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Spinoff from SEC Rant- SEC stadiums
Posted on 5/20/20 at 10:53 am
Posted on 5/20/20 at 10:53 am
There is a topic on the SEC rant where people rank all the SEC stadiums they've been to and is an interesting read. Almost all of them rank Bryant Denny middle of the pack mainly because it doesn't get loud. I can't honestly argue against that except for big games like LSU last year and a lot of the Tennessee game last year. In your opinion what will need to happen to get us towards the top of the list?
1.) We seem to have a lot of blue hairs in the fanbase, more than any other it seems. They don't seem to get loud. I guess unless they start selling their tickets to the younger crowd this will always be an issue
2.) We seem to blow every opponent out in the first half making the game boring. I hate to say it but I believe we will start getting louder when we eventually start sucking again and the games are a little closer.
Side note: Maybe I need to go back to an Auburn game because it seems like everyone has them at the top with LSU, but when I went I didn't think it was all that special. I though the tailgating wasn't any different than any other SEC team and felt like their campus was way too spread out and not walking friendly. I also thought their bar scene was mediocre. They do seem to have a MUCH younger fanbase so they do get a little louder than us.
1.) We seem to have a lot of blue hairs in the fanbase, more than any other it seems. They don't seem to get loud. I guess unless they start selling their tickets to the younger crowd this will always be an issue
2.) We seem to blow every opponent out in the first half making the game boring. I hate to say it but I believe we will start getting louder when we eventually start sucking again and the games are a little closer.
Side note: Maybe I need to go back to an Auburn game because it seems like everyone has them at the top with LSU, but when I went I didn't think it was all that special. I though the tailgating wasn't any different than any other SEC team and felt like their campus was way too spread out and not walking friendly. I also thought their bar scene was mediocre. They do seem to have a MUCH younger fanbase so they do get a little louder than us.
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Posted on 5/20/20 at 11:45 am to cdur86
I'm pretty sure it's almost entirely an architectural thing. Bryant Denny's lower bowl sits further from the field and the angle is not as steep as those of other stadiums. So sound waves have to travel further, and more of them escape the structure.
Look at the space between the sideline and the first row of seats on the 50:
BDS
Tiger Stadium
Look at the space between the sideline and the first row of seats on the 50:
BDS
Tiger Stadium
Posted on 5/20/20 at 11:57 am to cdur86
I just really don't care anymore. It's loud for big games and it's pretty meh for every other game. We've always been a fanbase that gets more nervous than excited, and that was exponentially expanded once Saban made us so good. When you legitimately expect to win every game and most of them by 3 scores, you just aren't going to get a loud, hungry stadium most of the time when the game plays out the way you expect it.
The place was deafeningly loud for almost every game where we were even, a dog or there was some doubt (2005 UF/TN/LSU, 2007 Arky/UGA/LSU, 2008 the whole season, LSU/Auburn games, 2014 Miss St, etc). If there are fans in the stands it will be rocking for Georgia next year and it will be rocking for Auburn.
And as CPA said, the architectural aspect certainly plays a part as well. It just doesn't trap noise like some stadiums do.
The place was deafeningly loud for almost every game where we were even, a dog or there was some doubt (2005 UF/TN/LSU, 2007 Arky/UGA/LSU, 2008 the whole season, LSU/Auburn games, 2014 Miss St, etc). If there are fans in the stands it will be rocking for Georgia next year and it will be rocking for Auburn.
And as CPA said, the architectural aspect certainly plays a part as well. It just doesn't trap noise like some stadiums do.
This post was edited on 5/20/20 at 12:11 pm
Posted on 5/20/20 at 3:54 pm to SummerOfGeorge
quote:
We've always been a fanbase that gets more nervous than excited, and that was exponentially expanded once Saban made us so good
That's amazingly accurate and I don't think I've ever really thought about it like that before.
