Stadiums to Visit

Nate’s 9: Stadiums I would like to See

                           When it comes to travel, I have done pretty well.  I’ve seen a fair amount of the United States, at least when it comes to the mid-Atlantic and the east coast.  I saw more of Europe than I could ever have dreamed of.  But I did miss a few of the great sports stadiums from around the world.  All these stadiums are for personal reasons; these are the locations that I must visit.

#9 – Memorial Stadium.  Home of the Clemson Tigers.  Death Valley to all of those familiar with the game of college football.  I know that the SEC believes that every single one of their stadium experiences is better than anything outside of the conference, but I bet Clemson would beg to differ.  The football team begins the evening by riding the bus around the campus getting everyone hyped up for the night’s event.  They park at the top of the stadium before all the players come in through the top of the stadium, single file, and rub the rock for good luck.  Then all the players run down “The Hill”, and by that point, the stadium just rocks (pun most definitely intended).  It would be fun to be a part of that.

#8 – Fenway Park.  I really don’t like the Boston Red Sox.  And that might be an understatement.  If I were to do a Nate’s nine on my nine least favorite sports franchises, the Red Sox would be close, if not at the top of that list.  I can’t stand the drumming on by their fans and organization about how great they are and how evil the Yankees empire really is, and how the Sox are for the people by the people.  It’s maddening. They are just a smaller shadow of the exact same thing, except they can’t win when it matters (most of the time) With that said, if someone were to lend me a pair of ear buds and I could experience the history and luster that is Fenway Park, without the elitist mindset of the Boston fans, I wouldn’t be opposed to it, on the contrary, I think it would be something that I would covertly enjoy.

#7 – Yankee Stadium. Hell, since I’d most likely be in the area and everything, I might as well just take a train ride down and visit the Cathedral in the Bronx.  I love the history of baseball, and its stadiums are one of the great allures of the sport for me.  Since Tiger Stadium, Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds are essentially dirt, I may as well visit the only stadium that has been built to be an exact replica of the old one.  I was once told that the “House that Ruth Built” was a very nice stadium, except there weren’t any niceties about it.  The new one is supposed to accommodate those that would not want to sit in a stink box, but give the magnetism of history as well. I am interested to see what the church of baseball is all about.

#6 – Nou Camp.  A third stadium in a row in which I’m not in favor of the team that plays within the stadiums’ boundaries, but this is a place that offers such richness and narration that one would be foolish not to consider taking a journey to see the holy point.  FC Barcelona, one of our world’s great soccer teams, performs spectacular football in this giant place of worship.  From the outside I hear that it’s uninteresting, dreary and lacking creativity or progressive viewing, but it’s the experience that one is left with after a customary Barcelona victory that gives people the excitement about making a visit.  While it would be fun to see them there and perhaps witness it without one of those victories, I can’t help but think that my experience would be lessened if I couldn’t experience the Camp Nou in high spirits and with the Catalan passion.

#5 – Superdome.  First, I thought I wanted to go there during a Super Bowl week and experience things from that joyful occasion (assuming the Packers made it).  Now, I think I would rather go when the “Who Dat” Saints hosted an intense home game.  I know that there are louder stadiums in our country and the acoustics ratings have proven this.  But as far as visiting a stadium that has the passion and support of the home side no matter how poorly things might be going... I just think it would be one of life’s great events if I could visit the dome during that time.  I know it’s probably the ugliest stadium in the country, and in one of its dirtiest cities.  Yet, I get the feeling that it’d be one of the few that I couldn’t visit just once, like a place that could be considered a second home.

#4 -  The New Wembley Stadium.  As a soccer fanatic, I don’t think my life would be complete without a visit to the hallowed Wembley.  Well, since I can’t do that either (damn Yankees & Brits), the new-same experience will have to do.  I have no problem with modernity; but a number of my reasons for visiting these stadiums have to do with their history and players that have walked the halls through them.  I will never sit in the same right field that Babe Ruth fielded in, just like I won’t ever be able to see a goal scored by Wayne Rooney that was also scored into the same goal by Sir Bobby Charlton.  And I’m okay with that.  But I would like to experience the human thought and analysis as to why we felt like the old ones with all their history, charm, personality and attraction weren’t good enough and why these new amenities will give us the thrill that we so desperately seek.  So New Wembley it is.

#3 – Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.  The Swamp.  Duh-dun.......  Duh-dun.... Duh-dun, Duh-dun, Duh-dun, Duh-dun, duh-dah-dah-dah-duh, GO GATORS! I see the irony in a shark themed music piece that is intended for an alligator.  But after years and years of playing with the Florida Gators on all seasons of NCAA football when I got tired of using the Nittany Lions, I couldn’t get enough of this chant or the atmosphere of this stadium (or the ridiculous amount of football talent in Florida).  As a result, I have 2 Gators t-shirts, a Gators cap, a Gators beanie, a Gators blanket and more Gatorade than I could think to drink (okay, the last part isn’t true).  I rocked that bandwagon hard!  There’s even a signage in the upper deck that says, “This is The Swamp!”  Such southern hospitality.  For it to come full circle, I need to spend a day at The Swamp.

#2 – Wrigley Field.  Might as well finish off the trifecta of baseball immortality.  It solely ranks higher on here than Yankee Stadium, because I can actually visit the damn place!  In all seriousness though, it’s a great stadium in my favorite American city, in a cute little area, with a cute little ball club.  It’s the one stadium on this list in which I almost wish that the home team would lose so I can get the full game day experience.  But before my life is done, I have to see the vines, the rooftop seating, the manual scorecards, and all the other charms that take me back to the decades of which I’ve been reading from.  I can say this much – there’s not one other franchise in professional sports that would embrace the name “lovable losers”, and I need to understand why.

#1 – Old Trafford.  I’ve been to Lambeau.  I’ve been to the Signal Iduna.  I’ve been to Happy Valley and the great Beaver Stadium.  Even my biggest love interest, Manchester United has made many a ventures to come and placate my viewing pleasure here in the U.S. Now, I must finish this love story and spend some time in the Theatre of Dreams.