In or Out?

[darell1976]

I can't find a thread on this topic so I will start one. Would you rather watch football in a dome or outside. As a fan of a team that plays in a dome I wish they could move back outside. I remember digging out my seat with a shovel before a game in 1993 but it was fun. Packed house, hot chocolate (alcohol was not allowed), it was a great football atmosphere. But since moving indoors in 2001 I don't feel that atmosphere as much. Funny that UND, NDSU, and USD all have domes and only 1 national title has been won from being indoors. NDSU was unstoppable at Dacotah Field, and I have heard some who think the Fargodome is a curse on the team. Is it?? So fans what is your opinion dome or no dome.

[SideLine Shooter]

Football is an outside game.

[Eaglesrus]

I guess I shouldn't respond since I've never watched a football game in person in a dome so I can't actually compare, but I can say that I have no desire to, either. Maybe it would be a better experience than I think, but I would be real surprised. Of course, I'm also one of those dinosaurs that thinks football should be played on real grass, too.

[ElonPride]

No dome......football should be played out in the elements.

There's no experience like sitting through a football game in snow!

[PaladinFan]

Outside. Real grass.

[WestCoastAggie]

Give me a nice Fall day in the 60's & 70's and Sunshine. Playing in Rain or Snow is cool but standing or sitting in that is for the birds. BUT I will endure the conditions if the Aggies or Racers were in the Playoffs.

[gophoenix]

No dome......football should be played out in the elements.

There's no experience like sitting through a football game in snow!

Me too, OUTSIDE.

Even in hot as heck GSU, and humid NC in Summer, and sitting in bitter cold and snow for a few Western games, outside definitely.

After seeing Arena, Indoor Football, and the ETSU games.... there's just not personality inside.

[darell1976]

This question may be easier for Southern or Eastern teams but what about up here. When it could be 5 above with a 40mph wind. Wind Chill -30 or snow coming down. Could you stand the elements.

[Eaglesrus]

This question may be easier for Southern or Eastern teams but what about up here. When it could be 5 above with a 40mph wind. Wind Chill -30 or snow coming down. Could you stand the elements.

That's why I'm not up there (well, one of the reasons, anyway).

[NHwildEcat]

There is no better sporting enjoyment then watching a game being played in the snow both at home and in person! It is an equalizer thus making the game that much more exciting.

I did find myself (probably the only person on the planet) to enjoy the Trop in Tampa when I went down last year to see the Sox. The sun down there is brutal and southern baseball should be played in doors!

I know I will never have to worry about UNH moving indoors...hell we can't afford lights as is!

[elon77]

Out. Wait, unless it's in Boone in November. Coldest place on earth. Only place colder is Blowing Rock in January.

[ValleyBoy]

This question may be easier for Southern or Eastern teams but what about up here. When it could be 5 above with a 40mph wind. Wind Chill -30 or snow coming down. Could you stand the elements.

Same as in the south early in season when it is 98 with humidy at 90% and no wind. The same question Northern teams. Could you stand the elements.

Yes a dome is nice and from fan prospective, but football is and outdoor game. If you want a inside game pull out the roundball.

[biggie]

Outside, in the snow.

[unigriff]

It really doesn't matter to much to me. UNI's team practices outside in the grueling heat or the freezing temps for practice for away games. So its not like we just stay inside all the time. Most thought when we played ASU in 05 that we couldn't handle the cold elements because we play in a dome. Lest some forget the Cats practiced outside! that week in the snow! So Idk about other teams but for UNI i don't think its much of a factor and the Dakotas, (well at least NDSU) you're welcome for having a Dome built for them from our guy Stan ;)

I'd take either. And UNIs new field turf, which was a huge upgrade from the Astrodome turf we had makes it look and feel like outside anyway! btw, SIU #5 preseason...blah!

[SideLine Shooter]

Out. Wait, unless it's in Boone in November. Coldest place on earth. Only place colder is Blowing Rock in January.

Ain't it WONDERFUL.xthumbsupxxthumbsupxxnodx

[SideLine Shooter]

15429Love it!

[darell1976]

Same as in the south early in season when it is 98 with humidy at 90% and no wind. The same question Northern teams. Could you stand the elements.
Yes a dome is nice and from fan prospective, but football is and outdoor game. If you want a inside game pull out the roundball.

I think fans can stand the heat better than the extreme cold.

[Sader87]

Watching football live in the cold with concomitant adverse weather (rain, sleet, snow etc.) is misreable to be at, though it does make for great television viewing. Anyone who says otherwise is either tougher than me or a liar (or both).

