50/50 Split: @IceBear32 (2x Media Voucher) and @Fronk (2x Media Voucher)
#5 Season 28 Ultimus - Milan, Italy (Austin Copperheads vs Yellowknife Wraiths)
IceBear:
We did it.. Ever since we started this journey we have been dreaming of making it to an Ultimus. All those years weeks we have put in. Okay maybe not exactly what we were hoping for but I’ll take it for now.
Fronk:
It does feel like a long time that the two of us have been at it. We’ve put in the work, the training, and the laborious drinking and eating to get to this point. Fortunately, unlike the competitors, the sim can try all it can, but it will not keep away The Ultimus Fan Experience -Ence -Ence. We are not the Chicago Butchers. We can control how bad we are each week.
How’d your first full season go in the International Simulation Football League, IceBear?
IceBear:
I really enjoyed it. We got some great people in the league and the locker rooms have made the experience for me (Copied and pasted from my many scouting convos).
What about you? I’m scared to ask after the awards show and knowing you were snubbed for OROTY.
Fronk:
Well Fronk wasn’t snubbed for anything besides the Chicken Nugget Eater Rookie of the Year. John Huntsman, however, had a solid rookie campaign, but ultimusly lacked the ability to punch the ball through the goal line. But, just ask the San Jose SaberCats; the sim gonna sim.
IceBear:
Man, no shame from Fronk today… Quick reminder of what we will be reviewing:
Hotel / City / Commute / Local Bars
Tailgate Experience
Stadium Appearance / Seating / Views / Attractions
Field
Weather / Climate
Concessions
Conclusions and Game Results
Alright Fronk what feels like the hardest part of our reviews, what are we ranking these out of?
Fronk:
We will rate this out of 1 to 10 Ultimus Trophies.
Hotel/City/Commute/Local Bars:
IceBear:
I was stripped of my booking rights after the whole philly airstream incident. I still say it was worth it to see his face. So this time Fronk had the pleasure of booking with me over his shoulder. I wasn’t gonna let him get even with a tent outside of the stadium. Luckily his mind set was much more beneficial to the both of us - “Let's use the money we saved in Philly and go all out for Italy and the Ultimus.”
I’ll have to admit, I probably lost any future booking privileges with this killer of a room Fronk was able to book. Hotel Viu is a top tier stay that allows beautiful views of the city. But the true selling feature of this hotel was the rooftop pool and lounge. Seeing the views of the night city made me really feel like we had made it as writers, or whatever we attempt to do each week, and not the fact that we got lucky and had some extra dough from our last trip. When you look at it like that, I guess I’m the genius that worked the budget for this. I was also brought back to reality when Fronk and myself started to swim and figure out some sort of game we can play. We usually default to some sort of handball type game in the water but the dirty looks we were getting made me realize we were for sure out of our element. That and the lack of walls on the rooftop. Either way, it was a super nice start and a nice change of pace from our glamping in philly.
The city life was just outside our hotel. This made things so convenient for the week. Another point for Fronk on the booking. So after our nice swim and getting ready we made our way out on the town. The nightlife was different, but not in a bad way. It seemed to be more a friends and family type feel vs going out to the bar. There were so many great groups that we joined for conversation that just treated us like family. Milan and Italy itself, really enjoys their wine and cocktails and there was a lot more than I’d normally prefer but it was a nice change of tempo. But after repeatedly saying in my head “Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear. Beer before liquor, never been sicker.”, I made my Icebear hunt for a cold Italian beer. Getting my hops fix was the perfect way to cap off a great evening with what felt like a new family. We made our pitch for them to reach out if they ever reach american soil, but we knew that was the last we’d see this group was an oddly grim feeling. At least we enjoyed the time we did have with them!
Overall we had a great set-up all weekend and met some truly wonderful people that made a great nightlife experience in Milan.
Rating: 7.4/10 Ultimus Trophies
Fronk:
The Ultimus Fan Experience -ence -ence takes on Italy. Even though this league is international, we are limited to the experiences that the home teams/cities can provide. The main exception is this special week we get to spend during Ultimus Week. IceBear and I have been excited for this trip to Milan all season as this could be the first and only time we get this opportunity.
