Lost between the shadows of Michigan Stadium's 111,000 seat "Big House" and the metropolitan area of Detroit, Rynearson Stadium sits quietly off the campus of Eastern Michigan University.  With the Wolverines only ten minutes away, EMU really gets lost in the shuffle.  It's almost like a gathering place where fans who couldn't get a ticket to the Michigan game can chat about the Big Ten.  The stadium is an adequate size for a MAC school, but really lacks in attendance.  It has been a while since the Eagles have tasted a winning record and that is the main cause for stadium numbers that hardly ever dent the ten thousands.  As interest goes, so does the atmosphere.  The band marched into the stadium and it seemed like I was the only one who was there to witness it.  At most stadiums, fans line up in droves to watch the band high step toward their entry gates.  In addition, tailgating was hard to find around the stadium, which is a shame because parking is free!  Tickets were almost free, as well, but be sure to bring cash - Rynearson Stadium has yet to update their systems by allowing credit cards to be used for payment at the ticket office outside the stadium.  This all came as a surprise because modern touches don't seem to be foreign to Rynearson Stadium.  They had a beautiful basketball arena and convocation center bordering the south side of the stadium.  Nevertheless, support for the Eagles is hard to find.  Even the fans that do show up are not extraordinarily vocal.  The team came out of the tunnel to be greeted not by a loud explosion of cheering, but rather to a canon and some mild golf clapping.  The track around the stadium keeps fans far from the action, as well.  When few fans come to begin with, the last thing you want to do is push them further away.  This is not to say that the fans and the University doesn't care at all, but it takes a lot to summon the spirit out of them.  Again, two decades without a bowl can suck the life out of an arena.  But, it is unfortunate, because this beautiful setting encompassed by Michigan's tree drenched landscaping makes for a college football home with lots of potential.

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