In my opinion (biased obviously), there is no better weather (or place) to watch football than New England in late September or early October....crisp 50's, beautiful sunshine etc. etc.

[SideLine Shooter]

Watching football live in the cold with concomitant adverse weather (rain, sleet, snow etc.) is misreable to be at, though it does make for great television viewing. Anyone who says otherwise is either tougher than me or a liar (or both).

In my opinion (biased obviously), there is no better weather (or place) to watch football than New England in late September or early October....crisp 50's, beautiful sunshine etc. etc.

When I am shooting a cold weather game it might be cold before kickoff but when the game starts I don't think about cold, It just makes the game and atmosphere better.

If you want to be at a beautiful place to see a game in mid to late October you need to try Boone. The sights and atmosphere are awesome. Biased opinion for sure, but it is a sight to see.

[lionsrking2]

Ideally, IMO, football is best viewed and played outdoors, on a crisp, cool, dry fall evening...I certainly don't mind domes, assuming the turf is of the newer variety and not the old carpet...you can have your snow, your rain, your mud and your wind...I go to a football game to hopefully enjoy myself and see players take advantage of their full athletic capabilities...I realize nature doesn't always cooperate, and I can handle a bad weather game once in a while, but given my "druthers," I'd much prefer a night game, on a clear night, 55-60 degrees, with calm winds...call me a puss or a wuss, I don't care...if I wanna watch rugby, I'll go watch our club team on campus.

[Sader87]

Ideally, IMO, football is best viewed and played outdoors, on a crisp, cool, dry fall evening...I certainly don't mind domes, assuming the turf is of the newer variety and not the old carpet...you can have your snow, your rain, your mud and your wind...I go to a football game to hopefully enjoy myself and see players take advantage of their full athletic capabilities...I realize nature doesn't always cooperate, and I can handle a bad weather game once in a while, but given my "druthers," I'd much prefer a night game, on a clear night, 55-60 degrees, with calm winds...call me a puss or a wuss, I don't care...if I wanna watch rugby, I'll go watch our club team on campus.

College football is meant to be played on Saturday afternoons....night football is for the high schools.

[Bogus Megapardus]

College football is meant to be played on Saturday afternoons....night football is for the high schools.

One or two early fall night games against a nearby foe (but not a blue chip opponent) are a good way to get student turnout. Brown or an NEC opponent might be an ideal night game at Fitton.

[biggie]

I think fans can stand the heat better than the extreme cold.
I can teach them how to add on some 'insulation'. You'd think the ladies would want to be near me in the cold, I'm like a heater.


Oh and I love night games.

[DJOM]

Football is meant to be played outside in the elements. Friday nights for high school, Saturday during the day for College and Sunday for the pro's. Not that I am old fashioned, but....I have sat thru blinding rain storms, snow storms, heat and cold. Its all better than sitting inside a dome.

[Sader87]

One or two early fall night games against a nearby foe (but not a blue chip opponent) are a good way to get student turnout. Brown or an NEC opponent might be an ideal night game at Fitton.

Meh...don't get me wrong, I love high school night football (and do the local cablecasts) but college football just seems "made" for Saturday afternoons. Tailgating beforehand, the game itself and then the post-game celebration (or drowning of the sorrows) afterwards before leaving alma mater for the day/night. Night games sort of shorten that experience imo. I know night games seem to be the trend lately (and we have two road night games this year) but give me a 1 o'clock kick-off for a college game any day.

[UAalum72]

A 3:30 or 4:00 start is late enough to get the students out. More tailgating time for the rest of us. With Daylight Savings Time lasting until November now, most of the games will be in sunshine.

Only indoor game I've seen was an ArenaBall contest. Not enough like real football to judge.

As for rain, snow, or cold, there's no bad weather, only inadequate clothing. Enough wind makes it unpleasant no matter what the temp.

[biggie]

Forgot to mention, very happy for a 6pm kickoff at home vs El Cid this season. Still partially daylight, but luckily the sun is behind a mtn/trees quickly.

And for tailgating/traveling, no one should want a noon game, hate them.

[TokyoGriz]

Outside. No annoying purple, pink, blue, red or what the hell ever turf either.

[Go...gate]

Outside. Real grass.

Amen, brother.

[OrygunBison]

It was at a game late in the '89 season when, as a freshman at NDSU, I discovered that at Dacotah Field, if you are in a pinch and the weather is hovering around -10, that tequila will actually mix with hot coffee quite nicely.

I wish we had never built the dome. We haven't really done much since we started playing in there.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Commonwealth Stadium, home of CFL's Edmonton Eskimos. Seats 60,000. No dome, real grass. That'll put a gloss on your niblets, for sure.