This had to be a great week and I was not going to let IceBear ruin any of the fun by booking a room in someone’s hayloft. Luckily I was able to find out which hotels the ISFL reserved for the Wraiths and Copperheads to stay in and picked the best room available. The Hotel Viu is amazing and we really had a treat yo self week celebrating our first season as The Ultimus Fan Experience -ence -ence.
It’s always difficult for a couple of dumb Americans like IceBear and myself to travel abroad without help. Even though Italian is latin-based, I only know exactly five Italian-American? words from watching the Sopranos. Also I had no hope in IceBear as he is still trying to master english. Luckily, like almost everywhere in the world the language barrier was broken mostly with the locals’ ability to speak our language well. We were able to get directed to nearby watering holes and restaurants that we had to try. I pulled out my phone one time to attempt to use YELP and some Italian guy looked like he was going to slap me. I kept the phone in my pocket for the rest of the trip.
At a few locations we went for drinks at, we ran into some of the team members of the Yellowknife Wraiths. For a group of people preparing for a big upcoming game, they sure seemed to be having a wild time outside of practice. Colby Jack and Djibutee McJimmerson were leading party parades and songs throughout the entire week.
We lucked out getting to spend a week in Milan and enjoyed all the wonderful opportunities with being tourists. IceBear and I got to experience all the bustle and beauty that one of Europe’s most cultural cities could offer. We plan on frontrunning bids for upcoming Ultimus hosts and Milan is a great example to pull from.
Rating:8.1/10 Ultimus Trophies
Tailgating Experience:
IceBear:
I think this section needs an asterisk with it. With this being the Ultimus and not having the set fandom built into the town, this was just something that lacked over the week. It was almost a sad experience. You could tell people knew that they should be tailgating, but just didn’t know where to start. You don’t have home crowd tailgating heroes that know exactly how to pack the car, when to start grilling, and the exact time to wrap up cornhole so they don’t miss kickoff.
On top of not having the built in home fans, most of the dedicated Yellowknife and Austin fans were traveling abroad and not able to bring the tailgate essentials. It seemed like most fans for the game were there to experience something new and not have the burning fire of fandom that we see at teams home stadiums. Great for the league to be getting new fans and expanding its outreach, but it’s at the expense of the tailgate atmosphere. Again, I’ll note that the locals put in a great effort but just fell short of what we have seen across the league.
Rating: 2/10 Ultimus Trophies
Fronk:
There was no tailgating before or during the Ultimus. Either people were too busy experiencing the excitement of a special event hosted in the city or they just pre-gamed elsewhere, nobody was taking part in the tradition of posting up outside San Siro to drink some beer and eat their own food. Because of this, I will not be counting this section towards my score. If this was a regular team city, I would count this experience against them, but it’s a special event.
Rating: VOID
Stadium Appearance / Seating / Views / Attractions:
IceBear:
San Siro Stadium, most famously known for A.C. Milan and Inter Milan clubs. It’s an absolutely beautiful stadium. The late night game was quite the experience. With the partial roof you could see the night stars and the pregame fireworks began to kick off the ultimus. I’ll say what the tailgate lacked the pregame introductions and festivities more than made up for. This was a city who was excited to celebrate.
We were fortunate enough to snag some good tickets right on the 50yard line behind the Wraiths’ bench. We lucked out here as I’m sure there was a whole different atmosphere behind the Copperheads'.
Something we usually discuss in this section is some of the chants or experiences you may come to expect from the stadium and their fans, but with being the Ultimus and not having that set history this is something we didn’t see much of. Something cool we did see was the stadium having preplanned laying out shirts in the end zone sections. The shirts were green, red, and white and were placed to make an Italian flag in this section once worn by everyone. This started out as a clear flag but by halftime you could tell the endzone group had enough of their cotton blend shirts and went back to their custom ISFL jerseys that were being sold along the concourse.
I do have to admit I’ve never been a fan of this stunt. As someone who doesn’t usually have people lining up to sit next to him on the bus because of taking more than my fair share of the seat, they should do something a little more universal. I was once at a game 1 NBA Pacers game where the crowd all was given a white T-shirt with the pacers logo for their white out. After looking up and down all the aisle for my size I ended up being stuck with a Medium (I’m not a medium, I’m not a large, I’m not an extra large). So then I was at the point I could either be the scrooge not participating or I can be the creepy dude wearing a shirt that ends up being more of a sports bar. So I sucked it in and sucked it up for the first quarter similar to our Milan friends and then bailed to rep my Roy Hibbert jersey. Us big guys stay together. Okay, I’m done rambling about something that has shaped my lack of body confidence over the last 8 years…
Great show put on by Milan and San Siro Stadium. We don’t have the traditions that we see normally but the game and stadium experience was still enjoyable. It just felt like something was missing.
