Countdown to Kickoff
The National Football League kicks off its 100th season with two of its legacy franchises, the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, playing tonight at historic Soldier Field in Chicago. The NFL has become the most commercially successful professional sports league in the United States, thanks mostly to television rights fees. Stadium revenue is also playing a large role in recent times as several teams have built football-specific venues where they now act as landlord as opposed to tenant. It wasn’t all that long ago when many teams played in baseball parks. I can vividly remember watching the New York Jets at Shea Stadium with a dusty or muddy infield in the background. A lot has changed since.
Fast forward to 2019, the NFL’s menagerie of stadiums includes the traditional and classic to disruptive state-of-the-art architectural wonders. If you’re planning some weekend road trips this autumn, below are some must-sees.
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The NFL’s oldest stadium – for this year, at least, until the Los Angeles Rams move into their new yet-to-be-named stadium in Inglewood next season. The Coliseum has been home to the Rams for 38 non-consecutive seasons (1946-1979, 2016-2019). The Coliseum just underwent a $315 million-dollar renovation to bring amenities and hospitality up to today’s standards. Since the Coliseum is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, its signature features remain intact such as the Olympic cauldron torch centered above the peristyles at the stadium’s main entrance. In addition to the Rams, the Coliseum has been the home of USC football since 1923. Previous notable tenants include UCLA football (1933-1981), Los Angeles Chargers (1960), Los Angeles Raiders (1982-1994) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1958-1961). The Coliseum also hosted two Super Bowls (I, VII) as well as the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics. The Grand Old Lady has seen it all.
Lambeau Field
Pro football’s answer to Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, this “neighborhood” home of the Green Bay Packers is idyllic. It actually is located in a residential neighborhood, which includes several Packer party houses. If you appreciate nostalgia and the history of football, The Frozen Tundra is the place to go. Being at Lambeau is like traveling through a time machine. You can feel the presence of Packer legends like Lombardi, Starr, Hornung and Nitschke everywhere as Lambeau Field is a living museum. The Packers Hall of Fame, located inside Lambeau, is promoted like a national historic museum, which is à propos given the one hundred years of Packers football.
Arrowhead Stadium
When you arrive at Arrowhead Stadium for a Kansas Chiefs game, you may think you are attending a college game. Everybody wears red and the pre-game tailgating is serious business. After all, Kansas City is the self-proclaimed "Barbecue Capital of the World". Inside Arrowhead, you will be overwhelmed by the Sea of Red. Opened in 1972, Arrowhead provides one of the most intimate sight-lines for football. The fans are right on top of the action making it one of the loudest outdoor stadiums in sports. The Chiefs long-standing drum deck tradition, a must experience, will now be located in the upper level of the west side of the stadium beginning this season.
CenturyLink Field
Similar to Arrowhead, the home of the Seattle Seahawks is also one of sports’ loudest stadiums and possesses a college vibe as well. The upper levels are cantilevered over the lower sections to retain much of the crowd noise. Thus, CenturyLink Field twice held the Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd roar at an outdoor stadium. If you go, make sure you witness the raising of the number 12 flag in the south end of the stadium prior to kickoff. The 12 pays homage to the 12th man (the fans) who have made the Seahawks one of the NFL’s most dominant home teams.
AT&T Stadium
The billion-dollar palace of the Dallas Cowboys has all the bells and whistles of today’s modern sports stadiums. Jerry World, as it is often referred to, boasts a retractable roof that will look very similar to their previous home, Texas Stadium, with its trademark hole. In addition, it had the largest center-hung, four-sided HDTV screen at the time of installation. If you’re a on budget, attending a Cowboys game can be cost prohibitive. As an alternative, consider the Party Pass, which, for a fraction of the cost, will get you admission into a standing room only seat behind the end zones. Just wear comfortable shoes.
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
It’s always Mardi Gras at the Superdome when 70,000+ are cheering “Geaux Saints”. Fans dressing up in the most decorative and outlandish costumes is the norm on game day in New Orleans. Opened in 1975 and reopened again in 2006 after suffering extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina, the Superdome has preserved its image as one of the most entertaining experiences in the NFL. This, coupled with the recent success of the Saints, the Superdome has also regained its reputation for being an intimidating home field advantage with some of the noisiest fans in the league.
US Bank Stadium
If you didn’t notice the Minnesota Vikings Legacy Ship in front of US Bank Stadium, you may think that this glass-dominated building was something other than a football stadium. In the spirit of modern and Nordic architecture, US Bank Stadium blends seamlessly into the Minneapolis skyline with its vaulted roof design. Despite the optics on television, US Bank Stadium is actually indoors as a translucent roof encloses the entire building making the acoustics of “Skol, Vikings” all the more impressive. This is also comforting news given Minnesota’s harsh winters.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Arthur Blank knows a thing or two about building. The co-founder of The Home Depot leveraged his construction expertise towards erecting the most ambitious stadium to date. The home of the Atlanta Falcons features an eight-panel, pinwheel-shaped retractable roof. Other notable design elements include the 360-degree Halo Oculus - the world's largest LED video screen, standing-room-only sky bridges and a 16-story glass Window to the City facing Downtown Atlanta. Mercedes-Benz Stadium has raised the bar, becoming the gold standard for future sports facilities. Los Angeles and Las Vegas…you’re on the clock.
Hard Rock Stadium
The home of the Miami Dolphins has had more stadium names than playoff wins since opening in 1987. Originally named for Dolphins founder, Joe Robbie, Hard Rock Stadium looks very different today since its $350 million-dollar renovation, which features an open-air canopy over the main seating areas. If you’re fortunate enough, there are 32 four-seat pods installed in the lower bowl at the 30-yard lines with an additional 16 pods located at the south end zone. With a focus on luxury, these pods feature a living room arrangement with premium furniture. Hard Rock Stadium and Miami will be all glammed up in February to host Super Bowl LIV.
Scott Verchin is the Global Business Development Manager of Sports/Entertainment at Acoustiguide. For more information, please contact [email protected].