Dallas News: Best in Texas Stadiums

unt_rocket09 · June 18, 2017

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/collegesports/2017/06/17/best-texas-stadiums-can-anyone-offer-college-football-experience-like-aggies-kyle-field

ehhh don't know how Ford AND Alamodome rank higher than Apogee but ok???

UNT 90 Grad · June 18, 2017

1 hour ago, unt_rocket09 said:

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/collegesports/2017/06/17/best-texas-stadiums-can-anyone-offer-college-football-experience-like-aggies-kyle-field

ehhh don't know how Ford AND Alamodome rank higher than Apogee but ok???

Let's vote, people. At the time of this post, Apogee had only 9 votes in the fan favorite poll.

I don't get their rankings either. Apogee is only one point behind the Alamodump, but 11 points behind Ford.

greenjoe · June 18, 2017

Apogee was the only stadium mentioned that did not have a photo. And the only stadium mentioned with it's price tag attached. Growing up, my Mom used to tell me not to ask how much things cost. At what point will Brett stop using the cost of Apogee to either build it up or to suggest that NT didn't spend enough ?

GO MEAN GREEN

FirefightnRick · June 18, 2017

That is the poorest rating of game venues I've seen in a while. The Alamodome is the biggest piece of crap in Texas, period. And most San Antonio residents without an agenda will tell you that.

Instead of asking the most popular to rank themselves they should bring in fans from out of state, have them visit each venue over a season or two then ask them their opinion.

Rick

BTG_Fan1 · June 18, 2017

How many of those writers do you think have been to Apogee outside of Brett to have any real insight into it?

emmitt01 · June 18, 2017

I'm just shocked this thread is more than 2 posts long.

Post 1: Here's an article

Post 2: Meh

oldguystudent · June 18, 2017

One merely need look at the publisher to answer the question of how Ford gets ranked higher than Apogee.

jtm0097 · June 18, 2017

The liberal media does it again with their fake news. I am glad I canceled my DMN subscription. The only fair coverage we get is from the Denton Record Chronicle. I hope you read this in my Trump voice.

Side Show Joe · June 18, 2017

That is the laziest excuse for a stadium ranking I have ever seen. This is why people don't respect the media anymore. The Alamodome was ugly when it was built back in the 1980's. Ford is nice, but not any nicer then Apogee. I think they left out a photo of Apogee because they didn't want people calling BS on where they placed us. The DMN jobbed Apogee in this ranking. Total garbage. The DMN should be ashamed of publishing this rubbish.

I've been to Rice stadium, the Sun Bowl, DKR, Kyle Field, the Alamodome, Amon Carter, and TDECU. North Texas is up near the top of G5 stadiums in Texas. Right there by Houston.

Edited June 18, 2017 by Side Show Joe

Runner · June 18, 2017

3 hours ago, FirefightnRick said:

That is the poorest rating of game venues I've seen in a while. The Alamodome is the biggest piece of crap in Texas, period. And most San Antonio residents without an agenda will tell you that.

Instead of asking the most popular to rank themselves they should bring in fans from out of state, have them visit each venue over a season or two then ask them their opinion.

Rick

If the Alamodome is such a piece of crap than why is the final four coming to the dome next year?

Ben Gooding · June 18, 2017

1 hour ago, Runner said:

If the Alamodome is such a piece of crap than why is the final four coming to the dome next year?

Because the NCAA is incompetent. Next question.

eulessismore · June 18, 2017

43 minutes ago, Runner said:

If the Alamodome is such a piece of crap than why is the final four coming to the dome next year?

I can see it as a logical venue for the final four, and has a facility record crowd for basketball for a previous one, and for collegefootball bowl games, which seem to sell out. I'm just getting this from Wikipedia, so take it for what it's worth. The only game I attended there was a high school championship game, Judson Converse vs. Euless Trinity (200&?)), and it just seemed like the place was so so empty compared to its capacity that it just felt kind of like a poor fit. Compared to a game I had attended a couple of years earlier, at whatever stadium is in Round Rock, it didn't seem like a good venue for that size of football crowd. I have no idea how many were in attendance then, but I think that even some of the high school football playoff games in this area (Euless Trinity vs. Allen sold out Apogee a couple of years ago in bi district, so that was maybe 30k.

