What Would You Do With the South Endzone?

[Pipedream]

To me, this is actually the first question that needs to be asked. The answer to this question directly effects what you do in the South end zone.

Doing the math, putting chair backs in will decrease the stadium by 20% making DWS a 48,000 sear stadium. If you do that, then you need to build a 13-15 K seat end zone.

You don't want to chairback the ENTIRE stadium. I'd prefer it done only in certain areas of the lower bowl so you can re-market them at a higher price point (if you're looking at maximizing your return), BUT if you want to comfortably chairback the entire lower bowls on either side you'll be turning 32,400 seats (West side 18,400/East side ~14,000) into 21,600 chairs (assuming each chair is 1.5X as wide as the original bleacher seat). That removes 10,800 available seats from the lower bowls. The North EZ expansion was in total was either 8800 or 7000 depending upon how you interpret the literature. You could easily add height to that end zone to get up to that number (or via taller scoreboard club, more loge, more suites, etc.). So, long story short, yes, chair backing the entire lower bowl + a South EZ would roughly = current capacity.

[gtowndawg]

You don't want to chairback the ENTIRE stadium. I'd prefer it done only in certain areas of the lower bowl so you can re-market them at a higher price point (if you're looking at maximizing your return), BUT if you want to comfortably chairback the entire lower bowls on either side you'll be turning 32,400 seats (West side 18,400/East side ~14,000) into 21,600 chairs (assuming each chair is 1.5X as wide as the original bleacher seat). That removes 10,800 available seats from the lower bowls. The North EZ expansion was in total was either 8800 or 7000 depending upon how you interpret the literature. You could easily add height to that end zone to get up to that number (or via taller scoreboard club, more loge, more suites, etc.). So, long story short, yes, chair backing the entire lower bowl + a South EZ would roughly = current capacity.

This is the answer. Mirror the south end zone with north, make all lower bowl seats chairbacks and leave upper decks as bleachers (cheaper seats).

[Pipedream]

This is the answer. Mirror the south end zone with north, make all lower bowl seats chairbacks and leave upper decks as bleachers (cheaper seats).

Yeah, I think it's definitely the simplest option along with making the West Skydeck suites/boxes. That's the biggest no brainer move and I can't believe it's been in place almost 40 years without someone capitalizing on that opportunity. Only issue with mirroring the north and south end zones is what do you do with the students? Do you split them up? Sell regular season ticket holders end zone seats? IDK how well those would sell. Might take a slightly amended mirroring to make it work. Look at Arkansas' new end zone. I think that's exactly what we'd need to make it work. Less actual seats, more premium areas but the same "largeness" as the North EZ.

[RocketDawg]

That's the same as saying we'll never be good enough to pack a 67000 seat stadium. Are we the only team in the SEC besides vandy (and maybe MO) without a bowled in stadium?

Ole Miss's is bowled in now, but it's I-beam and steel flooring instead of concrete. Much cheaper that way but looks awful.

[RocketDawg]

Whatever is built in the SEZ needs to have an MSU Athletic Hall of Fame and museum attached to it that open to the public and available to rent out for receptions and meetings.

I?ll be damned if they build another 17ing clock museum on prime real estate

What's wrong with the clock museum? I like it and it doesn't take up much space. I'm just not sure how it relates to MSU.

[Liverpooldawg]

Speaking of going, where do most out-of-towners park when they go to DWS? I?d like to start going to at least one game a year but I don?t want to pay $400 a night to stay at a hotel that?s within walking distance of the stadium. There are much cheaper alternatives in the Golden Triangle area, but then I?d have to find some place to park.

There are public lots in several places, you can buy a pass online.

[Liverpooldawg]

The only thing that is actually on the radar at some point is re-doing the under the stands part of the lower east side, which REALLY needs to be done. The only thing we have demand for is boxes and other high end stuff. The demand for the club level stuff isn't as high. We certainly don't need to raise the overall capacity much if any. The national trend is for smaller crowds and that is only going to get worse. If you HAVE to bowl in the south endzone then you only do it to make up for lost capacity elsewhere due to boxes. Chairbacks make zero sense at all, not for large portions of the stadium. Whatever we do I hope we don't try to make it symmetrical. Symmetrical stadiums are soul less. If you REALLY wanted to do something cool put a roof over the stands like English soccer stadiums do. That would be nice and help attendance on those day game in September.