[coover]

Whoops ... the quote didn't show so I will edit this ...

Darrel1976 said "I think fans can stand the heat better than the extreme cold."

No way. In the cold, you can wear lots of clothes and warm jackets. In the heat, after you've taken off all your clothes and suffer from sun burn on body parts that have never before seen the sun, what more can you do (other than getting arrested for nudity and going to an air conditioned jail)? I'll take North Dakota in the winter before I take Death Valley in the Summer (or even in the fall). I've never been to a football game in Death Valley, but it I ever go to one, I want to make sure it is in a Dome.

[Grrrrriz]

OUTSIDE!

[RabidRabbit]

Outdoors has certainly been one of the joys of the Sept/Oct games at SDSU, and Jacks still play on grass. Jacks are now at a decided advantage for lousy weather Nov. games. But SDSU normally fails miserably to get fans out for the November below freezing temps. Dome teams aren't seeing the fall off due to bad weather, just for bad products on the field.

[DotCat]

Outside. I attended a couple of games at ETSU in the Mini-Dump and that was terrible. Even worse, the Bucs still play basketball in that place. Terrible.

[lionsrking2]

College football is meant to be played on Saturday afternoons....night football is for the high schools.

I can tell you're not from the south...football before 6 pm in these parts is blasphemy!

[darell1976]

Whoops ... the quote didn't show so I will edit this ...

Darrel1976 said "I think fans can stand the heat better than the extreme cold."

No way. In the cold, you can wear lots of clothes and warm jackets. In the heat, after you've taken off all your clothes and suffer from sun burn on body parts that have never before seen the sun, what more can you do (other than getting arrested for nudity and going to an air conditioned jail)? I'll take North Dakota in the winter before I take Death Valley in the Summer (or even in the fall). I've never been to a football game in Death Valley, but it I ever go to one, I want to make sure it is in a Dome.

I could handle wearing just shorts with lots of sunscreen but when you are bundled up like an eskimo with the wind frostbiting your face I would definately take the heat.

[LeadBolt]

Outside, afternoon

[McNeeserocket]

This question may be easier for Southern or Eastern teams but what about up here. When it could be 5 above with a 40mph wind. Wind Chill -30 or snow coming down. Could you stand the elements.

You clearly have never been to a game in South Louisiana in September when it is 95 to 100 degrees and 90% to 100% humidity. I wish we had a dome stadium for games through mid October and an outside stadium for games later in the year.

[darell1976]

You clearly have never been to a game in South Louisiana in September when it is 95 to 100 degrees and 90% to 100% humidity. I wish we had a dome stadium for games through mid October and an outside stadium for games later in the year.

The closest I have been to the heat was watching Dan Marino and Steve Young get inducted in the HOF in 95 degree heat I got really burned that day. But obviously you haven't been to a game up here were it was 10 degrees with wind blowing 30mph from the north making the wind chills -25 or so...remember 1967 Green Bay vs Dallas "The Ice Bowl" it was similar to that.

[Redbird Ray]

If Green Bay can do it, any place in the U.S. can do it. Outside.

Although I suppose a lot of you Dakota Viqueen fans will argue differently. xlolx

[darell1976]

If Green Bay can do it, any place in the U.S. can do it. Outside.

Although I suppose a lot of you Dakota Viqueen fans will argue differently. xlolx

Not me.. I vote for outdoors

[RabidRabbit]

South Dakota is the land of extreme temps. There are plenty of August days in SD that are 105, but not the 95% humidity. As evidenced by SDSU/NDSU games vs Southland and GA Southern, Dakota schools play just fine in the heat.

Please show me the Southland schools that have knocked off EWU, MT, or a Dakota school at the northern school in Nov/Dec? Doesn't happen much.

Altho, USD, UND, NDSU, UNI don't have outdoor field so definitely not the equivalent of a Maine, SDSU, or MT.

[ngineer]

I hate indoor football. I went to my first 'domed' game in 1976 at the Pontiac Silverdome to see the Lions play the Vikings and thought I was going to play or movie. Football is to be played outdoors, in the elements, whatever they may be. It's part of the vagaries that can effect games that makes some of football's greatest games so great. I fully understand those schools or pro teams located in certain environments that choose to go with a dome, but I still don't like it, and never will.

[AppStsGr8]

Gotta vote for outside ... a little cold, maybe a little snow ... or a cloudless Appalachian fall afternoon. Indoors is just too sterile for me.

[McNeeserocket]

Please show me the Southland schools that have knocked off EWU, MT, or a Dakota school at the northern school in Nov/Dec? Doesn't happen much.

