![\"\"](\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_cpRXT6ZSHTw\/SxIKMAo-2II\/AAAAAAAAAVo\/Ji0u17iol_4\/s400\/Texas+Tech+-+Baylor+2009.jpg\")
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And now for something completely different\u2026<\/p>\nUnlike seemingly everyone else in the Pagan and UU communities, I like sports. I liked playing sports when I was a kid, although I wasn\u2019t very good at anything. I took up running at age 36 and completed two marathons and numerous shorter races before injuries and weight gain forced me to stop.<\/p>\n
But I still like watching sports, and when the new Cowboys Stadium opened earlier this year, I wanted to see it. But I didn\u2019t want to pay NFL prices. Today, Cathy and I drove to Arlington to see Texas Tech and Baylor play, but mainly to see the monument Cowboys owner Jerry Jones built to himself.<\/p>\n
As stadiums go, there\u2019s a lot to like about this one. I\u2019ve seen mixed reviews on the architecture, but I like it. I\u2019m fond of the faux-old baseball parks, but professional football is a modern sport \u2013 it seems right that it be played in a glass and steel building that some have compared to a spaceship. It\u2019s bright, open and spacious. I\u2019m more than a bit claustrophobic and I detest crowds, but I never felt crowded, even though the stadium was sold out. Lines at the concession stands were reasonable and lines in the restrooms were non-existent \u2013 men\u2019s and women\u2019s.<\/p>\n
The sight lines are as good as advertised. Our seats were in the second level end zone and we had a great view. I wouldn\u2019t hesitate to sit anywhere in the third level, but I wouldn\u2019t sit in the fourth level if the tickets were free \u2013 you\u2019re just too far away from the field. The video boards are impressive, but watching them defeats the purpose of actually going to the game.<\/p>\n
As reported elsewhere, the acoustics are horrible. Do not pay money to go to a concert in this stadium. I\u2019m genuinely surprised that Jerry Jones put so much work into perfecting all the visual details and ignored the sound.<\/p>\n
Concession prices are obscene, even by stadium standards. A tub of popcorn that would cost $6 at a movie theater was $10, a 32 oz. drink was $6, and a 20 oz. bottle of water was $5. They weren\u2019t selling beer (at least not on this level) \u2013 don\u2019t know if that was because it was a college game or because it was Baylor\u2019s home game. The signs on the coolers said $8 for a 16 oz. bottle.<\/p>\n
Traffic and parking were very well organized, although we paid for reserved parking when we ordered the tickets. Things may or may not have been so smooth at some of the more distant cash lots. I drove to Texas Stadium once \u2013 it took me over an hour to get out of the parking lot, and I swore I\u2019d never go back. I didn\u2019t. This was infinitely better.<\/p>\n
Cathy and I enjoyed ourselves and the new stadium lives up to the hype. But two things about it really bother me.<\/p>\n
We got there about two hours before kickoff. Part of that was to stay out of the worst of the traffic, but mostly I wanted to wander around the stadium and see what it looks like from every vantage point. You can\u2019t. Every section has its own entrance, and every transition point is blocked by \u201cstadium staff\u201d to make sure you stay in your section. I know that helps keep the crowds manageable, and as someone with a professional interest in efficiency and a personal interest avoiding chaos, I can appreciate that. But I couldn\u2019t help feeling like I was on the Titanic, safely locked away from my \u201cbetters\u201d in first class and the \u201cpeasants\u201d in steerage. I don\u2019t like that.<\/p>\n
The second thing I don\u2019t like is the sheer extravagance and expense of it all. Jerry Jones has been quoted numerous times saying he wanted it to be \u201cthe best.\u201d Other than the sound, he succeeded. But he spent $1.2 billion (a combination of his own money and Arlington tax dollars) to do it. For $352 million (in 2002) the Houston Texans built Reliant Stadium, which also features a retractable roof and can be reconfigured for other events. From everything I\u2019ve heard and read, it\u2019s an excellent place to watch a football game. Because the cost to build was lower, the cost of events is also lower. Again, I can\u2019t help but think of the Titanic, and the hubris behind it.<\/p>\n
Some of my fondest childhood memories are watching Tennessee play football in Neyland Stadium, which opened in 1921 and has been under construction or renovation virtually non-stop ever since. And I\u2019ll never forget sitting behind the band, in the snow and watching Purdue upset Michigan in 1996.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the bottom line. If you want to watch<\/u> a football game, stay home and watch it in HD. You\u2019ll have a better seat, a better view, cheaper concessions, and when the game is over, you won\u2019t have to drive home. If you want to experience<\/u> a football game, go to one of the on-campus college stadiums, squeeze into the metal bleachers with 100,000 of your closest friends and cheer your lungs out.<\/p>\n
If anybody\u2019s interested, the engineers beat the Baptists 20-13.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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<\/a>