felton said there are also a couple of other things in the works that may be announced sometime in the next week.
Those are pretty modest changes, though the relaxing of the restriction on pull-behind cookers is likely to be very popular with the tailgaters who have griped about all the rules instituted a couple of years ago.
Still, there are other changes fans would like to see. One, of course, is fixing the student ticketing situation so there aren’t several thousand embarrassing empty seats in that section for most games.
This year, the 5,000 freshmen have been given higher priority in the allotment of the 18,000 student tickets in hopes they’ll be more enthusiastic about showing up for games (my daughter Olivia is excited she got tickets to all seven home games!), but I frankly don’t think that problem is going to be fixed until the athletic association bites the bullet and goes back to paper tickets, despite the fact they frequently will be resold.
Back when students could sell their tickets, young alums just out of UGA who can’t yet afford season tickets were frequently the buyers, and that’s a constituency UGA needs to give higher consideration.
Speaking of young alums, my son tells me that among their major complaints about game day is cellphone reception, which is usually pretty bad in the stadium, probably because the network is overloaded. So anything to address that would be appreciated.
Also mentioned is the idea of having a “team song” play on the P.A. system (a la the Soulja Boy number in 2007) that gets the players and stadium really excited. “Traditionalists won’t like it,” young Bill noted, “but it was pretty electric in 2007 when the whole place was into it and the team was jacked. The game is played by 18-22 year olds, so I think it’s alright to play something that gets them excited. Doesn’t hurt with recruits, either.”
Concession stands in Reed Plaza are an improvement over the older ones in the stadium. (University of Georgia)
In the Junkyard Mail I also got some suggestions for improving game day in Athens from a slightly older fan, 48-year-old Michael Scharff, who’s been going to home games in Athens since he was 5 years old.
Among the tweaks he’d like to see is a better shuttle system from the remote parking lots, better housekeeping in the restrooms, and more and better porta-potties. “There are now not enough porta-potties, and the ones they have are hot and smelly,” he said, adding that it’s not much better inside the stadium. “Having been to most other stadiums in the conference, I can honestly say that we still have terrible concession stands and restroom facilities.”
Of course, that’s not a problem in the entire stadium, as the concession stands and restrooms in the Reed Plaza area behind the north stands are pretty nice, as stadium facilities go.
Scharff isn’t alone in his complaints about the Sanford concessions and restrooms, though. I put the question about what could be improved on game days at Sanford Stadium to readers of the Blawg’s Facebook page this summer, and the state of the restrooms came up a few times. As Blake Halberg put it: “The men’s restrooms are a disgrace!”
Other suggestions were aimed more at getting the team and fans fired up. Mark Symms, aka “Cuz,” made the not-really-serious suggestion that the field have black turf with red end zones, and Mary E. Justice wants fans to show up earlier and stay on their feet. She added: “Our student section needs to be vocal.”
Jim Mansour said that UGA and the city of Athens “need to act as if they actually want fans in Athens and on campus, instead of acting like they want our $$$.” He also thinks more police officers should be deployed “helping traffic get out after games … if Auburn can figure out its game day traffic, why can’t UGA?”
What are your thoughts on game day in Athens? What parts do you like best? And what improvements would you like to see made?
Got something you want to discuss concerning UGA athletics or a question for the Junkyard Blawg? Send it to junkyardblawg@gmail.com.
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144 comments Add your comment
Cuz
August 24th, 2012
10:35 am
A win.
Bryan G.
August 24th, 2012
10:37 am
A better home schedule than we have this year. And more places to tailgate.
hirejongruden
August 24th, 2012
10:38 am
Hire a football coach who puts football first.
Bryan G.
August 24th, 2012
10:41 am
Oh…and refuse to play any games before, say, 3:30.
Anna
August 24th, 2012
10:41 am
I agree with the students being able to sell student tickets again…as a relatively young alum (2004), it will be years before my husband and I can afford season tickets, so our game opportunities are limited!!
SSIgator
August 24th, 2012
10:44 am
” It’s a time of year when optimism runs high”
___________________
It’s called: UGA Pre-Season National Champions
gomdawg
August 24th, 2012
10:47 am
COOL WEATHER AND A DAWG WIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
harold
August 24th, 2012
10:47 am
Richt has to win A National Championship Championship.
Cuz
August 24th, 2012
10:48 am
Of course optimism runs high. We are all undefeated.
Okay the black field may be too hot during the September games. Do it for the November games.
Al
August 24th, 2012
10:51 am
Black turf is about the dumbest idea I have heard. Enough with the gimmicks. Just play football
gbal
August 24th, 2012
10:53 am
Eliminate assigned parking. Back in the day (70’s) large groups could get to a lot and tailgate together. Assigned parking ruined the tailgating experience in my opinion. Love the dawwgs but this is when most of my crowd slacked off in attending games.
claytondawg
August 24th, 2012
10:55 am
Cuz is right: WIN. “Win and they will come.” But, let me add something else…concerning the “cupcakes” : Take off at least one of those cupcakes and add a major power (even if it’s a home-home schedule). That in itself will add tremendous interest locally, regionally, and nationally.
gbal
August 24th, 2012
10:55 am
It was first come first serve everywhere!