Posted on 5/20/20 at 4:00 pm to cdur86
I doubt many stadiums are loud for anyone when the score is 48-7
Posted on 5/20/20 at 4:02 pm to Goombaw
quote:
That's amazingly accurate and I don't think I've ever really thought about it like that before.
I used to think it was just me, then I realized it was a fanbase cultural thing.
Things in stadiums are almost always loudest when you are an underdog with "nothing to lose". We've had very few of those over the years - we're either great and we win by a lot or we are mediocre and we lose. When we were good not great we had very few upset wins, so we didn't even get the good part of being an underdog.
I think there is a reason the loudest times I've ever had in the stadium were almost all related to a real feeling that we could lose or revenge..........
- 2005 Florida
- 2005 Tennessee
- 2008 Auburn
- 2009 LSU
- 2010 Auburn
- 2011 LSU
- 2014 Florida
- 2014 Miss St
- 2014 Auburn
- 2015 LSU
I think that is one of the reasons that the 2014 and 2015 teams are looked back on with such fondness. Those teams were scrappy underdogs by Alabama standards with guys who were not super elite studs helping lead the way (Sims, Coker, A. Stewart, etc) (along with super elite studs as well, obviously).
This post was edited on 5/20/20 at 4:03 pm
Posted on 5/20/20 at 4:09 pm to cdur86
I wish we would have stayed at 83,000 capacity. Maybe 92,138. 101,000 was a mistake IMO
Posted on 5/20/20 at 4:23 pm to mistaken4193
It's not an excuse for the stadium not being hostile, but I think this is where "act like you've been there before" kinda bites us in the arse. We have, and we know what it's like, so we do. So sure, we get up for the big games, but not really a lot of fear or hostility for Vanderbilt or Missouri.
This post was edited on 5/20/20 at 4:24 pm
Posted on 5/20/20 at 5:56 pm to mistaken4193
quote:
I wish we would have stayed at 83,000 capacity. Maybe 92,138. 101,000 was a mistake IMO
We got caught up the arms race of the time where bigger = better. It’s easy to say we shouldn’t have built the South Endzone Deck at this point in time but....we shouldn’t have built the South Endzone Deck.
This post was edited on 5/21/20 at 5:50 am
Posted on 5/20/20 at 8:41 pm to FairhopeTider
It gets very loud when there is doubt. The 2015 Ole Miss game was deafening. It just so happens we were losing and I couldn’t hear my own thoughts.
Posted on 5/20/20 at 10:38 pm to SummerOfGeorge
Probably also why the Florida win in the 2009 SEC Championship game will always stand out in my memory as a defining moment. They killed our dreams the year before and here they were again with their superstar QB and we just stomped them into the ground.
Posted on 5/20/20 at 10:48 pm to SummerOfGeorge
I was at the ‘14 Auburn and MSU games and the ‘15 LSU game. I completely agree with those. The ‘15 UT game was pretty darn loud also when Dobbs fumbled. I seriously thought I was about to witness a loss to UT that day, but Henry and the defense came to play and UT’s kicker didn’t luckily.
Posted on 5/21/20 at 7:44 am to cdur86
quote:
Maybe I need to go back to an Auburn game because it seems like everyone has them at the top with LSU, but when I went I didn't think it was all that special. I though the tailgating wasn't any different than any other SEC team and felt like their campus was way too spread out and not walking friendly. I also thought their bar scene was mediocre. They do seem to have a MUCH younger fanbase so they do get a little louder than us.
I guess I'm not supposed to say it as a Bama fan, but Auburn has a great gameday environment. I don't think it's any better than Alabama's, but I've always had a great time there for games.
I think the culture at Alabama plays a significant part in the stadium feeling dead. It's been that way all of my life, and there's an attitude that we're supposed to win every game so there's a lot of sitting on hands. When it gets loud for big games or big moments, it's just as loud as all the other SEC stadiums I've been to.