Ranking: 6.5 / 10 Ultimus Trophies
Fronk:
I believe every team in the ISFL and the DSFL has built their own stadium when their franchise was established. So whenever IceBear and I visit a new place to review, the stadium is fairly young and it’s history is limited. This is another reason why the Ultimus being located in bid cities is so exciting for everyone, especially with the Ultimus Fan Experience -ence -ence. IceBear and I got to experience a game/match/event in a historic stadium. When it comes to futbol stadiums in Europe, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, or San Siro is one of the most historic icons. The stadium was rebuilt in the 2020s and has been glorified with how well it has held up since.
The exterior of the stadium took everything that was good about the previous design from 1925 and updated its look to fit into the San Siro district. The open roof casts some crazy shadows during the evening and into the day, but makes for a spectacular moon roof during the big game. Our seats were located midfield (50 yard line for all you football heads) and we were spoiled with being smack dab in the center of all the soccer/football fan hybrid hysteria. Fans were throwing confetti, chanting and waving Wraith and Copperhead flags. I’m not even sure where these flags even came from.
The players themselves must have been feeling the atmosphere as well because when Colby Jack threw that go-ahead touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, he started circling around the stadium doing his best soccer celebrations. That dude must really play a lot of FIFA.
The stadium was giant and created a perfect unique atmosphere upon the biggest stage in the ISFL.
Rating: 8.9/10 Ultimus Trophies
Field:
IceBear:
The field makes me mad. I know someone spends time putting this together and is on a time crunch with the short turnaround from the conference championships but I just really want to see the field embrace the host city and the teams involved. I will say I really like the helmet logos repping the teams. I think it's great they are the team helmets vs just the team logos.
I also love this season's Ultimus logo. Shout out to @Cheech65. I enjoy the decorating of the ISFL logo with the Italian twist. The cathedral that doubles as a crown is just so brilliant and the “Milano” banner at the base is a great way to tie everything together. With a logo this great, you have to be happy with that being the central focus. Another great touch of the Italian theme is the green, white, and red 50 yard line, kudos!
Now the part of the field I struggle with is the endzones. Again, I understand the time restraint and how whoever is in charge of fields for the ultimus has prob made 28 others at this point. I just think it needs to be all in on the team or all in on the country and the host city. I think it’d be neat to be creative with the city and not have the quick turnaround pressure of the timeline from the conference championships, but I do understand that if my team was in the Ultimus I’d love for our name and brand to be all over that field. I think a simple fix for me could be including the team logos in the endzone vs it just being the text of the team name.
Talking through it I’m not as mad as I thought. It's a good field but I think The Ultimus fields with the different host cities have such potential to do something really cool. That awesome logo that takes over midfield and the team helmets make up in scoring for me for the endzones.
Rating: 7.1 / 10 Ultimus Trophies
Fronk:
Okay, everyone, brace yourselves because IceBear has taken upon himself to design some fields and has put some significant amount of his free time to seeking out the most pleasing aesthetics. So this field design came up and bit short and he’s unhappy. I guess my feelings about the design are not too far off as it all seems like it was thrown together at the last second. As if the main thing everyone was going to be looking at was an after thought.
We can start with the end zones. The end zones are just the nicknames written over the team colors in the font that is used in the logo design. Nothing too special here. I mean I can maybe understand that the simple text matches the overall Milano theme, but that excuse seems more half baked than the design. Maybe the afterthought helmets near the 30 yard lines belong in the end zones. Maybe the nicknames don’t work because of the letter count?
The logo does come into play as the saving Grace to the field design. The classic shield design with the olive branches and Italian color scheme just works so well. The tilted crown gives it the color contrast that makes it pop from the nearby greens. I really do enjoy the font. This logo is something that the ISFL can look at and already get 85% of an understanding of what the bid proposal was trying to convey.
Rating: 5.4/10 Ultimus Trophies
Weather/Climate:
IceBear:
Milan stepped up for us here. We had wonderful weather for such a wonderful event and trip. Good thing, otherwise that rooftop pool would have gone to waste and I could have used that to take over booking responsibilities again. With the later evening game and the open roof things did get a little chilly but the adrenaline from the pregame fireworks kept me warm enough to get through the game. Or based on the scoring in the game should we call them firewraiths from now on?
