09-19-2018, 01:53 PM
As an fairly infrequent visitor to see games in person I have watched the hand-wringing over Stanford Stadium for years and wondered why its such a burr under so many Stanford fan's saddles.
One quick correction, the current stadium hosted the 2006 season so it is a dozen years old. Maybe the experience with the abysmal Wlat Harris irretrievably soured some people on the scene of his crimes.
But I recently got treated to three consecutive home games. Other than being fried on the home side lower seats for Davis and getting reacquainted with barely-adequately sized restrooms, I didn't note any major shortcomings. I did watch the USC game from the upper deck, and was glad it wasn't an early afternoon game which would have reacquainted me with its nickname: The Wok.
But with none of these games was sold out (by actual butts in seats) , even USC, so complaints about limited size seem unsupported by statistics. I have attended games at Notre Dame stadium and agree that its a high-energy spectacle that epitomizes the outsized zeitgeist of big time college football. Ditto with games in Bama's stadium or the Coliseum in LA. But I don't go to games to participate in some outsized national tribal zeitgeist. I go to see Stanford play and win and hope lots of fans and students get to share that experience.
So the stadium is not perfect, but the focus should be on the football being played, not the place. Maybe something can be done with the concrete wall decor, go to it! But on my just concluded trip and last year, too I've been privileged to attend the Council of Chiefs presentations the day before the game. Those catch what is great about supporting Stanford football. To see the quality of the guest football players who are dedicated students and just great people cuts to the chase on why I'm a fan. I'd even sit in The Wok on a sunny day to see men like that play for my school.
One quick correction, the current stadium hosted the 2006 season so it is a dozen years old. Maybe the experience with the abysmal Wlat Harris irretrievably soured some people on the scene of his crimes.
But I recently got treated to three consecutive home games. Other than being fried on the home side lower seats for Davis and getting reacquainted with barely-adequately sized restrooms, I didn't note any major shortcomings. I did watch the USC game from the upper deck, and was glad it wasn't an early afternoon game which would have reacquainted me with its nickname: The Wok.
But with none of these games was sold out (by actual butts in seats) , even USC, so complaints about limited size seem unsupported by statistics. I have attended games at Notre Dame stadium and agree that its a high-energy spectacle that epitomizes the outsized zeitgeist of big time college football. Ditto with games in Bama's stadium or the Coliseum in LA. But I don't go to games to participate in some outsized national tribal zeitgeist. I go to see Stanford play and win and hope lots of fans and students get to share that experience.
So the stadium is not perfect, but the focus should be on the football being played, not the place. Maybe something can be done with the concrete wall decor, go to it! But on my just concluded trip and last year, too I've been privileged to attend the Council of Chiefs presentations the day before the game. Those catch what is great about supporting Stanford football. To see the quality of the guest football players who are dedicated students and just great people cuts to the chase on why I'm a fan. I'd even sit in The Wok on a sunny day to see men like that play for my school.