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The Athletic: Expert NFL stadium rankings


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What makes a great NFL stadium? Is it the gameday atmosphere? The architecture? The sight lines? The concession stands? Ticket prices? History? Several of those things can also factor into what makes a bad venue.



There are a variety of ways you can break them all down. Last season, there were 31 stadiums for the league’s 32 teams. There are now 30, with the Giants and Jets sharing MetLife Stadium in New Jersey as the Rams and Chargers share SoFi Stadium in southern California.

Since The Athletic has quite a few NFL reporters, we decided to use our experiences to put together a ranking of the league’s best and worst stadiums. In the process, we also figured out which ones rank somewhere in the middle.

To reach our final totals, we had 31 NFL writers rank the NFL’s five best and five worst stadiums in order. Since games have not been played in SoFi Stadium or Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, those were omitted from this exercise. However, the L.A. Memorial Coliseum (Rams), Dignity Health Sports Park (Chargers) and Oakland Coliseum (Raiders) were all part of the survey since teams played in those stadiums last season. (Note: Every reporter in this survey has not been to every stadium.)

 

 

New Era 24th
 

1st US Bank Stadium, Vikings

 

Last FedEx Field, No Names

 

Hard Rock and MetLife both ranked below New Era. The Big Razor in Foxboro was 20th

Edited by YoloinOhio
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8 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:
New Era 24th

 

1st US Bank Stadium, Vikings

 

Last FedEx Field, No Names

 

Hard Rock and MetLife both ranked below New Era. The Big Razor in Foxboro was 20th

 

24 sounds about right.

 

Where were the old stadiums (L.A. Memorial Coliseum (Rams), Dignity Health Sports Park (Chargers) and Oakland Coliseum (Raiders)) ranked?

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7 minutes ago, Greg S said:

I can personally say MetLife is a POS. I miss Giants Stadium.

I can personally disagree with you on that.  I was there in 2013 weekend before Thanksgiving to see Giants-Cowboys.  Seemed like a real nice venue to me.  What don't you like about it?   Site lines were excellent.  Not a palace but a nice solid stadium right near the swamps of Northern Jersey.  Took the Path Train from Penn Station in Manhattan.  It was a good time.

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24 is generous if judging amenities, number of bathrooms and concourse size and suites etc. New Era excels at game day experience outside and even though it is old, it still have great sight lines and perfect for football viewing. My bet is those help weight it higher. 

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30 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

24 sounds about right.

 

Where were the old stadiums (L.A. Memorial Coliseum (Rams), Dignity Health Sports Park (Chargers) and Oakland Coliseum (Raiders)) ranked?

chargers soccer field was 21st
At the bottom:

27. Paul Brown Stadium (Bengals)

28. L.A. Memorial Coliseum (Rams)

29. Oakland Coliseum (Raiders)

30. TIAA Bank Field (Jaguars)

31. FedExField (Washington)

23 minutes ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

Not a subscriber.   Where does crappy M&T Bank fit in ? 

 

16

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3 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

chargers soccer field was 21st
At the bottom:

27. Paul Brown Stadium (Bengals)

28. L.A. Memorial Coliseum (Rams)

29. Oakland Coliseum (Raiders)

30. TIAA Bank Field (Jaguars)

31. FedExField (Washington)

 

 

Thanks. So assuming the new Rams/Chargers and Raiders stadiums will be ranked ahead of New Era, we're actually at 26 out of 30. Not great, but I guess not too out of line.

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54 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

 

 

New Era 24th
 

1st US Bank Stadium, Vikings

 

Last FedEx Field, No Names

 

Hard Rock and MetLife both ranked below New Era. The Big Razor in Foxboro was 20th

 

Did you also catch the name in the article, one of the architectural firms involved with a number of these new buildings, didn't he play for Buffalo

 

“What we find is that we’re constantly in a re-adaptation of these venues. Constantly,” said Scott Radecic, a former NFL linebacker and founder and senior principal at architectural design firm Populous.

 

 

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1 hour ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

Not a subscriber.   Where does crappy M&T Bank fit in ? 

