Best/worst stadiums or arenas you have been to?

After a lifetime of seeing Wrigley on TV, finally got there for a Brewers-Cubs game in the late 90's (or so), and, unfortunately, it was a bit of a letdown, as it seemed somewhat 'dumpy' to me.....and other than the Ivy-covered brick outfield wall, and their (manual) scoreboard (à la Fenway), really didn't find it that 'special'....


Speaking of Fenway, finally got there for a Brewers-Sox game in 1984, and that was GREAT!  A little cramped, but still......LOVED it !!


Went to Lambeau Field a number of times in the 90's and early 00's, and though it is pretty cool, I actually think it's somewhat overrated (I know, I know......blasphemy.  Hey, I've lived in Wisconsin all my life, and have been a lifelong Cheesehead and Packer fan, so I can blaspheme on this particular topic, if I choose!!).  And when I say "overrated", I simply mean from the standpoint that the stadium itself, and the field, really aren't that special......it's just the history of what it all represents that is REALLY cool and the part that's incredibly unique about it (given that it's in a "small" town like Green Bay).  That said, I haven't been back since all of the major renovations, so am hoping to be able to do that sometime soon....

LOVE Camp Randall (home of The UW Badgers (Madison, WI)), and the college 'vibe' that comes with it......and for my money, one of the best football experiences I've ever had (particularly on a CRISP, Fall Saturday afternoon, when people are tailgating and milling about, and the smell of beer and grilled brats is EVERYWHERE!!  A people watching FEAST for the eyes!!)!  Oh, and took a road trip with my son to see The (football) Badgers play Northwestern (late 90's), and though the experience was GREAT, didn't really love (or hate) their stadium (whatever name it's going by these days).  Evantson (IL), on the other hand, is a REALLY cool, beautiful little town/city !!

REALLY dislike the old Milwaukee Arena (one time home of the Bucks, and now the home floor of the UW-Milwaukee Panthers)......talk about a DUMP!  A nice dump, but still a (mostly) crowded little dump.....

And though I grew up here liking old Milwaukee County Stadium, the one time home of the Braves, and the Brewers, I'm glad it finally got replaced. Though it's not perfect, Miller Park is GREAT.....ESPECIALLY on those cold and/or rainy/snowy days, when they can simply shut it all out by closing the roof !!

Finally, there's the one I probably LOVED the most, as simple as it was........the old home of the Milwaukee Bucks (and Milwaukee (hockey) Admirals), i.e., the late, GREAT, Bradley Center!!  Nothing 'flashy', and absolutely nothing that was at all spectacular about it.....just an EXTREMELY nice, comfortable (and, somewhat oddly, extremely CLEAN) place to watch a game (and no, I'm NOT a germaphobe.....just never failed to notice how extremely clean that place ALWAYS seemed to be!)! (Oh....and saw 'The Boss' in concert there too (late 90's)!!)  REALLY wish they didn't have to knock it down to build the new place (and no, I haven't been to Fiserv Forum (the brand spankin' new home of The Milwaukee Bucks) just yet....).    



The Bradley Center - Milwaukee, WI (1988-2018)






















SAVE  FERRIS

Agree about the MCG. I have sat in many different parts of the stadium and I have never seen anything so magnificent. From the top it looks like I am sitting to watch gladiators fight. It's simply the best. Although outside of match time visit, I liked the tour of Lord's cricket ground. The tour guide was quite entertaining and had some good stories to tell. Don't exactly remember but I think it cost me about 11 GBP or something like that.

In the 90s Eden Gardens was a spectacle with 100 thousand plus people making noise. The legend of Eden Gardens has decreased in value in the last 2 decades. Much like the fact that Bengal itself is losing value. The worst stadium is Kotla in Delhi.


I think I liked Millennium Stadium (Cardiff) too.

most intense:



best baseball vibe was seattle's park in the daytime:

Here’s where as a WT fan I’m supposed to do the chant - Leichhardt good, ANZ (Olympic Park) bad, Campbelltown good, BankWest bad.
Campbelltown just sucks. It has no redeeming quality to it at all. Leichhardt, when full and with good weather is an awesome experience. But it’s an absolute pain to get to, worse to get out of and is nightmarish if you have kids, are disabled or have lady parts. And forget it if it rains.
i like Olympic Park. Yes it’s a bit cavernous, but the bullshit ‘no atmosphere’ people sprout is only true of a 4 figure crowd. I went to a Tigers-Eels game once that got 25,000 ant the atmosphere was electric.
BankWest is absolutely awesome. A full house and it absolutely rocks with the noise.

One Day I will get to the MCG - probably for cricket though. The SCG is good now that they put a bit of work into it - however it is terrible to watch either rugby code there. Union is worse than league - you lose all perspective of the play.

Cronulla is absolute shyte. As is Brookvale. And whatever it’s called where GWS play - 4/5 of that is ordinary too.

I haven’t been to LO for a little while now - primarily because who I go to the footy with can’t walk or stand for any length of time. It’s just too hard. That’s where ANZ is so good. Parking everywhere and close by, and a train station even closer. I can give or take hills at sports grounds. Grade cricket and suburban rugby or league is great on the hill.

I think you and I have had the exact same experience at Cronulla. Except I did it twice. I should give it another go - I haven’t been there in a year that starts with a 2.

State of Origin at ANZ is incredible.

The first Sydney derby at BankWest was something else again. 28,500 sounded like 65,000.

Maybe because I’ve only ever been to a GWS game - I thought the AFL at the SCG was alright. Although I’m a bit of mock for the swans - I’ve never seen them win. Speaking of, last year broke my WT losing streak - 8 straight games I had seen them lose.

Best - Dodger Stadium in the 70's & 80's

Worst - Municipal Stadium, Kansas City in the 60's

The worst, by far, was Candlestick Park. The 9ers really did desperately need a building. What they got, Levi Stadium and hour outside of their city, is OK.

I guess Wrigley would be the best. It was just cool. What someone said about Fenway having the history but really we claustrophobic and dumpy doesn't apply. It felt very small, but also very open and comfortable.

AT&T Stadium, or Jerry World, in Dallas is a big and impressive place, but it's a fucking douche bag festival in every way that you'd expect.

On the other hand, Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta where the Falcons play now, is big and impressive and, I think, much cooler.

I know traditionalists don't, but I really like the new Yankee Stadium. People say Citi Field is better, but I haven't been. I appreciate how they were able to use a corporate name but still make it sound like it made sense though even though the name Yankee Stadium is so much better. I feel like the Giants should have copied that and called the stadium 'The Met.' But they didn't listen to me.

Every few years I go on a road trip and hit stadiums in a certain region. Last year I did the midwest tour. Some of my favorites

PNC Park
Fenway
Petco
Target Field (went for the first time last year.)

I will say that msdemos had it right when he mentioned Camp Randall. It's truly an amazing experience that everybody should try at least once. Or 10 times!
Jump around! Jump around!
Jump up, jump up and get down!

Wrigley Field is fantastic, as is Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park I guess). Locally, Fenway is legendary and Gillette Stadium is rather generic, though a huge improvement over Foxboro Stadium. Modern arenas as opposed to stadiums are nondescript for the most part. I enjoy TD Garden because it's filled with Boston sports memorabilia, otherwise nothing really stands out about it.