Stadium Central

With the last game just being played at RFK Stadium in Washington DC, one of the major's worst stadiums is a thing of the past. While I did not shed a tear in seeing the final game played at this stadium, each venue has some features that give it a bit of charm. I will miss the easy access by car and the large parking lots for prime tailgating. The seats in the upper deck gave nice sightlines and were not too far from the field of play. RFK emerged in the era of cookie-cutter multiuse stadiums, but the slight roll in the roofline presented a nice visual change from the simple round shapes of Veteran's Stadium, Three Rivers, Riverfront, Atlanta Fulton County, and (the old) Busch Stadium. On the negative side, this stadium was falling apart, had little architectural interest, had terribly accommodations for the players, very few luxury seats, terrible concessions and bathrooms, and little visual appeal. I look forward to attending games at the new stadium that is being constructed in a run-down part of town. It will be some time before the promise of a new stadium results in a thriving neighborhood, but it will be interesting to see the Nats play in a venue that is fitting of a Major League team.

In commemorating the end of baseball at RFK (assuming the new stadium is indeed finished by next April), the Washington Post listed the 5 worst stadiums in the Majors. I can't say that I disagree with their list:

1. Shea Stadium
2. McAfee Coliseum
3. Tropicana Field
4. Dolphins Stadium
5. US Cellular Field

I think that the first 4 are locks for this list. For the final spot, I was surprised to see a venue that was built within the last 15 years. As was noted in the article, US Cellular Field was built just before Camden Yards set off the era of throwback baseball stadiums. A year or two later and the stadium on the South Side of Chicago may have had a much different look. Surprisingly, though, what stadium would take the place of the home of the White Sox? The Metrodome would be the only one that might qualify. Most other teams have opened new stadiums within the last 15 years, although new doesn't necessarily mean that it is a good stadium. Of the stadiums that were opened before US Cellular, many are classics (Wrigley, Fenway, Yankee, Dodger)...others have interesting discerning features (SkyDome with its roof, hotel, view of Space needle; Kaufmann with its fountains). Interestingly enough, of the 5 listed above, the Mets will be opening a new stadium in 2009, the A's are moving forward with plans for Cisco Field, and the Marlins are getting kicked out of Dolphins Stadium. It looks like Tampa Bay will have a stranglehold on the best stadium, unless the Marlins end up playing at a high school somewhere in Miami-Dade county.

College football's newest stadium will debut Saturday on the campus of UCF in Orlando as the Golden Knights take on teh Texas Longhorns. Bright House Networks Stadium seats 45,000, a welcome decrease from the cavernous Citrus Bowl where the UCF football team played their home games until this year. The field is surrounded by a single tier of seats and a tower containing the press box and 24 luxury suites rises above behind the west side of the stadium.

An interesting article in the Orlando Sentinel describes the decision to use steel to construct the stadium instead of concrete. This decision cut the projected cost of the stadium from $100 million to $54 million. Stadium architects initially proposed the concrete, but UCF stuck to its guns to ensure that it had a stadium that it could pay for without requesting money from taxpayers and without leaving it in deep debt for a long time to come. A brick facing to the stadium hides the steel construction, providing an adequate atmosphere for a college football game. Kudos to UCF officials for building a stadium within their means, yet providing an upgraded venue for college football in Central Florida.