None of the $125 million in "renovations" to the Linc coming to you in 2014 means a darn thing to me unless they result in closing the open end of the stadium.
But they won't. The stadium remains—and will remain— open at one end. Goodbye again, 12th Player on the Field… Even if we as phans on site want to contribute to the team's success with lots of noise at appropriate moments of the game, it simply will not be allowed by the physics of the "open end" of the structure.
Inadequate architecture…
This is why you need football credentials if you are designing a football stadium— everyone knows how the vocalization of a home crowd dissipates through the open end of a stadium… Emotional momentum is literally sucked through a vacuum…. What, are the architects of the Linc up for an award for parity? Do the Eagles' architects secretly have a death wish?
Win at home and split on the road… there's your ticket to the playoffs. But there is no longer any "home advantage" for the Eagles— and a part of the reason is the home stadium's blow-hole design.
All the potential sound effect of home crowd enthusiasm blows out the hole at the end of the field…
No time available apparently for the research of sound retention upon the ultimate home-team stadium experience…The operational managers of the Linc seem to be fixated instead upon adding consumer amenities… Yeah, like that's what I shell out $160 for a ticket to a lousy seat at the Linc for, just to watch the Eagles lose as I survive in total visual and restroom comfort?
The Philadelphia Eagles are planning to add 1,600 seats and two high-definition video boards as part of a $125 million stadium revitalization project to be completed before the 2014 season. Lincoln Financial Field is undergoing a facelift just 10 years after it opened in 2003.
But sadly, none of it will close the hole… or add an iota of home-field advantage.
"We have had discussions with season ticketholders over the past couple of seasons to find out what was important to them. We listened and developed a plan of action," Eagles President Don Smolenski said. "Our main goal when we began this project was to dramatically enhance the gameday experience for our fans."
Other upgrades include murals honoring the franchise's greatest players, Wi-Fi installation and two bridges and an escalator to provide faster access for fans.
Well geez, all of that is fan-tastic, Don…. But what about the competitive edge? Fan noise acoustics were never addressed?
High-definition video? Heck, it's AUDIO upgrades we need! What happened to the audio at an Eagles home football game?
"12th Man" factor is real, folks… just ask the Seattle Seahawks. And 75% of it IS RELATED DIRECTLY TO STADIUM ARCHITECTURE.
Okay, I'm done…
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