Ranking: 8.3/10 Ultimus Trophies
Fronk:
The weather in Milan was pleasant for early May. There were times throughout the week where I had to put on or shed a bunch of layers, but it never dropped to being too cold. There were times where it seemed that some higher being was pranking us by turning on the rain and throwing a wrench in our plans, but then turning it off within an hour. This process happened throughout one day during our time in the city. We really could not complain though. Aside from the change in rain, there were no extreme temperatures we had to battle.
Rating: 6.2/10 Ultimus Trophies
Concessions:
IceBear:
I love Italian food. Have you ever been asked what type of food you would choose if you could only eat that for the rest of your life? Mine is Italian. The pasta carbs probably have a big role in my earlier T-shirt story. With hitting the pasta hard over the weekend I went for some good old fashion ‘Za as my main course meal. It was delicious but I know nothing to compare to some of the street vendors' pizza that we’ve heard about all weekend.
My follow up to pizza was the hardest choice I made all year. Do I go with some authentic gelato or for the stadium's Tiramisu. With Fronk not being right there to help me figure out how to pronounce Tiramisu, I went ahead with the Gelato and left pleased but with the “what could have been”
Ranking: 9.1 / 10 Ultimus Trophies
Fronk:
San Siro had a nice array of concessions that they offered throughout the stadium. There were traditional stadium eats like hotdogs, popcorn, pretzels, nachos, and soda, but for every stadium food place, there were stands throughout the concourse that had traditional italian cuisine. This was a special circumstance to promote the city as the Ultimus host. Once we entered the stadium, I swear I saw IceBear pick up the scent of something delicious and float through the air, guided by his nose. He was gone for a couple hours and we didn’t meet up until right before the game started.
I enjoyed a fantastic basket of different italian sausages, meatballs, and cheeses. This seemed like the most practical menu item to hold and attempt to eat while standing up or at my seat. I also stopped at the bakery place and snagged myself some fresh pastries for IceBear and I to try. I ended up eating IceBears because by the time he came back from his carb-o tour of all the pasta meals he could find, he couldn’t even look at any more food.
The beer selection was limited but the quantity was plentiful. Everyone around us seemed to be on the same level of drunkenness and our cups seemed to be never empty.
Rating: 7.6/10 Ultimus Trophies
Conclusions and Game Results:
IceBear:
Milan loves their soccer but was very open to the ISFL and really joined us and the teams and tried to embrace it the best they could. I have a feeling this is a trend with our traveling Ultimus locations. The biggest thing that didn’t translate from the AC / Inter Milan games to our Ultimus was the amount of scoring they are used to. With the first TD by the Wraiths at the end of the first quarter, the stands went absolutely crazy. Fog machines, fireworks, cheering like I have never seen before from a local fan base. You’d think with that TD and the fans reaction that it was a last second TD. As the game went on and both teams continued to score you could see some of the confusion and exhaustion from these fans and their cheering. A touchdown celebration seemed more of a chore for them by the 4th quarter. But when the game was over they properly cheered for the Wraiths and their feat they just completed.
Milan was wonderful and an absolutely great host. All around a great experience and if the ISFL can continue their ties with Milan in the future I believe some of the areas they lacked (tailgate / stadium experience) will grow and make for an ultimate fan experience.
Overall Rating: 7.6 / 10 Ultimus Trophies
Fronk:
What a game and what a week we experienced. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience for the Ultimus week. If anyone is looking for the Ultimus Fan Experience -ence -ence for a game in Milan, I would recommend taking a time machine to the Season 28 Ultimus showdown for Ultimus Destiny and experiencing what IceBear and I were blessed with.
The Copperheads were in control and holding off the Wraiths through the first half. Towards the middle of the game both teams were stepping it up defensively and limiting scoring to a few key boots from their kicking team (fitting stadium for showing off the legs). The Wraiths had a pair of clutch 28 yard Tuddies. One on the ground and another through the air. The scores came at the right time and Yellowknife held on for their second title in three seasons. The place was rocking with excitement.
We returned to the states full of carbs and lifetime memories of our first Ultimus experience and are counting down to the next championship.