Richard
August 24th, 2012
10:58 am
Adding concession ordering from your cell phone like they have at basketball games. Lines are huge around gate 6. The express lane that lets you order and pay from your phone would speed things up.
kingdaddy
August 24th, 2012
10:59 am
No gimmicks…
jablonski
August 24th, 2012
10:59 am
SSI Gator = LAME TROLL
You should focus more on your team and how bad they will be this year. I have read the practice notes, and it doesnt look good for you.
Get a life loser.
Fridawg
August 24th, 2012
11:00 am
Concessions are a complete mess. I think that is due in large part to having the volunteer groups running concessions. You miss about half a quarter if you go there in the game. I’m sure there is a way to streamline the process and get people served quickly. I just try to bring cash and get drinks from the vendors in the aisles. Maybe they could carry a greater variety (boiled peanuts, hot dogs, etc…)
Otto
August 24th, 2012
11:01 am
The student section needs to be at one end zone low in the stadium not split betwen the bridge end and near the band. My choice would be over the locker rooms. I like the idea of giving out paper tickets, even if sold. UT has a larger area where students can buy tickets as well as young alums, 3 game packages etc. They are the fans that will be loud. It’d be nice to have one end of the stadium other teams didn’t want to be in.
More freedom on tailgating would be nice, along with the dumpsters to clean it up.
The band could play more fun classic rock, 80s etc.
A better schedule, I like the model of 1 big OOC game even if it is a home and home deal where the big OOC game is away on some years.
Anthony
August 24th, 2012
11:05 am
Win another SEC East Championship!!!
And… Route the post-game traffic through mandatory one-way corridors that allow fans to get out of Athens safely and expeditiously. I park in the North Hull lot and it took me 90 minutes last season to get to 316 after a couple of games.
UGA Insider
August 24th, 2012
11:07 am
As Joe Biden said……. Unchaaaaiiiiin us!!
Let us park and tailgate where we damn well want. Adams azz is so tight he craps coal.
Frank Lane
August 24th, 2012
11:16 am
We should make use of “It’s time to let the DAWGS out,” which is a spectacular fire up people song.
Bulldawg fan in the 'Stan
August 24th, 2012
11:19 am
How about they just start selling student tickets on an individual game basis. You have to camp out to get tickets on Fridays and sell the tickets until 4 hour before the game, if there are any left, they are sold on a first come, first serve basis. Kinda makes sense to me.
Triple Lindy
August 24th, 2012
11:24 am
I’d like to see responsible fans who don’t trash the place.
Saldiven
August 24th, 2012
11:26 am
Anyone who feels the need to bring a tablet or laptop with internet connectivity to a stadium for a football game really just needs to stay home and watch it on TV. Obviously, for those people, the game taking place on the field isn’t their first priority.
Saldiven
August 24th, 2012
11:28 am
@UGA Insider: I have to wonder if you actually attended class at UGA. I was there from 1990 to 1995. I hated home football game days because of the absurd behavior of the tailgaters. They blocked all the side walks, left piles of trash everywhere, and were loud and obnoxious right under dormitory windows starting at 9:00 AM. I personally believe that one of the best things UGA ever did was start clamping down on the rude, inconsiderate, and obnoxious behavior of the pre-game tailgating crowds.
Frank Lane
August 24th, 2012
11:46 am
“Let the DAWGS out” during team warm-up. Fire up our fans and intimidate the other team and its fans.
Justin
August 24th, 2012
11:52 am
I think they should close a good bit of downtown to vechiles. Make it a huge block party. Let people walk around with open continers in this contolled downtown. The bars can set up like they do for Twilight and there will be more money for everyone. This would also add to the fun.
HUH?????
August 24th, 2012
11:52 am
“What could make game day in Athens even better?
1: A tour of the Clarke Co jail to see where UGA players of the future will end up.
2: A statue of red panties on the site where Damon Evans was arrested.
3: That German professor in drag.
daddo
August 24th, 2012
12:03 pm
Beat a ranked team. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…..
evillurks
August 24th, 2012
12:04 pm
First thing yall can do to make it better is to quit copying everyone else’s traditions (i.e. “mutt walk” stolen from Auburn’s Tiger Walk) and your fanbase actually learning your stupid school fight song (here’s a hint, it ain’t glory glory to old thuga).
Get some real tradition then you can hope to improve.
Dave
August 24th, 2012
12:09 pm
I like the idea of the Smart Phone app that enables us to see the game stats during the game. I never thought of that, but it would be GREAT! If the Barn can do it, why not us?
Dawg Haus
August 24th, 2012
12:15 pm
I like Auburn’s idea about Friday stadium tours, but bringing a laptop to the stadium? If you feel the need to check your email during a game, just stay home and watch it.
obama SIN LADEN
August 24th, 2012
12:25 pm
ATOMIC DOG !!! ATOMIC DOG!!! along with WHO LET THE DOGS OUT. Why these aren’t a staple I’ll never understand. This is cool ,old school music that gets everyones feet moving!!
obama SIN LADEN
August 24th, 2012
12:26 pm
Didn’t vd do the dog walk?
