Best/Worst Stadiums you've visited (stories appreciated)
Got the case of the Mondays. The children are going to be stampeding around the streets very soon around here, so I am getting fist ready to shake at them whilst yelling at them to get off of my lawn.
This was a thread awhile back ago. I'm talking 2-3 years ago on here when I was a non-member. Anyways, what is the best stadium you have been to and the worst stadium?
Would love to hear experiences, especially stories about bad ones since the last time we did this I got quite a laugh from some stories.
My best- Fenway Park. One of the true grand old houses of baseball left standing. They don't make them like that anymore and it was a throwback to Tiger Stadium.
Worst- BY FAR, spartan stadium. Went there in 2003 and 2007. Place is a dump, fans are assholes, upper deck felt like it was swaying at times. They can put up all the HD video screens they want. Just like you can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig.
Honorable mention for best: Tiger Stadium (one of the last ones to leave the stadium when it closed. Very sad day for me. Remember crying as I was leaving for the final time).
Also I visited this piece of baseball history last weekend-
Hamtramck Stadium. Home of the Detroit Stars of the Negro League back in the 1930s. One of very few Negro League stadiums still surviving. Some great players played on that field like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Turkey Stearnes of the Stars.
Joe Louis Arena. Great name, great history, absolute shithole. As some out of town writer said, "It was old when it was new." It's packed into the part of town I affectionately call "Coleman Young's Eastern Bloc Architecture." No bar scene around it, you park a mile away and must face the possible mugging when you leave. Ilitch can't build a new arena fast enough.
I love the Joe atmosphere during the playoffs but there's no doubt it's built in a horrible spot. Jammed in next to the Lodge, Cobo, and the Detroit river. No great spots to park unless you want to park in the parking structure. Even then, it takes 45 minutes to get out after games. Jefferson is available. People park up and down it every game. Too bad you get a $30 parking ticket from the city when you park there.
Worst stadium: Ryan field in Chicago was more like a home game for Michigan lol also the sugar bowl in 2012. Great game but terrible seat configuration could barely see a thing and we were at the 20 yard line
Reading through this thread, I'm kind of surprised that the Rose Bowl hasn't gotten more love.
Worst are Rogers Centre (Skydome), Olympic Stadium, McMahon Stadium(Calgary Stampeders home)
Best (Homer Edition):
Wrigley Field - As an 8 years die hard, it was the best game I have ever been at. As a young 20something now, it is enjoyable for other reasons
The Big House - dah
Ford Field - ya the team sucks, but I love the place and for that 2011 run, it was rocking
Best (Non-Homer)
Great American Ballpark in Cincy - very cool and right on the river and replaced the dump before it
The Pit (New Mexico basketball) - The only sport that school cares about is basketball. The fans are a bit rough but I liked that and it is LOUD.
Miller Park - I haven't been since '04 but I really liked it as a young teen
Worst
That God awful pace in Fort Wayne where we had to watch the biggest hockey screw job ever (spring 2010)
Penn State - People talk up Happy Valley but i hated it and the city for that matter. The game (2010) pry had something to do with it, but it felt like a cheap pro stadium and the sight lines sucked
Metrodome (for baseball) - it was a bad football stadium that was even worse for baseball
...of best/worst:
Best
- Michigan Stadium
- Tigers Stadium
- Camden Yards
- Nationals Stadium
Worst
- Kingdome
- Veterans Stadium
- Silverdome
When the Toledo-BG game was played the day after Thanksgiving the stadium would be packed and everyone would be freezing their asses off but those games were fun. Also enjoyed the middle if the week MAC game. Gave us something to do during the week other than study. Miami in 2006 is memorable just because it was a mud pit, last year they had grass.
My three favorites are:
Tenessee - Neyland Stadium
Tailgating is the SEC is awesome. Was there for a Florida-UT game and some of the tailgaters were grilling aligator (kinda rangy and tough) Neyland is a great stadium in the heart of Campus and is a big stadium. The Pride of the Southland Band playing Rockey Top was just terrific.
Oregon - Autzen Stadium
Lloyd Carr called it the loudest stadium he ever coached in, and the announcer proclaims in never rains in Autzen, but it sure did drizzle when I was there for the Cal game a few years ago. Only 60k fans but they were intense and it was a Thursday night game. Good tailgating outside the stadium, but really the excitement of games there is nearly impossible to match.