Overall Rating: 10 /10 Ultimus Trophies
#5 Season 28 Ultimus - Milan, Italy (Austin Copperheads vs Yellowknife Wraiths)
IceBear:
We did it.. Ever since we started this journey we have been dreaming of making it to an Ultimus. All those years weeks we have put in. Okay maybe not exactly what we were hoping for but I’ll take it for now.
Fronk:
It does feel like a long time that the two of us have been at it. We’ve put in the work, the training, and the laborious drinking and eating to get to this point. Fortunately, unlike the competitors, the sim can try all it can, but it will not keep away The Ultimus Fan Experience -Ence -Ence. We are not the Chicago Butchers. We can control how bad we are each week.
How’d your first full season go in the International Simulation Football League, IceBear?
IceBear:
I really enjoyed it. We got some great people in the league and the locker rooms have made the experience for me (Copied and pasted from my many scouting convos).
What about you? I’m scared to ask after the awards show and knowing you were snubbed for OROTY.
Fronk:
Well Fronk wasn’t snubbed for anything besides the Chicken Nugget Eater Rookie of the Year. John Huntsman, however, had a solid rookie campaign, but ultimusly lacked the ability to punch the ball through the goal line. But, just ask the San Jose SaberCats; the sim gonna sim.
IceBear:
Man, no shame from Fronk today… Quick reminder of what we will be reviewing:
Hotel / City / Commute / Local Bars
Tailgate Experience
Stadium Appearance / Seating / Views / Attractions
Field
Weather / Climate
Concessions
Conclusions and Game Results
Alright Fronk what feels like the hardest part of our reviews, what are we ranking these out of?
Fronk:
We will rate this out of 1 to 10 Ultimus Trophies.
Hotel/City/Commute/Local Bars:
IceBear:
I was stripped of my booking rights after the whole philly airstream incident. I still say it was worth it to see his face. So this time Fronk had the pleasure of booking with me over his shoulder. I wasn’t gonna let him get even with a tent outside of the stadium. Luckily his mind set was much more beneficial to the both of us - “Let's use the money we saved in Philly and go all out for Italy and the Ultimus.”
I’ll have to admit, I probably lost any future booking privileges with this killer of a room Fronk was able to book. Hotel Viu is a top tier stay that allows beautiful views of the city. But the true selling feature of this hotel was the rooftop pool and lounge. Seeing the views of the night city made me really feel like we had made it as writers, or whatever we attempt to do each week, and not the fact that we got lucky and had some extra dough from our last trip. When you look at it like that, I guess I’m the genius that worked the budget for this. I was also brought back to reality when Fronk and myself started to swim and figure out some sort of game we can play. We usually default to some sort of handball type game in the water but the dirty looks we were getting made me realize we were for sure out of our element. That and the lack of walls on the rooftop. Either way, it was a super nice start and a nice change of pace from our glamping in philly.
The city life was just outside our hotel. This made things so convenient for the week. Another point for Fronk on the booking. So after our nice swim and getting ready we made our way out on the town. The nightlife was different, but not in a bad way. It seemed to be more a friends and family type feel vs going out to the bar. There were so many great groups that we joined for conversation that just treated us like family. Milan and Italy itself, really enjoys their wine and cocktails and there was a lot more than I’d normally prefer but it was a nice change of tempo. But after repeatedly saying in my head “Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear. Beer before liquor, never been sicker.”, I made my Icebear hunt for a cold Italian beer. Getting my hops fix was the perfect way to cap off a great evening with what felt like a new family. We made our pitch for them to reach out if they ever reach american soil, but we knew that was the last we’d see this group was an oddly grim feeling. At least we enjoyed the time we did have with them!
Overall we had a great set-up all weekend and met some truly wonderful people that made a great nightlife experience in Milan.
Rating: 7.4/10 Ultimus Trophies
Fronk:
The Ultimus Fan Experience -ence -ence takes on Italy. Even though this league is international, we are limited to the experiences that the home teams/cities can provide. The main exception is this special week we get to spend during Ultimus Week. IceBear and I have been excited for this trip to Milan all season as this could be the first and only time we get this opportunity.
This had to be a great week and I was not going to let IceBear ruin any of the fun by booking a room in someone’s hayloft. Luckily I was able to find out which hotels the ISFL reserved for the Wraiths and Copperheads to stay in and picked the best room available. The Hotel Viu is amazing and we really had a treat yo self week celebrating our first season as The Ultimus Fan Experience -ence -ence.
