My first experience inside the Big House

You can feel the energy surge through you from your first step inside the stadium. You’re one of 100,000 people in the crowd, together in a sea of Maize and Blue. It instantly feels like home stepping into The Big House.

Since it was announced today that the Big Ten would move forward with an eight game season (without fans in the stadium) I thought it would be fun to remember my first time attending a game at Michigan Stadium.

Like any gameday, the excitement starts well before kickoff. A friend and I were staying in a friend’s dorm at UM-Ann Arbor. We got up, got ready, and headed for the door full of anticipation. 

The cool, crisp air made for perfect football weather as we made the trek across campus. More and more people filled the streets until all you could see was a steady current of football fans. The warm smells of pizza and salty pretzels along with the shouts of prices swarmed in the mix of the parade. 

All that anticipation before the game was nothing compared to that first glance into the Big House. It’s appropriately named; I couldn’t take it all in with one look. I scanned the stadium in awe and suddenly felt like one tiny grain of sand on a beach. As the game started, I learned the chants of the student section and yelled at the top of my lungs. I felt so proud to be a Wolverine. The electricity around me was contagious; it didn’t feel like the game would ever end.

Sadly though, all good things must come to an end. We won the game, as expected, and I left with a new sense of pride in my university. I’m so excited for the day when more Wolverines can feel that excitement inside the Big House!