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Topic: MAC Championship Game Venue
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astro7900
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Posted: 12/1/2022 2:24 PM
This may not be super popular amongst fans, however, Ford Field seems to be a bit cavernous/large for the MAC Championship game. What about playing this in Columbus at the new Crew Stadium - Lower.com Field? It seems like a pretty central location for most of the league, Columbus has a great nightlife/bar scene, and is home to hundreds of thousands of MAC alumni.....The Stadium seats 20k. It just seems to make more sense here, while also keeping the game at a neutral site. This also opens up the Detroit Bowl game to the champ or runner-up without having to play in the same location twice to end the season. Let's be honest, no one really wants to go to Detroit once, much less twice a year in the winter. Thoughts?
Last Edited: 12/1/2022 3:02:43 PM by astro7900
Athens
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Posted: 12/1/2022 2:47 PM
Detroit has a smallish NFL stadium and depending on who from the MAC is playing there can be a reasonable crowd in there. Its a nice selling point for recruits. Big Ten also plays their championship game in an NFL stadium.
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SBH
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Posted: 12/1/2022 2:47 PM
I've asked this question of both our AD and the MAC commissioner and received the same answer: Playing in an indoor NFL venue is seen as a benefit/reward for players. I personally think Canton's HOF stadium would be perfect but they say it's a unanimous preference among ADs to stay in Detroit.
Athens
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Posted: 12/1/2022 2:59 PM
How many votes would be there for moving the MAC tournament from Cleveland to the Huntington Center in Toledo since the upper deck is almost never open in Cleveland? MAC Championship in Canton and MAC Tournament in Toledo.
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2025 17-10 defeat of WVU @ Peden in front of 26,740
Deciduous Forest Cat
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Posted: 12/1/2022 3:44 PM
Campus Flow wrote:expand_more
How many votes would be there for moving the MAC tournament from Cleveland to the Huntington Center in Toledo since the upper deck is almost never open in Cleveland? MAC Championship in Canton and MAC Tournament in Toledo.
Zero.

Less than Zero.

Maybe you're new, but the tournament has been in Detroit, Toledo and Columbus in the past, and Cleveland is the best thing that ever happened to the MAC tournament.
Deciduous Forest Cat
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Posted: 12/1/2022 3:45 PM
astro7900 wrote:expand_more
This may not be super popular amongst fans, however, Ford Field seems to be a bit cavernous/large for the MAC Championship game. What about playing this in Columbus at the new Crew Stadium - Lower.com Field? It seems like a pretty central location for most of the league, Columbus has a great nightlife/bar scene, and is home to hundreds of thousands of MAC alumni.....The Stadium seats 20k. It just seems to make more sense here, while also keeping the game at a neutral site. This also opens up the Detroit Bowl game to the champ or runner-up without having to play in the same location twice to end the season. Let's be honest, no one really wants to go to Detroit once, much less twice a year in the winter. Thoughts?
I love going to Detroit in the winter when there's an indoor stadium.
GoCats105
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Posted: 12/1/2022 3:48 PM
I wonder what the cost is to play there as opposed to letting the higher seed host the game. The MAC is the only G5 conference to play it's championship on a neutral field. The answer I've always heard is weather, which I guess if you want to use that excuse, fine. The Mountain West has no problems playing their championship game in colder weather outside of a dome. It'll be in the mid 30's in Boise this weekend.
GoCats105
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Posted: 12/1/2022 3:49 PM
Campus Flow wrote:expand_more
How many votes would be there for moving the MAC tournament from Cleveland to the Huntington Center in Toledo since the upper deck is almost never open in Cleveland? MAC Championship in Canton and MAC Tournament in Toledo.
The MAC Tournament in Cleveland is perfect, no need to change that.
Deciduous Forest Cat
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Posted: 12/1/2022 4:00 PM
GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
I wonder what the cost is to play there as opposed to letting the higher seed host the game. The MAC is the only G5 conference to play it's championship on a neutral field. The answer I've always heard is weather, which I guess if you want to use that excuse, fine. The Mountain West has no problems playing their championship game in colder weather outside of a dome. It'll be in the mid 30's in Boise this weekend.
"I wish I was going to Boise so I could freeze"
-- No one, ever
RSBobcat
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Posted: 12/1/2022 7:09 PM
GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
How many votes would be there for moving the MAC tournament from Cleveland to the Huntington Center in Toledo since the upper deck is almost never open in Cleveland? MAC Championship in Canton and MAC Tournament in Toledo.
The MAC Tournament in Cleveland is perfect, no need to change that.
Agree
RS Bobcat
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 12/1/2022 7:17 PM
If they were ever to move from Detroit, they should just make the game a home game for the team with the best MAC record. Could be good for the league to have a nationally televised game with a good atmosphere as opposed to the standard mid-week games.

