Michigan High Rises

A few years ago Michigan’s athletic director, proposed renovating the Big House, where Michigan plays, for $226 million. The facility is 80 years old and has witnessed The Ohio State University coming in on numerous occasions to beat the lowly team that calls it their home (Yes I am a Buckeye). Included in the renovation plans approved by the university’s trustees earlier this year are new features for the largest stadium in the US: skyboxes and expensive “premium seats."

This proposal has set off a fire storm of people opposed to the plan for several reasons:
The boxes would cost a lot and will not be paid off for more than a generation;
By capping future expansion, through adding the boxes, the "Big House" may eventually lose its status as the country’s biggest stadium-possibly to Ohio State; and/or
U of M should not be the kind of school that sells skyboxes to the rich and should keep its focus on its true fans versus high corporate execs and rich alumni.

I have no problem either way, but this debate will come up again and again as schools fight for revenue and try to extract as much as possible from the money machine that is NCAA athletics at some (very few) schools.
Gil-