Joe
August 24th, 2012
12:28 pm
The pre game events should be more exciting and the videos should be changed each game and each year. The same thing over and over is boring. The trumpet solo just does not do anything for many of the fans. The boring repeated pregame presentations may be the reason some fans and students do not show up until kickoff or after. Some things are just not working. We need something that gets the players and fans going early in the game. That has a lot to do with the coaches and players. A good example was the Auburn game last year.
PMC
August 24th, 2012
12:35 pm
BASF.
Smokewagon
August 24th, 2012
12:37 pm
Trade in your old and tired fanbase. Last couple of games that I have attended were like sitting in the preacher’s living room. When cheering on my Dawgs I was given strange looks like you are not supposed to do that in sacred Sanford stadium. No emotion whatsoever from the fans. Definitely not at 12 th man in Sanford.
UGA-Daddy
August 24th, 2012
12:38 pm
Love the stadium tours and app ideas. Also, better reception or wi-fi would be great. I love being able to check stats and what the bloggers/reporters are tweeting during the game, which is very difficult in the stadium. I’d also like to see our pre-game fanfare increased.
Sometimes I felt that there was no energy in the stadium leading up to kickoff last year. I like what the Redcoats did by telling people about the new/old tradition that will be sung before each home game (http://youtu.be/JzJ5V3UZ9YY). Also, it’s embarrassing when not everyone is into it and half of the students seats aren’t being used. That needs to be fixed ASAP.
Love the blawg. Thanks, Bill!
Overrated Dogs
August 24th, 2012
12:44 pm
If it were held outside of tht dive.
mad~catfish
August 24th, 2012
12:54 pm
the shuttles are horrible.. i remember a few years back they were not running the buses while they were parked ( saving gas ) so after the game the packed as many in as usual..then made us just sit there till the players were gone.. now it was sept 1st in ga and still 90 degrees… i almost passed out
mad~catfish
August 24th, 2012
12:56 pm
i always park at ramsey and usually have no issues at all with parking or tailgating for that matter…i agree that bathrooms could be better…i could do with out hearing teenage wasteland ever again..never really got where that fit in….and for god’s sake i know our hero munson is gone but if they take his montage down or try to replace it with some scott howard crap i swear to god i will riot!
No Bozos
August 24th, 2012
12:58 pm
Sell liquor
yellow hammer
August 24th, 2012
12:58 pm
UGA could invite the HONEY BOO BOO child as honorary mascot for a day. seeing how shes a georgia girl
Top Dawg
August 24th, 2012
1:02 pm
Very frustrating when having to cut through the concession line to get to the smelly bathrooms….
Anyways, I just want to see my dawgs play!
DawgyDayCare
August 24th, 2012
1:03 pm
I would like to see emphasis on the little things that made Sanford Stadium special in the past. The Georgia “G” at the goal lines, the famous block letters in the endzone, etc. UGA has gone away from that the past couple seasons, rendering Sanford Stadium noticeably ordinary. Maybe they should make that happen for 2012.
I also like the idea of a “crunk” song. Being a young alum myself, I can say with absolute certainty, the one game I will always remember is the blackout game from 2007 vs. Auburn. Not only because of said blackout, but because of Soulja Boy. I’ve never been so amped up at a sporting event (Braves, Falcons, Hawks, Thrashers, etc.) in my short life.
Finally, lets talk ticketing… bring back the old system. That is all.
Go Dawgs!
Spike 80DF
August 24th, 2012
1:16 pm
how about the old farts on the alumni side quit saying “down in front” and actually get up off your @$$ and cheer for your team instead of sitting there with your arms crossed.
Sorry, but the restrooms start out clean and fresh...
August 24th, 2012
1:24 pm
…so it is not they that are a disgrace – it is the slobs who use them and leave them in disarray that are disgusting – and it is not just at UGA, it is true all over every stadium.
And, regardign porta-potties, what does on expect when you use them during hot and humid weather – there is really nothing that can be done to remedy this situation…
And, see item number 1, if you are tired of them being dirty…
dawgfan
August 24th, 2012
1:24 pm
I agree with Smokewagon. There are portions of the stadium that are like sitting in on a funeral. Its a bunch of old geezers that act like they’re watching a shuffle board match at the retirement home. They just sit there with very little reaction to anything. Maybe its a generation thing. I can’t imagine my generation being that boring when we get that old. Hopefully things will improve with time.
Why does anyone care...
August 24th, 2012
1:26 pm
…what the stats are during the game – as any coach will tell you, statistics are for losers…;
Hey, dawgfan...
August 24th, 2012
1:27 pm
…you are already that boring – just look at the crap you write on this blog and on Tech blog…
fishook dawg
August 24th, 2012
1:29 pm
Find a new announcer for the radio broadcast. I know that there will never be another Munson, but surely a large university like UGA can find someone better than what they have now. I know they are UGA people but I want someone who really gets in to the games instead of acting like they are.
