I’ve never been a big fan of football. The little football I have taken in has been 99 percent professional, one percent college. It’s not that I dislike football. Far from it. It was just never a part of my life growing up, so I never took a liking to it. Did that stop me from accepting free tickets to attend Michigan’s homecoming game this past Saturday? Heck no!

I had no idea what to expect, other than the fact that I’d be surrounded by over 100 thousand screaming fans covered in maize and blue. The cool, cloudy day was perfect for me – not too cold, not too warm. The rain, for the most part, looked like it would hold off. The drive up was nothing special. A quick sixty minutes down I-94 and, bam, there I was. In order to avoid paying anything more than the already-overpriced $20 parking charge, I settled in a lot quite a few blocks from the stadium. I have been to countless sporting events, including a few Lions games. This, however, somehow felt different.

As I shut the car door and headed down the road, the number of people started to grow. Crowds got bigger. Noises were more audible. Cheers were louder. Pickup trucks gave way to numerous tailgates, all of which were enjoyed by eager Michigan fans ready to cheer their team on to victory.

As the stadium came into focus, I couldn’t even see the street. The number of people waiting to enter was staggering. After having my ticket scanned and finally entering the stadium, I was now, for the first time ever, inside the infamous Big House.

Walking around the Big House was not unlike most other stadiums. I had to wade carefully, ducking and dodging parents and their over-eager kids who could not contain their excitement. At this point, neither could I.

Standing outside of the entrance to section five, I noticed something. The hallway was mostly dark, with the notable exception of a bright light that crept its way in. Small at first, it got bigger as I got closer. As I made my way through the hall, the entire stadium and field came into view.

Wow.

That’s all I could say. Wow

You can watch the game on TV, look at pictures on your laptop, or read about the post-game in your newspaper. Until you actually step foot in the Big House, you don’t realize how big it is. What makes it so impressive is how unimpressive it is. There’s no flashy scoreboard. Don’t look for a 100-feet-wide big screen. Fancy amenities are nowhere to be found.

What makes the Big House so special is its simplicity. Bleacher-style seats circle a stadium so big that it seems like it would take you a whole quarter to walk its entirety. Two simple scoreboards are mounted at both end zones. Yes, there are some executive-style suites under construction, but they hardly take away from the Big House’s purpose: football.

What is also so refreshing about the stadium is that there were no corporate logos smeared all over the stadium. There was no “Burger King Scoreboard,” “Microsoft 50-Yard Line,” or “IKEA Sidelines.” The closest thing I saw to a corporate presence was the AT&T logo on my soda cup. The Big House is about the University of Michigan, its players, and its fans. And that’s the way it should be.

The fans’ behavior was also different. There were no obnoxious drunks or incoherent morons yelling every ten seconds at the players like you find at most professional sporting events. Everyone was there to cheer their Wolverines on to victory; and they did so in a respectful way, might I add. When an Indiana player went down with an injury during the game, I expected at least a few boos. We’ve all been at games or seen on TV where an away team’s player goes down and the hometown fans boo. Not here. The crowd was respectful and gave the player a nice round of applause when he finally got up and walked off the field.

Despite not being a fan of football and indifferent towards U of M, it was a memorable experience at the Big House. I’d like to tell you that this game turned me into a football junkie or that I ran out and bought a Wolverines t-shirt after the game, but I’d be lying if I said I did either of those things. What I can tell you, however, is that no matter what you think of U of M or football, you have to make at least one trip to the Big House. If not, you are missing out on something truly special. I’m happy to say that I am no longer one of those people.