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Game day ops and experience, Iowa edition

Boardwalk is working. Very good idea and I liked the band. If you tailgate you probably don’t care but it makes for better experience for others.
Exactly. It's for those who don't tailgate or families with younger children who want to enjoy and appreciate a little extra on gameday.
 
You make a great point. The cannon should be the focal point. Maybe coordinate better and don't have the horn sound until after the cannon fires? Otherwise, I'd be ok with just using the train horn for turnovers and maybe select big plays.
This is how I remember it being done when they first introduced the train horn during I believe the 2007 season and for years after until recently...
 
Agree that the "boardwalk" is a good addition to the pregame experience...

But speaking of this - did this guy (PJ Mullen) really take credit for this by saying it took a year to get permits approved, etc? It took a FULL YEAR for Rutgers to close a street on its OWN CAMPUS? Believe me I know things take time and that there are multiple moving parts to coordinate something like this, but come on... Guy sounds like a BS artist.
 
Agree that the "boardwalk" is a good addition to the pregame experience...

But speaking of this - did this guy (PJ Mullen) really take credit for this by saying it took a year to get permits approved, etc? It took a FULL YEAR for Rutgers to close a street on its OWN CAMPUS? Believe me I know things take time and that there are multiple moving parts to coordinate something like this, but come on... Guy sounds like a BS artist.
Where'd you hear that it took a year to get permits and close a street? We literally had this boardwalk concept with food trucks and other things during the Flood years in the exact same location. The current version is better but come on...
 
Where'd you hear that it took a year to get permits and close a street? We literally had this boardwalk concept with food trucks and other things during the Flood years in the exact same location. The current version is better but come on...
Well, he himself told Mrs. Screw

Unassailable.
 
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Where'd you hear that it took a year to get permits and close a street? We literally had this boardwalk concept with food trucks and other things during the Flood years in the exact same location. The current version is better but come on...
Post #32 of this thread:
A friend & I actually had a long conversation with PJ yesterday, probably spent a good 30 minutes with him. He is totally all in on Rutgers. He put the Xfinity party together & got the airspace over the Linc rented back in February. Has spent a year getting all the permits (being NJ you can imagine how many) to close Scarlet Knight Way for the Boardwalk & the Ferris wheel & other rides. He's been working on the light show & a bunch of other things. I was worried he'd come across as a psu cultist but I have to say my friend & I were in agreement that he seemed nothing but gung ho RU wanting to make the experience better for the fans.
 
A friend & I actually had a long conversation with PJ yesterday, probably spent a good 30 minutes with him. He is totally all in on Rutgers. He put the Xfinity party together & got the airspace over the Linc rented back in February. Has spent a year getting all the permits (being NJ you can imagine how many) to close Scarlet Knight Way for the Boardwalk & the Ferris wheel & other rides. He's been working on the light show & a bunch of other things. I was worried he'd come across as a psu cultist but I have to say my friend & I were in agreement that he seemed nothing but gung ho RU wanting to make the experience better for the fans.
I'm confused. What took a year to get permits and close a street? We literally had this boardwalk concept with food trucks and other things, with the street closed, during the Flood years in the exact same location. The current version is better but come on...
 
It's so easy to complain --read Geo's points, he's right on target you need fans that , do or die, support the team on the way up. When you're a top ten team it's easy.
 
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Yep x2. It’s the one thing we have music-wise that’s original … not enter sandman, not sandstorm, not sweet Caroline … and for some reason they have to trim it to 8 seconds so they can play 10 other songs in the 2 mins before the team comes out. PJ Mullen totally blowing it
Sweet Caroline is a woosie song, and NOT a song for a football game. There are wayyy too many energy pumping songs that are great for football, and way too many awesome jeRsey songs, many of them listed here. Sweet Caroline stinks for football.
 
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It's so easy to complain --read Geo's points, he's right on target you need fans that , do or die, support the team on the way up. When you're a top ten team it's easy.
What does that have to do with fixing the game day experience and ops? Why do people have a problem with constructive feedback and requests to provide a better experience? That's not complaining.
 
I don't give a rats purple ass. If that continues I won't be back after this season and I'm sure the AD's position will be the same towards me.