Posted on 5/21/20 at 8:04 am to Goombaw
quote:
Probably also why the Florida win in the 2009 SEC Championship game will always stand out in my memory as a defining moment. They killed our dreams the year before and here they were again with their superstar QB and we just stomped them into the ground.
Absolutely agree
Posted on 5/21/20 at 8:31 am to The Spleen
quote:
I guess I'm not supposed to say it as a Bama fan, but Auburn has a great gameday environment. I don't think it's any better than Alabama's, but I've always had a great time there for games.
I haven't been to all the SEC stadiums but I feel like Bryant Denny is in one the best spots compared to other SEC stadiums. Bars/entertainment right next door. Tailgating a stone throw away. I truly feel like there is something for everyone on gameday
Posted on 5/21/20 at 8:35 am to cdur86
quote:
I haven't been to all the SEC stadiums but I feel like Bryant Denny is in one the best spots compared to other SEC stadiums. Bars/entertainment right next door. Tailgating a stone throw away. I truly feel like there is something for everyone on gameday
The setup in Tuscaloosa is definitely at the top. The stadium is right on campus but because of the trees and layout of campus you can tailgate at various spots very close and not feel like you are tailgating with the stadium hanging over you. The strip is right there. All the off-campus houses are right behind it. And because of all the huge, old trees everywhere none of it feels overwhelming or smushed even though it's all very close. I've always thought it felt a lot like an old baseball stadium in the middle of a city where the city had grown up around it over the years (Fenway, as an example).
And of course the campus itself is second to none.
This post was edited on 5/21/20 at 8:38 am
Posted on 5/21/20 at 9:51 am to SummerOfGeorge
The only other SEC school that has a similar set up is Florida. UGA, LSU, and Ole Miss have the pretty campus + a stadium that is near prime tailgating spots that aren't parking lots set up, but are a bit of a trek from a lot of bars and restaurants. Auburn, UTk, and State are all severely lacking in the shade department, USCe and Kentucky just suck all around as far as gameday experiences go, and I have not been to A&M, Vandy, Arkansas, or Mizzou yet.
Posted on 5/21/20 at 10:11 am to Robot Santa
I like UGA's set up, and their downtown area has enough bars and restaurants so that it's easy to find one that isn't packed. The walk to the stadium from downtown is pretty and easy, but coming back I just remember a pretty big hill. But I was drunk and just following the crowd so there's probably an easier path.
I've been to LSU the most, and it really depends on where you end up parking there. If you end up in the lots down by the river, there's no shade and it doesn't feel much like a college campus. If you get somewhere on campus or north of campus, there is plenty of shade and feels like a college campus. The walk from some of those areas is pretty far though. I like Oxford's set up as well, though I think the Grove is very overrated. My friend that went to Ole Miss and has season tickets never tailgates on the Grove.
I've been to LSU the most, and it really depends on where you end up parking there. If you end up in the lots down by the river, there's no shade and it doesn't feel much like a college campus. If you get somewhere on campus or north of campus, there is plenty of shade and feels like a college campus. The walk from some of those areas is pretty far though. I like Oxford's set up as well, though I think the Grove is very overrated. My friend that went to Ole Miss and has season tickets never tailgates on the Grove.
Posted on 5/21/20 at 10:18 am to The Spleen
quote:
I like UGA's set up, and their downtown area has enough bars and restaurants so that it's easy to find one that isn't packed. The walk to the stadium from downtown is pretty and easy, but coming back I just remember a pretty big hill. But I was drunk and just following the crowd so there's probably an easier path.
Agree - Athens is a great setup with downtown and campus basically only being split by Lumpkin St. The stadium is kind of on the other side of campus, but it's a very good set up. They campus doesn't have a true central spot like we do with the Quad - they kind of have North Campus and then the Campus area around the Stadium on the South side. Still a pretty campus and a great downtown that kind of flow together.
This post was edited on 5/21/20 at 10:20 am
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