Alabama - Bryant Denny Stadium
I was there for the Iron Bowl, so it may have been crazier than normal, but damn those are some passionate fans. It's amazing how much people (especially the girls) get dressed up for the games. The student section is open seating though, so we had to get there 3 hours before the game, but got great seats. But that does kinda kill your buzz before kick-off so we snuck in about 6 single shots of Jim Beam each. The entire stadium stood for nearly the whole game. But the one weird thing about Bryant-Denny is that they had a seperate area of the student section reserved for the fraternaties and sororities.
Why can't we replicate that((standing the whole game) at Michigan?
I'll never forget the guy sitting on his ass at UTL screaming, "For the love of god, sit down!!!"
Old peeps.
I'm going to go with Lambeau Field as my bestie. Can't beat the atmosphere as far as NFL stadiums go. Awesome tailgating, although I'm not a huge fan of the current seating expansion they're putting in. (Too Beaver Stadium-ish for my tastes).
Unfortunately, Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti is probably my worstie. Not much personality to it.
Best - Obviously the Big House...no need to explain why.
Worst - Ryan Field (Northwestern) Could not hear the PA guy or the ref the whole game so we never knew what penalties were called or anything. Couldn't see the screen from where we were sitting (and they weren't bad seats). Had to go on a LOOOONGGG walk just for the bathroom/concessions. Just a terrible experience.
Worst: Spartan Stadium. Fandom aside, it's seriously a dive. Then you fill it with 70,000 a-holes (or 50,000 for the other half of the season) and it's an awful place to be
Worst: Georgia Dome. In many ways it is like the Sliverdome, but the Silverdome actually had good sightlines and was a fun venue. The Georgia Dome is kind of a generic dome and the gameday atmosphere is pretty much non-existent.
Joe Louis Arena. For all the history and awesomeness that is JLA, it has some bad seats and is just old. Some of the things like the boards and the stairs up to the entrance are iconic to the point where I wouldn't mind them renovating it for a few years and having the Wings play at the Palace, or something.
Best: Mile High/Sports Authority Field. Denver has some awesome sports fans and the stadium (while lacking good scoreboards) is filled with nice, loud, and funny people that seem to know their football. At halftime there is a rush to the concourses where they openly pass joints around and the beer and food is not terribly expensive.
Michigan Stadium. Biased, yes, but there is just so much history and the stadium looks and feels amazing. There is something missing from some places like Tiger Field at LSU and DKR in Austin and Michigan Stadium has it.
For football it would have to be spartan stadium...do I need to list the reasons?
I think moving to the Eastern Conference will open some Wings fans eyes. Having been to ACC in Toronto, Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Belle Center in Montreal, and First Niagara Center I honestly think the Wings will have the worst arena outside of Florida.
Best Arenas: Air Canada Center, and Staples in my travels.
The outside and concourses of JLA may suck, but if there's anything it gets points for it's great seats pretty much everywhere. There aren't any luxury boxes seperating the lower and upper bowls so you aren't in space if you sit in the upper bowl like you are at the palace. I've been in the last row and the view was still great.
I will exclude from the "worst" list venues being used for a sport it wasn't designed for (e.g., I won't list Ford Field as the worst hockey stadium I have been to, even though it is the worst place I have ever seen a hockey game.
Baseball: Best--Wrigley Field. My first game there was in 1978, before they were trendy. Like watching a major league game at Fisher Stadium. I have been back several times recently, and unfortunately the team's popularity has filled the stadium with hipsters and d-bags (also see Fenway Park). Still a great stadium, though. Worst--Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Seriously, what were they thinking? Was there some committee telling the architects, "well, that design is ok, but could you move the seats further from the field? And make it more saucer-shaped. Everybody knows all baseball stadiums will be saucer-shaped in the future."
Football: Best--Michigan Stadium, obviously. Close runner up: The Rose Bowl. Not because it's a great place to see a game (it isn't), but because of the atmosphere. It's like stepping back in time to the '40s or '50s, when college football was the only sport they cared about in California and before half the LA basin turned into a parking lot. The sun setting during the fourth quarter of a Rose Bowl and the Pasadena sky turning from blue to orange to black is quite possibly the best thing in sports. If only you could see the game from the end zones. Second runner up: Ford Field. Worst--The Superdome. That place is just sad. See Riverfront Stadium above. The 1970s weren't exactly the proudest moment in stadium design.
Basketball: Best--The Crisler Center. Worst--Crisler Arena. Yes, I'm aware that is the same venue.
