Interesting point made on Head to Head yesterday about baseball stadiums....

[Goat Holder]

It was agreed that MSU's and Ole Miss' baseball stadiums are louder and seem more intimidating than some of the newer ones. LSU, Carolina, Arkansas, Trustmark and others seem like a minor league park (duh in Trustmark's case). What say ED? Does the open air concourse take away some of the atmosphere? I never thought about it until now. This is not an attempt to argue about what should happen to DNF, but rather a reasonable question.

On one hand, I do think while Trustmark games are fun, the atmosphere is a little more laid back. Does it matter? Doesn't seem to hurt the 3 teams I mentioned. But do we have an atmosphere and intimidation factor at DNF that we perhaps take for granted?

[Lloyd Christmas]

I think you can make a modern, great looking stadium without it being "minor league" looking. I think A&M's ballpark is a great template to build on.

[messageboardsuperhero]

It was agreed that MSU's and Ole Miss' baseball stadiums are louder and seem more intimidating than some of the newer ones. LSU, Carolina, Arkansas, Trustmark and others seem like a minor league park (duh in Trustmark's case). What say ED? Does the open air concourse take away some of the atmosphere? I never thought about it until now. This is not an attempt to argue about what should happen to DNF, but rather a reasonable question.

On one hand, I do think while Trustmark games are fun, the atmosphere is a little more laid back. Does it matter? Doesn't seem to hurt the 3 teams I mentioned. But do we have an atmosphere and intimidation factor at DNF that we perhaps take for granted?

I don't think that's the case at all. Did you watch the LSU super regional last year? When New Alex Box was rocking, it was every bit as intimidating as any other great college atmosphere.

Rowdy fans make a place intimidating, not necessarily the architectural design. Sure, there are some football stadiums that have intimidating designs (ie, Tiger Stadium), but that also has more to do with the fans than anything. And for the record, it would be stupid to try and put DNF on the same level intimidation wise as Tiger Stadium- the two aren't even remotely comparable.

[messageboardsuperhero]

I think you can make a modern, great looking stadium without it being "minor league" looking. I think A&M's ballpark is a great template to build on.

Honestly, I don't get all the praise for A&M's stadium. Yes, it's very impressive on the outside, but on the inside, it's still built on an outdated design. When it comes to actually sitting and enjoying a game, give me Trustmark or a stadium like USCe over that any day.

A&M's stadium is very nice, but I don't think it's on the same level as the open concourses.

[Coach34]

as long as there is drinking and grilling in the OF- our stadium will be loud. State and Ole Miss are the loudest because of the large numbers of people in the OF

[maroonmania]

as long as there is drinking and grilling in the OF- our stadium will be loud. State and Ole Miss are the loudest because of the large numbers of people in the OF

I agree in the sense that it is more intimidating to a player when he is surrounded by fans on every side. Heck, a lot of minor league ball parks are not as intimidating because there are NO bleachers or fans anywhere in the OF so a team is not catching it from all sides.

[Drugdog]

I agree in the sense that it is more intimidating to a player when he is surrounded by fans on every side. Heck, a lot of minor league ball parks are not as intimidating because there are NO bleachers or fans anywhere in the OF so a team is not catching it from all sides.


as long as there is drinking and grilling in the OF- our stadium will be loud. State and Ole Miss are the loudest because of the large numbers of people in the OF

Excellent point.

[messageboardsuperhero]

as long as there is drinking and grilling in the OF- our stadium will be loud. State and Ole Miss are the loudest because of the large numbers of people in the OF

Exactly. The LFL and fans in the outfield surrounding the field have way more to do with DNF being intimidating than our shitty grandstand does.

[Todd4State]

It was agreed that MSU's and Ole Miss' baseball stadiums are louder and seem more intimidating than some of the newer ones. LSU, Carolina, Arkansas, Trustmark and others seem like a minor league park (duh in Trustmark's case). What say ED? Does the open air concourse take away some of the atmosphere? I never thought about it until now. This is not an attempt to argue about what should happen to DNF, but rather a reasonable question.

On one hand, I do think while Trustmark games are fun, the atmosphere is a little more laid back. Does it matter? Doesn't seem to hurt the 3 teams I mentioned. But do we have an atmosphere and intimidation factor at DNF that we perhaps take for granted?

Apples and oranges.

Minor league baseball is not so much about winning as much as it is the players learning. The players come through like a revolving door. It makes it a little bit harder to develop a following for certain players and therefore more difficult to follow the team as a fan. People go to minor league baseball games to drink beer with their friends and watch the dizzy bat race.

SEC baseball is about winning. In the SEC you build a "program" and win year after year and build a fan base. A fan base = more rowdy fans.

[Goat Holder]

Agree with all that. In saying that, does the stadium take away from the rowdiness of fans by design? Most people on this board don't think so, but H2H brought it up. Does the hulking concrete block intimidate more than the breezy open laid back concourse? In the end, was the open concourse applied to pro baseball BY DESIGN or because of some other factor? Even in the MLB, it's the same. It's about winning, sure, but it's much more about entertainment in the pros than it is in college.

It appears that college is going that way anyhow. You see it on the message boards, people are already calling for family areas and such.

[Todd4State]

I don't think the design take away from it because the current trend in stadium design is to get the fans closer to the action. That's going to make rowdy fans even rowdier.

I think that's one reason why the LFL is so rowdy. You have slightly intoxicated college kids right and fans right up against the fence in the outfield interacting with the outfielders.