If you go to UMich, you’ve most likely been to multiple football games. As a freshman, I’ve only been able to make it to a couple, but those couple of games are making me very excited for the games I’ll be able to make it to next year— especially the night games!
I have previously only attended day games, and after attending the night game between Michigan and Purdue, I realized that I was in for a uniquely different experience.
As a morning person who gets exhausted early at night and doesn’t go out late often, I was kind of nervous about what to expect, but also excited for the possibility of experiencing something amazing.
Since it was Parents Weekend, I attended the game with my family and did not stay in the student section. Most college students would feel bored about this because there were children around so it couldn’t be as fun, but let me tell you, I had the absolute best time! It made the cut for my list of the favorite days of my life.
My parents and brothers had never been to a game before, so we arrived early, before the sun went down, and found our seats. We also grabbed food, of course. Food is a necessity. As the stadium was filling up with fans and as the football players began filtering out to warm up, I noticed that the energy was different.
It felt almost electric, sparks bouncing off every surface in the stadium and energizing the crowd of over 100,000. I wasn’t sweltering and burning in the sun, cursing myself for forgetting sunscreen even though my mom warned me repeatedly to not forget. It was cold, but since I had layers on, the cold was refreshing. It kept me awake, aware, and laser-focused on JJ McCar— *coughs* — I mean the game.
As it started getting dark, the lights were blinding, but in a good way. In fact, the lighting is *chef’s kiss*, so I highly recommend getting photos in the stadium during night games if you’ve been wanting to get game-day photos.
Once kickoff was near, the lights turned blue, and it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The scoreboard looked much better than it does during the day, and during every score, the lights flashed blue and yellow, energizing the crowd even more.
The cheering was louder than ever, and while I never bothered to understand the rules of football during earlier games, I wanted to learn during the night game. I was invested. I was on the edge of my seat at times, finally understanding why some men scream and swear when something goes wrong. I felt so proud of our school spirit, of our football team, and of our school.
While day games are bright, happy, and summery at the beginning of the school year, night games offer a fun alternative that’s less hot, more energizing, and overall an amazing experience that I think everyone should try at least once in their time at Michigan.
If you do end up going to a night game next season, I hope you have the most wonderful time!
Please stay safe, always have a buddy with you wherever you go, no matter what distance you’re going, and stick with people you trust.
Just for the record, Michigan ended up winning, so I was able to rub the win in my Purdue friend’s face.
Go Blue!