 

1. U.S. Bank Stadium (Vikings)

2. CenturyLink Field (Seahawks)

3. AT&T Stadium (Cowboys)

4. Lambeau Field (Packers)

5. Arrowhead Stadium (Chiefs)

6. Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Falcons)

7. Soldier Field (Bears)

8. State Farm Stadium (Cardinals)

9. Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles)

10. Heinz Field (Steelers)

11. Empower Field at Mile High (Broncos)

12. Levi’s Stadium (49ers)

13. Lucas Oil Stadium (Colts)

14. Mercedes-Benz Superdome (Saints)

15. Raymond James Stadium (Buccaneers)

16. M&T Bank Stadium (Ravens)

17. Nissan Stadium (Titans)

18. NRG Stadium (Texans)

19. Ford Field (Lions)

20. Gillette Stadium (Patriots)

21. Dignity Health Sports Park (Chargers)

22. Bank of America Stadium (Panthers)

23. FirstEnergy Stadium (Browns)

24. New Era Field (Bills)

25. Hard Rock Stadium (Dolphins)

26. MetLife Stadium (Giants/Jets)

27. Paul Brown Stadium (Bengals)

28. L.A. Memorial Coliseum (Rams)

29. Oakland Coliseum (Raiders)

30. TIAA Bank Field (Jaguars)

31. FedExField (Washington)

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24 minutes ago, Doc Brown said:

8. State Farm Stadium (Cardinals)

 

Remember reporters never get bad seats - I went to Cardinals game and  "obstructed seating" was behind a girder under an overhang and you could see maybe 1/10 of the field.

 

It would be better to rate each feature and let readers determine what is best stadium for themselves.

  • Are heated toilets more important than sight lines?
  • Is number of beers available or cost per beer more important?
  • Is number of zeroes in ticket cost more important so you can feel elite or value of that ticket more important when the difference in cost is difference between taking a bus to game place or plane?

 

Edited by Limeaid
typo
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1 hour ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

I can personally disagree with you on that.  I was there in 2013 weekend before Thanksgiving to see Giants-Cowboys.  Seemed like a real nice venue to me.  What don't you like about it?   Site lines were excellent.  Not a palace but a nice solid stadium right near the swamps of Northern Jersey.  Took the Path Train from Penn Station in Manhattan.  It was a good time.

Ya I like MetLife. 

I live in NJ , about 15 min away from the stadium.  I was at the opening  XFL game there, had field access and it was an amazing experience. You can watch from field,  or the stands and have a restaurant/bar right there on field level.  

Overall I feel it's a significant upgrade over the Meadowlands 

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5 minutes ago, Patrick Moran said:

Never been to VIkings stadium but now i"m much more intrigued. 

It looks amazing

 

i would personally Lucas oil higher. I haven’t been to all of them but to me it seems perfect as a venue. Maybe they downgraded it on atmosphere as the fans aren’t too boisterous 

 

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14 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Oh Lordy, we're plumbing the depths of the sports dearth here.  New Era ranked after the Factory of Sadness on the lake SW of us?

 

to be fair, most dystopian novels have some form of grand entertainment to take away from the dirty, ugly stuff going right in front of people's eyes. Fahrenheit 451 had giant wall sized TVs, 1981 had the two minutes of hate, the Imperium of Man from Warhammer 40k has the litany of hate, Bring it On has cheerleading. Just like these exampls of dystopian society, I'd say Cleveland's stadium having some features like a larger scoreboard that new era lacks is understandable. 

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4 minutes ago, jeremy2020 said:

 

to be fair, most dystopian novels have some form of grand entertainment to take away from the dirty, ugly stuff going right in front of people's eyes. Fahrenheit 451 had giant wall sized TVs, 1981 had the two minutes of hate, the Imperium of Man from Warhammer 40k has the litany of hate, Bring it On has cheerleading. Just like these exampls of dystopian society, I'd say Cleveland's stadium having some features like a larger scoreboard that new era lacks is understandable. 

 

Brrr, it's cold in here. I said there must be some Toros in the atmosphere!

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1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

chargers soccer field was 21st
At the bottom:

27. Paul Brown Stadium (Bengals)

28. L.A. Memorial Coliseum (Rams)

29. Oakland Coliseum (Raiders)

30. TIAA Bank Field (Jaguars)

31. FedExField (Washington)

16

With only 24,000 seats, if you get a seat on the South side, which is shaded all day long, the Chargers' venue is a great place to watch an NFL game.

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1 hour ago, Patrick Moran said:

Never been to VIkings stadium but now i"m much more intrigued. 

 

I think their fixed glass roof with walls that open is a template for what Buffalo should do, if we build new, which is unlikely in the near future now.

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3 hours ago, Greg S said:

I can personally say MetLife is a POS. I miss Giants Stadium.

Have been there a few times. It’s just meh. 

9 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

I think their fixed glass roof with walls that open is a template for what Buffalo should do, if we build new, which is unlikely in the near future now.

I’ve been saying since I saw the first designs of the Vikings stadium that that’s what I want here if we build a new stadium. Like you said. Not very likely anymore.

 

 

Theres 3-4 in their top 10 that I would have in my bottom 10. Unless arrowhead was redone in last couple years that place was a dump.