SSIgator
August 24th, 2012
1:30 pm
How about showing the fans where the bathrooms are so they don’t use the shrubs outside or the library rugs?
WDE
August 24th, 2012
1:32 pm
@SSIgator have you gotten this year’s jort’s all frayed up and ready to go?
SSIgator
August 24th, 2012
1:33 pm
“with new graphics highlighting the football team”
___________________
That will make it easier on the players that can’t read. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
SSIgator
August 24th, 2012
1:36 pm
“The men’s restrooms are a disgrace!”
____________________
Well, at least the majority of the fan base is using the indoor plumbing.
cattledawgs
August 24th, 2012
1:40 pm
Smokewagons post at 1237 nailed it. To many folks complain and grumble when folks stand up and yell and cheer. I believe in respecting my elders but sanford is to quite.. The food needs improving and put up more tvs in the tunnels.
SSIgator
August 24th, 2012
1:40 pm
“major complaints about game day is cellphone reception, which is usually pretty bad in the stadium”
_________________
Aren’t the fans supposed to be watching the game?
Sergeant Joe Friday
August 24th, 2012
1:43 pm
Ban all home games.
SSIgator
August 24th, 2012
1:47 pm
WDE -
You may find this hard to believe, but I have never owned a pair. Us older guys still wear the slacks with a Gator polo shirt or similar. Stop by our tailgate in Jax this year (Gator booster lot on the East side) and have a beer and see for yourself. My wife wanted me to tell Nancy that she is invited also and that the girls will have plenty of pinot grigiot wine (her favorite, so I hear) on hand.
just another dawg
August 24th, 2012
1:50 pm
Logo “G” back on the goal line! Commit to the G is for more than just donors.
SSIgator
August 24th, 2012
1:52 pm
“if Auburn can figure out its game day traffic, why can’t UGA?””
__________________________
This has got to be some kind of a trick question or at least rhetorical.
Sergeant Joe Friday
August 24th, 2012
1:54 pm
Ban all alcohol consumption and impose a 6:00 pm curfew.
old dog
August 24th, 2012
1:55 pm
In the 70’s, there was the unspoken rule that if you didn’t have your flask hanging around your neck for all to see, you could bring it in! Party before, during, and after the game. Age was 18, too, and the student section was the most fired-up place on the field. Now, if the students have waved at a passing beer truck in their lives, they are castigated and treated like criminals. It definitely (for those of us that were there) was more of a party, and in turn noise-house) in the ’70’s……take the age back to 18!
Lindsey
August 24th, 2012
1:55 pm
I totally agree on 2 things written above, more/better porta potties and for them to act like they want fans ther, not just our donations! Can’t wait for the 2012 season to start, Go Dawgs!!
AltamahaDawg
August 24th, 2012
2:08 pm
AH, its got to be getting close. The annual……”the older alum don’t stand up enough for me” blog
AltamahaDawg
August 24th, 2012
2:15 pm
Black field! what kind of a DA would suggest a dagnamit Black field.
dawgfan
August 24th, 2012
2:19 pm
Our stadium is known as one of the quietest of the big SEC schools. It shouldn’t take black jerseys and soulja boy to get people excited. Its a little embarassing quite frankly.
Jim
August 24th, 2012
2:24 pm
Elimate blackouts. How many seats are filled because a game is blacked out? Being a displaced Dawg Fan about 1500 miles away, it really burns me to see blacked out games on programs like ESPN Game Plan. You pay for watching so don’t black them out! I dare say blacking out games does not increase attendance but ticks off fans who would love to, but could not attend anyway. Also on televised games show the half time show in a PIP screen while the highlights are discussed.
Jeff Striker
August 24th, 2012
2:26 pm
Two suggestions from a fine adult film star like myself.
1. Close the bridge section in, period. It would bring capacity to near 100,000 and the stadium would be alot louder. Yes, it would get rid of the “bridge tradition” but who cares. I would rather sacrifice that tradition if I could have a louder stadium.
2. Find a way to get the students more involved and louder. I cannot believe that this is even an issue at a place like UGA. Has anyone seen a South Carolina gaame in the last few years. They have the rowdiest student section in the SEC. It’s always packed, and they dance to “Sandstorm”. UGA doesn;t need to do Sandstorm, but for god sakes…makes some noise. Act like you care about the game. a 92,000 seat stadium should be an intimidating place for opposing teams to play.
WDE
August 24th, 2012
2:31 pm
@SSIgator that’s good to know not much scarier than a over 50 man in jorts. I made the switch from jeans to slack quite a few years ago myself, and thanks for the invite if I make the WLOCP this year I’ll look you up.
WDE
August 24th, 2012
2:33 pm
@Sergeant Joe Friday stick to going to Tech games.
Charlie Sheen
August 24th, 2012
2:40 pm
What could make gameday in Athens (or anywhere) even better?
WINNING!
walter geiger
August 24th, 2012
2:51 pm
for the tech game, add some curried dishes at concessions so the visiting fans will feel at home.
