OT: Worst sporting venues?
Since the OT season is winding down, what are some of the worst sporting venues you've been to or know of?
Obviously ones in Columbus and other B1G cities will be mentioned. This is more specifically for ones outside those awful places.
Joe Louis Arena is turrible. Every seat I sit in, something is wrong with it. Sat down by the glass at the 2013 CCHA Playoff Semifinals and the chair I was in was essentially a rocking chair.
I've seen some amazing Michigan Hockey moments there, but gosh damn that place is just a dump. I have a feeling the B1G selected a rotating tournament that includes Detroit because of the new arena coming.
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:36 PM ^
Old Mellon arena, Rupp Arena, Joe Louis are ones that come to mind for me. The worst arena I ever played hockey in was MSG awful, awful ice.
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:38 PM ^
Rupp is going to go through some renovations, if i remember correctly. I hate UK, but i wouldn't mind seeing a game there.
August 23rd, 2014 at 8:16 PM ^
August 23rd, 2014 at 9:29 PM ^
I was at the Louisville Kentucky game this year and I'll say only Louisville fans may be worse than Kentucky fans, but there are more Kentucky fans. They are both insane.
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:36 PM ^
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:37 PM ^
Spartan Stadium and Ryan Field sucked big time.
Joe Louis was horrible (but i don't go to pro sporting events other than wings).
August 23rd, 2014 at 8:50 PM ^
August 23rd, 2014 at 9:39 PM ^
August 24th, 2014 at 9:49 AM ^
NW people are great, and it's a great trip. The stadium itself, as a facility, isn't that good. I've only been there, MSU, and ND.
I do want to check out Iowa, PSU, and Wiscy.
August 23rd, 2014 at 10:14 PM ^
Ryan Field was fine for me. Close to the game, NW fans were nice/knowledgeable, and lines were pretty short.
August 23rd, 2014 at 11:51 PM ^
It was like a big h.s. stadium, but in a good, intimate way. I like the hill at one end and thought the fans were the most cordial and civil of any away game I've ever attended.
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:46 PM ^
August 23rd, 2014 at 8:06 PM ^
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:48 PM ^
When you don't research your ticket well enough and find yourself behind a beam at Wrigley Field. Son of a bitch.
Wrigley Field as a whole is a cool place. However, not in the 200s with hunks of old steel blocking the damn game.
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:50 PM ^
You just have to do exactly what it sounds like you didn't. But you've got to do the same at Fenway or Camden too.
August 23rd, 2014 at 8:02 PM ^
August 23rd, 2014 at 8:16 PM ^
August 24th, 2014 at 11:39 AM ^
left field bleachers at fenway? i assume you mean right field.
August 24th, 2014 at 11:42 AM ^
wrigley bleachers >>>>> fenway bleachers. also, if you sit in the box seats, wrigley is as good or better than any other venue; really close to the field.
that said, wrigley has to be near the bottom in amenities.
August 24th, 2014 at 2:22 PM ^
Yep. That is what I do for the few games a year I take in. Box seats there, behind the visitors dugout, are awesome. A sunny day game at 1 or 2 in the afternoon, an expensive shitty beer in hand, feet from the opposing team's dugout (Braves in my case)...not much beats that.
August 23rd, 2014 at 9:55 PM ^
August 23rd, 2014 at 8:06 PM ^
August 23rd, 2014 at 8:22 PM ^
August 24th, 2014 at 8:29 AM ^
August 23rd, 2014 at 10:47 PM ^
August 24th, 2014 at 10:05 PM ^
No matter where you sit, you're behind a Pole.
As for the old Cleveland Stadium, it was a dump in many ways but I also got to attend a few Indians games sitting in the skybox of some family friends, so that softened my negativity. I went to an Indians game on a weeknight in September when I was a kid and the conditions were like the one Dominick's Lunch described. Announced crowd of about 1,700 but it sure seemed less than 1,000. They were a spirited bunch though, they tried to do the wave. A valiant but doomed effort that got a wry mention in the Plain Dealer the next day.
August 23rd, 2014 at 8:20 PM ^
But by the time you actually want to go to Wrigley, when it hits August and the tickets are about three bucks on StubHub, you can just move around if you catch a beam. I kinda like it.
That being said, Wrigley got knocked down a peg for me when they fucked with the Old Style contract.
August 23rd, 2014 at 10:14 PM ^
I always pound a couple Old Styles when I'm in Chicago, especially at Wrigley. I'm with you!
August 24th, 2014 at 2:08 AM ^
August 24th, 2014 at 11:53 AM ^
but at least in the 70s and 80s, (almost literally) every neighborhood bar in Chicago had an Old Style hanging near the front door. The association is valid.
August 24th, 2014 at 11:45 AM ^
you haven't been in a couple years then. those supercheap stubhub days are over. sales are cut off 6 hours before game and cubs have set a floor; i'm guessing about 50% of face.
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:48 PM ^
Tropicana Field has got to be one of the worst places to see a baseball game. They need a new place bad. I'm also not a fan of Raymond James Stadium. I've been there for a few college games (ACC Championship, UM Bowl game vs. South Carolina). The field is like 100 yards from the first row of seats. You just feel detached from the game.
August 23rd, 2014 at 8:03 PM ^
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:48 PM ^
Honduras's national soccer team's home stadium.
The size of a fucking postage stamp, a field that is as much sand as it is grass, and there are concrete barricades exceedingly close to the field of play.
Dangerous as fuck.
Also, it's usually 95 degrees and 100% humidity there.
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:53 PM ^
Here in Florida it was 98 degrees and only 96% humidity.
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:58 PM ^
That's why the US plays games in Denver and Seattle as often as possible.
August 23rd, 2014 at 8:20 PM ^
August 23rd, 2014 at 9:42 PM ^
Was at the Shazor hit game and a RR era game.
I liked being able to see the team come out of the locker room. That's pretty cool.
Purdue and IU are two places I'll probably never visit again.
August 23rd, 2014 at 9:31 PM ^
are history---demolished earlier this summer to make way for a patio area that sells beer and an upgraded menu. Even without the patio plans, the place improved a lot when those crappy bleachers got scrapped.
I posted a thread (with artist renditions of the patio) about it a couple months ago; I'll post a link when I relocate it.
August 23rd, 2014 at 9:43 PM ^
...and my OP also links to the complete story with more pics, at the Purdue Athletics website.
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:50 PM ^
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:54 PM ^
I've only been inside that thing for raves. It even sucks when you're on drugs. lol
August 23rd, 2014 at 8:02 PM ^
August 24th, 2014 at 12:09 AM ^
His Jheri curl was legendary.
August 24th, 2014 at 12:32 AM ^
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:52 PM ^
I haven't been a ton of places, but I've been to enough and MSU's stadium is a dump. The Joe isn't great either, but it's classic to me
August 23rd, 2014 at 9:46 PM ^
August 23rd, 2014 at 11:21 PM ^
Classic in the sense that it's an endearing kind of dump to me, not that it should be to anyone not a fan of the Wings.
August 23rd, 2014 at 7:57 PM ^
I've never been here before but I would kinda like to go some day just to check it out because it's freaky deaky.
Holt Arena in Pocatello, Idaho. Home to the Idaho State Bengals.
It reminds me of a golf bubble.
August 23rd, 2014 at 8:12 PM ^