With college football coming up there is a lot of talk about preseason awards. Florida may be the team to beat on the field but a much more interesting argument is what school is best up in the stands.
Some of these places are legendary for how teeth rattling loud they get (LSU, Oregon) and others for how steeped in tradition they are (Ohio State, Notre Dame) and some for the unique home field advantage that they provide (Boise State). But the overall end result is that every single stadium has it’s own quirks and eccentricities both on the field and off that makes them one-of-a-kind places to watch a sporting event.
Case in point: The University of Oregon lacrosse field uses an older generation of field turf that previously was used in Autzen Stadium back when Joey Harrington ran the show. It’s too thin for screw-in cleats and acts like an ice skating rink for anyone daring to wear tennis shoes. So unless they bring the perfect turf shoe or molded cleat, opposing teams generally end up sliding all over the place like it was greased with canola oil. It’s called home field advantage for a reason, folks.
When it comes to lacrosse the first big time stadium experience that comes to mind is Syracuse and the sea of orange that comes out to watch games in the Carrier Dome. Out West I’ve personally dealt with the raucous student section out at Sonoma State’s Rohnert Park. (Classy might not be the right word but they get bonus points for extreme creativity). Another notable MCLA stadium experience is Michigan’s Oosterbaan Fieldhouse which give’s the players an impression of what it might be like to play lacrosse in a bubble on the moon.
What fans do you feel deserve recognition? Did your school get left off the Herbie awards and you want to air your gripe? What’s the ultimate stadium experience?
Make your own nominations in the comments.