First of all, let me begin by stating that I have never been inside Lucas Oil Stadium and this post in no way says anything adverse about the countless labor and efforts of the people who built the stadium. My beef is with the design in general and how it seems to not be well thought out.

When I first saw drawings of the proposed design, I was less than enthused. The stadium with it’s boring red brick and steel girders jetting out of the top looked like something that belonged on the side of the railroad tracks in a factory town, not a shining beacon of architecture in a major Midwest city. Although the retractable roof is pretty “neat” it’s nothing new, or innovative like “the great lawn” at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona. It’s simply a “meh” looking stadium that’s built around suites that only a select few can afford.

After being less than impressed by the design from the git-go, once I saw a daytime televised game from the stadium, it solidified my dislike of it’s design. Apparently no one on the design team consulted with the local Pagans, Wiccans, Native Americans, Shamans or even the local TV weatherperson to determine how the sun would track across the sky, and if it would cause any adverse conditions on the filed. For instance the GIANT shadows that lay across the field that are so stark in contrast that it’s damn near impossible to follow the plays on TV! As I said, I’ve never been inside the stadium, but I’m assuming it’s not much better from the stands. All I know is it’s almost impossible to watch a game on a sunny day on TV.

So we now have this big, open top stadium with giant shadows across the field that looks like a huge brick in a flower garden. In the RCA dome, it was well lit, climate controlled, you could easily follow the action and it looked awesome on TV. The RCA Dome also had something much more important to it’s credit that Lucas Oil Stadium does not…it was LOUD in there. It was voted the most difficult stadium in which an offense to operate. That’s not just a design like or dislike, that a game deciding aspect of a stadium. It allowed the fans to actually be a part of the team’s win. Lucas Oil Stadium can not boast anything  close to this.

I suppose a little  of my dislike for the stadium came from the sadness of watching the dome be destroyed. I remember how excited my football loving dad was when the Colts came to town and how amazed he was when they built the “Hoosier” Dome. I remember how incredible it was when we got season tickets, and how we didn’t care that the team went 1-15 that year…we had an NFL team in our town!

Even without all that nostalgia peppering my decision; I still think it’s ugly and ill-designed. But I wouldn’t hesitate to go to a game. If I could only afford the $150 charge just to be put on the waiting list for a $44 nosebleed/end zone ticket. Oh the irony of so many Indianapolis citizens who are paying for the stadium with tax dollars and will probably never see the inside of a stadium they helped to pay for.

One last note; I was, am and always will be a die-hard Colts fan. Even if their stadium sucks.