Northwestern plans to tear down Ryan Field, build an $800M replacement

[Dakota2]

It's not just that people are fatter now (they are, myself included). I swear people are taller as well. We went to JJ Hill days in Wayzata a few weeks ago. I'm 6' and my wife is 5'9" - we aren't short people, but we both remarked how many really tall people there seemed to be.

Did you ever stand in a crowded bar in Oslo? Few young women under 6'. Most young guys over 6'5.

 

[maroonfive]

I have been to several games at Ryan Field and it is great they are replacing it. Though the purple line is somewhat close, the city of Evanston does not allow on street parking within a mile of the stadium on game days. With more events I wonder how they will work this out.

 

[WindyCityGopher]

I have been to several games at Ryan Field and it is great they are replacing it. Though the purple line is somewhat close, the city of Evanston does not allow on street parking within a mile of the stadium on game days. With more events I wonder how they will work this out.

Wilmette, which is right across from Evanston (north of Isabella St. by the baseball facility), allows free on-street parking. Just get to the game early enough as spots fill up quickly.

 

[disco]

Why the hate for Pearl Jam?

I've always hated their music and Vedder's voice, ever since they became popular when I was in college. Talented musicians to be sure, but I just can't stand their music.

 

[PMWinSTP]

I've always hated their music and Vedder's voice, ever since they became popular when I was in college. Talented musicians to be sure, but I just can't stand their music.

Fair enough. You have to be the first I've heard who has this strong of a negative opinion. Their 10 album is one I recommend as a must have in any album collection.

 

[oak_street1981]

Wilmette, which is right across from Evanston (north of Isabella St. by the baseball facility), allows free on-street parking. Just get to the game early enough as spots fill up quickly.

Back in 2019 I was staying at some dumpy,overpriced, trendy boho hotel (Hotel Lincoln) off Clark/Lincoln. I was thinking of parking at some lot east of the stadium mentioned by the NU Rivals posters, but instead I drove north over the border into Wilmette. The Nuns (Sisters of Christian Charity) that used to teach at my old middle school had a Mother House in Wilmette if I recall correctly.

I did find a spot to park, and it seemed like a 6 to 8 block walk to the stadium. My take away from that walk was that there are a lot of very wealthy people in Wilmette. There was some traffic control guy driving around handing out tickets, so there are some rules as to exactly where you can park in Wilmette, I think relating to sides of the street, ect.

Last year, I stayed at a newer hotel next the Drake Hotel right off the Beach. I rode the Red Line from State Street north, then transferred to the Purple line That worked out pretty well, but we were packed in like sardines for the return trip. Fun days, especially last year. I brought a couple of bottles of Poweraid heavily fortified with Grey Goose vodka on the train ride up, and was pretty loopy until the middle of the 2nd quarter. I then found the best bag of Carmel Corn I have had in a long time and that perked me up for the second half!

I may miss Ryan Field. I avoided it for years, then went for the last two trips and enjoyed it. Of course the Gophers won both times and the weather was sunny and above average.

 

[disco]

800M

For a 35k stadium…. Inflation is brutal.

Chicagoland real estate and construction prices. I assume there's a surcharge for kickbacks to the Chicago Outfit.

 

[howeda7]

It'll still be nearly empty for most of their football games, but at least it would be a nicer experience for the away fans who decide to visit.

I would have said the same thing about Nebraska's new basketball arena, but it had a lasting impact.

 

[howeda7]

Chicagoland real estate and construction prices. I assume there's a surcharge for kickbacks to the Chicago Outfit.

What's the price tag on the new Bears stadium in the suburbs?

 

[disco]

What's the price tag on the new Bears stadium in the suburbs?

The total project, including the stadium and surrounding developments is estimated at ~5 billion. Yeah...

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

It would help if they would turn down the stadium PA volume, which is ridiculously and unnecessarily loud.

Ridiculous take. That's the point of in stadium PA, to hear the plays being called.

