<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (GMJigga @ Aug 8 2008, 06:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>So they decided to build a bowl but give up 3/4 the way around? I'm not impressed.</div> They didn't "give up 3/4 the way around." That's the way it was meant to be constructed. Many stadiums are built in a similar fashion (hell, Rutgers Stadium is built that way, even though that will change next year). The whole idea behind the open end zone is to provide a view of downtown Minneapolis; that's one of the main attractions of the stadium. Many venues, especially baseball stadiums, are built the way they are to give fantastic views of their city. This is no different. Also, for all we know, Minnesota might not currently have enough ticket demands to build a stadium that big (meaning they don't have enough demand for a full bowl stadium). If the demand for "X" amount of seats isn't there, a stadium holding "X" amount of seats is not likely to be cleared for construction. A proposal for building a 3/4 bowl stadium is much more likely to be passed because they know there is a better chance they will fill a smaller stadium. Building a full bowl stadium doesn't make sense if it's not going to be completely filled. That would just result in a significant loss of money. A proposal like that would never be passed. And on that same front, I'm sure the building plans for this stadium allow for future expansion in the open end zone. For example, I'll go back to Rutgers Stadium since I'm most familiar with that situation. The stadium was designed so that expansion would be possible in the open end zone if ticket demands ever exceeded what the current stadium holds. Well, there are currently 12,000 people on the waiting list for season tickets, so that demand is now here. And an expansion calling for 13,000 additional seats in the current open end zone will be completed next year. There's a purpose behind everything.
Well damn. Wish you would have made it clearer. I wasted some valuable time posting that. Well, maybe the time wasn't that valuable, but still . . .
That's one of the nicest stadiums I've seen in College Football. I think it could also make a good concert venue in the summer as well.