Why is the EJD so bad?

This might have changed, but I was at the high school championship a few years ago, camped out and got sideline seats at the 50…and they were plastic. No frills, nothing special, just like I was sitting in the rafters (where I’m normally relegated).

I’ve been interested in this and sports architecture in general for a while, but Burwell’s column about looking to Indy for guidance on the situation made me laugh. I did a write up on it if ya’ll are interested.

Arrowhead is vastly superior for several reasons.

1. Arrowhead is the Chiefs, and the Chiefs are Arrowhead. We have a spectacular museum-type hall of fame on the first level, and have the helmets of the state champions for Kansas and Missouri in every division displayed. Out front there is a statue of Lamar Hunt and 65-Toss-Power-Trap engraved in front of it. We have pictures of Chiefs players on the walls, and the bars in the stadium have an old AFL theme (for example, one is called "The Follish Club). You know exactly who plays there and the history of the franchise.

The EJD, by comparison, has very few references to the Rams, from what I remember. The seats aren’t even the Rams colors. There is no sense of gravitas.

2. Arrowhead is state of the art. The video boards and sound work perfectly.

The Ed feels rundown. When I went to the Chiefs-Rams game last year, a local marching band played the national anthem, but the audio system made them sound terrible. Part of the video things (the thin strip that goes around the stadium, I forget what it’s called) was broken. The music they played was so loud that you couldn’t hear people talk. It made it feel like they were making up for the lack of noise from the fans, which brings me to the next point.

3. The atmosphere at Arrowhead is unbelievable. With one of the best tailgating experiences in the world in the BBQ capital of the world, it is ill-advised to go to a game hungry, since you’ll be forced to walk by hundreds of tailgate parties. But even once you get into the stadium you can still smell the food. The crowd at the game is always into it (unless it’s a blowout), and the fact that it’s the loudest stadium in the NFL is amazing considering that there is nothing to reflect the sound back down to the field (like there is at Seattle). Everybody there is into the game and cares passionately about the outcome.

The Edward-Jones dome feels like a warehouse. The fans hardly cared, and many had left by the fourth quarter, even though the Rams were still in the game. There is no tailgating to speak of, and we actually got yelled at for standing up. And they play commercials during breaks, which I found unbelievable.

It may be unfair to compare the EJD to Arrowhead, since the Chiefs are blessed to have one of the best sports atmospheres in the world, but the EJD doesn’t even seem to make an attempt. The EJD seems better suited to hosting contentions than to hosting football games. It’s like the Rams are doing the bare minimum in order to put on NFL games.

The short version is that when you go to a game at Arrowhead, you feel as though you’re attending a very important event. A game at the EJD feels like something nobody should care about. My sister had some friends from St. Louis visit, and they were excited that they would get to see Arrowhead. Nobody’s excited to see the EJD.

The rams just need to win, fill the seats, making a more enjoyable atmosphere for all.

I have been a fan since the Rams came to STL! I’ve been to Indy, Dallas, Denver, Oakland, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta and Miami. I can tell you that there are a few far better and a few far worse, but it all starts with the fans! It’s hard to cheer hard when most of the time since The Greatest Show, we have had talent, but shoot ourselves in the foot every time. It seems like the Ram’s worst enemy is themselves. I think Stan sees that and is trying his best to “right the ship”. I think the right combo is here and if the Rams can punch out some wins then the people will come. The more the fans respond to not only the Rams, but downtown as a whole, all will be well. The ideas from the CVC are nice ones and I would love them as a fan. They will probably have to come up another $20 mil though. Like the windows idea for extra light too!

it’s dark in there, kills the fan cheering

What’s wrong is what’s happened to proffessional sports in this country. They used to be for the average guy and now they have become something corporate. We’ve seen the natural passion for the sport generate such a buzz that it creates an artificial demand. Football tickets have become a status symbol for the rich and a business tool for corporations. The NFL isn’t stupid. They realize these are the clients they need to cater to if they want to maximize their profits. Sadly this group isn’t content with a decent vantage point of the game. They worry about stupid shit like the paint on the walls or TVs in the johns. We’ve seen a trend of NFL teams developing extravagant stadiums to justify outrageous PSL fees and ticket prices. The only real problem the Ed has is it was built before this trend took off like wild fire. The one lucky thing is they did build it with plenty of luxury suites.

Now personally I prefer outdoor football and I find football in a dome to be strange… not so much bad but rather lacking a certain energy that comes from being outside. This basic fact is true of all indoor stadiums and this gloom is one of the biggest gripes we hear about the Ed. Also outdoor stadiums increase the value of your suites as they provide a different experience by being climate controlled. The one good thing about being in a dome is a better experience on a rainy day.

The one key area, in terms of revenue, where the Ed lacks is the absense of a parking lot. This is a great opportunity for revenue that is lost due to being locked into downtown. From a game day experience, I’d say a massive parking area that had a better flow is the one thing I’s most desire in a new stadium. The current situation doesn’t keep me from tailgating but it really is far from ideal. If the bulk of the fans were exposed to seeing this experience on their way in as they currently don’t as the metro station is on the other side of the stadium, I would suspect more would decide to emulate it. Let’s face it if you tailgate you are more amped up once you arrive and this would help with my second biggest gripe, the dosile fans.

A big problem facing St Louis in terms of financing is they are currently locked into the city/county/state. This limits where they can go to generate revenue for renovations or a new stadium. One thing to consider is the moment Stan opts out of his lease he will free himself to accept money from several outlying counties that are probly dying to put themselves on the map. The biggest hurdle I would venture is the fact that the greater St Louis area is split across two states. This makes it quite difficult in terms of a direct tax or financing from Illinois.

Ultimately I think we’ll see St Louis begrudgingly poney up to keep the Rams. It really is a great town for sports. The only reason the dome isn’t packed every Sunday is the abismal record over the last several years. If this get’s fixed the Dome will be packed like it was for it’s first ten years.