TUSCALOOSA - Bryant-Denny Stadium (101,821)

[Rev Stickleback]

Originally Posted by slipperydog

Just so people get an idea of how passionate college football fans in America are...this stadium is located in a city of 77,000 people. Capacity is over 100K.

what's the population of the area it draws fans from though, as clearly, unless 23,000 fans are cloning themselves for every game, it's not purely from the town itself.

[mattec]

it's the entire alumni base and the state as well.

[Bobby3]

I think the passion thing is a bit skewed, college games are MUCH more affordable than NFL games, the cost of which are higher than car payments in some cases.

[KingmanIII]

Originally Posted by weava

At an NFL game the entire stadium gets loud and into the game, where at college games it seems at most schools its mostly the 18-22 year old students making the noise and jumping and the rest of the stadium is more laid back.

That's because here in Kansas City we're familiar with middling college programs such as KU, KSU and MU, whereas Chiefs fans are known as being among the best in the NFL.

In the South, it's a completely different story.

[slipperydog]

I was really just trying to give an overly-simplistic view of the difference between NFL and CFB. What I've noticed is that in general, NFL atmospheres and other intangibles tend to be more sterile than college. Obviously there are always exceptions (i.e. Packers, Chiefs), but that's the best I could explain it to someone unfamiliar with football.

It may be a bit skewed because I'm a college football nutcase. BTW, the only NFL I find worth watching is Hard Knocks and the Super Bowl.

[rantanamo]

Originally Posted by weava

At an NFL game the entire stadium gets loud and into the game, where at college games it seems at most schools its mostly the 18-22 year old students making the noise and jumping and the rest of the stadium is more laid back.

College fans will never admit this, but they are the same fans that complain about their old alumni telling them to sit down.

[pawel19-87]

image hosted on flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/newmanblake/4842166038/

[Jim856796]

Still replacing benches at the east side, eh?

[dfwabel]

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2010/...ant-denny.html

[en1044]

Originally Posted by Jim856796

Still replacing benches at the east side, eh?

Wha?

[Scoots71]

Originally Posted by en1044

Wha?

He's referring to the upper deck, which still has it's original bleachers from when it was built, and therefore looks a little less shiny.

[desertpunk]

[desertpunk]

[Scoots71]

Some pictures of the outside of the stadium.

Outside the North Endzone:





East side:



Southeast corner:


South Endzone:




West Side (The oldest exterior to the stadium):

[Walbanger]

So how close is Alabama to receiving the "Death Penalty"?

[www.sercan.de]

how high is the last low?

[timo9]

[Topher51]

Originally Posted by rantanamo

College fans will never admit this, but they are the same fans that complain about their old alumni telling them to sit down.

Any generalization of college fans vs. pro fans will have exceptions.

For the most part, pro teams draw from the population of the cities they are based in and the fan base is largely anchored there. College teams draw from larger regions and most of them had at least a 50 year head start on the NFL team in their area. The "passion" is usually derived from: a) someone in the family spending 4 years as a student at the school or b) several generations of a family rooting for the team through good years and bad years. Either way, the fan base tends to spread out over time creating a larger foot print. Since football is only played once a week and on a day when most people don't work, a 4 hour drive for a college football game is completely reasonable. I drive 8 when I go back for a Tennessee game. This type of pilgrimage emphasizes the perceived passion.

While most pro teams don't have hoards of people driving 100+ miles to their games and some don't have the benefit of generations of loyalty, many do. My in-laws are die hard Pittsburgh Steeler fans and I'd put their loyalty, passion and knowledge of their team up against any fellow SEC fan I have ever met.

Unless you are comparing the average LSU fan against the average Arizona Cardinal fan (or Vanderbilt fan to a Dallas Cowboys fan), there are many more similarities between the two sport's fanbases than there are differences.

On a side note, yes, going back and sitting in an alumni section really sucks after spending 4 in the student section. 75% of UT alumni sit on their hands until it's 3rd down.

[GunnerJacket]

Originally Posted by www.sercan.de

how high is the last low?

Depends on how much alcohol and drugs they've had!

[KingmanIII]

Originally Posted by Walbanger

So how close is Alabama to receiving the "Death Penalty"?

as long as they keep making the NCAA lots of money, not at all...