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Kalan Hooks, ESPN
Michael Barker recalls the best play he missed because of a stuck view.
When Barker was looking for tickets to watch the Washington State Cougars led by Gardner Minshew take on the Oregon Ducks in 2018, the average price was more than $700. He ended up finding one for $250, but it came with an unexpected problem.
When he got to his seat, he was surprised to find a giant light pole blocking his view of the game — an obstacle not marked on his ticket. This led to him missing a 6-yard touchdown pass in the right corner of Washington State’s end zone.
The only thing Barker could see was his fellow fans throwing up their hands in joy after the play.
“After that, I want to warn people about the obstructed view because I was affected,” Barker told ESPN.
Barker, a California real estate agent, took three weeks off work in the summer of 2017 to scout college football stadiums — and visited the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, which partially inspired Stephen King’s novel “The Shining.” He visited 99 schools, which sold him the goal of traveling to different campuses to attend college football games with a specific goal: to help fans avoid a subpar viewing experience.
Instead of the best seat in the house, he sought the opposite.
“I started a fire on social media, and since then we are kind of branded as a sign of obstructive-view. And now it is the responsibility to do that in every stadium,” said Barker.
Since starting his journey, Barker has visited 222 college football venues, including all 134 FBS stadiums — a milestone he reached by witnessing the Kennesaw State Owls upset the Liberty Flames last week.
📸 Night Shot 📸
Fifth Third Stadium – Kennesaw, GA
• 1 career @kenesawstfb games
• #134 of 134 FBS schools
• Game #44 of the 2024 season pic.twitter.com/T7yI301cBl— College Football Campus Tour (@cfbcampustour) October 24, 2024
BARKER’S PREPARATION FOR visit the stadium starting seven months in advance. It consists of research photos and seating charts. Along with online searches, repeat stadium visits turn out to be some of the most informative work. When Baker visited Indiana Memorial Stadium in April for the Hoosiers’ spring game, stadium officials wouldn’t let fans into the front part of the stadium where the press box was. But he still managed to figure out where the press box was. He pulled out his phone, took photos from across the field and made notes of potential obstacles.
A month later, Barker returned to the stadium when Indiana took on Western Illinois during the regular season. As soon as the gates opened, Barker ran to the left of the press box and sat in Section 108, Row 41, Seat 104, where he estimated he could see only 64% of the field. He didn’t get to see the action until the line of scrimmage crossed the 25-yard line toward midfield.
He also recalled the experience at the 2023 Cotton Bowl between Missouri and Ohio State at AT&T Stadium. He ran into two out-of-town fans who greeted him with a look that couldn’t be recorded on a ticket.
According to Barker, two fans can only see 30% of the field.
To prevent other fans from having the same experience, he took photos of each section and described the fans’ experience on Instagram.
“You don’t know what’s going on until you put your ass on the couch and you look up and you can’t see the field. I feel bad for them, but if I can help in any way, it’s worth it.”
🚨Obstructed View Alert🚨
Section 438, 417 etc
One of the few obstructed views in AT&T Stadium’s 400 level. In 438 a fan traveled from Missouri & paid $170. In 417 tickets were donated to veterans. 30% of the field is blocked & nothing is disclosed beforehand. Unacceptable! pic.twitter.com/frvgbPEUtt
— College Football Campus Tour (@cfbcampustour) December 30, 2023
It was not the only incident Barker obstructed involving the Buckeyes.
All of Barker’s unsatisfactory seats have been occupied, said to be one of the worst in Ohio Stadium. He visited Ohio State when the Buckeyes took on Michigan State on November 11, 2023, and sat in Section 11C, Row 41, Seat 31 – the highest row in the stadium.
Tickets for his seat were listed for sale with the note “blocked” because the press box was out near the line. Barker could see only one end zone, which was 8% field visibility.