Hockey: Best--Xcel Energy Center, St Paul. Wonderfully designed, huge concourses, great atmosphere for a college hockey game. Close runner up: Tampa Bay Times Forum, believe it or not. Worst--Joe Louis Arena, and it's not even close. It's the Comiskey Park of hockey arenas--built just a few years too early, before they figured out how to build them right.
EDIT: I just noticed that all 4 of my "worst" venues were finished in the time period 1967-1979. I'm certainly glad we put that trend behind us, and we are back to building arenas and stadia with the fan in mind.
Football best:
1) Michigan
2) Notre Dame - nice stadium and the fans were OK.
3) South Carolina - Williams Brice Stadium is OK, the fans were nice and M won 34-3.
Football worst:
1) Orange Bowl - Smelly, sticky and hot.
2) Landshark/Joe Robbie/Your Name Here Stadium - Sterile, with obnoxious fans
3) EMU - Plenty of good seats available.
Baseball best - Tiger Stadium
Worst - Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Almost got Johnny Bench's autograph, though.
Hockey best - Olympia. Was 12 years old in the first row behind the Flyers bench.
Worst - Munn. Full of Spartans.
Basketball best - The new Crisler.
Worst - The Superdome, three rows from the top.
Football: Big House of course
Baseball:
Home of the Giants
I haven't attended too many sporting events at different stadiums, but...
BEST
1. Wrigley Field - I was there for the first ever night game (even tho I was younger) and still remember the buzz when the lights came on and the sky went black and it was just this scene out of time. Been a bunch of times and even though the stadium foundation is shit, the overall feel of the place can't be duplicated.
2. Michigan Stadium - Went for the first time a couple of years ago and I've never had chills like I had walking down the train tracks towards the tailgate and then going into the stadium and seeing this awesome mass of people all waiting for the same thing.
3. Madison Square Garden - Great place to see a hockey/basketball game and the way it just opens up into the middle of New York is fantastic. The amenities aren't there, but otherwise it doesn't feel like a crumbling structure.
HONORABLE MENTION: Comcast Center at University of Maryland. Beautiful facility for college basketball. Petco Park. Great location, nice stadium. Nobody gives a crap about the team though.
WORST
1. Qualcomm Stadium - Old, decrepit, there's nothing around there within walking distance and it's impossible to get to. The sight lines are awful if you aren't at field level and the extras simply don't exist. Just awful.
2. FedEx Field - If you are in the second or third level be prepared to duck your head to see anything like you're looking under a car for spare change or something. Why they built it all the way out in the burbs is beyond me, but I want my stadiums to be SOMEWHERE, if that makes sense. Considering they ditched RFK (another dump) for this place is at best, a mild upgrade.
3. The Meadowlands - Ugh. New Jersey. Haven't been there since the renovation, but it was always cramped and drafty and there was nowhere to use the bathroom or get a beer. I only went twice, and both times I had zero fun.
Would love to check out AT&T Park, PNC Park, some of the SEC stadiums, and
Best
- Michigan/Detroit Bias - Michigan, Olympia, Tiger; not to be cliche, but really, how do you not put these iconic venues at the top of your list?
- Rose Bowl - saw a USC/UCLA game and a couple of UM Rose Bowls here. Classic football stadium design in a beautiful CA setting with the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance.
- Camp Randall - best College Football pre-game atmosphere ever (sorry UM, but gotta be honest here).
- Camden Yards - first of the new "retro parks", they got it right the first time and provided the gold standard for all ensuing new baseball stadiums.
- Superdome - OK, it's a dome, but great NOLA vibes, music, food and drink. They really know how to throw a party, which more than compensates for the dome stigma.
Worst
- Kingdome/Metrodome - only saw baseball games at both muti-purpose monstrosities. Both stadiums were grey, depressing, lifeless, soul-sucking. Worst-ever venues for baseball.
- Silverdome - in the middle of God-Fersaken Pontiac MI. Watched Bengals v 49ers in the XXII Super Bowl along with several Lions games and misc Stadium Concerts. After 20+ years of vacancy, the CIty of Pontiac eventually sold the property to a Candian investor for $583K?!?
- Riverfront/Veterans - two God-Awful early 70s Multi-Purpose Stadiums (Pittsburgh and St Louis also come to mind) void of any personality, local character, unique features or grass.
- RFK - saw a couple Redskins games and Grateful Dead shows too numerous to mention/remember. Another early 70s multi-purpose stadium, conveniently located off the Metro but in a bad DC neighborhood. The only improvement over Riverfront/Veterans was their natural grass field.