Hopefully fans would turn out?
M.D.W.S.T
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Posted: 12/1/2022 7:45 PM
SBH wrote:expand_more
I've asked this question of both our AD and the MAC commissioner and received the same answer: Playing in an indoor NFL venue is seen as a benefit/reward for players. I personally think Canton's HOF stadium would be perfect but they say it's a unanimous preference among ADs to stay in Detroit.
Lower.com Field is probably nicer than Ford Field.

Brand new. Beautiful. Lots of great views of the field.

Playing in a giant cavern where 15K looks like 15 people is a bummer. Pack crew stadium.
RSBobcat
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Posted: 12/1/2022 7:56 PM
M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more
I've asked this question of both our AD and the MAC commissioner and received the same answer: Playing in an indoor NFL venue is seen as a benefit/reward for players. I personally think Canton's HOF stadium would be perfect but they say it's a unanimous preference among ADs to stay in Detroit.
Lower.com Field is probably nicer than Ford Field.

Brand new. Beautiful. Lots of great views of the field.

Playing in a giant cavern where 15K looks like 15 people is a bummer. Pack crew stadium.
Why would any team or their travelling fans prefer an outdoor venue for a December league championship game? And/or a stadium nowhere near an entertainment/downtown location with no hotels nearby?
RS Bobcat
Andrew Ruck
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Posted: 12/2/2022 8:20 AM
M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more
I've asked this question of both our AD and the MAC commissioner and received the same answer: Playing in an indoor NFL venue is seen as a benefit/reward for players. I personally think Canton's HOF stadium would be perfect but they say it's a unanimous preference among ADs to stay in Detroit.
Lower.com Field is probably nicer than Ford Field.

Brand new. Beautiful. Lots of great views of the field.

Playing in a giant cavern where 15K looks like 15 people is a bummer. Pack crew stadium.
Have they ever played a football game at Lower.com? Do they have goal posts available?
Andrew Ruck
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CatsUp
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Posted: 12/2/2022 8:52 AM
Here are some reasons not to change venues in my opinion:

1.) Not sure why we would willingly forfeit an advantage (playing the championship in an NFL stadium) that we have over other G5 conferences. It’s commonly stated that we don’t have many advantages over our peers now.
2.) I want the weather conditions for a championship game in December to be as ideal as possible. It looks like tomorrow won’t be too bad outside from a temperature and precipitation standpoint. But, we would have lucked out on that end as obviously that’s not always the case. Also, the wind tomorrow would likely have been the issue if the game were to be played outside.
3.) The three Michigan schools already complain in some quarters about the MAC being too “Ohio-centric”. Don’t think moving to Columbus or Toledo would be well received by them.
4.) Regarding Columbus, while the MAC championship game doesn’t always exceed 20,000 (Lower.com capacity), it often does. What happens to the rest that want to be there but can’t get in….big screen in the plaza?
ts1227
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Posted: 12/2/2022 9:25 AM
SBH wrote:expand_more
I've asked this question of both our AD and the MAC commissioner and received the same answer: Playing in an indoor NFL venue is seen as a benefit/reward for players. I personally think Canton's HOF stadium would be perfect but they say it's a unanimous preference among ADs to stay in Detroit.
You’d have to bump or schedule around the OHSAA state finals there first, and they’ve been there I believe all but 2 years out of the past 30-35 or so years
Athens
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Posted: 12/2/2022 9:38 AM
M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more
I've asked this question of both our AD and the MAC commissioner and received the same answer: Playing in an indoor NFL venue is seen as a benefit/reward for players. I personally think Canton's HOF stadium would be perfect but they say it's a unanimous preference among ADs to stay in Detroit.
Lower.com Field is probably nicer than Ford Field.

Brand new. Beautiful. Lots of great views of the field.

Playing in a giant cavern where 15K looks like 15 people is a bummer. Pack crew stadium.
Because this is somehow different proportionally than having 5k in a 20k NBA arena.
Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended
2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round
2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl
2015 34-3 drubbing of Fiami @ Peden with 25,086 fans
2023 10-7 near shutout of Iowa State @ Solich Field
2025 17-10 defeat of WVU @ Peden in front of 26,740
spongeBOB CATpants
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Posted: 12/2/2022 9:51 AM
IMO the MAC has it right as it is for both football and basketball.

I'm not a fan of the conferences that have the highest seed host, seems like a high school playoff thing to me.

No idea why they would ever consider moving basketball. Especially after the renovations that were completed at Rocket Mortgage FH. Its one of the finer NBA venues in the league right now.