I'm not saying I'll no longer be a fan. I'll watch from home, but Rutgers athletics won't ever get another nickel from me on purpose ever again. The public apology to those scum was bad enough during the darkest of Hermann's years. Drowning out one of the few things the student section actually gets right and shares a common thread with all the long suffering fans across the generations is a mutual hate for Penn State. I'm really happy for big donors who walk in through special entrances everywhere they go, but if you've ever walked in/out among the unwashed either at home or in Crappy Valley you know you're looked down upon by them as if you're trash beneath them. They're not shy and make it very obvious. I LOVE the chant and look forward to it. It unites our students... so let's shit on it and snuff it out. If drowning out the chant continues it just shows 100% Rutgers will NEVER understand how to build a 'big time' atmosphere. I'll create my own atmosphere at home and will more than likely be able to convince my whole crew to as well. I'm tired of Rutgers cow towing to every perceived slight.

Come on! That’s ridiculous! If you can’t understand why FPS is a bad thing for the stadium environment, I don’t know what to tell you. The Big Ten is all about Class, and that chant is anything but. FPS is anything but and doesn’t belong in the stadium. Bands play the opponents fight song in their stadium.
 
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Come on! That’s ridiculous! If you can’t understand why FPS is a bad thing for the stadium environment, I don’t know what to tell you. The Big Ten is all about Class, and that chant is anything but. Bands play the opponents fight song in their stadium. FPS is anything but and doesn’t belong in the stadium.
Not mention that FPS is a lame chant. Unimaginative and we don't beat them in football...ever.
 
Re #9. I believe the loud, long train horn was done on purpose. Athletics has received a huge amount of complaints regarding the students & the fps chant. One way to drown it out is the horn. It was very effective for that.

Your other 9 positive points totally on target.

Re #4 in needs work. I think of the te had actually left the locker room when they were supposed to during the R-U chant it would have been great. However the chant petered out before the team left the locker room. Not sure if the chant was started early or Schiano was running late, but it was definitely not synched correctly.

Complaining about the chant is juvenile.

Did people cover their kids' ears when hockey fans chanted "Potvin sucks"?

Of all the things for our "big donors" to complain about, jeez.

I think most people don't want to be deafened by that horn.
 
Come on! That’s ridiculous! If you can’t understand why FPS is a bad thing for the stadium environment, I don’t know what to tell you. The Big Ten is all about Class, and that chant is anything but. FPS is anything but and doesn’t belong in the stadium. Bands play the opponents fight song in their stadium.

I think the problem here is not understanding that the students like having a real rival with a culture that would be anathema to them- and many younger alumni.

I doubt Ohio State would try to outgun chanting about Michigan with a blaring horn.
 
Good:
1. New LED light system is awesome. It really elevates the game day experience and has a premium, big time feeling. Hat tip to @RutgersFan for lobbying for this on here early last season. Now get a giant videoboard over the North entrance and LED block Rs around the exterior of the stadium.

2. Boardwalk and entire area is fantastic with a bunch of food options and games/things to do, and live music. I hope they never get rid of it again, as we had something similar during the Flood years. They should add some more picnic tables near Rodkin and other areas.

3. Scarlet Walk was packed. Kudos to all the fans that showed up. It could be even better if the busses dropped off and started further back closer to the circle, instead of at the Rodkin or Athletes Glen.

4. MCSO doesn't seem to be in your face anymore (but they need to improve directing traffic).

5. Pretty easy and fast getting into the stadium early around 6:15 PM (but the worker didn't seem to understand the NFC and the yes/no lights on the ticket scanner, so he made me show him my phone screen with the ✔️ after each ticket scanned 🤦🏻‍♂️...)

6. Pretty good variety of music.

7. Iowa Kinnick wave to the children's hospital.

8. Moment of silence for the 2 NJ high school football players that passed away. (Should've also had a moment of silence on 9/10 for 9/11. Hope we don't "forget" ever again...)

9. Fireworks and horn. I like them but the horn doesn't need to be used as much on 3rd downs.

10. Students did a great job showing up and cheering. Wish they stuck around a bit longer, but not surprised as most others fans also left.

Needs work:
1. Cell service was beyond awful with virtually no data service until 30K people left the stadium late in 3Q (texts worked). This is the worst it's been in a very long time. Add a better DAS and repeaters or get Wi-Fi already.

2. Horse is very slow and anticlimactic strolling out in cement boots after the build up on the video.

3. Team entrance needs work. Why do they seem to change it every game? This time they had an R-U chant and no music right before the team ran out. Fix it already. Bring back Thunderstruck... And why did they get rid of The Hum Knight Pulse, even though that worked well to pump up the students and crowd? Someone needs to go watch a VT game.

