Copyright M Live Michigan
KALAMAZOO, MI –– About three weeks ago, Dan Bartholomae pulled his administrative team into his office with one mission in mind: generate a palpable buzz and make every effort to sellout Waldo Stadium on Nov. 3. Naturally, Western Michigan is well on its way. Ahead of one of the most highly anticipated Central Michigan-Western Michigan rivalry football games in recent memory, the hype is real in Kalamazoo as WMU expects a massive crowd and an electric environment for Saturday’s nationally televised (ESPNU) Battle for the Victory Cannon Trophy at Waldo Stadium. MORE: Purchase tickets to Saturday’s game here “The (buzz) is big time,” said Bartholomae, WMU’s athletic director. “This is a meaningful game between Western and Central on a Saturday in November. That itself has created buzz, and our team is pulling out all the stops to sellout Central. “And the returns are there.” For the first time in six years, CMU-WMU, one of the greatest and most historical in-state football rivalries will reclaim its traditional sense –– the two teams will play at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo on Saturday at 4 p.m. Both teams are tied for second place in the Mid-American Conference standings, drawing even more momentum into a game that expects to bring well over 20,000-plus to Waldo Stadium. In fact, WMU’s on track to have its biggest crowd in years. “If you factor in a regular student crowd is for us, this will be the most tickets out for a game since I’ve been here,” said Bartholomae, who was hired at WMU in 2022. “And I actually don’t think we’re going to have a typical student crowd, I think we’re going to have a huge student crowd. Sellout Central is not far-fetched at this point.” Western Michigan last had a sellout crowd when it hosted Michigan State in 2015, recording 30,885 in attendance. Bartholomae said WMU has earned over $30,000 in ticket sales over the last few days, and counting. “We’ve got to hit 30 (30,000),” he said. The last recorded sellout crowd for a CMU-WMU game at Waldo Stadium was in 1999, when WMU recorded a total of 36,102 in attendance. The Broncos and Chippewas have collided midweek since 2020 –– either on Tuesday or Wednesday as part of ESPN’s MACtion series. The near 100-year-old rivalry is among the best draws for ESPN as part of its contract with the MAC, providing key funding and exposure to the mid-major conference’s 12 football programs. But WMU has been a big advocate for pushing the game back to its traditional sense –– and the Broncos are out to prove that value on Saturday. “We’ve got to show the network’s value, right?” Bartholomae said. “We’ve got to do everything we can to have a great crowd. We want to make the argument that the returns that come from a sellout on a Saturday outweigh what the viewership might be on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, specifically because it’s a rivalry game. “We’re going to be able to show that there’s a much larger crowd that comes to our game and there’s value in that for everybody.” Bartholomae and his team have sent out several promotions and engaged with the greater Kalamazoo community in recent weeks, meeting with local schools and displaying flyers in numerous downtown businesses. Nearly 200 registered alumni are expected at Saturday’s game, Bartholomae said. All in all, it’s a golden opportunity for WMU. “This is our moment, Kalamazoo,” Bartholomae said. “I know that this a town that’s serious about sports and I know this is a town that’s serious about Western Michigan. You’ve got a team in the MAC battling for first place with a legitimate chance to go to Detroit and play in the (MAC) championship game and they’re facing an opponent with the exact same scenario laid out in front of them. It’s at home, it’s on national TV and the weather’s going to be great. Come be a part of the most fun party in Kalamazoo on Saturday.”
