Clear eyes, blocked views, bad seats: Meet the fan who exposes stadium view obstructions
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Kalan Hooks, ESPN
Michael Barker remembers the most iconic play that he missed because of an obstructed view.
When Barker was looking for a ticket to watch the Gardner Minshew-led Washington State Cougars take on the Oregon Ducks in 2018, the average price was over $700. He ended up finding one for $250, but it came with an unexpected problem.
Once he arrived at his seat, he was surprised to find a giant light pole blocking his view of the game — an obstruction that wasn’t marked on the ticket. It ended up causing him to miss a 6-yard touchdown pass in the far-right corner of the Washington State end zone.
The only thing Barker could see were his fellow fans throwing their hands up in excitement after the play.
“After that, I wanted to warn people about obstructed views because of how I was impacted,” 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 to visit the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, which partly inspired Stephen King’s novel “The Shining.” He visited 99 schools, which sold him on the idea of traveling to different college campuses to attend college football games with a specific objective: helping fans avoid subpar viewing experiences.
Instead of the best seat in the house, he seeks the opposite.
“I started to light fires on social media, and since then we kind of branded it as obstructive-view alerts. And now it’s my responsibility to do that at every stadium,” Barker said.
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.
📸 Shot of the Night 📸
Fifth Third Stadium – Kennesaw, GA
• 1st career @kennesawstfb game
• FBS school #134 out of 134
• Game #44 of the 2024 season pic.twitter.com/T7yI301cBl— College Football Campus Tour (@cfbcampustour) October 24, 2024
BARKER’S PREPARATION FOR a stadium visit begins seven months in advance. It consists of researching photos and seating charts. Along with an online search, repeat stadium visits have been some of his most informative work. When Baker visited Indiana’s Memorial Stadium in April for the Hoosiers‘ spring game, stadium officials wouldn’t let fans on the home side of the stadium where the press box resides. But he was still able to spot where the press box stuck out. He pulled out his phone, snapped a photo from across the field and made a note of the potential obstruction.
Months later, Barker returned to the stadium when Indiana took on Western Illinois during the regular season. As soon as the gates opened, Barker ran over to the left of the press box and sat in Section 108, Row 41, Seat 104, where he estimates only 64% of the field could be viewed. He couldn’t see the action until the line of scrimmage moved past the 25-yard line toward midfield.
He also recalled an experience at the 2023 Cotton Bowl between Missouri and Ohio State at AT&T Stadium. He ran into two out-of-town fans who were greeted with obstructed views that they said weren’t noted on their tickets.
According to Barker, both fans could view only about 30% of the field.
To prevent other fans from having the same experience, he took a photo from each section and described the fans’ experience on Instagram.
“You don’t know what happens until you put your butt in the seat and you look and can’t see the field. I felt bad for them, but if I can help in any way, then it’s worth it.”
🚨Obstructed View Alert🚨
Sections 438, 417 & so on
One of SEVERAL obstructed views in AT&T Stadium’s 400 level. In 438 a fan traveled from Missouri & paid $170. In 417 the ticket was donated to a veteran. 30% of the field is blocked & NOTHING was disclosed prior. Unacceptable! pic.twitter.com/frvgbPEUtt
— College Football Campus Tour (@cfbcampustour) December 30, 2023
That wasn’t Barker’s only obstructed incident involving the Buckeyes.
Of all the unsatisfactory seats Barker has occupied, he says one of the worst is at Ohio Stadium. He visited Ohio State when the Buckeyes took on Michigan State on Nov. 11, 2023, and sat in Section 11C, Row 41, Seat 31 — the highest row in the stadium.
The ticket for his seat was listed for sale with an “obstructed” note because the press box jutted out near the row. Barker could see only one end zone, which amounts to 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. Was advised seats were for sale, but labeled obstructed. Buyer beware! pic.twitter.com/hBq5S8DHFp
— College Football Campus Tour (@cfbcampustour) November 12, 2023
That same day, he ran into three fans who unknowingly purchased season tickets with obstructed views. According to Barker, this detail wasn’t disclosed on the sale listing. Ticket distribution companies like SeatGeek and StubHub list whether or not a view is obstructed when selling a ticket, but whether or not a view is defined as such is generally up to individual venues, according to their help pages.
