Fred Glass is just a fountain of ideas to improve the IU football experience. Eventually, one assumes, somewhere on his list is "better players" and "a coach." But give him time -- he'll get there.
For now, though, ideas abound to make things more fun. Like letting fans keep footballs and hoping drunken students are more likely to attend night games. (Hey, it's harder to see empty seats at night, too, am I right?)
From the article:
The school’s “Kicks for Keeps” program will allow fans to keep footballs when extra points and field goals go into the stands.
“We’re not going to put up a big net that catches a football,” Glass said.
“Much to my business’ offices chagrin, we are going to have a lot of these footballs go into the stands and be caught and taken home. We might have to trade them out because the kickers rub the ball and do all types of stuff that I don’t really understand,
Because when it comes to rubbing balls, Fred Glass doesn't get those kickers.
but they will get a real IU-regulation football.
"IU-regulation" footballs are footballs that are only used between the 40s.
That will cost us a little money, but I think that’s the kind of connection that help get people to come to games and be lifelong fans.”
Unless the Boilermakers are in town and rolling up 62 points again. Oh, wait, Fred's got a plan for that: copy Wrigley Field.
“We want to try to create a Wrigley Field-kind of buzz that real Hoosier fans throw it back,” he said. “So if Minnesota gets lucky and kicks a field goal late in the game, hopefully the culture will be to throw that ball back on the field.”
And if Purdue scores eight or nine touchdowns, you'll have a rash of torn rotator cuffs from the fans repeatedly hurling footballs.... probably directed at Bill Lynch's skull.
In addition, night games!
“We are trying to be fan-friendly for our students. (For) college students, noon can be a tough rally point for them,” he said.
"As is having to root for IU football," Glass did not go on to say.
“And I’ve heard feedback positively from people with young children. There are so many Saturday activities, soccer, youth football, they feel it will enable them to come to games more.”
Oh, Fred. Eternally optimistic. People give any reason they can to avoid Hoosier football -- you hear "activities."
Hear that, citizens of Bloomington? You're running out of excuses. Your kid doesn't have a soccer game at 8 PM, does he? Get your ass out to Memorial Stadium. We've got 2,000 seats for you to spread out in.
(Thanks to reader Patrick G for the heads-up.)