Plus, the article mentioned something like a $50 million dollar facilities improvement in 2016, aimed at staying competitive for NCAA events, so it may be better now as far as what they're spending it on. However, especially considering the difficulties of navigating I-35 southbound (fortunately I was on a bus where the driver got information to exit that thing well before encountering whatever accident had shut down the whole thing that Saturday), finding the food selections there to be so poor and overpriced was disappointing. I'll never forget the joy of the stop at Whataburger on the way back. I do remember one nice aspect to the sparse crowd and ample choice of seats being that, when I stood up when getting excited about something, and some old fart asking me if I was going to stand for the whole thing, I just said nothing and moved far away from the dude.

And this isn't all just to give me and our fans a big group hug over all this; I can still remember looking out over the crowd at that Trinity vs. Allen playoff game at Apogee, and thinking, "hey this is what a college football crowd should look like", compared to our typically "somewhere under 20k attendance". Maybe y'all are drawing better, but I really doubt you're anywhere close to filling that barn down there. I guess I know now not to count on eating inside the stadium, and maybe that's been improved, or people have enough time to eat elsewhere. So, the whole thing is, you know, what is the complete experience? I'd definitely take Apogee over Ford, and based on my one time experience at the Alamodome, over that as well. But, my viewpoint does not have the Cowboys stadium as being as good as Apogee; perhaps something about being "under the Dome", or "compelled to watch the screen". Bowls for NFL football ok, for college football, not ok.

NTXCoog · June 19, 2017

All I need to know about this article is that it says Rice seats 70k. That stadium hasnt been able to seat that many for 10 years. It holds about 47k.

wardly · June 19, 2017

Ford Stadium may be a push with Apogee, but the Alamodome was a dump the last time I was there.

Ryan Munthe · June 19, 2017

25 minutes ago, wardly said:

Ford Stadium may be a push with Apogee, but the Alamodome was a dump the last time I was there.

Ford is a push with Apogee? It feels like it's thirty years old already. Apogee feels modern and state of the art.

The Alamodome is an embarrassment.

Edited June 19, 2017 by Ryan Munthe

Texas Stranger · June 19, 2017

Ford is a Tale of Two Stadiums. The seating bowl is classic, it actually looks like a well-done throwback. The concouse however, looks like a cave surrounding a seating area. Surely a group that devoted to wretched excess can do something about it.

UNT 90 Grad · June 19, 2017

37 minutes ago, Texas Stranger said:

Ford is a Tale of Two Stadiums. The seating bowl is classic, it actually looks like a well-done throwback. The concouse however, looks like a cave surrounding a seating area. Surely a group that devoted to wretched excess can do something about it.

I happened to be outside Ford today while on the SMU campus. The exterior of that thing is only two stories tall. that may have limited what they could do with the concourse. It's a big hole in the ground. As I remember, they had to set that thing way in the ground to meet light pollution regulations of the surrounding neighborhood.

Ryan Munthe · June 19, 2017

54 minutes ago, UNT 90 Grad said:

I happened to be outside Ford today while on the SMU campus. The exterior of that thing is only two stories tall. that may have limited what they could do with the concourse. It's a big hole in the ground. As I remember, they had to set that thing way in the ground to meet light pollution regulations of the surrounding neighborhood.