OZZFEST
August 24th, 2012
2:57 pm
AT LEAST ONE NON-CONFERENCE, BCS CONFERENCE OPPONENT
RK
August 24th, 2012
2:59 pm
Pregame with the band HAS to get better to get the fans fired up. The new idea of a “sing-along” will NOT work and will be another failure and a laugh for visiting fans. An exciting pre-game must be developed. Something new, now I’m not talking about the video intro, I’m talking about the band.
Glory between the Hedges
August 24th, 2012
3:07 pm
Jeff Striker,
You took the words right out of my mouth. If they would close the bridge in it would make sanford stadium one of the loudest places in the country. If your worried about the view, then you are at the football game for the wrong reason. Go site seeing before and after the game. We need a true home field advantage! As passionate as UGA fans are, there is no need for us to ever have a laid back crowd at any game. These old men with the head sets need their own section or something. I have been to a lot of big stadiums and when UGA is playing a really good team (especially at night) it is the loudest place I have been to. I guess that is because the older people have an early bed time. Also, they better not wrap the 600 section around Sanford stadium, it would be a huge disaster. That section of the stadium blows! I would never sit up there again.
AltamahaDawg
August 24th, 2012
3:07 pm
What is embarrasing to me is the thin skinned whinny segments of our fan base.
AltamahaDawg
August 24th, 2012
3:23 pm
“These old men with the head sets need their own section or something”
They do have thier own section. .
Why folks crash it, then complain because the old men aren’t doing it the way they want, is the question.
Bob
August 24th, 2012
3:31 pm
The home schedule simply sucks. The AD needs to realize we need at least 2 quality OOC opponents. FAU, Buffalo and Georgia Southern in one year is like playing 3 NFL exhibition games. It is crap….everyone is talking about Mizzou, not Buffalo.
Bill King
August 24th, 2012
3:34 pm
SSIgator:
About using cellphones at a game: Your age may be showing. Young people text each other incessantly, even while watching a game. And some of it is even about the game itself (the previous play, bad calls, etc.)
Ed
August 24th, 2012
3:42 pm
Bill, I think you missed the most obvious way to improve game day in Athens – fix the schedule! Buffalo, Florida International, Idaho State, Ga. Southern, La.-Lafayette, New Mexico State, etc…it’s become so bad that we now can expect at least two games a year that are almost unwatchable. I remember the good old days when Temple or Vandy (what we now call “BCS conference schools”) would be the boring games on the schedule. We use to get the likes of Pitt, TCU, UCLA, BYU, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and other name programs to come visit, and we had Clemson on the schedule every year.
I don’t care how much you love your team, college football is exciting only when there’s that nervous excitement on game day. That only happens if there’s a chance your team might lose. Otherwise, your concerns are pretty much confined to hoping that a valuable starter doesn’t get injured in what amounts to a scrimmage. How did it ever come to this, and why do so many still spend big bucks for this travesty?
dawgfan
August 24th, 2012
3:44 pm
LOL. I think its safe to say we’ve outed Altamaha as an old timer that wears the goofy headsets and just sits there taking up space. Even worse, they waste a ticket on their wives who could absolutely care freaking less about the football game. I love the elderly but they have no place at a college football game. I don’t know if this is legal or not but there should be an age limit to get a ticket. You must be under 60. That would eliminate a lot of the riff raff like Altamaha.
Careful there dawgfan...
August 24th, 2012
3:55 pm
…most of those “over 60″ make up the majority of the “cash givers” to UGA (and other schools) – without them the stadium may be louder, but only because there would be 45000 in attendance rather than 90,000 +…
Bama=home of the T-bag special
August 24th, 2012
3:56 pm
@dawgfan I got a better idea lets let money decide or if that doesn’t work we could just fight for tickets…you’d be surprised how many of the under 30 crowd would never see the inside of the stadium .
Ed
August 24th, 2012
4:08 pm
Just an observation about the atmosphere in Sanford Stadium:
Anyone who’s attended a Georgia-Florida game in Jax knows that Georgia fans make just as much noise as Florida fans. For some reason, Florida fans (and the fans of most SEC schools) make a heck of a lot more noise than Georgia fans do in their own stadiums.
I think it’s the acoustics of Sanford. It’s just not a place that retains a lot of noise. And the crowd seems a little more sedate between the hedges than it does in Jax, or even when we travel to a Tech game and take over the place.
Sanford is one of the most beautiful venues in college football and something we should all be proud of. But it’s not a snakepit, never has been, and probably never will be. We’ll just have to take comfort in those 12 SEC Championship banners that ring the top of the stadium.
dawgfan
August 24th, 2012
4:09 pm
I’m not going to fight an old person. I don’t want it on my conscience when you fall down and break a hip. Look, all I’m saying is that you old folks just need to liven up a bit. This isn’t a bridge game. Its college football.
Thanks.
DunwoodyDawg
August 24th, 2012
4:12 pm
Don’t let the Red Coats direct the Georgia – Bulldogs cheer. It just loses its effect when they do it that way.
I'm sorry...
August 24th, 2012
4:15 pm
…but I just don’t “get” why Sanford is considered a “beautiful” stadium…it is concrete, and that is all – nothing picturesque about it – and I am a season ticket holder, my kid went there, and it just ain’t that pretty a place – historic, yes, nice, uh, no….
