Atlanta building billion dollar restractable roof stadium.

[Ravenboy2003]

But why did they not replace the Kingdome with a movable roof, taking into consideration the typical Seattle monsoon-type rainfalls of the late Fall and Winter? Even the partial roof leaves many spectators exposed, which some of our gang who attended the 2007 game can attest to. Most Seattle fans wanted a dome to replace the Kingdome, by opinion polls, but Paul Allen made some sweeping statements to the contrary. I guess he's not sitting exposed in the Seattle downpours and could give a shit about Joe 6-pack's getting soaked.

I agree it is rather bizarre that they build a half-roof that leaves the first 25 rows or so open to the rain. But the rest of the stadium stays dry while still giving mostly an outdoor football experience. I guess building a retractable roof didn't make sense for football since they would probably have to just leave it closed most of the time anyway.. But it probably does cost them other events.

[iggyman555]

I agree it is rather bizarre that they build a half-roof that leaves the first 25 rows or so open to the rain. But the rest of the stadium stays dry while still giving mostly an outdoor football experience. I guess building a retractable roof didn't make sense for football since they would probably have to just leave it closed most of the time anyway.. But it probably does cost them other events.

been meaning to ask you, is your avatar the milf hunter?

[DarthCorvax]

Atlanta: Insane that they're building another stadium less than 20 years in, but if they think they'll bring in more convention business for it, then it's probably a good investment for them. It'll just happen to host the Falcons for 8 games a year. Or something.

What's even crazier about the crappy Indy dome #2 is not that there are obstructed views and possibly terrible sight lines, it's that they weren't even done paying the first one off when the 2nd one went up. I'm not sure they're even done paying off the first one yet.

Ravens: When Biscotti wants either a new stadium or a renovated one (I'm hoping for a renovated M&T with people moving sidewalks because the Inner Harbor-Camden Yards-Westport area is going to be the new boomtown in Baltimore), he'll get it. There might be some wrangling and moaning and kevetching, but one way or another, he's going to get it.

As it stands now, the State, MSA, and City all have good relations with the Ravens and the Ravens have spent alot of their own money to keep M&T as a great venue to see a ball game. When it's time, it'll get done unless the city completely falls off a cliff economically. In which case, they may have to take that April fool's joke from the other year and move to somewhere off 175 in Columbia or something. It'll just mean one less office park. Who cares really?

Having said that, it's going to be a while until the new stadium issue comes up. But it WILL come up. And again, I hope it's in relatively the same place. And we're getting to the point now technologically where if they do decide to renovate, they might be able to put a retractable dome on top of the current structure.

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The issue of a retractable dome stadium in Baltimore has been around since the 70's. There was the massive dome they were thinking about building to keep the Colts around, which I think would have ended up being in roughly the same place where OP@CY is right now.

Funny thing is, had they built it, it would have been replaced by now or would be being on its way to. But that's the thing about stadiums. Every few years, someone seems to come up with a slate of improvements that make most other stadiums look like crap, even ones recently built.

The 49ers stadium might be such a stadium. The proposed City of Industry stadium for an LA team would have been such a stadium. (Farmers Field, if ever built, will benefit from being in an up and coming area where Staples Center is)

And this isn't to say the Colts would have stayed. Irsay wanted outta here at least at the moment the deal was done.

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New Baltimore Arena: Hasn't gotten done because there isn't a regular tenant, nor any prospective one and local leaders think you have to have one. Sprint Center in KC doesn't and is doing just fine.

Hackerman said he'd build it but the city and state still have to do roadway and utility improvements. Plus, the state owns the current Convention Center and since the Hackerman arena would be part of it, there are more legal issues to pay lawyers thousands of dollars an hour to work out slowly.

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MetLife: Yeah, I've been in there a few times and it is weird that you have to go up the escalator to get to the lower seats. It is a novelty, though, seeing the stadium dressed for both the Jets and Giants (which I have). Inside, though, it's nothing to really write home about and the new comsmetic improvements at M&T will make M&T stand out more even in comparison to it. If you've been to either Yankee Stadium 2 or Citi Field, MetLife is hardly a comparison.

However, it's hard to beat New Jersey Transit into and out of the stadium area. Plus, it sits in the middle of a huge parking lot off the highway. They better hope it doesn't snow or ice next year. Not because it might make a bad football game, but because the more people are staying or partying in New York, the harder it might be to actually get them to the game. I don't think all those high rollers spent all that money on Super Bowl tickets to ride a commuter train to the stadium LOL

[Iscull]

The main reason that stadium was built was for the Atlanta Olympics. I could see how they may want a football specific stadium, but why after only 21 years?

I can see building domed stadiums for baseball (no rain delays or games postponed), but football is a foul weather game. Nobody remembers games played out doors in nice weather, it's the games played in bad weather we remember. Like that Bears game years ago when the fog rolled in and the cameras couldn't shoot to where the action was. Or the Patriots game (tuck rule) vs. the Raiders when Gruden tried to ice the kicker but only gave him more time to clear the area where the game winning FG was going to be kicked from. No more domed stadiums for football.

+1. The league should set a limit on domed stadiums.