The Ohio State football program has allowed the Shoe to have several renovations over the past ten years or so. They enlarged the South scoreboard, reduced seating capacity in the South stands, and created more luxury boxes. Only one of those is an improvement for 90% of the fans who attend games.
Now, Ross Bjork and the rest of the Ohio State athletic department have decided to renovate the Shoe again. This time, they will create luxury seating in the South end zone right on the field. They will be right in front of the students, as that is the biggest part of the student section.
It's also where the band sits. That means that the Buckeyes will move the band to the North end zone for next season as the renovations start. Fans are not happy with this decision, and they shouldn't be. It reduces the gameday experience for a lot of fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
New renovation plans have Ohio State football fans angry
The premium seats are something that Ohio State is calling The 1922 Club. The seats cost $6,000 per seat and include private restrooms, in-seat service, and access to a restaurant. It takes up some of the existing bleacher seating that is currently set aside for students.
How this makes the experience better in the Shoe is unclear. In fact, it will undoubtedly make it worse. The student section is the loudest part of the stadium. Taking away seating from the loudest fans will make it easier for other teams to drive in that part of the field.
Instead of making bathroom lines shorter, making the WiFi more reliable, or lowering ticket prices, Ohio State has decided to make a decision that will only benefit the richest of customers. It's a middle finger to students who pay tuition to attend one of the largest universities in the country.
It also might make the band's seats in the North section of the stadium permanent, which is also a worse outcome. That section is further away from the end zone, so it doesn't reverberate around the stadium the same. This is a bad decision that Ted Carter and the rest of Ohio State have made.