16. Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans Saints)
Despite the fact that the Superdome has hosted seven Super Bowls, it’s still among the oldest in the professional sports world. The venue was first opened in 1976 and received major damage during Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. While the venue has gone through major renovations, including a $320 million project following the hurricane damage, it’s simply not a model stadium at this point. Having been there, I can honestly say the NFL would be making a mistake if it ever allowed the Superdome to host another Super Bowl.
15. NRG Stadium (Houston Texans)
This venue opened in 2002 and cost about one quarter of what Levi’s Stadium cost to build in Santa Clara. It’s considered a state-of-the-art multi-purpose venue and has it’s nice little perks. Media absolutely love attending games here. As you can see in the photo above, the use of glass near the top of the stadium gives it an open-air feel to it. This is one of the only such stadiums in the sports world. And it really does set NRG apart from the rest that were built around this time.
14. Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis Colts)
This venue opened in 2008 and replaced the RCA Dome as the home of the Colts. It boasts a retractable roof and a movable window wall, which enables more sun to come through and create an open-air feel to the stadium. It hosts the NFL Scouting Combine and has played host to multiple college basketball Final Fours in its short shelf life. As far as domes go, this has one of the best feels to it.
13. M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens)
Turron Davenport, Ravens beat writer for Pro Player Insiders, had a glowing assessment of Baltimore’s home digs.
M&T Bank has a very lively appearance as soon as you set foot into the stadium concourse. There’s a high-definition screen that shows Ravens highlights when you walk into the stadium. It is located when you come in on Gate D. The walls are accented with purple lights and there’s a big picture of Terrell Suggs that is above one of the entrances as well. The scoreboards inside the stadium are pretty cool also.
They have four LED video boards that are six feet tall and 22 feet wide at each side of the main video boards above each end zone which are 24 feet high and 100 feet wide. The LED boards show out of town scores, highlights and fantasy football updates. They also have ribbon style video boards that stretch around the seating bowl.
You can see the Baltimore skyline which is framed perfectly by the placement of the stadium within the city. The stadium also has one of the best view from the press box in the NFL. Unlike many others that are perched high off the field, M&T gives media a 100 level view which allows them to be closer to the field.
12. Paul Brown Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals)
Bleacher Report’s Chris Roling was kind enough to provide us with some thoughts on this venue.
It’s in a solid, developing area. One of the more modern stadiums. Plenty of concessions/bathrooms, food prices are high though. Great view no matter the seat, plenty of parking and what I think is 24-hour bus service to it. Escalators make getting to nosebleeds quick. Facilities and behind the scenes tour are a must experience. Although I suppose I’d mention the raw deal taxpayers got for its construction
11. Sports Authority Field at Mile High (Denver Broncos)
Former NFL safety Nick Ferguson, who played 10 seasons in the league and five with the Denver Broncos, was kind enough to share his thoughts of Mile High.
There’s something magical about Denver’s Mile High stadium atmosphere. Is it the 5,280 foot elevation, the spectacular visual driving in for a Monday night game or the best fans in the NFL, whose expectations gave us the confidence to defeat any opponent we faced.
The 2005-06 defeat of the juggernaut that was the Patriots remains to this day, the most exciting environment I’ve been blessed to be apart. The scene which was created, will go down as part of the Mile High’s history.
There are not many NFL stadiums that intimidate opponents as to what awaits them once they decide to step foot into the belly on the beast. That’s 5,280 ft of rich history, crazed fans and a beat down from a franchise that lives by only one creed “,Win or shut up.”
10. MetLife Stadium (New York Giants and New York Jets)
Jeff Lloyd over at RSEN Network and The Draft Report offered up his opinion on the stadium that hosted the most recent Super Bowl and was the newest venue up until Levi’s in Santa Clara.
Positives: Sightlines best seat in house is upper deck 50 yard line. So many food stands that you’re never out of your seat longer than five minutes. Rest rooms between every two sections.
Negatives: Security is too tough, traffic nightmare and not enough public transportation to get there. Lacks a great feel for either team because it’s occupied by two teams.
9. Heinz Field (Pittsburgh Steelers)
This venue opened up during the 2001 football season and houses both the Pittsburgh Steelers NFL team and the Pitt Panthers college football team. The Great Hall towards the east side of the stadium is a specticle in of itself. It includes a huge collection of memorabilia for both the Panthers and Steelers.
