Stadium Central

I had the pleasure to visit Miller Park last week for a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals. The 3 pm start made for a warm day, and the sunny skies ensured that the retractable roof would be open. A very pleasant experience at this beautiful stadium.

The stadium is situated right on I-94 west of downtown, making for a convenient driving experience. Plenty of parking lots around the stadium further make driving simple, though I probably didn't get the total experience considering it was a Thursday afternoon game, and the stands were far from being full. While the convenient parking is nice, much is lost by locating the stadium in the middle of an industrial area instead of tucked away in downtown or in another scenic area as has become common for stadiums. Thus, there is very little of scenic value beyond the walls of the stadium.

After parking, I was immediately impressed by the tailgating scene. Those Wisconsonians sure know how to tailgate, with the sausage, barbecue, and burgers cooking all over the place. I am not sure many of these people actually went to the game, but it was an impressive display for a regular season game in the middle of the day. The stadium is quite large and stands out as one approaches by car or foot. The swiveling retractable roof adds greatly to the height.

Inside, the designers did a good job of enclosing the stadium to focus the attention on the field, as mentioned previously there isn't much to see outside the stadium. Clear and translucent windows in the outfield and above the seating areas does give a lightness to the ballpark, however. The scoreboard was impressive, with a nice view from most of the stadium. As with many newer stadiums, there were many nooks and crannies, most notably a dining area that juts from the outfield fence into right field, bleachers in left and right field, and a section in right center that includes recliners. One of the most famous features of the ballpark is the slide that Bernie Brewer takes after a Brewer home run. Of course, an even more interesting feature is the roof. I liked the symmetry of this roof, with the roof closing from both the first and third base lines in a swivel manner. I don't always embrace symmetry in stadium design, but many retractable roofs don't seem to fit in with the stadium. The roof at Miller Park is an exception to this trend.

Inside, a big disappointment was the food selection. I was hoping to get a better selection of bratwurst or Italian sausage, but the food was generally marginal. I guess that's why the tailgating scene is so strong.

Another wonderful trip to a ballpark. While lacking in location and surrounding amenities, the designers of Miller Park made the best of their situation to give Brewer fans a splendid place to take in a game.

Now that the players and owners have settled their differences, it is nice to focus on the events on the field or, for my sake, on the field and the structures surrounding those fields. This year is a quiet one on the stadium front, with most of the NFL-related stadium news being focused on proposed stadiums in California as well as a number of battles for new stadiums. There are modifications to report to a number of stadiums along with potential name changes as corporations shuffle their sponsorship agreements.

Certainly, the biggest noise has been coming from Los Angeles, with the city and AEG moving forward with a plan to build a football stadium in downtown near the Staples Center and Convention Center that would bring football back to the city after the Rams and Raiders left following the 1994 season. The stadium, to be named Farmer's Field with the sponsorship of the eponymous insurance company, would be privately financed by AEG, but the city would need to kick in approximately $250 million for demolition of part of the convention center along with infrastructure improvements. The estimated cost of the stadium is a whopping $1.2 billion.

Image of proposed Los Angeles stadium (from www.stadiumsofprofootball.com)

Up the coast in the San Francisco Bay area, the San Francisco 49ers have presented models for a new stadium to be built in Santa Clara. In keeping with the setting, the $987 million stadium will feature seats with colors of "zinfandel" and "Bordeaux" and will strive to be flexible enough to accommodate yet-to-be identified technological innovations coming out of Silicon Valley. The projected opening date is 2015, but financing has not been finalized.

Among existing stadiums, the most significant changes have occurred to the Superdome, with a total of $336 million being spent since Hurricane Katrina to develop a practically new stadium within the confines of the existing structure. Seats have been reconfigured away from an oval arrangement to one with improved sightlines for both football and basketball. One of the most noticeable features is the fact that most of the seats have been converted from a multi-colored confetti pattern to a uniform dark grey. Not all seats have been converted, however, with seats in the end zone areas awaiting extra funding to complete the transition. Of more significance than seat color, concourses have been expanded and suites have been added throughout in an effort to provide extra revenue for the Saints.

One other stadium modification of note has occurred at FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins. The team has modified the upper deck in the end zone by removing seats and adding a party deck. This action has decreased the capacity of the stadium from over 90,000 to about 85,000. Rumor has it that another deck will be added to the other end zone in an attempt to provide amenities comparable with the other newer stadiums in the NFC East.

Keep an eye on a few teams seeking new stadiums. In particular, situations in San Diego and Minneapolis may lead to either the Chargers or the Vikings bailing on their homes for Los Angeles.

In stadium naming news, it appears that the Broncos' stadium in Denver will change names from Invesco Field to a name that includes Sports Authority. It would be an interesting move for the Colorado-based Sports Authority considering the home of the Colorado Rapids of the MLS is sponsored by the other major sports retailer in the United States, Dick's Sporting Goods. In Seattle, the home of the Seahawks will see a change from Qwest Field to CenturyLink Field. Lastly, it appears that the Meadowlands Stadium will be sponsored in the near future by MetLife.

As teams start practice for the 2011 season, some of the most significant changes to the stadium landscape for college football arise from the Sun Belt Conference. Two schools, Florida Atlantic and North Texas, open brand-new stadiums this season. For Florida Atlantic, the new stadium brings football to its campus in Boca Raton after years at the dilapidated Lockhart Stadium situated 13 miles south of campus in Fort Lauderdale. The new stadium will hold 30,000 fans, with seats arranged in a horseshoe pattern around the field along with bleachers in the south end zone. A tower will hold luxury suites and club seating. The first game will be on Oct. 15 versus Western Kentucky.


Image of FAU Stadium

The replacement to Fouts Field on the campus of the University of North Texas will also seat 30,000 and will wrap around the field on three sides. A unique angular endzone bleacher section has a devilish look to it. The UNT website indicates that a driving force behind construction of a new stadium was the fact that the structural condition of Fouts Field precluded any expansions. The new stadium will open September 10 with a game between the Mean Green and the Houston Cougars.


Rendering of new stadium for the University of North Texas