On December 14, 2004 Sam Houston State (Southland team) beat Eastern Washington at EWU 35 to 34 in the second round of the playoffs.

McNeese beat Idaho 23 to 20 in Idaho in the 1st round of the playoffs on November 28, 1992.

McNeese also beat Western Illinois in the 2nd round of playoffs in Macomb, Illinois in a wet and very cold game December of 1997.

I realize neither Idaho or W. Illinois were the schools you named but both were in significantly colder temperatures than the deep south usuually see.

One last note, when McNeese played Montana in the 2nd round playoff game in Lake Charles, LA on 12/7/2002 it was a cold day for Lake Charles, and many of the attending Montana fans (some of the best fans ever) said that they felt the cold that day in Lake Charles (cold, windy and high humidity) was about as cold as they had ever felt. You simply cannot wear enough clothes to stop the wet-cold weather from penetrating no matter how many layers you wear. On the flip side, the last time McNeese went to play in Montana for a 1st round playoff game, the McNeese fans and players felt that the temperatures were very mild in spite of the temperature readings because the humidity was so low.

[PantherRob82]

McNeese beat Idaho 23 to 20 in Idaho in the 1st round of the playoffs on November 28, 1992.

McNeese also beat Western Illinois in the 2nd round of playoffs in Macomb, Illinois in a wet and very cold game December of 1997.

I realize neither Idaho or W. Illinois were the schools you named but both were in significantly colder temperatures than the deep south usuually see.



Idaho plays indoors. Western Illinois is quite a bit more mild than the other schools. I've been there 4 times and never had to wear more than a light jacket.

[McNeeserocket]

Idaho plays indoors. Western Illinois is quite a bit more mild than the other schools. I've been there 4 times and never had to wear more than a light jacket.

According to the Almanac, the temperature for the Western Illinois Playoff game ranged from a low of 21 degrees and topped out at 28 degrees. It was a windy and snowy day (winds were from 13 to 23 MPH).

In contrast, the next week (12/13/1997), McNeese played Delaware in Delaware where the temps ranged from 26 to 43 degrees without rain, snow and little to no wind. Everyone thought it was a lovely and comfortable day.

[doolittledog]

I prefer outdoors. But, with UNI very close to my home, I realize what a recruiting advantage a Dome can be for a smaller school. Unfortunately, FCS schools have to rely on casual fans and not just hard core fans. The casual fans will be more likely to head over to Cedar Falls in November if they know it will be 68 degrees inside the UNI Dome than if there is the chance it could be snowing and 20 degrees outside.

[unigriff]

actually its 72* not 68* :) Anyway. While I like playing outdoors because of scenery and just feeling the breeze, it is at a slight disadvantage to the visitor if they have never been in it. I prefer games to be played in a neutral environment where weather doesn't alter the outcome of a game (blinding snow, wet grass, etc). If everyone is playing in the same environment of 0 weather, then it takes out the factor of home field advantage and allows the "best team that day" to win. Well you could argue that even outside both teams are playnig in the same conditions however, one team may have never played in such conditions and doesn't know how to react to it. Unfair advantage. As a coach, I prefer indoors because it takes that "advantage" out of the equation and you can focus more on the game rather than your athletes mindset towards the weather. JMO

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

actually its 72* not 68* :) Anyway. While I like playing outdoors because of scenery and just feeling the breeze, it is at a slight disadvantage to the visitor if they have never been in it. I prefer games to be played in a neutral environment where weather doesn't alter the outcome of a game (blinding snow, wet grass, etc). If everyone is playing in the same environment of 0 weather, then it takes out the factor of home field advantage and allows the "best team that day" to win. Well you could argue that even outside both teams are playnig in the same conditions however, one team may have never played in such conditions and doesn't know how to react to it. Unfair advantage. As a coach, I prefer indoors because it takes that "advantage" out of the equation and you can focus more on the game rather than your athletes mindset towards the weather. JMO

The thermostat might be set at 72 but the actual temp is much, much higher based on my two trips to the Dome. Players on both teams in 2008 had problems "providing a sample" for the NCAA after the game due to their dehydration.

All I know is that it was very, very bizarre after tailgating outside in cold conditions to then go inside to watch a football game. Just didn't seem right. But if those games had been played outside, the elements would have been a significant factor due to the constant, strong wind blowing out of the West. Probably would have given UNI an advantage since they had the better running game. Passing and kicking into that freaking wind would have been a challenge if not near impossible!

I think I was in Texas playing golf when someone explained the strong wind outside Dallas as coming off the Rockies with nothing in between to slow it down. I think the same is true for Cedar Falls!! xnodx xlolx