I work over there and drive by it every day. I also know a lot of folks who live over there. Park Cities didn't want it very tall, they 100% had to bury it which is why it has those cavernous old concourses that remind me of the Astrodome.

untjim1995 · June 19, 2017

1.) Kyle Field

2.) DKR

3.) Amon Carter

4.) Jones stadium

5.) McLane Stadium

6.) TDECU

7.) Sun Bowl

8.) Apogee--only because of its small size

9.) Ford

10.) Rice Stadium

11.) Whatever Texas State calls its stadium

12.) Kentucky Fried Chicken Bucket-dome

FirefightnRick · June 19, 2017

9 hours ago, Runner said:

If the Alamodome is such a piece of crap than why is the final four coming to the dome next year?

Because the city of SA threw a ton of money in the filthy lap of the NCAA with a promise to clean up around the venue? I don't have any idea. But I bet they'll surely regret it afterwards. It's the sorriest place I've ever watched a live event in, even worse than Reunion Arena in Dallas.

Rick

Rudy · June 19, 2017

Ford is a terrible place to be late summer/early fall. There is absolutely no wind circulation.

UNTFan23 · June 19, 2017

17 hours ago, Runner said:

If the Alamodome is such a piece of crap than why is the final four coming to the dome next year?

Since 2008, NRG (twice) and AT&T (once) stadiums are both newer than the Alamodome and both hosted a Final Four before San Antonio. SA is pumping $50 million into the stadium to help modernize it (it needs it!).

Side Show Joe · June 19, 2017

10 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

1.) Kyle Field

2.) DKR

3.) Amon Carter

4.) Jones stadium

5.) McLane Stadium

6.) TDECU

7.) Sun Bowl

8.) Apogee--only because of its small size

9.) Ford

10.) Rice Stadium

11.) Whatever Texas State calls its stadium

12.) Kentucky Fried Chicken Bucket-dome

The Sun Bowl is historic and has a unique design by being incorporated into the mountainside. But, the stadium itself is not better then Apogee. Apogee and TDECU stadium are both nice. If people give TDECU an edge it is only because it is bigger, and Apogee could use a few bells and whistles.

If our athletic department added some eye catching Mean Green traditions visible from field level it would dramatically enhance the perception of Apogee. Examples: (Neon green back lit SOWs on the walls at the 5 yard lines, Green granite North Texas along the back walls of the end zones, a visible car dealership sized North Texas battle flag flying high outside the stadium on game day, ...). These types of additions would greatly increase the perceptions of people that have never actually been to Apogee, and only judge the stadium based on game photos.

The AD should just hire me and give me a budget.

VideoEagle · June 19, 2017

21 hours ago, emmitt01 said:

I'm just shocked this thread is more than 2 posts long.

Post 1: Here's an article

Post 2: Meh

Best reaction to the article. It's a ranking survey of 8 people on the "best gameday experience." Nothing subjective in that evaluation, is there. Honestly Vito is the only one surveyed I've ever heard of. Also, gameday experience is NOT the same as best or nicest facility. It's where the fans had what the people taking the survey personally define as "best experience." Winning and losing has a huge effect on that, which is going to skew the results down for a number of places on that list.

When the survey is opened up to more that the original eight, you notice very, very different results. When I voted this morning, Apogee was only 2 votes ahead of Kyle Field with both at less than half of what DKR is getting. TSU, Rice, UH and UTSA are all at less than 1% with Ford right at 1%.

MeanGreen_MBA · June 19, 2017

13 minutes ago, VideoEagle said:

Best reaction to the article. It's a ranking survey of 8 people on the "best gameday experience." Nothing subjective in that evaluation, is there. Honestly Vito is the only one surveyed I've ever heard of. Also, gameday experience is NOT the same as best or nicest facility. It's where the fans had what the people taking the survey personally define as "best experience." Winning and losing has a huge effect on that, which is going to skew the results down for a number of places on that list.

When the survey is opened up to more that the original eight, you notice very, very different results. When I voted this morning, Apogee was only 2 votes ahead of Kyle Field with both at less than half of what DKR is getting. TSU, Rice, UH and UTSA are all at less than 1% with Ford right at 1%.

You are correct. Game day experience is not "the best stadium" Wrigley Field and Fenway are great game day experiences, but the stadiums are awful!!!!