4. Regular LeGrand Don't Stop Believing" tribute between 3Q and 4Q was back after skipping it for a quick acknowledgement of him in game 1, but it was rushed into 40 seconds while the cheer team wasn't even lined up during a long 3 min timeout. Play the full song. Let the crowd enjoy and sing it, instead of rushing 5 other things into the timeout.

5. NFL Knights should be between the 1Q and 2Q.

6. Rushing snippets of songs, like Living on a Prayer, so they could do something else, like the 10th t-shirt toss. Play the full song. The crowd sings the well-known songs. Let the crowd enjoy a song, instead of bouncing around and forcing 5 things into 2 or 3 minutes.

7. (Edited to add this) Bring back The Birthplace of College Football signage on top of the scoreboard. You can't really see it on the wall because the cheer teams and others block it. Put it above the Shi Stadium signage or move that up and this below.

Not sure how the lower level concessions were, since I didn't get anything, but everyone else I was with didn't seem to have an issue with them.
Penn State "fan experience" guy seems to be working somewhat.. but have @Leonard23 be his boss.
 
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Agree that the "boardwalk" is a good addition to the pregame experience...

But speaking of this - did this guy (PJ Mullen) really take credit for this by saying it took a year to get permits approved, etc? It took a FULL YEAR for Rutgers to close a street on its OWN CAMPUS? Believe me I know things take time and that there are multiple moving parts to coordinate something like this, but come on... Guy sounds like a BS artist.
There have been food trucks along scarlet knight way at every game since 2014. The boardwalk is good marketing, and the addition of rides is nice, but it’s not exactly new to close that street.
 
The lights are cool, but badly aimed. Several of them appear to be focused directly on the lower rows of the stands on the opposite side of the field. There were least 4 that were right in my eyes. This is unnecessary.
 
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This is how I remember it being done when they first introduced the train horn during I believe the 2007 season and for years after until recently...
I remember the horn only being used after big runs when it was first introduced.
 
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Good:
1. New LED light system is awesome. It really elevates the game day experience and has a premium, big time feeling. Hat tip to @RutgersFan for lobbying for this on here early last season. Now get a giant videoboard over the North entrance and LED block Rs around the exterior of the stadium.

2. Boardwalk and entire area is fantastic with a bunch of food options and games/things to do, and live music. I hope they never get rid of it again, as we had something similar during the Flood years. They should add some more picnic tables near Rodkin and other areas.

3. Scarlet Walk was packed. Kudos to all the fans that showed up. It could be even better if the busses dropped off and started further back closer to the circle, instead of at the Rodkin or Athletes Glen.

4. MCSO doesn't seem to be in your face anymore (but they need to improve directing traffic).

5. Pretty easy and fast getting into the stadium early around 6:15 PM (but the worker didn't seem to understand the NFC and the yes/no lights on the ticket scanner, so he made me show him my phone screen with the ✔️ after each ticket scanned 🤦🏻‍♂️...)

6. Pretty good variety of music.

7. Iowa Kinnick wave to the children's hospital.

8. Moment of silence for the 2 NJ high school football players that passed away. (Should've also had a moment of silence on 9/10 for 9/11. Hope we don't "forget" ever again...)

9. Fireworks and horn. I like them but the horn doesn't need to be used as much on 3rd downs.

10. Students did a great job showing up and cheering. Wish they stuck around a bit longer, but not surprised as most others fans also left.

Needs work:
1. Cell service was beyond awful with virtually no data service until 30K people left the stadium late in 3Q (texts worked). This is the worst it's been in a very long time. Add a better DAS and repeaters or get Wi-Fi already.

2. Horse is very slow and anticlimactic strolling out in cement boots after the build up on the video.

3. Team entrance needs work. Why do they seem to change it every game? This time they had an R-U chant and no music right before the team ran out. Fix it already. Bring back Thunderstruck... And why did they get rid of The Hum Knight Pulse, even though that worked well to pump up the students and crowd? Someone needs to go watch a VT game.

4. Regular LeGrand Don't Stop Believing" tribute between 3Q and 4Q was back after skipping it for a quick acknowledgement of him in game 1, but it was rushed into 40 seconds while the cheer team wasn't even lined up during a long 3 min timeout. Play the full song. Let the crowd enjoy and sing it, instead of rushing 5 other things into the timeout.

5. NFL Knights should be between the 1Q and 2Q.

6. Rushing snippets of songs, like Living on a Prayer, so they could do something else, like the 10th t-shirt toss. Play the full song. The crowd sings the well-known songs. Let the crowd enjoy a song, instead of bouncing around and forcing 5 things into 2 or 3 minutes.

