NCAA Stadiums - Are They Too Big?

Northwestern is not helped by the fact that its stadium is not on campus. Ryan Field is a good mile or two northwest of campus depending upon where on campus you live. They have buses for students or you can take the Metra or L up north, but it’s not like you roll out of bed after drinking Friday night and are at the stadium in 5 minutes for an 11 a.m. kickoff. And outside of one hot dog stand, there’s no entertainment or restaurants adjacent to the field — you gotta tailgate in the lots or else just show up to the stadium neighborhood solely for the game.

NU is never going to have large home support, so it makes sense to reduce capacity by 12,000 — who cares if 12K fewer OSU, Michigan or Nebraska fans get to use a game at Northwestern as an excuse to visit Chicago?

I just wish they’d figure out a way to get a football stadium on or directly adjacent to campus, no matter what parking hell that might cause for non-students who are driving in.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …
 
Google Map isn't very encouraging in that regard. There's not a single stadium sized piece of real estate to convert any closer to campus without taking housing or jobs. Unless they put the parking underneath, they're stuck.

Hadn't realized how far that was from 94. What a zoo getting in and out of there that must be.
 
utsherman said:
The only way to keep students in their seats at MAC schools back in the day was to have a concert on the field immediately following the game. I remember Toledo having Busta Rhymes perform after a game in 2000 against Weber State. Needless to say, it was not a smart move, and the turf was totally destroyed. Not to mention that Busta opened by saying, "Hello, Detroit!" 🤣
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I was a sophomore living in Carter Hall across from the Glass Bowl at the time. Was at that game. IIRC the concert never got going due to whatever issues plagued it from the word go. All I remember with any real clarity is the game ended and within maybe 10-15 minutes a sea of students flooded the field in preparation for the concert.

"Ironically" that Webber State game in 2000 is ranked in the top 10 for highest glass bowl attendance. Highest glass bowl attendance.....Homecoming 2001 against Navy, my junior year. Those early 2000 squads were pretty good on the corner of Dorr and Douglas.

Thanks for the reminder. Your post brought back some memories of some good times.
 
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