🚨Obstructed View Alert🚨
Section 11C Row 41 Seat 31
Among the MANY obstructed views at Ohio Stadium, this is the absolute worst. 8% field visibility due to the press box intruding 20+ rows into the stands. We recommend seats that are sold, but are labeled as obstructed. Buyer beware! pic.twitter.com/hBq5S8DHFp
— College Football Campus Tour (@cfbcampustour) November 12, 2023
On the same day, he encountered three fans who did not know how to buy season tickets with a stuck view. According to Barker, this detail was not disclosed in the sale listing. Ticket distribution companies like SeatGeek and StubHub list whether views are blocked or not when selling tickets, but whether views are defined as such generally depends on individual venues, according to their help page.
“He was trying to minimize it and say, ‘Hey, I can see the video board and it’s not a problem,'” Barker said of the interaction with one fan. “… You don’t want to get ripped off on the show. And if I can help anyone out with it through social media, then I feel honored to be able to do that.”
COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASONBarker travels to four to six games per week — sometimes attending two or three on the same day. Traveling can be expensive.
“I live in California, and it’s the hardest place to travel because 80% of the program is east of Texas,” he said.
Barker traveled independently, which led to him scoring sparingly. When he flies to games or rents a car for transportation, he avoids hotel rooms. Instead, they sleep at the airport or inside rental cars to cut costs.
“I joke that any rental car, I put the word hotel in front of me. So Hotel Camry, Hotel Jeep,” Barker said. Barker estimates he spends an average of $35,000 on travel each season.
Barker spends about $150 on one-way airline tickets about 15 to 20 times a month, averaging $2,250 to $3,000 a month. He also spends an average of $60 per day on rental cars, totaling about $1,080 over 18 college football game days per month.
When he comes into town for a football game, the first thing he does is find a grocery store where he spends about $25 on food to last him the whole day. To save money, he set a personal rule: Do not buy food at the airport or during the game. Paying for parking is also off limits in an attempt to stretch every cent.
They often go through the process of applying for media credentials for stadium access, but when denied, they rely on their social media followers for tickets.
“When I was making my weekly schedule, there was a community of people who wanted to help me,” Barker said.
— College Football Campus Tour (@cfbcampustour) October 28, 2024
Although Barker’s venture is self-funded, he pays for travel and bills with an airline credit card, which helps him earn points to help with overhead.
“If you want to go to 80 college football games, you have to eliminate all other costs and you do it cheaply,” he said.
Barker’s frugality was on full display when he attended Eastern Washington’s next season home game against Monmouth. Barker took the $2 bus from Spokane International Airport to school. Upon arrival, he met with Kelsey Hatch-Brecek, Eastern Washington’s director of alumni relations, whom he connected with through social media and who gave him a tour of the campus.
Lacking a hotel room to store his belongings, Barker stowed his backpack in the alum’s vehicle while on tour. They were collected after the game ended before catching the last bus from Eastern Washington back to the airport. Although his flight did not leave until 5:30 in the morning, Barker arrived at the gate at 11:30 and waited there overnight.
Eastern Washington defeated Monmouth that day, but it was Barker’s pocket that won in the end. He calculated that the hotel and rental car would cost $210, but only $4 for transportation and “lodging.”
“So it’s not fun. Nobody likes to sleep on the floor in an airport. But it’s something that if you like to travel, if you like college football, and you’re trying to be, you know, as a cost-effectively, you’re willing do those things,” Barker said. During the 2023 season, Barker estimates he lost 11 pounds due to travel stress and poor nutrition.
CURATOR of @cfbcampustour on X and Instagram credit his online followers for keeping up the good work.
“I wouldn’t be traveling if it wasn’t for social media, because of the community that’s there, you know, I’ve been able to build myself,” Barker said. “People are amazing … I have friends all over the country, and it’s all because of Twitter and college football.
“When you go to the city of these people for the first time, they look at it in an idealistic view because they graduated from there. So when you meet them, they try to give you the experience to see it through their eyes. specifically because it is their experience and , you know, my account is almost like I’m sharing the space with people, I hope it inspires them.
Barker plans to keep the stadium as he says it is for the love of the fans and the infrastructure of the stadium.
“I want to keep doing this as long as I can,” Barker said. “And again, I’m just thankful to be able to, you know, put that stuff on social media, because in my opinion, college sports, college football especially, is the best sport in the world.”