It’s always difficult for a couple of dumb Americans like IceBear and myself to travel abroad without help. Even though Italian is latin-based, I only know exactly five Italian-American? words from watching the Sopranos. Also I had no hope in IceBear as he is still trying to master english. Luckily, like almost everywhere in the world the language barrier was broken mostly with the locals’ ability to speak our language well. We were able to get directed to nearby watering holes and restaurants that we had to try. I pulled out my phone one time to attempt to use YELP and some Italian guy looked like he was going to slap me. I kept the phone in my pocket for the rest of the trip.
At a few locations we went for drinks at, we ran into some of the team members of the Yellowknife Wraiths. For a group of people preparing for a big upcoming game, they sure seemed to be having a wild time outside of practice. Colby Jack and Djibutee McJimmerson were leading party parades and songs throughout the entire week.
We lucked out getting to spend a week in Milan and enjoyed all the wonderful opportunities with being tourists. IceBear and I got to experience all the bustle and beauty that one of Europe’s most cultural cities could offer. We plan on frontrunning bids for upcoming Ultimus hosts and Milan is a great example to pull from.
Rating:8.1/10 Ultimus Trophies
Tailgating Experience:
IceBear:
I think this section needs an asterisk with it. With this being the Ultimus and not having the set fandom built into the town, this was just something that lacked over the week. It was almost a sad experience. You could tell people knew that they should be tailgating, but just didn’t know where to start. You don’t have home crowd tailgating heroes that know exactly how to pack the car, when to start grilling, and the exact time to wrap up cornhole so they don’t miss kickoff.
On top of not having the built in home fans, most of the dedicated Yellowknife and Austin fans were traveling abroad and not able to bring the tailgate essentials. It seemed like most fans for the game were there to experience something new and not have the burning fire of fandom that we see at teams home stadiums. Great for the league to be getting new fans and expanding its outreach, but it’s at the expense of the tailgate atmosphere. Again, I’ll note that the locals put in a great effort but just fell short of what we have seen across the league.
Rating: 2/10 Ultimus Trophies
Fronk:
There was no tailgating before or during the Ultimus. Either people were too busy experiencing the excitement of a special event hosted in the city or they just pre-gamed elsewhere, nobody was taking part in the tradition of posting up outside San Siro to drink some beer and eat their own food. Because of this, I will not be counting this section towards my score. If this was a regular team city, I would count this experience against them, but it’s a special event.
Rating: VOID
Stadium Appearance / Seating / Views / Attractions:
IceBear:
San Siro Stadium, most famously known for A.C. Milan and Inter Milan clubs. It’s an absolutely beautiful stadium. The late night game was quite the experience. With the partial roof you could see the night stars and the pregame fireworks began to kick off the ultimus. I’ll say what the tailgate lacked the pregame introductions and festivities more than made up for. This was a city who was excited to celebrate.
We were fortunate enough to snag some good tickets right on the 50yard line behind the Wraiths’ bench. We lucked out here as I’m sure there was a whole different atmosphere behind the Copperheads'.
Something we usually discuss in this section is some of the chants or experiences you may come to expect from the stadium and their fans, but with being the Ultimus and not having that set history this is something we didn’t see much of. Something cool we did see was the stadium having preplanned laying out shirts in the end zone sections. The shirts were green, red, and white and were placed to make an Italian flag in this section once worn by everyone. This started out as a clear flag but by halftime you could tell the endzone group had enough of their cotton blend shirts and went back to their custom ISFL jerseys that were being sold along the concourse.
I do have to admit I’ve never been a fan of this stunt. As someone who doesn’t usually have people lining up to sit next to him on the bus because of taking more than my fair share of the seat, they should do something a little more universal. I was once at a game 1 NBA Pacers game where the crowd all was given a white T-shirt with the pacers logo for their white out. After looking up and down all the aisle for my size I ended up being stuck with a Medium (I’m not a medium, I’m not a large, I’m not an extra large). So then I was at the point I could either be the scrooge not participating or I can be the creepy dude wearing a shirt that ends up being more of a sports bar. So I sucked it in and sucked it up for the first quarter similar to our Milan friends and then bailed to rep my Roy Hibbert jersey. Us big guys stay together. Okay, I’m done rambling about something that has shaped my lack of body confidence over the last 8 years…
Great show put on by Milan and San Siro Stadium. We don’t have the traditions that we see normally but the game and stadium experience was still enjoyable. It just felt like something was missing.
