(Not far from) Madding Crowds

Last night, the University of Nebraska women’s volleyball team played the fourth match of their 2023 campaign. College volleyball doesn’t get much coverage sharing seasons with (American) football, but this match made the sports headlines for several reasons. One, it was played outdoors. Two, it was played in Nebraska’s massive Memorial Stadium (normally a football venue). And three – most notably – the Huskers brought home the straight-sets win in front of 90,000 riotous fans… at $25 a ticket.

Volleyball instead of football

I know what you’re thinking.  How do you get 90,000 people to cough up $25 for a college volleyball match?  Well, it helps to throw in a country music concert for starters.  Then add a second match to double the volleyball (Nebraska-Kearney vs. Wayne State).  Finally, most importantly, let fans know they just might break the regular-season attendance record for a women’s volleyball match… the same attendance record that volleyball rival Wisconsin stole from Nebraska just last season.

Memorial Stadium on any given Saturday

It fascinates me to read about sports competitions played in front of massive sold-out stadiums, weekend after weekend.  Nebraska has filled those same 90,000 seats for every Husker football game for the past sixty years (making the venue the “third-largest city in Nebraska” for several hours each Saturday).  Michigan’s Wolverines compete in the largest college stadium in America – 108,000 seats – with every seat taken more often than not.  And like Nebraska’s volleyball match last night, my fascination is not just with the number of fans but also with how much they’re willing to pay.  I’m in the market for tickets for my beloved Notre Dame; the football team headed to nearby Clemson later this season.  Unless I’m looking for a nosebleed I’ll be paying north of $450 no matter where I sit.

My weekends are busy so I’m lucky to watch a football game on TV, let alone attend one in person.  Yet every Saturday (and Sunday with the NFL) you have tens of thousands of fans gladly opening their wallets and purses to do just that.  It’s a loud, colorful thread (rope?) in the fabric of American society.

Denver’s “Coors Field”

Major League Baseball (MLB), with an average of 45,000 seats per stadium, is even more confounding to me.  In an endless spring-summer season of 162 games, half are played at the team’s home stadium.  The majority of those seats are taken by season ticket-holders.  With an average ticket price of $36 you’re handing over $3,000 for the season before you’ve even seen the first game.  Besides, who has the time to watch so many baseball games (mostly at night)?  Do what my friends back in Colorado do: split the season ticket in half with another fan and sell most of the tickets to family and friends.  You’ll make a small profit and still go to as many baseball games as you can stomach.

My appetite for baseball games is about two a season; that’s it.  Frankly I enjoy sitting outside in the summer air beside a friend as much as I do the game itself.  Otherwise, keep me far from those madding crowds.  The investment of time, money, effort (and sometimes hassle) to watch a game in person is almost always won over by the convenience, commentary, and cameras of television.

San Diego’s “Rady Shell at Jacobs Park”

Of course, this is sports we’re talking about.  If the topic was music and concerts, my post would take on a decidedly different “tone” (heh).  Tempt me with a chart-topper from the 1980s – Billy Joel comes to mind – and I’d give up the time and money to see a live performance.  Even better, dangle classical concert tickets in front of me, such as the San Diego Symphony at its cozy waterfront bandshell, or a summer concert in the outdoor gardens of Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace (see below video).  Classical concert crowds are not nearly as madding as those for sports.

Nebraska is a five-time national volleyball champion

About that regular-season attendance record for a women’s volleyball match.  Wisconsin set the bar with an impressive 16,833 fans last season by filling its basketball arena.  Nebraska’s official tally last night was 92,003 fans… more than five times as many (on a Wednesday night, no less).  Way to crush those rival Badgers, Husker Nation.  That’s what I call a madding crowd.

Some content sourced from the ESPN article, “How Nebraska volleyball plans to pack Memorial Stadium”, and Wikipedia, “the free encyclopedia”.

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Author: Dave

Five hundred posts would suggest I have something to say… This blog was born from a desire to elevate the English language, highlighting eloquent words from days gone by. The stories I share are snippets of life itself, and each comes with a bonus: a dusted-off word I hope you’ll go on to use more often. Read “Deutschland-ish Improvements” to learn about my backyard European wish list. Try “Slush Fun” for the throwback years of the 7-Eleven convenience store. Or drink in "Iced Coffee" to discover the plight of the rural French cafe. On the lighter side, read "Late Night Racquet Sports" for my adventures with our latest moth invasion. As Walt Whitman said, “That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” Here then, my verse. Welcome to Life In A Word.

21 thoughts on “(Not far from) Madding Crowds”

  1. I used to enjoy going to a football game or a baseball game, sitting outside, drinking something, cheering, BUT since the pandemic I’ve not gone to one and haven’t really missed it. I know that there’s something magical about seeing a game live, but there’s also something VERY expensive, slightly threatening, about going to one. By the time you buy tickets, pay for parking, get something to eat, and make your way back home late at night it doesn’t seem like it’s worth the bother anymore.