Worst: The superdome is absolutely horrible, also MSU
and we're invited to tell stories, so here goes.
1. Tiger stadium - favorite three memories a.) gibby's 3 run shot to put us up 8-3 (i think) in game 5 of the '84 world series. after the game still remember the mounted police in a 'V' formation trying get the padres bus out of the stadium with a dude break dancing on top of the rocking bus at the corner of mich/trumbel b.)last game there in '99, gordie howe came to visit us (long time friend of my father's, uncle gordie to us as kids) at the game and then c.) robert fick hit that grand slam OUT of the stadium in the bottom of the 8th, the last time the tigers ever batted at the old park. people everywhere in tears of joy.
2. Petco park in san diego, right next to san diego bay also, much more beautiful, not nearly as screwed up of a city as san fran, and the water is warmer. years ago took oldest son there for his 4th b-day by taking our old boat down the bay and mooring it at a restaurant. had chow, walked next door to the stadium. very nice.
Best - The Rose Bowl. Yet another mini version of Michigan Stadium. The hills of Pasadena in the background make a great view.
Yost Ice Arena - I have gone to a few michigan away hockey games and no other ice arena compares to Yost (pre-renovations). The fans were on top on the ice, packed in, and crazy. The renovations have changed things a bit and the Children of Yost are still getting used to the new setup. I think by the end of the season the fans started to regain their mojo.
Williams-Bryce Stadium (Columbia, South Carolina) - There is something special about southern football. The atmosphere is great with southern BBQ, the CockaBoose, the gamecocks and Cocky coming out to the band playing 2001.
Lousiana Superdome - The atmosphere around the Super Dome makes for a great atmosphere. I had the time of my life "tailgating" on Bourbon Street before the Sugar Bowl. I was in the executive 2nd deck for the game around the 30 yard line and had a great view. The Super Dome can get loud as hell when the fans go crazy.
Camp Randall - Went for the Wisconsin/Michigan outdoor hockey game. Had a great time pre-gaming in Madison. Even a half-full stadium got rocking for the "4th period" with jump around. I actually got hasseled more for being a Wings fan than Michigan (got a lot of F the Red Wings chants even though I was wearing a Michigan hockey sweater).
Worst
Raymond James Stadium - By far the worst stadium I have been visited. The sightlines are terrible. The jumbotron malfunctions and only shows the top of the camera view. There is no atmosphere around the stadium.
Joe Louis Arena - I hate to say it as a die hard Wings fan, but they deserve much better. The Joe is a complete dump. It looks way too industrial inside and outside. However, the Joe gets bonus points for serving very large Molson Triple XXX. I cannot wait until the Joe is built near Tiger Stadium. One of my favorite hockey memories was celebrating with other Wings fans at Joe Vision and in Joe parking garage after the Wings won the cup against the Pens.
Memorial Stadium (Champaign, Ill) - Good lord that stadium is depressing. Went my senior at Purdue. Illinois was doing decent that season. However, only about 1000 students showed. Man their students sucked. F Purdue was their most creative cheer and student t shirt.
Best: Safeco Field - I like to arrive early to games to take in batting practice, when I do I try to find a location with bad sightlines/ bad experience in general. I have not found that yet after numerous attempts. I wish they could have included more of the skyline into the stadium but overall I give it an A.
Memorial Stadium (Portland, Or.) The Portland Winterhawks of the WHL play most of their games here. The place is old and terrible in most every way, but the fans and atmosphere make it a great place to watch hockey.
Big House
Worst: Oakland Whatever It's Being Called This Year Stadium. Went in late July on a hot day and it was freezing and windy beyond belief. Fans were great but that place needs to be demolished.
Civic Stadium (Eugene, Or.) I played a game here in high school and while it was cool to play in a minor league stadium the place is terrible. The club house/locker room lights and power were not working and there was only cold water for showers. It felt like a cave.
On the good side, Camden Yards is all it's cracked up to be. Loved that place.
I mentioned it above, but IU's grass tailgating lots are excellent. The stadium is OK, nice, not great, but the tailgating was better, I think, than just in a parking lot, and one thing it's definitely got on the Big House is that you can get in and out in less than 45 minutes each way.
Probably my least favorite stadium was the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. There aren't concourses per se. The "upper deck" is a totally separate structure - just a huge concrete skeleton built over and around the lower bowl - and the whole thing is concrete, concrete, concrete. The concourse, such as it is, is just the pavement outside the stadium ringed by a chain link fence. Bathrooms are basically cement-block sheds. The place where we sat used to be bleachers, but they had decided to staple seat bottoms to them. Which I suppose is nice if the game is a sellout, but it really limits your moving-around options - you can't scoot a couple inches to the right or left because then your butt is between seats. Place is a dump.
