Stadium Overhaul

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Nebraska55fan

Banned
OWH had article about the sellout streak ending and overhauling the stadium to make it smaller and more fan friendly. If you go to games and have traveled to other venues, you know Memorial Stadium, while historic and cool in it's own quaint way is not very fan friendly. The tiny seats (and overweight Nebraska populace) with little room, knees in your back, no seat backs, no place to put your drinks, WWll era bathrooms, long concession lines, limited parking, no alcohol  etc make it not a great place to watch a game. 

That is reality. Who better to completely revamp the stadium, the game experience and make it smaller than Trev Alberts. He is a former player with a lot of Nebraska history flowing through him. A visionary who has made the difficult decisions, taken the criticism and has experience raising money and building venues in very difficult circumstances.

The net is it's so much easier, comfortable and less expensive to watch from home, at a friends or even at the local sports bar than to go in person. I for one like to enjoy good food, a drink or two, an easy trip to the bathroom just a few feet away and all from the comfort of my easy chair AND the ability to watch as many replays of a play as I wish to. AND for other demographics, in person football is competing with an entire plethora of other activities. 

   https://omaha.com/sports/huskers/football/mckewon-husker-footballs-sellout-streak-is-in-trouble-and-that-could-be-good-news/article_e5b51688-e827-11eb-876d-7f785f0ee370.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_Big_Red_Today_-_Omaha_World-Herald&fbclid=IwAR3XD4cQ20bDOVoGaQthnwhWcMkXuv2yn55_plYzuK327rBCht9WyRMKCLw

 
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yep. my wife and I went to one and only game. Indiana 2019. 

We had about 1 foot of bench to sit on and people in our space in the front and knees in our backs. 

You could not pay me to go back. especially post covid? not gonna happen. 

 
internetman said:
yep. my wife and I went to one and only game. Indiana 2019. 

We had about 1 foot of bench to sit on and people in our space in the front and knees in our backs. 

You could not pay me to go back. especially post covid? not gonna happen. 
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It's not so bad being packed in like that during those frigid late November games, but late August through early September, it's miserable, hot, gross, and (thanks to Covid) probably a super spreader opportunity. 

 
I've been to Purdue - sucks, Indiana - not great, Mich st - sucks, Northwestern - sucks, Wisconsin was when I was a kid when Barrry Alvarez was coaching- don't remember.  But you are probably going to experience a lot of the same things no matter where you are except you might be able to buy beer.  

 
It simply makes too much sense to tear out bleachers and install stadium seats, while reducing capacity 20%. You could preserve the sellout streak by being proactive.  You'd lose some ticket income but that seems shortsighted to me. I have always though once the streak ends there will be a large dip in attendance as folks won't be driven to help the streak continue.  Boosters obviously won't buy those extra tickets anymore either in that case either. Nebraska has been forward thinking in some areas but not so much in the stadium.  Better wifi won't cut it alone here folks.

 
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MyBloodIsRed16 said:
I've been to Purdue - sucks, Indiana - not great, Mich st - sucks, Northwestern - sucks, Wisconsin was when I was a kid when Barrry Alvarez was coaching- don't remember.  But you are probably going to experience a lot of the same things no matter where you are except you might be able to buy beer.  
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Went to Iowa v. Iowa State in Jack Trice's new south endzone (2017). did not experience any uncomfortably and could not get a beer.  

 
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runningblind said:
Better wifi
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It was slightly improved a few years ago, but we're basically back to where we were before they put the boosters in already. EVERYONE has a phone in their pocket, and whether they're actively using it or not, it's pinging the antennas. 

There are large chunks of the game where you can't even text someone because there's no signal. We sit in the middle of our section, and the boosters are all on the hand rails in the stairs & aisles. We're lucky to be able to connect every few minutes. 

 
internetman said:
Went to Iowa v. Iowa State in Jack Trice's new south endzone (2018?). did not experience any uncomfortably and could not get a beer.  
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well when people are commenting on the size of fans I don't know if stadium seats fix that.  I've attended most of the games I've been to with my uncle who is 6'6" and for many years over 400lbs and my father who is 6'4" 250ish.  I 've had to sit next to both of them in stadium seats and its not that comfortable.  chances are if you are in front of them you are still getting knees in your back.  That's at baseball games as well - Wrigley, Commisky park (old and new), whatever the Brewers stadium is called, Tiger stadium, River front.  even going to games without them I don't recall being very comfortable unless the seats around me were empty and I could sprawl out.

 
runningblind said:
It simply makes too much sense to tear out bleachers and install stadium seats, while reducing capacity 20%. You could preserve the sellout streak by being proactive.  You'd lose some ticket income but that seems shortsighted to me. I have ways though once the streak ends there will be a large dip in attendance as folks won't be driven to help the streak continue.  Boosters obviously won't buy those extra tickets anymore either in that case either. Nebraska has been forward thinking in some areas but not so much in the stadium.  Better wifi won't cut it alone here folks.
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The streak will end this year, that is a given. 

 
It is also a major pain in the a$$ to go pee. 45 minute affair. Gary Sharp on the radio discussed putting a bar that over looked the field in the student section. Make the student section a place to be and to be seen. I thought that was a great idea. 

 
MyBloodIsRed16 said:
well when people are commenting on the size of fans I don't know if stadium seats fix that.  I've attended most of the games I've been to with my uncle who is 6'6" and for many years over 400lbs and my father who is 6'4" 250ish.  I 've had to sit next to both of them in stadium seats and its not that comfortable.  chances are if you are in front of them you are still getting knees in your back.  That's at baseball games as well - Wrigley, Commisky park (old and new), whatever the Brewers stadium is called, Tiger stadium, River front.  even going to games without them I don't recall being very comfortable unless the seats around me were empty and I could sprawl out.
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at a certain point the dimensions of the seating needs to be addressed.  

 
knapplc said:
I could see them keeping it going until next year, the 60th anniversary of the start of the streak. 
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Thats going to be a bridge too far. Yes, there is some pent up demand to going to games thanks to the stupid BIG response to COVD, but the momentum is on the other side. I know a lot of season ticket holders that have trimmed back the number of seats they have. In 4 of the last 5 years when weve had extra tickets, weve never gotten even close to  face value for them. Several games the going rate was $10- $20. So we just ate them and took the extra butt space. We buy the seat backs, but its the leg space that is the killer- not just back support. 

 
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internetman said:
at a certain point the dimensions of the seating needs to be addressed.  
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Or like the airlines do- if you're too big for your seat- you are required to pay for 2 seats. I wouldn't mind if in the interim  they just skimmed all the women that weigh over 250 out- better for the seating and better for my eyes.  :B)     Helpful hint-  have someone from your party get there early and stake out all your seats with the chair back rentals. Thats what we do. 

 
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