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    1. I’m hoping it’s not a symptom of growing older, Ally, but I share your thoughts. Is it too much to ask to pay reasonable prices for parking, food, and the game ticket itself? Too much demand drives up the cost of supply – basic economics. But sometimes I wonder… where do these fans get all their spending money?

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  2. Hi Dave,
    I grew up playing volleyball – not well, but I loved it.
    Nothing beats a live event, music, sports, anything. I am hoping to find some fun ones to take my brother to, when he comes to visit, in a couple of weeks.
    A blessed weekend to you – may you have time to relax!

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    1. Our daughter played volleyball for several years too, Ana. It’s more entertaining to watch when you really understand the nuances of the sport. Same with baseball. When I see a game with my baseball friend he points out a lot of the little things I wouldn’t know to look for. In that respect, baseball is not as “slow” as most people describe it.

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  3. Maybe live sports and music events provide a connection to people who share a liking (or a passion) – without the divisiveness that might occur if the same group of people were expressing their political, religious, environmental etc sentiments.

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    1. It’s a great point, Margy. It reminds me of a person walking a dog. You can walk up to them without knowing a thing about them, but with a mutual love of animals, the relationship is already off and running.

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  6. Dave, I did hear about that game last night and its record-breaking crowd. I’ve never been to “The Big House” in Ann Arbor, Michigan and can’t imagine that many people packed into a stadium, which, like you say is like a small city. It’s been many years since I went to a game for any of our four major Detroit sports teams, but I did go to the ticker tape parades for the Pistons and Red Wings after they won final games. That was quite a crowd as well, plus many buildings were/are old so people opened the windows and were hanging out watching the goings-on. My father wasn’t into sports and I had no brothers back when sports was more “a guy thing” but I’d watch wrestling at Maple Leaf Gardens when I visited my grandparents as the TV was usually on. I’d rather go to a concert of a notable star. I was always sorry I never saw the Eagles.

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    1. My only ticker-tape parade was when the 49’ers won one of their Super Bowls with Joe Montana, and honestly it was just seeing the littered streets of San Francisco after the fact (captive as I worked in my office building). A lot of people have a fear of large crowds (esp after 9/11 and COVID) but I’ve never felt that way, especially after stepped-up security at large venues. Finally, we did see the Eagles on one of their farewell tours (in Denver). It was money well-spent – I think they played three hours straight without a break and sounded surprisingly similar to their earlier selves.

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      1. Being held captive in an office building was the best way to view the original Gran Prix as it raced through the streets of Downtown Detroit, just like Monaco. We had a blimp hover so close, we waved at the “operator”. Then they moved it to Belle Isle (a nearby island) and finally brought back the street racing downtown just this year. I’m one who fears crowds due to COVID though I am vaxxed and masked up in stores … just as I say I am going to forsake the mask, COVID stats ramp up like now. Glenn Frey was from the Detroit area and a friend of mine saw one of the farewell tours in/around Cary, NC where she lives and said his son did a great job stepping in for his dad. They had so many hits through the years that I’m sure the money was well spent by both of you.

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  7. That is cool, college volleyball never makes the headlines. I’ve been to the Big House with a packed crowd, they were playing MSU. I’ve also been to a hockey game there, it was freezing! Billy Joel is still a good one to see in concert.

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    1. Ah right, the outdoor hockey game in the Big House! Like most of the Nebraska fans, I think you were drawn to the game for the unique setting. The 92,000 fans in Lincoln ended up being a world record for women’s sports of any kind. Must’ve been a unique thrill for the players to run out onto the “field”.

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  8. I rarely go to a public thing like sports or even a concert. The investment in time alone often puts me off, but ticket prices are insane these days and don’t get me started on the cost of food at these places.

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  9. I appreciate this line: If the topic was music and concerts, my post would take on a decidedly different “tone” (heh).
    I’m not into sports, but I get the love of music. Also, this pic you show of the concert venue in San Diego… I’ve never even heard of it, and this is my city. Ooops. :/

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    1. I should’ve written this post sooner so the SD “Pops” season would still be in motion. I think they wrap(ped) this weekend. It’s a summer series of weekend concerts and entertainment, usually including the San Diego Symphony. The band shell is only a year or two new. Right behind the convention center on the water, with food options and fireworks after every show. Spectacular setting.

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  10. Maybe I’m just a lazy old bum, but I have come to prefer the comfort, convenience and price of watching sporting events at home on my TV.

    I bought tickets to an Indiana University basketball game for my oldest kid’s birthday back when he was a huge fan in his high school days. They can pack a lot of people into Assembly Hall!

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    1. We share a preference for couches when it comes to sports but we also recognize when a particular match-up is better seen live. I can’t believe I never road-tripped from South Bend to Bloomington to see the Irish play the Hoosiers when I was in college. Talk about a legendary venue. The town was also made legendary by the wonderful film “Breaking Away”.

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