Ratings.  Most ratings are a bunch of hogwash, the best that I can tell.

Music critics try to rate albums…it is their job to be, well… critics.  How do you think that’s gonna work out?  I read a critic that once called Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues vocal style “basset hound sounding”.  This is a man crying out for a punch in the stomach.

My dear wife, Carrie, and I stayed at a place in the Berkshires this summer that had a 3.6 rating out of 5 according to multiple internet rankings.  We thought the place was a 6.  Guess we are just not as hard to please as others.

Football season is coming on.  I have decided to rate the best football stadiums, be they college or pro, that I have seen the game played in.  I am doing this in part because living in Southern Indiana can be depressing if you are a football fan.  I made the mistake of watching the local (Louisville Market) news at 6 PM today and when they came to sports the two lead stories were about college basketball.  Hel-lo!  Football season is just around the corner.  Why are you making me listen to Tom Crean talk about IU Basketball?   It is a long time before I will walk out to get the morning paper and be able to see my breath.

Blessed is a good word to describe my travels to different stadiums across the country.

Before I get into the best, let me just point out and try to forget about a couple of the worst.

Worst:  University of Louisville’s Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.  Why?  Because they sell beer and hard liquor at a college football game.  If someone is going to partake, they should be given the option of sneaking it in knowing it is not available at the concession stand.  Though I do not practice said option, it only makes sense.  Also, how many times do we need to see a capital D held up next to a faux picket fence?  That is so yesterday…but you will find plenty of them in Papa John’s Cardinal Pool Hall.

Worst #2:  University of Kentucky’s Commonwealth Stadium.  Why?  Because fans talk too much about basketball during a football game.

Now…on to the good stuff.

The speaktherights.com top ten college or pro football stadiums:

#10  Cincinnati Bengal’s Riverfront Stadium 1970 to 1999.  Why?  Because I watched Ken Anderson play quarterback there.  I saw his last start there in 1985.  The pro game changed for me after that.

#9  University of New Hampshire’s Cowell Stadium, Durham, NH.  Why?  It is small.  There are no lights.  If you kick off at noon you better play fast.  It gets dark in New Hampshire in a hurry in November.  Also…folks will pass around a plate of hot fresh cut french fries for no other reason than to offer them to you.  I passed the plate.  But it was nice of them to offer.

A great place to watch a game. UNH Wildcats.

#8  Minnesota Viking’s Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 1982 to 2013, Minneapolis, MN.  Why?  I saw Brett Favre heave a great pass or two there in 2009.  Like the RCA Dome, the Metrodome was LOUD!  The had a great song to sing “Skol Vikings!” every time something good happened for the Norsemen…and the people there were just glad to be indoors having a good time.

#7  University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN.  Why?  Even though my Ole Miss Rebels got creamed, it was cool to hear as much enthusiasm for one song, “Rocky Top”, in the fourth quarter as it had in the first quarter.  The close quarters of Neyland Stadium have caused some to call it “One Cheek Hill”.  Sitting is a challenge at times.

#6  Ole Miss’ Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, MS.  Why?  If for no other reason, to listen to the locals break out in the “Hotty Toddy!” chant.  It is a thing to behold, especially if the Rebels are obviously going to win.  I saw Eli Manning throw for over 390 yards against South Carolina in a 43-40 win his senior year.  My Aunt Barbara and I have seen a few games there together.  That is even more fun.  The sight lines are not the best as the seats along the sidelines go out more than they go up.  Regardless.  This is a special place for anyone who loves college football.

#5 Mississippi Veteran’s Memorial Stadium, Jackson, MS.  Why?  The sight lines are better than they are in Oxford.  The Rebels don’t play here anymore, which is a shame.  Have seen both college and pro games here and it is just a great place to watch a football game.  A horseshoe design, the stadium is easy to negotiate throughout.  High on my nostalgia list just because of the Rebels and my family in the area.  Would like to go back some day.

#4  The Hoosier/RCA Dome in Indianapolis.  Why?  It was a great place for Indiana to start a pro football team, although we stole this one from Baltimore.  The Dome was loud.  The dome was filled with excitement and people were piled on top of each other…which was great when Peyton Manning was playing quarterback and we were all having a good time.  I have not been to Lucas Oil Stadium…it looks like such a big barn compared to the confines of the Hoosier Dome.  It is gone now, and I miss it.

#3  The Joan.  Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, WV.  Why?  While not the most historical, maybe one of the most special.  Why?  The people there have a connection with their program like none other I have seen.  Is The Joan filled every game?  No, not even close.  But witness once the “We Are Marshall!” chant and you too will be hooked.  It’s about the town as much as the stadium…which is in the town.  Everywhere you go in Huntington people are talking football.  The fans can be serious grumps too.  They like things to go their way and will raise heck if they think they know how to do it better, which is…all the time.  Can’t wait to go back this year.

A Game vs. East Carolina.  Go Herd!

 

Marshall at home vs WVU 2010…the largest crowd in Marshall history.

#2  Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN  Why?  Wake up the echoes!  That is why.  Though I have never been a great Notre Dame fan, I was elated to be there last November with my Dad as the Irish handled BYU in snow and COLD.  Thought I was gonna freeze.  Dad smiled and bounced up and down through it all.  History?  You will find it here.  Be it the statues around the stadium or looking in the direction of a piece of real estate that reminds you of what happened during the game in the decade of your choice is humbling…at least it was to me.

Wake Up the Echoes.

#1  Indiana University’s Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN.  Why?  Good question.  If you go there to watch a game you will know why.  If you are lucky enough to be there when the Hoosiers win a game against an opponent other than Pea Ridge State or Squash Hollow Tech, it is a great deal of fun.  I was there in the best of times…the late 1980s when Anthony Thompson actually ran better than his legend has.  Bottom line:  It is the best place to physically watch a game.  The sight lines are great.  The place has a concave design that gravitates to the middle.  The rows go up instead of out.  When you walk out of one of the tunnels to get to view level you feel like you just opened a great present in front of you.  The best football?  What do you think? It’s IU.  Still, it is the best place to watch a football game if your stomach can handle it.

 

IU vs. Minnesota 2013.  The Gophers won’t be back until 2018.

 

IU vs. Iowa in 2010.  The Iowa game in 1988 was the greatest college football game I have ever seen.  Indiana won 45-34.  Iowa’s quarterback threw for 551 yards.  What can I say, I like offense.

We spoke the rights.

 

Danny Johnson