Michigan Stadium, the cathedral football fans worship at in Ann Arbor, is getting nipped and tucked.
In a year-over-year business world, Meech-i-gan appeared to be flushing away big bucks. By giving rich alumni a bleacher seat among the 107,501, the school was forfeiting finances. The solution ironically included adding hundreds of toilet fixtures for patrons. And when it's done super-sizing, another thousand seats and (ta-da!) luxury suites.
Of course, the whole project has been auspiciously rife with issues:
- Handicapped access was very limited. The feds stepped in and called for some botox in the face-lift when it came to handicapped seats. In other words, beef it up. So the amazin' blue went from 90 to ~329 (eventually) in a sea of 108,000. My calculator's batteries are running low so you do the math. But no doubt, that's still a failing grade.
- And unbelievably, there were some digs that "The Big House" would not be the Biggest House in the country, for at least two years, to accommodate these necessities. Penn State will be tops during that time but I couldn't get a read on its handicapped seating (anyone with info, please comment below).
- Time to completing the project forced this spring's commencement ceremonies to take place elsewhere. (The whine fest reached a level of hilarity when university officials suggested their newly-stamped grads would take their first steps in nearby Eastern Michigan University's Rynearson Stadium.) The brainpower in Ann Arbor went democratic and students voted to have it in The Diag. (See the links to understand the difference.)
- Could they dig the bad juju that's making the place a welcome mat for Ohio State? (I'm making this one up, but the Buckeyes have won the last 3 of 4 football contests there.) So we'll see what new does to the old.
So hail to da Victors mature for working things out with the feds, wiping up your big ole crocodile tears and staying home instead of going slumming to EMU. Sorry you won't be the biggest of all big stadiums. But there may be more important things to do.
Let me suggest: Go collect your diplomas and start helping us figure out how to make the whole planet more accessible to everyone.
