Problems in the grove? Rebels please respond

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AlSwearengen

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Aug 22, 2012
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Over on the spirit, they are complaining about the situation in the grove. Apparently there is a "lower class" of folks hanging out in the grove and it is too crowded now. Several are saying they are done with the grove and are moving to other areas of the campus.
 

chew1095

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Feb 1, 2009
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Anyone complaining about the problems in the statdium or has that "W" already been chalked up in the moral victory column?
 

fishwater99

Freshman
Jun 4, 2007
14,072
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Too many sidewalk fans....

My brother-in-law hasn't setup in the Grove since college.
It is too damn crowded in the Grove and always is, I could only imagine how bad it was this past weekend.
 

The Peeper

Heisman
Feb 26, 2008
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Must have been these guys, there goes the neighborhood:

 

patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
56,221
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Never been to the grove on a gameday, but based on the shots I saw on ESPN Saturday that place is crowded as hell. They're packed in there like sardines. Doesn't look like one bit of fun to me.
 

AlSwearengen

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Aug 22, 2012
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place reminds me of california. Every son of a ***** in the state with low self esteem heads up there just so they can tell anyone that will listen that they are going to the grove that weekend.
 

tb2

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Aug 22, 2012
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My wife took a pic with this guy on sat. He gets lots of attention. I am sure he is just a dirty old man that enoys the attention.
 

johnson86-1

All-Conference
Aug 22, 2012
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I can think of several UM fans that like to play up Ole Miss being the classier,

Apparently there is a "lower class" of folks hanging out in the grove

richer school that aren't particularly high-class themselves. That whole attitude is BS when it's coming from actual rich society people, but it's really weird seeing it from people that don't cover up their tattoos or take out their extra ear piercings or other body piercings when they dress up for game day. They're sitting their talking about how fans from other schools are rednecks and don't realize that other UM fans are at that very moment considering changing their tailgating traditions just to avoid being around them.
 

Victory Red

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Aug 24, 2012
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That's not really even remotely close to what they're talking about. You either have terrible reading comprehension or just decided to make up your own version.

There have been some growing issues the last 2-3 years since the "tent setup" companies have become more common. People are setting up their tents and leaving and the tent companies are, in some cases, moving those tents to set up their customer's tent(s). It's much worse on big weekends like this weekend. It's supposed to be "first come, first serve," not "hell, I'll just move your **** somewhere else." It's one thing to move it a foot to be able to get a tent in between two others, its another thing to pick it up and move it somewhere else (this includes tables and chairs, in some instances even tents that have been planted with stakes). There are also paid (by the companies) student "squatters" that save a spot by standing without setup stuff until the horn is blown and people rush to the spots.

In a nutshell, it's just a lack of respect. Doesn't matter what "class" you are, have respect for someone who gets there first and don't move their stuff.
 
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Koldfire

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Sep 15, 2012
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It's okay to have a little manure on the heel of your boots; you could still be the ranch owner. But let'em smell it on your hands and you are 17ed!
 

graddawg

Sophomore
Jun 4, 2007
2,699
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That's not really even remotely close to what they're talking about. You either have terrible reading comprehension or just decided to make up your own version.

There have been some growing issues the last 2-3 years since the "tent setup" companies have become more common. People are setting up their tents and leaving and the tent companies are, in some cases, moving those tents to set up their customer's tent(s). It's much worse on big weekends like this weekend. It's supposed to be "first come, first serve," not "hell, I'll just move your **** somewhere else." It's one thing to move it a foot to be able to get a tent in between two others, its another thing to pick it up and move it somewhere else (this includes tables and chairs, in some instances even tents that have been planted with stakes). There are also paid (by the companies) student "squatters" that save a spot by standing without setup stuff until the horn is blown and people rush to the spots.

That is really ******. Has this been addressed with the administration? I haven't heard of this happening at our games, but it wouldn't surprise me as the number of "commercial tailgates" are growing by the year. Also, this begs the question--how much, if anything, are these companies paying the schools for the right to do business on campus?
 

was21

Senior
May 29, 2007
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The media has given it a lot of attention over the past few years, deservedly or not, as some kind of "unique" experience. It's probably ruined by now if indeed it was ever special...kind of like Oxford and all that phony baloney ******** in general...
 

DerHntr

All-Conference
Sep 18, 2007
15,771
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I would be the first person over at a tent raising all sorts of hell if my tent was moved. The problem would be knowing exactly where it was located when so many tents are set up.
 

Spotdawg

Freshman
Feb 15, 2007
609
50
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Yeah, It happens at MSU. It has happened to me--my tent was moved 20-30 yards back into the crowd when it was set out on the sidewalk. Commercial tent company setups were in my former spot the next day when we arrived.

I was not going to say anything about this until the end of the year and then address it with the Athletic Department. There is going to have to be a beneficial solution if commercial companies are making big money on MSU property and not paying for the privilege. The small family tent atmosphere is quickly getting pushed out of the picture.

Maybe the Ath Dept should set aside a dedicated area for commercial tents. Charge a per-tent tax. But whatever solution comes about...I hope that it heads off an awkward and potentially serious situation. I am still angry about that whole situation and see it as the next threat to the average fan attending MSU football games...and enjoying the experience.
 

msu21

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Dec 3, 2008
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Brad Vickers is the one that is making a killing off this deal at MSU. His customer service has gotten awful as his comoany grows. Cant believe the university hasnt taxed him in some way.
 