Ranking: 6.5 / 10 Ultimus Trophies
Fronk:
I believe every team in the ISFL and the DSFL has built their own stadium when their franchise was established. So whenever IceBear and I visit a new place to review, the stadium is fairly young and it’s history is limited. This is another reason why the Ultimus being located in bid cities is so exciting for everyone, especially with the Ultimus Fan Experience -ence -ence. IceBear and I got to experience a game/match/event in a historic stadium. When it comes to futbol stadiums in Europe, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, or San Siro is one of the most historic icons. The stadium was rebuilt in the 2020s and has been glorified with how well it has held up since.
The exterior of the stadium took everything that was good about the previous design from 1925 and updated its look to fit into the San Siro district. The open roof casts some crazy shadows during the evening and into the day, but makes for a spectacular moon roof during the big game. Our seats were located midfield (50 yard line for all you football heads) and we were spoiled with being smack dab in the center of all the soccer/football fan hybrid hysteria. Fans were throwing confetti, chanting and waving Wraith and Copperhead flags. I’m not even sure where these flags even came from.
The players themselves must have been feeling the atmosphere as well because when Colby Jack threw that go-ahead touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, he started circling around the stadium doing his best soccer celebrations. That dude must really play a lot of FIFA.
The stadium was giant and created a perfect unique atmosphere upon the biggest stage in the ISFL.
Rating: 8.9/10 Ultimus Trophies
Field:
IceBear:
The field makes me mad. I know someone spends time putting this together and is on a time crunch with the short turnaround from the conference championships but I just really want to see the field embrace the host city and the teams involved. I will say I really like the helmet logos repping the teams. I think it's great they are the team helmets vs just the team logos.
I also love this season's Ultimus logo. Shout out to @Cheech65. I enjoy the decorating of the ISFL logo with the Italian twist. The cathedral that doubles as a crown is just so brilliant and the “Milano” banner at the base is a great way to tie everything together. With a logo this great, you have to be happy with that being the central focus. Another great touch of the Italian theme is the green, white, and red 50 yard line, kudos!
Now the part of the field I struggle with is the endzones. Again, I understand the time restraint and how whoever is in charge of fields for the ultimus has prob made 28 others at this point. I just think it needs to be all in on the team or all in on the country and the host city. I think it’d be neat to be creative with the city and not have the quick turnaround pressure of the timeline from the conference championships, but I do understand that if my team was in the Ultimus I’d love for our name and brand to be all over that field. I think a simple fix for me could be including the team logos in the endzone vs it just being the text of the team name.
Talking through it I’m not as mad as I thought. It's a good field but I think The Ultimus fields with the different host cities have such potential to do something really cool. That awesome logo that takes over midfield and the team helmets make up in scoring for me for the endzones.
Rating: 7.1 / 10 Ultimus Trophies
Fronk:
Okay, everyone, brace yourselves because IceBear has taken upon himself to design some fields and has put some significant amount of his free time to seeking out the most pleasing aesthetics. So this field design came up and bit short and he’s unhappy. I guess my feelings about the design are not too far off as it all seems like it was thrown together at the last second. As if the main thing everyone was going to be looking at was an after thought.
We can start with the end zones. The end zones are just the nicknames written over the team colors in the font that is used in the logo design. Nothing too special here. I mean I can maybe understand that the simple text matches the overall Milano theme, but that excuse seems more half baked than the design. Maybe the afterthought helmets near the 30 yard lines belong in the end zones. Maybe the nicknames don’t work because of the letter count?
The logo does come into play as the saving Grace to the field design. The classic shield design with the olive branches and Italian color scheme just works so well. The tilted crown gives it the color contrast that makes it pop from the nearby greens. I really do enjoy the font. This logo is something that the ISFL can look at and already get 85% of an understanding of what the bid proposal was trying to convey.
Rating: 5.4/10 Ultimus Trophies
Weather/Climate:
IceBear:
Milan stepped up for us here. We had wonderful weather for such a wonderful event and trip. Good thing, otherwise that rooftop pool would have gone to waste and I could have used that to take over booking responsibilities again. With the later evening game and the open roof things did get a little chilly but the adrenaline from the pregame fireworks kept me warm enough to get through the game. Or based on the scoring in the game should we call them firewraiths from now on?