[TheLostDawg]

The only thing that is actually on the radar at some point is re-doing the under the stands part of the lower east side, which REALLY needs to be done. The only thing we have demand for is boxes and other high end stuff. The demand for the club level stuff isn't as high. We certainly don't need to raise the overall capacity much if any. The national trend is for smaller crowds and that is only going to get worse. If you HAVE to bowl in the south endzone then you only do it to make up for lost capacity elsewhere due to boxes. Chairbacks make zero sense at all, not for large portions of the stadium. Whatever we do I hope we don't try to make it symmetrical. Symmetrical stadiums are soul less. If you REALLY wanted to do something cool put a roof over the stands like English soccer stadiums do. That would be nice and help attendance on those day game in September.

Someone contact the engineering department and get this done. Also like the idea of seats in the lower sections along with boxes on the west side and fixing under the stands on the east side. Definitely would look nicer just demo the South end zone. That with pull up stands looks terrible. I like the idea similar to Arkansas and making it a hotel along with MSU Hof museum. Really just sell alcohol in that section and that will keep people over there. Whatever they do to the South ez I hope it connects the the east and west side.

[Jarius]

The only thing that is actually on the radar at some point is re-doing the under the stands part of the lower east side, which REALLY needs to be done. The only thing we have demand for is boxes and other high end stuff. The demand for the club level stuff isn't as high. We certainly don't need to raise the overall capacity much if any. The national trend is for smaller crowds and that is only going to get worse. If you HAVE to bowl in the south endzone then you only do it to make up for lost capacity elsewhere due to boxes. Chairbacks make zero sense at all, not for large portions of the stadium. Whatever we do I hope we don't try to make it symmetrical. Symmetrical stadiums are soul less. If you REALLY wanted to do something cool put a roof over the stands like English soccer stadiums do. That would be nice and help attendance on those day game in September.

The athletic director went on The radio a few weeks back and said that the SEZ expansion was on the radar for the next 5 years or so.

[Leroy Jenkins]

That's the same as saying we'll never be good enough to pack a 67000 seat stadium. Are we the only team in the SEC besides vandy (and maybe MO) without a bowled in stadium?

Got nothing to do with being good enough. Has everything to do with being a commuter fanbase, with 80" HDTV, and 100 degree games, 2 hour lines etc. etc. it takes a 15 second google search to see that even though the SEC leads the nation in attendance, the conference had the lowest attendance since 2001 last year. Read that again..... 2001.

[ShotgunDawg]

Whatever is built in the SEZ needs to have an MSU Athletic Hall of Fame and museum attached to it that open to the public and available to rent out for receptions and meetings.

I’ll be damned if they build another 17ing clock museum on prime real estate

The only thing that is actually on the radar at some point is re-doing the under the stands part of the lower east side, which REALLY needs to be done. The only thing we have demand for is boxes and other high end stuff. The demand for the club level stuff isn't as high. We certainly don't need to raise the overall capacity much if any. The national trend is for smaller crowds and that is only going to get worse. If you HAVE to bowl in the south endzone then you only do it to make up for lost capacity elsewhere due to boxes. Chairbacks make zero sense at all, not for large portions of the stadium. Whatever we do I hope we don't try to make it symmetrical. Symmetrical stadiums are soul less. If you REALLY wanted to do something cool put a roof over the stands like English soccer stadiums do. That would be nice and help attendance on those day game in September.

- sorry. I realize the East side needs renovating but we're an SEC school with what amounts to looking like a trailer house in our South end zone for the country to see. For the greater good, that has to come first. Best case is that we just lump both into the same project.

- Chairbacks would make the Gameday experience better for more people which will help attendance. It makes all the sense in the world.


- bowling in the endzone should help recruiting our stadiums reputation and atmosphere.

