As I am about to start a two-week
football road trip (part of my yearly duties as a Steelers road game faithful),
that kicks off with my inaugural visit to Denver and Invesco Field, I realized
the vast differences between the stadiums of the NFL. Some boast rich history, some innovative technology and some
display the best of both worlds. I have
ranked here the cream of the stadium crop, the ones that stand about above the
rest.
10. Reliant
Stadium - Houston Texans
This stadium replaced one of the most
memorable and historical stadiums in the history of sports: The Houston Astrodome. Growing up in Houston, I went to my share of
games there and understood the pressing need for a new building as the
Astrodome aged. After the Oilers moved,
the city of Houston got a fresh start with an expansion team and Reliant
Stadium. It was the first of its kind
in the NFL, as it had a retractable roof.
The stadium seats 69,000 and the Texans played their first game there in
September 8, 2002.
9. Arrowhead Stadium
– Kansas City Chiefs
Arrowhead Stadium has seen over
three decades of football, and still exists as one of the finest in the
league. It first saw use at the start
of the 1972 season, and it’s 70,000+ seats have hardly been empty since. Visiting teams despise playing in Kansas
City as it is one of the loudest in the league. The stadium has gone through several improvements since its
conception and the Chiefs have recently unveiled renovation plans to be completed
by 2010 which would add 500,000 square feet to the stadium.
8. Heinz Field –
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers played their first
game in Heinz Field on October 7, 2001.
The stadium, which replaced Three Rivers and seats 64,450, has it
all. Sitting right on the river, Heinz
Field offers a beautiful view of the Pittsburgh skyline, which lit up on a
snowy Sunday or Monday night, is one of the most beautiful sights a football
fan can ask for. One of the most noted
fan bases in the league pack the place on game days, with one of the most noted
fan accessory: the Terrible Towel. The
stadium is built like a horseshoe, with the open south end giving kickers
nightmares and sporting an absolutely enormous video screen which supports an
enormous electronic bottle of ketchup that pours every time the Steelers enter
the Red Zone.
7. Superdome –
New Orleans Saints
Years from now, after it no longer
exists, the Superdome may well be remembered, not for football and the six
Super Bowls played there, but for the weeks following Hurricane Katrina. The storm dealt over $185 million of damage
to the stadium, which became the residence for tens of thousands of New Orleans
residents. The stadium has become an
icon of hope for the New Orleans citizens and became a place of escape during
the re-opening season of 2006 when the Saints took New Orleans on an emotional
ride to the NFC Championship. I am
usually partial to domes, but the history of this massive stadium (it seats
almost 70,000) can not be ignored.
6. University of
Phoenix Stadium – Arizona Cardinals
My detest of the domes led me to
hate this stadium before I set foot in the place. Walking out, I had quite the opposite feeling. The stadium has a very modern design, accompanied
by commanding concrete structures at both ends. The stadium not only features a retractable roof but also a
retractable side and field. The unique,
rollout natural-grass playing field is the first completely retractable field
in North America. It is positioned
inside the stadium on game days, in order to deliver the preferred
natural-grass playing surface for football, and outside the stadium the
remaining 350+ days of the year to receive sunlight and water to grow. Originally slated to debut in the 2005
season, the Cardinals played their first game there on August 12, 2006. The stadium can seat 63,000 fans for
football and can be expanded up to 72,800 for other events.
5. McAfee
Coliseum – Oakland Raiders
As a Pittsburgh road fan faithful,
I have been to many stadiums in my life, dressed in Steelers colors and
cheering my heart out. Never have I
been so terrified for doing so—other than in the Coliseum. The stadium itself has history; the Raiders
played their first game there on September 18, 1966. The fans may have even more history, as the Black Hole and the
Oakland faithful produce an absolutely electric, and terrifying,
atmosphere. The Raiders intro to Hells Bells and the roar of the Oakland
fanatics sends chills down the spine of visiting fans and signals the beginning
of a long night.
4. QWest Field –
Seattle Seahawks
The modern stadium, christened by
the Seahawks on September 15, 2002, boasts one of the most massive and
enveloping features in the league. The
overhanging roof design and trusses rise 260 feet above the field and covers
70%of the seats. This massive structure
provides possibly one of the best views in the NFL as it shares the often rainy
Washington skyline with the sight of downtown Seattle. The stadium seats 68,000, including 3,000 in
a 13-story tower with a scoreboard at the top.
3. Soldier Field
– Chicago Bears
This stadium ranked at the top of
this list before its disastrous remodeling and reopening in 2003 where the
designers apparently looked to embrace the mystical future that the new
millennium brought by placing what looked to be a giant alien space craft in
the middle of the historic arches of Soldier Field. Chicago fans could not have been more upset with the change
(although many will admit to approving the drastically improved interior) and began
to witness the downfall of Chicago’s once historic sporting arenas; Only
Wrigley Field stands now as Comiskey Park sold out to U.S. Cellular and Soldier
Field’s redecorators put its fabled arches to shame. The NFL’s oldest stadium, which seats 66,000, is best known for
its colonnades and a 250-foot granite-wall sculpture that serves as a memorial
to the men and women who served in the armed forces.
2. Raymond James
Stadium – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Since opening in 1998, Raymond
James has been considered one of the crown-jewels of the NFL’s stadiums. It sports one of the most unique features,
an attraction that looks as if it should belong in a nearby Orlando theme
park: Buccaneer Cove. The $3 million Cove is modeled after a 19th-century
Pirate village and its main attraction is a 103-foot replica of a Pirate
ship. The Cove has a better touchdown
celebration than Terrell Owens and
Chad Johnson could muster up
combined, as eight cannons fire a salute for every Bucs’ touchdown. Up to 65,000 of some of the more hardcore
fans in football fill these seats on game day and each one will be sure to get his
money’s worth.
1. Lambeau Field
– Green Bay Packers
As a stark contrast to the
Coliseum, Lambeau Field (and possibly the most loyal fan base in the NFL)
exhibits a friendlier atmosphere, possibly a side effect of being host to one
of the most respectful and likable quarterbacks in the league. Nothing says football in America more than
Lambeau Field and Brett Favre
(over a third of the United States population was born after Favre made his NFL
debut). The stadium has gone through
several additions since its debut in 1957.
Today it displays both classic and modern architecture, and is one of
the most recognizable sights in football.
The stadium now seats over 60,000, mostly in bench seating, and has fittingly
been the host of several historical league moments, including the first NFL
Championship game in 1961 and the “Ice Bowl” in 1967.
