New Stadium is Ready for Some Wins
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Over the last month, not much positive has been uttered about the football program. Nevertheless, one of the best things to happen to this program in a long time occurred a little over a month ago when the new Stanford Stadium opened for the September 16th game vs. Navy. For most students, their first game back on campus came the following week, when the Cardinal faced off against Washington State. All home games this season have had one thing in common: the new stadium looked MUCH better than the team.
The new stadium sits on the same grounds as the old facility that was built in 1921. While the grounds look similar from the outside, you will find a completely new and modern facility once your ticket is checked. This $90 million upgrade is something every fan should be able to appreciate. Stanford Stadium, Version 2006, was built with the interests of football fans in mind.
Walking into the stadium, you feel like you got your money’s worth just with the view. The north end zone kept the arches from the old stadium on top of the stands, though palm trees were added. With the arches and palm trees, the scene resembles the L.A. Coliseum where USC plays —except in a safer neighborhood and with a much better marching band.
If and when the football team starts to win again, the stadium should be very exciting. No longer is there a race track between the field and the stands that kills the atmosphere of the game. Last year, the first usable seat was a whopping 115 feet away from the sidelines. Now, the first row of the stands is only 45 feet away from live action. Because of the closeness, PAC 10 refs should be able to hear us if we decide to engage in some tasteful heckling.
Sophomore Tight End Erik Lorig agrees that the closeness to the stands makes a big difference. After playing his first couple games in the new stadium, he commented that “I’ve been taken aback by the difference in energy that I can feel on the field by being closer to the stands. It’s great to have that extra energy on the field.” He also mentioned that the proximity to the fans really creates a feeling of homefield advantage for him and his teammates.
While there are definitely fewer bad seats in this stadium, one might get the feel that there are not enough good seats because the capacity is smaller. This new stadium only holds 50,000. The old stadium could fit 85,000. Stadium PR officer Marie Vasquez points out that “while the capacity is lower than last year, the first 13 rows in the old stadium were declared unusable.” As she pointed out, by comparison every seat in this stadium should be enjoyable.
Still, this writer expresses concern that the size of the stadium brings issues of whether the football program is “settling” for mediocrity. Stanford’s regular opponents who currently compete nationally for BCS (Bowl Championship Series) status, including USC, Notre Dame and UCLA, all play in facilities that hold over 80,000 fans. Supporters of the new stadium’s capacity will counter that in the 1999 season, when Stanford went to the Rose Bowl, the team’s average home attendance was just below 50,000,which is conveniently the current capacity of the new stadium. Therefore, it is possible to have success with less than an entire metropolitan area crammed between the end zones.
In terms of amenities, the new stadium is much more fan-friendly. Positive changes include a tripling of the number of concession stands compared to last year. With the increase in concession stands , a 60% increase in bathrooms has been implemented. The Stanford Store is also open for business on the north end of the stadium—so you can do your holiday shopping during halftime.
Every seat in the house also has a back. No hunched backs will be necessary at the end of games. Seats between the 15 yard lines on each side also have armrests. Legroom is more plentiful, seats are wider, and there are now seven tunnels to access the stadium, instead of just three as there were last year. The tunnels feed right into the main concourse. The concourse is also wider to allow for these new amenities and general comfort.
Amenities, new seats, and good comfortable atmosphere are great, but those do not by themselves satisfy a fan . At some point the football team needs to start winning some games to give a boost to fan enthusiasm.
Given his lifelong experience of going to football games, this writer concludes that true home field advantage comes from the enthusiasm brought by the fans. With close seating, this stadium was built in a way that facilitates excitement. At 11 dollars for a season ticket, Red Zone student tickets are priced more than fairly, so this writer suggests that students consider coming out and cashing in on this good deal. Besides, libraries are especially depressing on game days. The next game is against USC on November 4th. Be there, be loud, because this stadium was not built so that the team could go 0-12!