7. (Edited to add this) Bring back The Birthplace of College Football signage on top of the scoreboard. You can't really see it on the wall because the cheer teams and others block it. Put it above the Shi Stadium signage or move that up and this below.

Not sure how the lower level concessions were, since I didn't get anything, but everyone else I was with didn't seem to have an issue with them.
The lower level concessions were a complete disaster esp by sections 129-126. Closed before halftime! Long lines elsewhere.
 
The lower level concessions were a complete disaster esp by sections 129-126. Closed before halftime! Long lines elsewhere.
Interesting. I'm on that side and hadn't heard or seen that from the people I was with that went to the concession stands right before and after halftime. Any idea why? I saw someone posted something about a leak and maybe even some rowdy fans and an altercation?
 
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Train horn should be blown to mark the start of the game, the start of the 2nd half, and the end of the game. That’s it.

I thought the school put together a group of people to provide fan feedback on game days? Is that still happening?
 
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Come on! That’s ridiculous! If you can’t understand why FPS is a bad thing for the stadium environment, I don’t know what to tell you. The Big Ten is all about Class, and that chant is anything but. FPS is anything but and doesn’t belong in the stadium. Bands play the opponents fight song in their stadium.
The Wisconsin students chant “eat shit” and “fvck you” at each other in the middle of the game lol.
 
Come on! That’s ridiculous! If you can’t understand why FPS is a bad thing for the stadium environment, I don’t know what to tell you. The Big Ten is all about Class, and that chant is anything but. FPS is anything but and doesn’t belong in the stadium. Bands play the opponents fight song in their stadium.
Al. I have been in all but 2 SEC stadiums and all but 3 B1G stadiums and each fan base has similar chants. Many in the SEC have multiple student lead cheers that would make the fps chant seem pedestrian. All you have to do is listen the LSU band play neck which our band has introduced to their repertoire. LSU band and Fans sing neck. This is a chant that I have seen everyone from a 15 to a 75 year old chant. Not my preference but it’s a tradition they have had for many years.
 
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Kind of reminds me of back when we played basketball at the College Ave gym (known as the Barn). When disagreeing with a ref call the students would chant "Bull S**t". Remember during the final four run the school tried to get us to stop due to tv coverage. Didn't work then.
Interesting side note of games in the Barn. Cheer loud enough the building itself would shake and paint chips would fall down from the ceiling. Would have to stop the game to sweep the court.
 
Interesting. I'm on that side and hadn't heard or seen that from the people I was with that went to the concession stands right before and after halftime. Any idea why? I saw someone posted something about a leak and maybe even some rowdy fans and an altercation?
Just before the half I attempted to get a soda behind 128/129. Concession stand closed.
walked to the stand behind 122? Also closed.
Many kiosks selling beer were open, as was the burger grill kiosk behind 130, but all had very long lines and while some of these had a soda fridge, the lines at these were too long for me.
Eventually I walked up to
The upper deck and found an open concession stand with no line. All they had was cookies and soda, which I purchased.
 
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Just before the half I attempted to get a soda behind 128/129. Concession stand closed.
walked to the stand. Whims 122? Also closed.
Many kiosks selling beer were open, as was the burger grill kiosk behind 130, but all had very long lines and while some of these had a soda fridge, the lines at these were too long for me.
Eventually I walked up to
The upper deck and found an open concession stand with no line. All they had was cookies and soda, which I purchased.
😬 Hopefully, they fix that. Nothing should be closed unless there was an issue like flooding.
 
There was something on the board during the off-season about a new sewer line to be built from the stadium down sutphen to the main trunk line under Johnson Park.

The main convo was about eminent domain being used to take the private properties on river rd where sutphen rd meets it.

but with these flooding reports I wonder if the new sewer line is indeed needed sooner than later.
 
I don't give a rats purple ass. If that continues I won't be back after this season and I'm sure the AD's position will be the same towards me.