Worst: the old Memorial Stadium in Cleveland
O"Harra Stadium, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Rapid City, SD.
How do you top a triple-tiered, drive-in football stadium?
Never have to choose between continuing the tailgate party or being late for kickoff!
!
Obvious faves are obvious: Yost & the Big House
the old Chicago Stadium, torn down in 1993. It had insane acoustics and was ear-splittlingly loud. When I was in the 5th grade, when the bulls were heading towards the title and the blackhawks to a cup appearance vs Pittsburgh, my dad took me to two games there in one weekend, a Bulls one on Saturday and the Hawks on Sunday. My ears were still ringing on Wednesday. I miss that place, it was so good.
Welsh-Ryan in Evanston sucks for college hoops. I love Wrigley, the tradition, the ivy, etc, but there are parts of that place that smell like piss.
It was torn down when I was 6, but I remember going to a few Bulls games there and 1 Blackhawks game. During the Anthem at the Hawks' game I remember they put a camera shot of the outside of the building on the jumbotron. We had seats in the upper deck and I thought the building was going to collapse. It shook. it shook on the Jumbotron. The jumbotron itself was shaking. I love the United Center, and Corneilson does an amazing job with the Anthem, but having that memory as a 5-6 year old of Messmer belting out the anthem in the Stadium is something I'm proud to have witnessed.
Remember the Roar
Seen baseball, football and basketball there and it sucked for all three.
Many years ago, I walked inside the Kingdome on a beautiful Seattle summer evening, blue sky, sunshine. Found nothing but gray walls made of poured concrete. Plus, the field was surrounded by a wall about 8 feet high of--what else--poured concrete. And of course the game was played on the bad astroturf of the 80's. It was the single most depressing venue for watching a baseball game I have ever seen.
Some nice ones: Beaver Stadium, ND Stadium, Ohio Stadium, Xcel Energy Center, United Center (fans suck), Nationwide Arena
Not so nice: Ross-Ade, Ryan Field, Munn Ice Arena
I can take or leave Wrigley. The actual watchability of the game suffers without replay, but it is a fun place to be for a game (I was there but on a rooftop last night in the fog-out).
Same thing goes for the Joe. We have a lot of tradition there, but it is just time to get a new rink.
Worst - Baseball in the old Seattle Kingdome. Only went to catch Willie Horton as DH.
Best - Rose Bowl for 1979 Phantom Touchdown game.
I haven't traveled to a lot of stadiums/arenas so I can't comment on much but I have been to MSG. Not a whole lot to complain about except for the fact that you have to walk a mile and a half to get to your seats. Or at least it seemed that way. East side, tower 5, section 240, row 30, seat 12.
Best - ( Non Michigan Stadiums) Great American Ballpark in Arlington- beautiful stadium,nice fans.
Indiana - Memorial Stadium - great tailgate, nice fans, Bloomington has nice bars also, but the stadium was nice. I'd go back again.
Wrigley - I love the old school feel to the park, if they get the renovations done right, it will be a gem again.
St. Paul - The Hockey Arena is beautiful, have been their twice, once for the national title game game in hockey and once for a wings/wild game. Beautiful arena, heck they even give you seats for standing room. And not far froma cool italian place to eat at also.
Worst - Camp Randall - The fans are assholes, no parking anywhere, and the fans are assholes. It's just a big block of trash !
Ryan Field - What a dump, they ran out of Coke at halftime, the Video Boards don't work, the PA system sucks.Hell they don't even have lights connected to that dump, they gotta bring them in from the outside portable.
Klotsche Center - UW-Milwaukee - The Panthers moved from US Cellular Arena back to campus for the 12-13 season. This place makes Welsh-Ryan look like the United Center.
Miller Park - Great tailgate atmosphere. thats about it. Brewers fans are assholes, but not as big of ones as White sox fans are. The stadium is as cookie cutter as it gets inside. It has no real baseball feel inside.at least there is a TGI Fridays in the stadium so you can get hammered.
U.S. Prison Cell Field aka White Sox stadium - The Amenities around it suck, the bar across the street from the stadium sucks- the bacardi one, and the fans are the biggest assholes of any baseball fans i have met. And they make you stop tailgaiting as soon as the game starts.