As far as playing the MACC for football in Columbus? No thanks, I want the MAC to stay as far away from the buckeyes as possible. Imagine a MACC where 25% of the attendees are wearing buckeye garbage...
Deciduous Forest Cat
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Posted: 12/2/2022 9:54 AM
CatsUp wrote:expand_more
Here are some reasons not to change venues in my opinion:


2.) I want the weather conditions for a championship game in December to be as ideal as possible. It looks like tomorrow won’t be too bad outside from a temperature and precipitation standpoint. But, we would have lucked out on that end as obviously that’s not always the case. Also, the wind tomorrow would likely have been the issue if the game were to be played outside.
The summary forecast in detroit for saturday is deceiving. The high of 50 is going to arrive in the morning, followed by wind and dropping temps. it will only by in the 30s by gametime. I was there in the cold for BG as I have been in the past for November games, but I'm looking forward to the indoor climes at Ford field saturday.
Shawn Sellers
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Posted: 12/2/2022 10:09 AM
Does anyone believe that Lower.com would be an option? I can’t imagine with what they pay for turf upkeep that they would want American Football to be played on a cold wet December day in that stadium. Historic Crew stadium has a winter bubble that excludes the stands for winter training, but even if they didn’t put the bubble up until after MAC championships, a game in December on the state fairgrounds with no close bars or restaurants. No thanks.

This will be my 4th trip to the MACC and I enjoy the downtown Detroit location every time. They put on a great venue location, imo.
M.D.W.S.T
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Posted: 12/2/2022 11:48 AM
RSBobcat wrote:expand_more
Why would any team or their travelling fans prefer an outdoor venue for a December league championship game? And/or a stadium nowhere near an entertainment/downtown location with no hotels nearby?
Have you ever been to Columbus?

The stadium is literally downtown... in the arena district... a mile from the Short North, surrounded by bars and entertainment... with the largest hotel in Ohio walking distance away.

WOOF.
Tymaster
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Posted: 12/2/2022 11:52 AM
M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more
Why would any team or their travelling fans prefer an outdoor venue for a December league championship game? And/or a stadium nowhere near an entertainment/downtown location with no hotels nearby?
Have you ever been to Columbus?

The stadium is literally downtown... in the arena district... a mile from the Short North, surrounded by bars and entertainment... with the largest hotel in Ohio walking distance away.

WOOF.
I live here. Boring. I'd much rather make the trek to Detroit for a game in Ford Field. Detroit has a history and vibrancy that C-bus doesn't. And while the new soccer stadium is nice, I'd rather play a FOOTBALL conference title game in a FOOTBALL stadium than a soccer stadium. Outdoors. In C-bus. Sorry, Charlie.
M.D.W.S.T
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Posted: 12/2/2022 11:57 AM
Tymaster wrote:expand_more
Why would any team or their travelling fans prefer an outdoor venue for a December league championship game? And/or a stadium nowhere near an entertainment/downtown location with no hotels nearby?
Have you ever been to Columbus?

The stadium is literally downtown... in the arena district... a mile from the Short North, surrounded by bars and entertainment... with the largest hotel in Ohio walking distance away.

WOOF.
I live here. Boring. I'd much rather make the trek to Detroit for a game in Ford Field. Detroit has a history and vibrancy that C-bus doesn't. And while the new soccer stadium is nice, I'd rather play a FOOTBALL conference title game in a FOOTBALL stadium than a soccer stadium. Outdoors. In C-bus. Sorry, Charlie.
It's always the people who live in Chillicothe who think Columbus is boring. Hilarious.

It's amazing Ohio State football is able to have 100,000 fans every weekend, 2.8 miles away, but the MAC can't have a title game.
Tymaster
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Posted: 12/2/2022 12:12 PM
M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more
Why would any team or their travelling fans prefer an outdoor venue for a December league championship game? And/or a stadium nowhere near an entertainment/downtown location with no hotels nearby?
Have you ever been to Columbus?

The stadium is literally downtown... in the arena district... a mile from the Short North, surrounded by bars and entertainment... with the largest hotel in Ohio walking distance away.

WOOF.
I live here. Boring. I'd much rather make the trek to Detroit for a game in Ford Field. Detroit has a history and vibrancy that C-bus doesn't. And while the new soccer stadium is nice, I'd rather play a FOOTBALL conference title game in a FOOTBALL stadium than a soccer stadium. Outdoors. In C-bus. Sorry, Charlie.
It's always the people who live in Chillicothe who think Columbus is boring. Hilarious.

It's amazing Ohio State football is able to have 100,000 fans every weekend, 2.8 miles away, but the MAC can't have a title game.
You being wrong is more hilarious.
RSBobcat
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Posted: 12/2/2022 12:46 PM
M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more
Why would any team or their travelling fans prefer an outdoor venue for a December league championship game? And/or a stadium nowhere near an entertainment/downtown location with no hotels nearby?
Have you ever been to Columbus?

The stadium is literally downtown... in the arena district... a mile from the Short North, surrounded by bars and entertainment... with the largest hotel in Ohio walking distance away.

WOOF.
Ooops - I was thinking of the old Crew stadium, forgot about new one. But it is not an indoor stadium.
RS Bobcat
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