The Best Football Stadiums in the Nation
American football in the United States is almost like a second religion for many people, and the stadiums where it is played are like the cathedrals. There are many huge and beautiful football stadiums that are functional today, while holding a great deal of history.
The largest of football stadiums is Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which is the home of the University of Michigan football team. This college football stadiums currently seats 106,201 people, and is undergoing construction that will increase capacity to over 108,000. They set a record for an American sporting event in 2003 when 112,118 people crammed into the stadium to watch Michigan beat rival Ohio State.
The most famous and one of the best stadiums in the NFL is without a doubt Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Green Bay is the smallest city with an NFL franchise, but their fans are among the league's most passionate, and their history of success in the NFL is nearly unparalleled. The stadium is sometimes nicknamed "The Frozen Tundra" because temperatures late in the season can become extremely cold, freezing the field. The most famous game played at the stadiums was the 1967 "Ice Bowl" played against the Dallas Cowboys, when temperatures in the stadium dropped below -25 degrees Celsius.
Another one of the largest college football stadiums is the University of Tennessee's Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is the third largest stadium in the country with a capacity of 102,000. One of the stadiums signatures is the orange and white--Tennessee's colors-- checkered end zones. Neyland Stadium is also one of the most scenic college football stadiums in the country. The Tennessee River flows very close to the stadium, giving fans the ability to ride their boat to games, rather than driving.
One of the most well-known stadiums in the country is the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The UCLA Bruins play their games at the Rose Bowl, but more importantly, it is the host of the Rose Bowl Game, which is the oldest, and most prestigious college football bowl game in the country. The Rose Bowl was America's largest stadium before it was surpassed by Michigan Stadium in 1998. Aside from football games, the Rose Bowl has also hosted many important sporting events including the Olympics and World Cup soccer games.
One of the loudest football stadiums in the United States is Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, which is home of the University of Oregon Ducks. Though the seating capacity of the stadium is only 54,000 people, the crowd noise can be deafening. Noise levels at the stadium have been measure at up to 127 decibels.
The loudest of the stadiums for a professional team is Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington, home of the Seattle Seahawks. Qwest Field is one of the NFL's newest football stadiums, and was beautiful designed with a great view of the city skyline, and the fans being incredibly close to the field. The crowd noise in the stadium is so loud, that opponents often commit many false start penalties because they are unable to hear the quarterback snap the ball.
No stadium captures the atmosphere of college football better than Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, home of the University of Florida Gators. The stadiums better known by its nickname of "The Swamp". Temperatures on the field can reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It was this heat that caused a group of Florida professors to create the sports drink Gatorade. Florida is also renowned for their pregame tailgating parties, which helps make their fans more exuberant by game time.
Of course what is considered the best stadiums will be argued vehemently by the football fans that frequent them. With that in mind it’s not surprising that the best stadiums listed here have a huge fan base that supports their team rain or shine or snow in the case of Green Bay.