Gridiron Design: 5 Reasons to Love the New Meadowlands Stadium

Tonight’s New Orleans Saints’ season-opener against the Minnesota Vikings officially kicks off the NFL 2010 season – yeah! Even more exciting, the Giants will be playing the first regular season NFL game in the New Meadowlands Stadium this Sunday against the Panthers.  There is lots to like about the new venue, so let’s review…

1.  Gridiron Green
It’s the greenest Football Arena in the modern era and one of the greenest venues in sports thanks to a partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Environmentally-friendly materials and practices were planned into the construction and operation of the East Rutherford, N.J space. And oh yeah, low flush, futuristic urinals.

2. Colors Colors Colors
The New Meadowlands can easily be converted from a Giants game to a Jets game within a matter of hours, thanks to the lighting gurus at Focus Lighting.  The stadium’s outer skin of aluminum louvers will switch colors via interior lights depending on which team is playing at home.

3. Action Closeness
Front row 50-yard line seats will now be 46 feet away from the sideline, which will be the shortest distance of all NFL Stadiums. M&T Bank Stadium currently has the shortest distance at 50 feet while Sun Life Stadium has the largest at 90 feet.

4. It’s Techtastic!
The $1.7 billion stadium is equipped with 2,100 HD screens, free WiFi,  and first-class video productions delivered not only to the four 30 x 120 ft. Daktronics scoreboards but also 60-ft. scoreboards on pylons outside the stadium to entertain tailgaiting fans before they head in for the event.

Still ho-hum?  During the regular season, parents will be able to get their kids equipped with a high-tech tracking bracelet to monitor their whereabouts during the game. “Let’s hope it doesn’t become a day-care service,” joked New Meadowlands Stadium Corp. CEO Mark Lamping in his NY Post interview about the stadiums many tech delights. Hmmm. One can always hope Mark.

5. Superbowl Snowstorm 2014
The best news of all, unlike a number of other new NFL venues, New Meadowlands Stadium does not have a roof.  The funding just wasn’t there, so the new stadium will be topless year round. I for one am thrilled.  Finally a Superbowl that doesn’t look like it’s being hosted in a retirement community. When it plays host to Superbowl XLVIII in 2014, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!