Humdinger
August 24th, 2012
4:36 pm
Free Beer!
Glory between the Hedges
August 24th, 2012
4:36 pm
http://georgiasports.blogspot.com/2008/07/sanford-stadium-expansion-rendering.html
Atleast go with the idea above to keep some of the noise in. Tennessee sucked it up and closed their stadium completely in.
Spike 80DF
August 24th, 2012
4:39 pm
Yea, common sense would say to enclose the open end of the stadium right? Nah, we’ll just stack some more seats 8 miles high…..
CEPH
August 24th, 2012
4:41 pm
Firing Mark Richt!!!!!!
LOYAL DAWG
August 24th, 2012
4:41 pm
As much as I see people getting passionate on the blogs, if they transferred half of that energy from on here into the stadium we’d probably have a more intimidating home field. We need to close that open area also because 100K just sounds more intimidating by itself. Plus with a completely closed stadium (no gaps) the noise that we do have will sound louder. I agree from a fan standpoint that adding a big OOC game is exciting, however from a logical standpoint (which most fans don’t seem to have) we are in the SEC and its hard enough to win based on our conference alone even in a “easy” year as many claim this will be. But I believe if we are 6, 7, 8-0 then the momentum will carry into the stadium based off our record. God Bless and GO DAWGS!
LOYAL DAWG
August 24th, 2012
4:52 pm
And tradition is for old people or people set in their ways. We need 1 blackout game a year every year. The NBA playoffs is exciting when everyone has the same color t-shirts on in the crowd. It just seems to boost the energy and give a more intimidating appearance. Plus our players will love it I promise you.
SSIgator
August 24th, 2012
4:55 pm
Bill King:
I will have to admit that I am “old school” when it comes to that sort of technology. Us older guys still just watch the game (some with headphones on to hear the radio broadcast) and maybe comment to the others in our section about a particular play. As far as in depth analysis of the game goes, that is reserved for the post-game tailgate while the traffic dies down. Hey, in a few days you get to meet up with Olivia, assuming you are going to the home opener, so I guess the question is; will she sit with you during the game or her new buddies at school?
SSIgator
August 24th, 2012
4:59 pm
LOYAL DAWG -
“The NBA playoffs is exciting when everyone has the same color t-shirts on in the crowd”
______________________
Really? You honestly don’t think that they look like a bunch of clones from some captured colony in a galaxy from a Sci-fi movie?
Swamp Thing
August 24th, 2012
4:59 pm
“How to make game day in Athens even Better?” Play Alabama, LSU or Arkansas..If that had happened last year (or this year), there would be no Beep – Beep – Beep, backing into the SEC East Championship..What was the score of the LSU – UGA game again? Why are the people you dogs call names on this board from other schools? Because all of this UGA horse hockey is pathetic..
McDawg
August 24th, 2012
5:04 pm
booze at the game
ARdawg
August 24th, 2012
5:06 pm
Swamp thing
My Gawd what a crybaby you are sir
Swamp Thing
August 24th, 2012
5:15 pm
ARdawg – crybaby? This is a comment to expect from somebody on this board…. just face the reality’s of the SEC..
LOYAL DAWG
August 24th, 2012
5:28 pm
Yeah we should just play the best in the sec each yr huh? I recall playing lsu and bama in 08, lsu and Arkansas in 09. Not our fault they rotate schedules.
LOYAL DAWG
August 24th, 2012
5:29 pm
I guess winning 7 sec games is backing into the title game?
ARdawg
August 24th, 2012
5:31 pm
Swamp thing,
Yes sir, a crybaby you are. Where the h3ll were you from 2006-2010 when Georgia was playing the toughest schedule in the country? It certainly wasn’t on these blogs. Oh yeah, you were likely on your Gator blogs pounding your chest on what a great team you had while having a softer schedule than UGA has now. Any SEC fan crying because another SEC school has a “soft schedule” is a whinney azz crybaby. We play the same teams doufus. Some are up and some are down. Ebb and flow.
ARdawg
August 24th, 2012
5:33 pm
Georgia was playing LSU, Bama and AR when Florida and SCe wasn’t and will be again. You sir are ALL hat and no cattle. Comb your mullet and change your soiled jorts, crybaby
Pitbull
August 24th, 2012
6:27 pm
What could make game day in Athens even better?
As always, when they anounce the Tech score and the Yellow Maggots have lost again.
Bill King
August 24th, 2012
6:33 pm
SSI gator:
My daughter definitely will be in the student section for the first game because my son will be coming over from Chapel Hill to sit with me. I imagine at some point during the season she might join me, though.
SSIgator
August 24th, 2012
6:40 pm
Bill King:
Cool. Sometimes kids forget about Mom & Dad while at school.
If God is not a Tarheel, why is the sky Carolina Blue?
August 24th, 2012
7:08 pm
Bill – has your son asked you why you did not tell him that Chapel Hill is a much better colleg town than Athens, or why did you not allow him to at least look at going to UNC instead of UGA? I am sure he is a convert of both by this time…
Fats
August 24th, 2012
7:30 pm
COLD BEER for one dollar tn the first half only and stop serving at end of 2nd quarter, so the IDIOT drunks don’t RUIN it for all of us
Dog4Life
August 24th, 2012
7:44 pm
Loyal Dawg and AR Dawg–Thank you. UGA over the years has a tradition of playing tough schedules even OOC scheduling Okie St, Ariz St, Boise St, Va Tech, UCLA, Michigan, BYU etc…. Yet the big fuss a few years ago was other teams were padding their schedules to go undefeated so they could play in a NC–U. Miami, Ohio St USCw etc … USCw almost lost to Fresno St and San Diego St for crying out loud. Ohio St traditinally plays Toledo and Univ of Ohio at Miami–Please! Bama plays La Lafyette(sp?) as does Au and Carolina plays Citadel and Coastal Carolina–do some research–Fla doesn’t hurt themselves OOC and Who knew, certainly not Michigan they would lose to App St. The only SEC teams who are above reproach in OOCing is LSU and Tenn–every other team and every other conference pads their schedules or plays in a rather weak (top to bottom) conference and needs to play up to get recognition. So lighten guys–Bama and LSU and Arkie are coming back on the schedule as is Clemson.
Dog4Life
August 24th, 2012
7:47 pm
Tar Heel. I did my undergraduate at UGA and graduate work at UNC-Chapel Hill. Athens is by far the better college town. In fact I also did graduate work at DUKE (not that impressed). I moved back to Athens after graduation and lived in Athens 17 yrs before becoming a POW here in columbia SC. I lkided Chapel Hill, but it doesn’t compare to Athens in my eyes JMHO:)
Bill King
August 24th, 2012
7:58 pm
Tarheel:
He’s just moved to Chapel Hill after three years in D.C., so let’s give him some time to decide which is the better college town.
Mountain Dawg
August 24th, 2012
8:07 pm
dawgfan, you’re in for a HUGE surprise if or when you become an old geezer. Yes, it will happen to your generation. Sooner than you think!
GB's Hamburgers
August 24th, 2012
8:52 pm
Kids are at the games so how about less breasts showing.
Pago Pago DAWG
August 24th, 2012
9:56 pm
We agree with everybody, why take a tablet/lap top to the game!
Just stay home.
Pago Pago DAWG
August 24th, 2012
10:00 pm
The Bucs have only played The Rockets 2 or 3 times. However they most always play a MAC team every year to keep the money in OHIO.
Same for M Go Blue and Sparty, they always play a MAC team to keep the money in MICH. Good idea.
SSIgator
August 24th, 2012
10:44 pm
If God is not a Tarheel, why is the sky Carolina Blue? -
_______________________
You almost got that correct. The actual quote reads as follows:
If God is not a Gator then why is the sky orange and blue?
@truedawg
August 24th, 2012
11:12 pm
Not every aged one with a headset is not an unexcited fan. Most who wear them, like me, just like to listen to the play-by-play as they follow the game on the field. And, not until you get aged will you have any idea of life’s aches and pains that disallow us from standing up the entire game. Some of us have health issues that won’t allow us to do that.
And our wives who sit with us and take up ticket space, as you say, are just as loyal a Dawg fan as you. They just enjoy being with and watching their ‘old husband’ enjoy watching the Dawgs play as he’s faithfully done for over fourth years! We, with our headphones who do sit alot, do cheer just as hard as you. We just can’t stand as often and as long as you, the younger generation. I’ll assure you, it doesn’t make us any less a loyal Dawg fan!
You might just want to consider this!
[godawgs]
Sussex Club
August 24th, 2012
11:27 pm
Better housekeeping in the restrooms while all the drunks and trashy fools are destroying the place on purpose.
Yea, Right.
Pago Pago DAWG
August 24th, 2012
11:51 pm
The Big House…110,000 every game. However it’s a miserable stadium.
Seat are 6 inches wide, No knee room. Nothing field level, so if your seats are down there, you have to Climb to level 70 for food/bathrooms.
They did add hundreds of new bathrooms.
And yes, the fans think they should be #1. Let’s hope and pray Bama can stop their Heisman qb.
ugalee
August 25th, 2012
12:00 am
sanford stad is quieter than the capaacity would suggest, The reason is that the stands are too far away from the field due to the hedges and the walkways being right by the field unlike auburn where you havve to go up to leave. I suggest doing what ohio st did when they eliminated the red track aruond the field. redo the bottom part of th e stadium and have the stands go all the way to the field and change the angle of the lower deck. I didnt say it would be cheap
BoDawg
August 25th, 2012
2:03 am
Steak ‘n Shake! We are coming SOON!
Dandy Don
August 25th, 2012
7:53 am
I’d like to see responsible fans who don’t trash the place.
You forget this is UGA, the Cesspool of the South. Wish for something that’s more likely to happen, like world peace.
Vince
August 25th, 2012
8:39 am
Mr. Mansour apparently doesn’t have a long history of going to UGA games. Getting out of Athens is 10 times quicker than it was 30 years ago.
Spike
August 25th, 2012
9:18 am
Better parking.
Old Dog Class of 80
August 25th, 2012
9:26 am
I tell you what would make game day better in Sanford Stadium – let us keep the d*mn caps to our Coke bottles!!!!!!!
(Also,it would be great to see the Dawgs play good football, too)
Old Dog Class of 80
August 25th, 2012
9:37 am
Bring back the old system of student tickets with real tickets!
DawgNation
August 25th, 2012
10:03 am
Parking! My God you would think what is next administered by the athletic department is a toll just to enter the city from 78.
More Port-a-Potties and trash receptacles with timely clean ups and change outs of bags.
Hey, Dawg4life...
August 25th, 2012
10:16 am
…LSU and UT above reproach, schedule wise?
You mean the UT who is playing Ga State (a third year in its history school), Akron, and Troy this year – and the LSU who is playing North TX State, Idaho, and Towson this year?
Quit embarrassing yourself – all schools play the patsies to pad the records – EVERYBODY…
If God is not a Tarheel, why is the sky Carolina Blue?
August 25th, 2012
10:22 am
…Dawg4Life -
Your views on Athens v Chapel Hill are skewed by your 4 years in Athens vs 1 or 2 in Chapel Hil, just as Bill’s are since he is an Athens lifer – Athens is much larger, and IS a great college town, though I prefer Chapel Hill, just as you do Athens – and who said anything about Durham and Duke?
And go back home SSIGator – your try to remake the quote by using UF is not even close to the original which was coined many years prior to UF becoming a relevant school for anything (though I must admit that UF is now relevant in just about every way possible – academically, athletically, etc)!
coach satan
August 25th, 2012
1:01 pm
evillurks
August 24th, 2012
12:04 pm
First thing yall can do to make it better is to quit copying everyone else’s traditions (i.e. “mutt walk” stolen from Auburn’s Tiger Walk) and your fanbase actually learning your stupid school fight song (here’s a hint, it ain’t glory glory to old thuga).
Get some real tradition then you can hope to improve.
And just who copied our beloved hedges and copied our “Glory, Glory” and ……..
Ed
August 25th, 2012
1:13 pm
The patsy games will stop when fans voice their opinions with their wallets. As long as season ticket holders and others continue to pay full price for this garbage, nothing will change. It’s inexcusable that Georgia and Clemson don’t play every year. We could have played them this year and still have two patsy games. Florida (who use to play Miami every year) and few other schools started this travesty in the late 80s early 90s time period, and now it’s the norm. It’s the fans that lose.
Sorry, Ed...
August 25th, 2012
2:44 pm
..but the patsy games will not stop even if the fans rebel, cause not enough fans will rebel in order to keep the flow of money from the schools – it is only wishful thinking to hope that this could happen…
Helmand Dawg
August 25th, 2012
3:50 pm
First, put you’re phone away and watch the game. Second, we need less TV’s and jumbotrons not more. We wonder why so many people have ADD. Third, no souljah boy, no gangster rap, no dancing on the sidelines. If 18-22 yr olds can’t get excited over a big hit or a long run then they don’t need to be playing college football and certainly not in the SEC. A good running game and “Bad Leroy Brown” is all we need to go 13-0.
GATA
Minus
August 25th, 2012
4:13 pm
Get rid of all the rednecks!
jj
August 25th, 2012
4:31 pm
as Operation Muschomp continues to progress, the gator program will continue to decline
Doc
August 25th, 2012
7:10 pm
Food trucks!
tide roll
August 25th, 2012
7:53 pm
ANTHONY JENNINGS. DUMMIES!
mgdawg
August 25th, 2012
7:54 pm
As mary justice noticed in the article, I would like to see more people standing up. What really gets on my nerves is when I’m sitting in an “old people” section and when ever I stand up I get the look of death. I’m sorry, but when you come to a college football game you have to know that there is a possibility to see the game you have to stand up.
Bubbatavious
August 25th, 2012
10:05 pm
Stop the degrading rap hip hop music. Stop the Silly blaring videos on the jumbotron.
HUH??? is a moron
August 27th, 2012
9:14 am
HUH?????
August 24th, 2012
11:52 am
“What could make game day in Athens even better?
1: A tour of the Clarke Co jail to see where UGA players of the future will end up.
2: A statue of red panties on the site where Damon Evans was arrested.
3: That German professor in drag.
**************************
Says the idiot fan of a school that currently has several players serving jail time for felonies and is currently under investigation for recruiting irregularities in several cities.
robodawg
August 27th, 2012
9:33 am
Speaking of the stadium’s restrooms … remember when some of the men’s restrooms had basically a knee-high trough that you just walked up and peed into?
maker1
August 29th, 2012
8:20 am
how about some quality food in concessions instead of the overpriced slop they sell now??? hello???
Fan talk: Game day changes, Uga IX’s record, louder Redcoats, suspensions and more! | UGA: The Junkyard Blawg
August 31st, 2012
10:34 am
[...] week when we took a look at game day in Athens, UGA sports communications director Claude Felton told us there’d be some more new wrinkles [...]