Stadium Central

I might make the argument that the most groundbreaking stadium in recent years is the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, AZ. The reason that I bring up this point is that the Cardinals' stadium was one of the first to make a keen attempt to hide the fact that the the stadium interior consisted of decks of seats. The facade of the University of Phoenix is a key architectural and artistic element that hides the innards of the facility. I thought of this point while watching a special on the new Dallas Cowboys stadium that contrasted it to the current Texas Stadium. Obviously, there are many differences between the stadia. One of the key ones mentioned in that program was the fact that the upper decks are visible from the exterior, while the new stadium will be covered in metal panels that hide those features. This same approach has been included in some of the more recent substantial stadium projects, including the new Wembley Stadium, the Birds Nest in Beijing, FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, and the new Meadowlands Stadium. Stadia, particularly those meant for football and soccer, are moving away from classic utilitarian looks to make architectural statements. Purists can still look to the continuing classic features of baseball stadia, though one might argue that the new Yankee Stadium also finds a way to hide the fact that the interior holds 50,000 seats.

The next stadium on my review of stadiums from Ohio and Pittsburgh is Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians. A Saturday night game versus the New York Yankees was the event that brought me to this venue. Situated right off of downtown, the stadium is convenient to downtown restaurants and generally easy to get to, especially considering its location near several interstates. From the outside, the white metalwork of the stadium accentuates the structural aspects of the venue, with the light brick surrounding adding a classic touch to the stadium. Adjacent to the stadium is the Quicken Loans arena, creating a mini-sports plex close to downtown, a la Seattle or Pittsburgh. Another interesting aspect of the stadium's surroundings is the cemetery just beyond the stands in the right field outfield. Quiet neighbors are always a plus.A few features of the stadium stand out to me. First, the bleachers beyond the left field fence appear to be quite steep, allowing those fans to be right on top of the action. A high outfield wall provides some distance, but it certainly appears to be an interesting feature where occupiers of the Browns' Dawg Pound could have a grand time. A nice plaza in the left field corner gives the opportunity to casually watch the game from a Standing Room Only vantage point. Our seats in the upper deck afforded a nice view of the downtown skyline, always a nice feature for a ballpark in my book. I often embrace non-symmetric elements, and the club level provided such a feature. Down the first base line, conventional seats jutted out over the lower deck, but the third base line housed luxury suites that were set back and did not have general seating in front of it. Sight lines were excellent throughout, and the setting was very nice.Now to some negatives. First of all, and it is not a fault of the Indians or the designers of Jacobs/Progressive Field, the insects and birds were awful! Joba Chamberlain had a memorable battle with the Cleveland flies in the 2007 playoffs, and I now have a better understanding of those issues. Flies definitely took away from the enjoyment. My other major gripe has to do with the food. Very poor choices (simply mediocre ballpark food). Every other modern stadium has a nice mix of food, from the traditional burgers and dogs to local fare that gives one a taste of the city in which you are seeing the game. None of this local fare was present, and the rest of the food looked rather mediocre. Fortunately, restaurants abound just beyond the outfield gates.

All in all, it was another beautiful park. I liked the white metalwork on the exterior, definitely providing an interesting view. That look may not be for everyone, giving what some might say as a high school stadium appearance, but to me it was clean and classy.

While I didn't get inside, I was fortunate enough to get a good glimpse of the Cleveland Browns Stadium. As a sign that our hotel accommodations were wonderful, the view outside of our hotel room looked upon the stadium on the shores of Lake Erie. Situated adjacent to the Great Lakes Science Center with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame one more building over, the stadium is situated in as picturesque location as Cleveland can accommodate. I can only imagine the chill that must come over the place in late season games. The stadium provides interesting visuals for those outside the stadium, as the corners allow a view inside the stadium. I wasn't sure how well the tailgating would work, as there did not appear to be significant parking around the stadium. Fortunately, the warehouse district was not far away, and numerous parking lots there could accommodate cars. A train station near the stadium likely carries many of the fans to and from games. The presence of an Interstate cuts the stadium off from downtown Cleveland, but walkways under and over the road do provide some access to the city center. Nice architecture on the outside, but nothing stunning. The location is an excellent one.

I just got back from a trip to Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and I was fortunate to be able to visit several stadiums with my very understanding wife. Stop one was Kent, Ohio, home of the Golden Flashes of Kent State University. This town outside of Akron and about an hour south of Cleveland serves as a nice college town that likely rallies around their team from the Mid American Conference. The home of the college football team is Dix Stadium.

The stadium is set in an athletic complex a slight bit off of the main campus. This complex also had a track, baseball field, softball field, and what looked to be an indoor practice facility (possibly the basketball arena). The setting provided for a good deal of parking for tailgating, but the surroundings were nothing to get excited about. I have a preference to on-campus stadiums that are tucked in with the academic buildings, but the availability of parking around the stadium most certainly has benefits in terms of pre-game festivities and accessibility.

The stadium was fortunately open so I was able to gain access to the inside. The stadium has two large grandstands on each sideline along with stands behind the North endzone. The South Endzone has a large scoreboard that appears to be relatively new. A concourse wraps around the field underneath the scoreboard. A very nice pressbox sits atop the West Stands. This pressbox has interesting architecture, especially the curved feature that sits atop it. An interesting aspect of the stadium is the markedly smaller size of the East Stands compared to the West Stands. It definitely had a high school appearance to the East Side, whereas the West Stands had many rows. Chairback seats were placed near midfield in the upper part of the West Stands. The stands were made of concrete, and the concourses were nicely decorated to promote Kent State Football. The stadium appears to provide a nice, albeit unspectacular, venue for watching a college football game.

While I haven't done my ratings in a bit of time, let me give a few for Dix Stadium.

Dix Stadium, Kent State University
Visual Appeal: 3
Fan Friendly: 5
Settings and Surroundings: 2
Quirks: 3
Blend of Classic and Modern: 6
Total: 18