Any college football fan is proud of Michigan Stadium. It is the largest football stadium in the world with a capacity of 109,901. However, most games surpass 110,000.
Ann Arbor is a classic college town filled with coffee houses, restaurants, and little shops everywhere you look. The stadium is a huge fixture on campus. But, when approaching it, you wonder how it could be so large. From the outside, it looks far from daunting. Yet, when walking inside, you realize why it is nicknamed “The Big House” – the stadium is dug deep into the ground. Ground level is roughly row 70 or 80, so when you walk in, it feels like a free fall because there is so many bleachers beneath you.
Michigan Stadium is loud and intimidating. The famous entrance of the Michigan players under the “GO BLUE” sign raises goose bumps. “Hail to the Victors” and “Go Blue” are lodged in your head by the time you leave. The iconic winged helmets hold a special place in college football lore. It’s hard to imagine how any visiting team could come away with a win there. Most don’t.
It’s not only a tough place for visiting teams to win, it’s a tough place for visiting fans to survive as modesty is a challenge for Michigan fans – but why not? They hold such a deep rooted tradition and history in college football that can only be rivaled by a precious few.
One of those few teams happens to be their hated rival, Ohio State. When Michigan plays “the team from Ohio” (as the PA announcer refers to them), it sets up one of the most classic rivalries in all of sports. Michigan Stadium is a stop that all college football fans must make, and very deserving of being known as “the leaders and best.”