Huge pet peeve of mine, being at a game and having the PA guy sound muffled or distant. Boom that shit!!

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

This is awesome news. I've been to 5 Gopher games in Evanston (2007, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2019), but not sure I'd make the trip back without the new stadium. Pretty much have had enough of the Ryan Field experience. The sightlines are excellent and you can get in for super cheap, but overall it's a dump.

Looking forward to making another Evanston trip once the new digs are open!

 

[Schnauzer]

I've always hated their music and Vedder's voice, ever since they became popular when I was in college. Talented musicians to be sure, but I just can't stand their music.

I just had to put my hand over the computer as my wife was walking by. She LOVES Pearl Jam (and Vedder). Your comments would have ruined her day.



We all have bands/singers that affect us like that. Once that opinion is formed, it stays. For some reason that I can't explain, I have never liked the Eurythmics. The Eurythmics are like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.

 

[Gophers_4life]

A $6.1 billion fundraising drive completed last year ensures developing the 35,000-seat stadium won’t require taxpayer financing, hurt the university’s research efforts or come at the expense of students, faculty and staff, according to school officials.

.... I'm just staring at the bolded.

Good lord ...


I'm imagining a NW fundraiser cold calling some alum. Guy's like "yeah sure, I haven't donated in a while, I guess I've done OK ... so, what do you guys need, how about a million? Here ya go"

 

[Iceland12]

Stewart Mandel a Northwestern Grad and the College Football guy at The Athletic answered a question about the new stadium.

"Try as it might, the school has never been able to turn Northwestern into “Chicago’s Big Ten team.” There have been exceptions, as I witnessed first hand during the 1995 and ’96 Big Ten championship runs. Old Dyche Stadium was sold out and rocking with purple-clad folks. But over the last decade, even as the program became a consistent bowl team, 30-40,000 was roughly the norm, save for when Ohio State or Michigan came to town and bought up half the stadium.

With that in mind, Northwestern really does not need to be playing in a 50,000-seat stadium. The hope at 35,000 is you’ll have regular sellouts during conference play, and even more importantly, that most of those 35,000 will be wearing purple. And having a more modern, more accessible stadium full of amenities could help entice more casual fans in Chicagoland to come out to some games. You have to do that these days to convince people to leave the comfort of their couch and their 60-inch televisions.

I should also add: Downsizing is not a new phenomenon. In 2006, Stanford tore down its old 90,000-seat bowl that once hosted a Super Bowl and built a more modern, compact structure that’s capped at 50,000. In 2012, TCU unveiled its beautiful, Camden Yards version of Amon G. Carter Stadium that dropped capacity from about 50,000 to 45,000. A couple of years later, Baylor moved out of outdated Floyd Casey Stadium (50,000) and into sparkling new McLane Stadium (45,000).

If I were building a stadium from scratch today, even at an Alabama or Ohio State, I would plan for smaller, not bigger crowds. In-stadium attendance across college football has been in decline for 15 years. And soon we’ll just be avatars watching games in the metaverse."

Mandel's Mailbag: Can UCLA fill the Rose Bowl? The Paul Chryst firing, Northwestern's new stadium

Which Big Ten opening is the better gig? What's going on in the state of Colorado?

theathletic.com

 

[WindyCityGopher]

.... I'm just staring at the bolded.

Good lord ...


I'm imagining a NW fundraiser cold calling some alum. Guy's like "yeah sure, I haven't donated in a while, I guess I've done OK ... so, what do you guys need, how about a million? Here ya go"

This just in: Northwestern attracts highly intelligent, highly motivated students who graduate and become highly successful and (in many cases) wealthy alumni. And it helps to have a mega-Sugar Daddy like Pat Ryan to cover half the cost of the stadium too.

 

[Gophers_4life]

NW isn't any harder to get into than Michigan, and I doubt it has that much better of a network or national reputation. Don't get me wrong, Michigan is well up there.

But I'm just saying NW isn't some uber-hard, tip-top private school on the level of a Stanford, UChicago, Ivy League, etc.