- Stop thinking small. We're about to be a $130 mil per year AD

- agree with the roof idea.

[Leroy Jenkins]

Remember when Blockbuster video and pay-phones on every corner was a thing? I would be surprised if there is ever another football stadium built in this country with a capacity larger than 70-80k.....anywhere. That's not thinking small that is the demand.

[Maroonthirteen]

Really...... If State does another major project to that stadium, it needs to be to demolish the west side and rebuild it with modern amenities, luxury seating and better sight lines. Today....The first ten rows, you can not see the game. To low and not enough rise. 100 level, 200 level, Press box have zero amenities.

[Jarius]

Remember when Blockbuster video and pay-phones on every corner was a thing? I would be surprised if there is ever another football stadium built in this country with a capacity larger than 70-80k.....anywhere. That's not thinking small that is the demand.

No one on here wants anything even close to that big. You can enclose the SEZ without gaining any capacity at all.

[Leroy Jenkins]

No one on here wants anything even close to that big. You can enclose the SEZ without gaining any capacity at all.

I didn't say here.... I said anywhere in this county. Earlier in this thread I said I would like something similar to T. Boone Pickens. Which, in your words would "enclose the SEZ without gaining capacity".

I swear some people just read what they want.

[Jarius]

I didn't say here.... I said anywhere in this county. Earlier in this thread I said I would like something similar to T. Boone Pickens. Which, in your words would "enclose the SEZ without gaining capacity".

I swear some people just read what they want.

You said "that's not thinking small that is the demand." Shotgun is the person that has been using that phrase so obviously it seemed as though you were talking about him and what he wanted the stadium to look like. Your post made it sound like people were wanting to add too much size to the stadium.

[Liverpooldawg]

- sorry. I realize the East side needs renovating but we're an SEC school with what amounts to looking like a trailer house in our South end zone for the country to see. For the greater good, that has to come first. Best case is that we just lump both into the same project.

- Chairbacks would make the Gameday experience better for more people which will help attendance. It makes all the sense in the world.


- bowling in the endzone should help recruiting our stadiums reputation and atmosphere.

- Stop thinking small. We're about to be a $130 mil per year AD

- agree with the roof idea.

For the greater good would be redoing the east side under the stand. That affects about 1/3 of the people actually at the game. You are thinking like Ole Miss. it's what it looks like , not what it is. Their football stadium is an absolute pathetic DUMP under the stands, but it's bowled in. LOL. I guess we could throw up an erector set like they did. It would be a BOWL though. Lol.

[ShotgunDawg]

Really...... If State does another major project to that stadium, it needs to be to demolish the west side and rebuild it with modern amenities, luxury seating and better sight lines. Today....The first ten rows, you can not see the game. To low and not enough rise. 100 level, 200 level, Press box have zero amenities.

After we bowl in the stadium, I agree.

We've got to make the place look right & look like an SEC stadium 1st

[ShotgunDawg]

For the greater good would be redoing the east side under the stand. That affects about 1/3 of the people actually at the game. You are thinking like Ole Miss. it's what it looks like , not what it is. Their football stadium is an absolute pathetic DUMP under the stands, but it's bowled in. LOL. I guess we could throw up an erector set like they did. It would be a BOWL though. Lol.

I agree that the East side must be done, but, you know, maybe Ole Miss isn't wrong about everything. Looks are important & are far more meaningful to our program than how nice the underside of the East stands are.

Tiger stadium is a dump under the stands, but all million of people on TV & recruits see is the awesome inside. That has to come first.

On a given Saturday, 20K may come into contact with the East underside while 5 million see our trailer home in the South Endzone. The project that should be the priority is obvious.

Again, hopefully we can just lump them both into the same project & perhaps save a little money that way

[Mjoelner34]

The North EZ expansion was in total was either 8800 or 7000 depending upon how you interpret the literature. You could easily add height to that end zone to get up to that number (or via taller scoreboard club, more loge, more suites, etc.).

I don't know about future expansion (left and right) of current Scoreboard Club seating below the north video board but, the standing deck was built where club level seating like the State Level below the Scoreboard Club could be placed.