I'm not saying I'll no longer be a fan. I'll watch from home, but Rutgers athletics won't ever get another nickel from me on purpose ever again. The public apology to those scum was bad enough during the darkest of Hermann's years. Drowning out one of the few things the student section actually gets right and shares a common thread with all the long suffering fans across the generations is a mutual hate for Penn State. I'm really happy for big donors who walk in through special entrances everywhere they go, but if you've ever walked in/out among the unwashed either at home or in Crappy Valley you know you're looked down upon by them as if you're trash beneath them. They're not shy and make it very obvious. I LOVE the chant and look forward to it. It unites our students... so let's shit on it and snuff it out. If drowning out the chant continues it just shows 100% Rutgers will NEVER understand how to build a 'big time' atmosphere. I'll create my own atmosphere at home and will more than likely be able to convince my whole crew to as well. I'm tired of Rutgers cow towing to every perceived slight.
Ummm you know how to fix how they look at us right? Win! It’s really that simple!

when a team owns a 29-2 all time record vs us, YES! We are going to get looked at as ‘less than’. And guess what? Justifiably so! But you know what changes that narrative? Actually beating them! I can promise you there isn’t a fan base in the country who wouldn’t look at an opponent as ‘less than’ owning a 29-2 all time record vs them. Actually getting upset about that is a level of Butthurt that is embarrassing
 
I think the problem here is not understanding that the students like having a real rival with a culture that would be anathema to them- and many younger alumni.

I doubt Ohio State would try to outgun chanting about Michigan with a blaring horn.
29-2 would suggest they are not a ‘real rival’.

we can’t just make a rivalry up because we want one. Penn state does not respect us, their fans could care less about Rutgers. It’s a pretty sad ‘rivalry’ when only one side cares and that same side always loses…
 
Train horn should be blown to mark the start of the game, the start of the 2nd half, and the end of the game. That’s it.

I thought the school put together a group of people to provide fan feedback on game days? Is that still happening?
I rec'd a fan experience questionaire.

Gave the Boardwalk and new lights a thumbs up. Fireworks are fine. Said the marching band should play more.

Gave the piped in music and train horn a thumbs down saying it's just too much.
 
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Ummm you know how to fix how they look at us right? Win! It’s really that simple!

when a team owns a 29-2 all time record vs us, YES! We are going to get looked at as ‘less than’. And guess what? Justifiably so! But you know what changes that narrative? Actually beating them! I can promise you there isn’t a fan base in the country who wouldn’t look at an opponent as ‘less than’ owning a 29-2 all time record vs them. Actually getting upset about that is a level of Butthurt that is embarrassing
🤦‍♂️ dear God.
 
29-2 would suggest they are not a ‘real rival’.

we can’t just make a rivalry up because we want one. Penn state does not respect us, their fans could care less about Rutgers. It’s a pretty sad ‘rivalry’ when only one side cares and that same side always loses…

There are other sports besides football and other things it's based on then sports.

They would tell you their "rival" is OSU which unless it's cover up based isn't reality
 
Train horn should be blown to mark the start of the game, the start of the 2nd half, and the end of the game. That’s it.

I thought the school put together a group of people to provide fan feedback on game days? Is that still happening?
Years ago the cannon was used for this…a countdown.

As for the second part, I think they did away with that awhile ago.
 
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on the entrance, I'd like to see a bit more of a pause from schiano/team at the opening of the tunnel before they actually run out. They used to always do that (jumping/getting psyched up for 20-30 seconds then running), but feel like in recent games its been almost immediate---appearing then running out.

cell/wifi service - first time where we couldnt even get the R app to work to pull up parking pass or tickets. Had to go to will call to get printed tix for game. Text messages werent going through from yellow lot (on dataplan). Tried connecting to wifi in the stadium and it would go on for abit then stop and id have to re-login to it numerous times. I imagine going into league play with more in attendance this will be the norm.

re: the food trucks - id imagine some of the trucks could depending on item cook much more in advance and then heat continually+finish them off upon order------i mean look at the steak sandwich spots in philly----lines are super long but take 5-10 min tops and you've ordered and got your food. Which are the trucks that have the mega lines/waits (food wise)?

entering the stadium - specific to the gate E/open fence door entry. The lines get pretty backed up to the point that the 2 entry spot lines blend into each other and cause gridlock and many dont even realize which direction they're going in. On top of which that blur gets heightened because you have one large mass of people but they're not in a position to move over to a bag/no bag line. I think some of that could be alleviated pretty easily with some dividers or something to delineate the diff paths to take.
Separately, they still havent resolved a handicap-friendly way for people to get from the riverroad side to the fan activities on other end by blue/yellow lots. Maybe have a cart going up/down that hill taking people from RR to scarlet lot who can't get up the hill otherwise? Maybe have a shuttle that you can take from one side to the other? Maybe have shuttle from train or college ave do double stops at river road and other side vs just 1 spot?

Overall i feel like the pre-game vibe has improved though.
 
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