M Vision draws small crowd

Just like the Michigan football team, M Vision did not live up to its potential Saturday afternoon.

Event organizers hoped 10,000 spectators would attend Saturday's broadcast of Michigan's season opener against Notre Dame in Crisler Arena. But even a national championship team and brand new video boards could not draw the anticipated crowd.

Only about 3,000 fans, mostly students, came to watch the game in Crisler, and about half of them left at halftime. More dwindled out as the Notre Dame score climbed in the third and fourth quarters.

"We wanted to encourage students to take part," said event organizer Tom Brooks, adding that 7,000 complimentary tickets were allocated for students. "This is a chance to give all students the Michigan experience."

The afternoon began with events outside Crisler Arena, including a chance for coaches and athletes to meet fans and participate carnival games.

The coaches spoke to the crowd inside Crisler to raise student interest in sports besides football.
Sue Guevara, the Michigan women's basketball coach, offered a student Nike merchandise in exchange for his attendance at all the team's home games.

But the day did not end in the same spirit. By the end of the afternoon, the cheers and screams turned to sighs and complaints about the extreme heat.

"I think there would have been a more energetic crowd if it had been a more exciting game," said LSA sophomore Kelsey Cameron. "That might discourage people from coming again."

The halftime show in South Bend, Ind., was not displayed on the videoboards, much to the disappointment of some fans, who said they would rather have watched that than a live performance by the alumni band.

The event "is a good idea for freshmen for the first game," said LSA first-year student Shannon Zorn. But she also commented she probably would be watching the game in her room in the future.

"I would have rather watched the game in a smaller, more intimate area with friends," said LSA sophomore Dan Leonard.

Most students shared these sentiments, and only a small number of people were left at Crisler when the game ended.

The Iowa game is scheduled to be shown at Michigan Stadium on Oct. 3 instead of at Crisler.

"We couldn't show the Notre Dame game at Michigan Stadium because it was broadcast on NBC and we couldn't get the game commercial-free," Brooks said.

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