Edited by Not at the table Karlos
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I attended a game at the Chargers' soccer field.  It is a small and intimate experience and the concessions area had picnic tables where you could hang out, eat, have a drink, etc.  Very different from any NFL venue I have ever visited, but a good experience.  Other than what was on the field - that was the infamous Peterman game....I love New Era and have had great experiences there, but it probably has the ranking it deserves.  The bathroom situation is terrible (hello birdbath) and the concourses are extremely narrow and jam packed to the point of almost being dangerous.  I would hesitate to take a child or elderly person to a game for those reasons.  The acoustics also aren't the best and I hate the sunburn I always get when I'm on the "sunny" side.  That said, the sight lines are fantastic and the pre-game and in-game atmospheres are definitely among the best.  

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1 minute ago, msw2112 said:

I attended a game at the Chargers' soccer field.  It is a small and intimate experience and the concessions area had picnic tables where you could hang out, eat, have a drink, etc.  Very different from any NFL venue I have ever visited, but a good experience.  Other than what was on the field - that was the infamous Peterman game....I love New Era and have had great experiences there, but it probably has the ranking it deserves.  The bathroom situation is terrible (hello birdbath) and the concourses are extremely narrow and jam packed to the point of almost being dangerous.  I would hesitate to take a child or elderly person to a game for those reasons.  The acoustics also aren't the best and I hate the sunburn I always get when I'm on the "sunny" side.  That said, the sight lines are fantastic and the pre-game and in-game atmospheres are definitely among the best.  

Yep The soccer field, though small, is worlds nicer than Qualcomm! 

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1 hour ago, msw2112 said:

I attended a game at the Chargers' soccer field.  It is a small and intimate experience and the concessions area had picnic tables where you could hang out, eat, have a drink, etc.  Very different from any NFL venue I have ever visited, but a good experience.  Other than what was on the field - that was the infamous Peterman game....I love New Era and have had great experiences there, but it probably has the ranking it deserves.  The bathroom situation is terrible (hello birdbath) and the concourses are extremely narrow and jam packed to the point of almost being dangerous.  I would hesitate to take a child or elderly person to a game for those reasons.  The acoustics also aren't the best and I hate the sunburn I always get when I'm on the "sunny" side.  That said, the sight lines are fantastic and the pre-game and in-game atmospheres are definitely among the best.  

I was there too on the shady side. The new stadium is going to be awfully nice, but getting to watch the Bills in such a small stadium was great. Not as great as the year before when the Rams hosted them in the giant, concrete sweat bowl that is the LA Coliseum. But, I'll take watching the Bills win in the blistering sun over watching historically bad football in the shade any day.

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2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

I think their fixed glass roof with walls that open is a template for what Buffalo should do, if we build new, which is unlikely in the near future now.

 

THAT is one awesome looking stadium! 

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3 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

It looks amazing

 

i would personally Lucas oil higher. I haven’t been to all of them but to me it seems perfect as a venue. Maybe they downgraded it on atmosphere as the fans aren’t too boisterous 

 

It's funny, you wouldn't think of MInnesota as having that great of a Stadium but yeah, they must be at the top for a reason. 

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5 hours ago, machine gun kelly said:

Well our stadium isn’t pretty, that’s for sure, but we should be #1 in fan experience up there with GB, KC, and Pittsburgh.  To not say we have the top 4 best fans and all together fun experience is disingenuous.  I stop listening after that.

 

I agree but your Bloody Valentine single is annoying as ****, ya dig?

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2 hours ago, Rocky Landing said:

I was there too on the shady side. The new stadium is going to be awfully nice, but getting to watch the Bills in such a small stadium was great. Not as great as the year before when the Rams hosted them in the giant, concrete sweat bowl that is the LA Coliseum. But, I'll take watching the Bills win in the blistering sun over watching historically bad football in the shade any day.

 

I was at that Rams game too.  Paid a king's ransom for seats and was a mile away from the action.  The stadium is a true pit - old and rundown.  The seats were rusty, etc. and the acoustics, scoreboard, and everything about it was bad.  At least the Bills won the game - one of the few highlights of the Rex era.  The tailgating was also weak.  Stadium parking was limited and was $100+.  We ended up paying $50 to park in some guy's driveway about a half block from the stadium lot and it ended up being OK, but nothing close to the full tailgating experience you get in most NFL venues and certainly nothing compared to what you get in Buffalo. 

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I’d say the top two aren’t wrong. Great architecture, great seats throughout ( though I have sat everywhere in NewEra and can say there isn’t a bad seat) and I have loved the in game experience at both venues. New Era is tops for most all of us here for so many reasons but Minnesota has the crown jewel in new builds.

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How is the Oakland Coliseum not ranked at the bottom list? I guess the mystique of the Black Hole has something going for it because the stadium itself is a dump. They must have fixed the problem of raw sewage flowing through the stadium rest rooms. Regardless, I'll take New Era and its great sight lines any day.  

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