“He tried to minimize it and say, ‘Hey, I could see the videoboard and it’s not a problem,'” Barker said of his interaction with one of the fans. ” … You don’t want to get ripped off at an event. And if I could help anybody out with that through social media, then I feel honored to be able to do that.”
DURING COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON, Barker travels to four to six games each week — sometimes attending two or three in the same day. The trips can get costly.
“I live in California, and it’s the hardest place to travel because like 80% of programs are east of Texas,” he said.
Barker self-funds his trips, which leads him to budget as frugally as possible. When he flies to a game or rents a car for transportation, he avoids getting a hotel room. Instead, he sleeps in an airport or inside a rental car to keep costs down.
“I joke that whatever rental car I get, 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 per season.
Barker spends approximately $150 on one-way airline tickets around 15 to 20 times per month, averaging about $2,250 to $3,000 monthly. He also spends an average of $60 per day on a rental car, amounting to about $1,080 through 18 college football game days each month.
When he arrives in a city for a football game, the first thing he does is locate a grocery store where he spends about $25 on food that can last him through the day. To save money, he set a personal rule: No buying food at airports or during games. Paying for parking is also off limits in his attempt to stretch every penny.
He often goes through the process of applying for a media credential for stadium access, but if denied, he relies on his social media followers for tickets.
“When I put my schedule out every week, there’s a community of people that want to help me out,” Barker said.
— College Football Campus Tour (@cfbcampustour) October 28, 2024
Though Barker’s quest is self-funded, he pays for his travel and bills with airline credit cards, which helps him rack up points to assist with overhead.
“If you want to go to 80 college football games, then you cut out all those other costs and you do it as cheap as possible,” he said.
Barker’s frugality was on full display when he attended Eastern Washington‘s season-opening home matchup against Monmouth. Barker took a $2 bus ride from Spokane International Airport to the school. Once he arrived, he met with Kelsey Hatch-Brecek, Eastern Washington’s director of alumni relations, with whom he connected via social media and who gave him a tour of the campus.
Not having a hotel room to store his belongings, Barker placed his backpack in the alum’s vehicle during the tour. He collected it once the game concluded before catching the last bus from Eastern Washington back to the airport. Though his flight didn’t depart until 5:30 a.m. the next morning, Barker arrived at the gate at 11:30 p.m. and waited there overnight.
Eastern Washington defeated Monmouth that day, but it was Barker’s pockets that won in the end. He calculated that a hotel and rental car would have cost him $210, but he spent only $4 on transportation and “lodging.”
“So it’s not fun. Nobody likes to sleep on the floor in the airport. But these are the kind of things that if you love travel, if you love college football, and you’re trying to be, you know, as cost-effective as possible, you’re willing to do these things,” Barker said. During the 2023 season, Barker estimates he lost 11 pounds from the stress of traveling and poor nutrition.
THE CURATOR OF @cfbcampustour on X and Instagram credits his online followers for keeping his quest alive.
“I would not be traveling if it wasn’t for social media, because the community that is out there, you know, I’ve been able to build around myself,” Barker said. “People are awesome. … I have friends all over the country, and it’s all because of Twitter and college football.
“When you go to these people’s town for the first time, they see it in their idealistic view because they graduated from there. So when you meet them, they’re trying to give you the experience to see it through their eyes. And that’s special because that’s their experience. And, you know, my account is almost like I’m showcasing these places for people, hopefully to inspire them.”
Barker plans to keep chronicling stadiums for the love of his followers and stadium infrastructure.
“I want to keep doing this as long as I can,” Barker said. “And again, I’m just grateful to be able to, you know, showcase this stuff on social media, because in my opinion, college sports, college football in particular, is the best sport in the world.”
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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