Victory Red

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Aug 24, 2012
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I would be the first person over at a tent raising all sorts of hell if my tent was moved. The problem would be knowing exactly where it was located when so many tents are set up.

When you've been setting up in the same spot for 10-15+ years, you have a pretty good idea where your tent is supposed to be. We set up in the Circle (mini-Grove) and I could probably put the tent within 5 feet of it's spot blind-folded if you put me within 300 yards of it. When I was a student I used to set up our 2 or 3 tents (for 4-5 families and their friends), so I knew exactly where it was placed. I was also usually the first one there in the morning, and there was more than one occasion where an individual moved 1-2 of our 2-3 tents and placed 1-2 in it's spot. Those people were lucky there was enough room to squeeze their tents somewhere else in the area or they would have been folded and placed under a tree or on the sidewalk.

As the Junction grows in popularity be prepared for this to become a more regular occurrence. The problem at Ole Miss with the tent companies will eventually lead to people paying for certain spots in an area of the Grove, just like they do at Alabama.

As I said before, it all comes down to respect, and the tent companies aren't worried about it. Their only concern is making money, don't care whose stuff you have to get rid of.
 

RocketDawg

All-Conference
Oct 21, 2011
18,929
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Sounds like UM Administration should step in and put a stop to that sort of crap. I can't blame the ones who set the tent up initially ... they probably should consider moving the "company" tent elsewhere, perhaps even collapsing it if there's no more room.
 

hotdigitydog

Redshirt
May 21, 2007
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Somebody must've showed up w/o a pressed white shirt, red pants and blue bow tie

Oh, the humanity.......
 

Victory Red

Redshirt
Aug 24, 2012
518
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Why not pick their **** up and cast it aside, then put yours back up again?

I did. What I said was that I replaced theirs at another location a few feet away, but if there would not have been room for it, their **** would've been under a tree or on the sidewalk.
 

DerHntr

All-Conference
Sep 18, 2007
15,771
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would have done the exact same thing.

Paying for a tailgating spot will definitely change the atmosphere of the Junction. I hope it never comes to that.
 

engie

Freshman
May 29, 2011
10,756
92
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Are there any/many State fans that are paying for setup in the actual Junction? Some of my buddies pay Southern Traditions Tailgating @ State and Ole Miss...At OM they are on the front edge of the Grove upon entering. At State, they were setup in the amphitheater well outside the Junction.

The simple solution is the university allows these companies to reserve "their" spots for $x price. If others want to pay the price, their spots can be reserved as well. But force a certain % to remain on a "first come first serve" basis...
 

uptowndawg

Senior
Jul 15, 2010
2,188
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Yes, but,

Are there any/many State fans that are paying for setup in the actual Junction? Some of my buddies pay Southern Traditions Tailgating @ State and Ole Miss...At OM they are on the front edge of the Grove upon entering. At State, they were setup in the amphitheater well outside the Junction.

The simple solution is the university allows these companies to reserve "their" spots for $x price. If others want to pay the price, their spots can be reserved as well. But force a certain % to remain on a "first come first serve" basis...

My group pays a student - friend of a friend - to set our tents up; not a company. As we've get older, taken on more work responsibilities and move farther away from Starkville, it's really the only option for getting a spot in the junction. And it's nice to not have to pack the tents in and out every game. The guy we use does this for about a half dozen other tailgates with a few of his friends, and there seems to be at least a few more student groups that are getting paid to do the same thing. They all seem to respect each other's hustle and stay out of trouble though. Never heard of them having tents moved or doing the same to others.

MSU seems to do a good job of keeping the commercial outfits in a separate area over by the amphitheater for now, should prevent things from getting out of hand for a while.
 

FlabLoser

Redshirt
Aug 20, 2006
10,709
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Brad Vickers is the one that is making a killing off this deal at MSU. His customer service has gotten awful as his comoany grows. Cant believe the university hasnt taxed him in some way.

LI can see the school starting its own tent service. They started that direction this year by opening business for tailgate catering and ice supplies.

At the vet least, I think they will tax setup companies like you say.
 

gdogg

Redshirt
Feb 24, 2008
1,060
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It happens at MSU now...

Thats why our crew went with the University 20 x 30 set up on the grassy knoll.
Its worth every dime.
 

TailgateCo

Redshirt
Sep 4, 2012
229
0
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Hey guys. I ran across this thread and wanted to comment quickly if I could. My name is David and I own a small tailgate setup company at MSU called "The Tailgate Company" (formerly known as "Southern Gamedays" I changed my name to set myself apart from Southern Traditions). We are the group that sets up at the SW corner of the Barnes and Noble on both sides of the brick sidewalk.

We absolutely never move other peoples tents, but we do show up early to claim spots for our customers. When we come out at 4 to pop up our tents, we talk to the people around us and help them get spots. In fact, I'm on a first name basis with everyone who sets up near The Tailgate Co's setups.

I know it can be frustrating to see a tradition like tailgating become commercialized, but speaking for myself only, I can say that's not The Tailgate Co's goal at all! We just try to provide a service for people who otherwise wouldn't be able to come out and tailgate because of where they live, their age, etc and of course we try to make a couple bucks at the same time :). My wife and I are State grads and want to enhance the game day experience for people, not ruin it. I'd be open to any feedback you have for what we can do to maintain a positive relationship with all the fans.

Hailstate! 8-0!!
 
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TailgateCo

Redshirt
Sep 4, 2012
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haha sorry not meant to be spam. There was a lot of discussion about MSU tailgating. I was just tossing in my two cents.
 
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