In The Front Row

Michael Barker shares how getting stuck behind an unadvertised light pole at the 2018 Washington State–Oregon game sparked his “obstructed views” obsession and helped launch College Football Campus Tour on social media. He explains how he hunts down blocked-view seats, rates them by how much of the field you can actually see, and turned the joke into a following, an annual calendar, and growing opportunities—while still treating it like a one-man travel operation. He details the bigger mission of attending games at every Division I school, including his 2024 world record of 104 games, the high cost of nonstop travel, and how he funds it as a real estate appraiser. Along the way, he highlights memorable stadium moments, fan reactions, and standout trips like Alaska’s northernmost football field.