Ranking: 8.3/10 Ultimus Trophies
Fronk:
The weather in Milan was pleasant for early May. There were times throughout the week where I had to put on or shed a bunch of layers, but it never dropped to being too cold. There were times where it seemed that some higher being was pranking us by turning on the rain and throwing a wrench in our plans, but then turning it off within an hour. This process happened throughout one day during our time in the city. We really could not complain though. Aside from the change in rain, there were no extreme temperatures we had to battle.
Rating: 6.2/10 Ultimus Trophies
Concessions:
IceBear:
I love Italian food. Have you ever been asked what type of food you would choose if you could only eat that for the rest of your life? Mine is Italian. The pasta carbs probably have a big role in my earlier T-shirt story. With hitting the pasta hard over the weekend I went for some good old fashion ‘Za as my main course meal. It was delicious but I know nothing to compare to some of the street vendors' pizza that we’ve heard about all weekend.
My follow up to pizza was the hardest choice I made all year. Do I go with some authentic gelato or for the stadium's Tiramisu. With Fronk not being right there to help me figure out how to pronounce Tiramisu, I went ahead with the Gelato and left pleased but with the “what could have been”
Ranking: 9.1 / 10 Ultimus Trophies
Fronk:
San Siro had a nice array of concessions that they offered throughout the stadium. There were traditional stadium eats like hotdogs, popcorn, pretzels, nachos, and soda, but for every stadium food place, there were stands throughout the concourse that had traditional italian cuisine. This was a special circumstance to promote the city as the Ultimus host. Once we entered the stadium, I swear I saw IceBear pick up the scent of something delicious and float through the air, guided by his nose. He was gone for a couple hours and we didn’t meet up until right before the game started.
I enjoyed a fantastic basket of different italian sausages, meatballs, and cheeses. This seemed like the most practical menu item to hold and attempt to eat while standing up or at my seat. I also stopped at the bakery place and snagged myself some fresh pastries for IceBear and I to try. I ended up eating IceBears because by the time he came back from his carb-o tour of all the pasta meals he could find, he couldn’t even look at any more food.
The beer selection was limited but the quantity was plentiful. Everyone around us seemed to be on the same level of drunkenness and our cups seemed to be never empty.
Rating: 7.6/10 Ultimus Trophies
Conclusions and Game Results:
IceBear:
Milan loves their soccer but was very open to the ISFL and really joined us and the teams and tried to embrace it the best they could. I have a feeling this is a trend with our traveling Ultimus locations. The biggest thing that didn’t translate from the AC / Inter Milan games to our Ultimus was the amount of scoring they are used to. With the first TD by the Wraiths at the end of the first quarter, the stands went absolutely crazy. Fog machines, fireworks, cheering like I have never seen before from a local fan base. You’d think with that TD and the fans reaction that it was a last second TD. As the game went on and both teams continued to score you could see some of the confusion and exhaustion from these fans and their cheering. A touchdown celebration seemed more of a chore for them by the 4th quarter. But when the game was over they properly cheered for the Wraiths and their feat they just completed.
Milan was wonderful and an absolutely great host. All around a great experience and if the ISFL can continue their ties with Milan in the future I believe some of the areas they lacked (tailgate / stadium experience) will grow and make for an ultimate fan experience.
Overall Rating: 7.6 / 10 Ultimus Trophies
Fronk:
What a game and what a week we experienced. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience for the Ultimus week. If anyone is looking for the Ultimus Fan Experience -ence -ence for a game in Milan, I would recommend taking a time machine to the Season 28 Ultimus showdown for Ultimus Destiny and experiencing what IceBear and I were blessed with.
The Copperheads were in control and holding off the Wraiths through the first half. Towards the middle of the game both teams were stepping it up defensively and limiting scoring to a few key boots from their kicking team (fitting stadium for showing off the legs). The Wraiths had a pair of clutch 28 yard Tuddies. One on the ground and another through the air. The scores came at the right time and Yellowknife held on for their second title in three seasons. The place was rocking with excitement.
We returned to the states full of carbs and lifetime memories of our first Ultimus experience and are counting down to the next championship.
Overall Rating: 10 /10 Ultimus Trophies