One of the best aspects about Heinz Field is the fact that there really aren’t many parking or transportation issues, something that wasn’t the case at old Three Rivers. In reality, this is one of the most underrated stadiums in the sports world.
8. University of Phoenix Stadium (Arizona Cardinals)
Former Arizona Rattlers intern Blake Murphy had this to say about his home-state stadium.
Positives: Grass grown outside (retractable field) and design of seats. Smaller stadium but not a bad seat anywhere in the house. There’s good, Arizona themed food at good prices compared to other stadiums. Old video board (too small) just got replaced by a new hi-def one. Athletes also like playing there.
Negatives: As a newer stadium and with Cards in Arizona more recently, not a lot of history. Also roof is hardly opened even on beautiful days for whatever reason, should be more often. Parking is alright but lots of fans had to park way over in the mall area and walk over.
Which leads to the No. 1 problem–Glendale location. It’s too far out from the rest of the greater Phoenix area and away from downtown. And after building the stadium the City of Glendale has been very uncooperative, refusing to build a parking garage and have refused to lower prices for hotels for the Super Bowl or hosting the Super Bowl experience, which is now in Phoenix.
7. Gillette Stadium (New England Patriots)
Ethan Hammerman of Draft Mecca provided these comments about Gillette Stadium.
The Minutemen shoot after every touchdown, which is really cool. The ambiance is good and the angles are ideal to see players on the bench. Also, players sometimes mingle with the fans, which is cool. I once caught a game and sat next to former All Pro CB Mike Haynes.
6. Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Chiefs)
Here is yet another amazing stadium. While technically one of the oldest stadiums in the NFL, Arrowhead is a classic venue for football games and has gone through some rather extensive renovations. It was practically reconstructed back in 2010 and is now considered a state-of-the-start stadium.
The atomosphere inside Arrowhead is about as electric as any stadium outside of Seattle. While the fans make it that way, the game-day experience is something you’ll never forget.
5. AT&T Stadium (Dallas Cowboys)
The first of the post-modern stadiums, AT&T (or Jerry’s World) is a spectacular scene for fans and players. The huge video board above the field is just one of the amazing aspects of this stadium. While the atmosphere doesn’t necessarily do a whole lot for the in-game experience, Jones and Co. pulled out all the stops in order to make the game a great viewing experience.
4. Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco 49ers)
Probably one of the best fan experiences in the NFL. While only two preseason games have been played a Levi’s, it stands above the rest in terms of technology and modern amenities. The greenest of all stadiums in North America, Levi’s is the first of a kind that hosts a green roof and pretty much acquires all of its electricity by solar means. It has a huge high-definition video board on one end of the stadium, some of the best food you will find in the NFL and an amazing 49ers museum. It’s the model for future stadiums around the NFL.
3. CenturyLink Field (Seattle Seahawks)
ESPN’s Mike Sando had this to say about The Link.
Lambeau would be 1, then Centurylink for combination of city view, crowd and competitive team to maximize the venue.
As someone who has visited the Pacific Northwest, this makes a ton of sense. As you can see with the view of the photo above, Seattle’s state-of-the-art stadium is smack dab in the middle of downtown and it wants you to know that from the get go. The competitive advantage and crowd noise that the 12th Man brings also makes The Link one of the best overall fan experiences in the NFL.
2. Soldier Field (Chicago Bears)
First opened in 1924, Soldier Field is the oldest stadium in the NFL. The Chicago Rockets/Hornets of the old AAFC was actually the first professional team to call this venue home back in the late 1940’s, while the University of Notre Dame was the first football team to play at Soldier Field back in 1929. The history here is likely second to none in football.
While Soldier Field has undergone multiple renovations over the years, the experience within the stadium still brings back memories of great football games of the past. That’s something that will never change.
1. Lambeau Field (Green Bay Packers)
Sports Illustrated’s Peter Bukowski provided these comments about historical Lambeau Field.
For me, Lambeau is so much more than the game. It’s the closest thing the NFL has to a college atmosphere with the tailgating and party atmosphere. Green Bay shuts down for Packers Sundays. And once you’re actually inside, the stadium itself is dripping with tradition. You see the ring of honor with all-time great names. It’s a reminder that Packers history is NFL history and the two are inextricably linked.
There is very little doubt that this stadium, as historical as it is, deserves to be No. 1 on this list.
Photo: