BC Place

[cromartie]

There's elements and there's elements. You can protect yourself against biting prairie cold and even against mosquito infestation. It is nearly impossible to protect yourself against sideways-driving freezing rain that soaks you to the skin to the point where you think you'll never feel dry again. I'll take BC Place thanks.

Yes, but as you'll recall, it rained for every home game at Empire, and hasn't rained for a BC Place home game since.

[prairielion]

Having an indoor stadium assures you that the team that plays the best should win on that day, and not that elements like a 90 mph wind that eliminates even 20yd fieldgoal attempts, to be a deciding factor in the outcome. Having now been to B.C. Place and also having seen numerous games at Taylor Field in Regina, give me cozy B.C. Place any day. let the players decide the outcome of the game, not the elements.

[MacNews]

hasn't rained for a BC Place home game since.

That record was broken awhile ago. It rained during the 2004 WDF and has since.

[cromartie]

hasn't rained for a BC Place home game since.

That record was broken awhile ago. It rained during the 2004 WDF and has since.

I was joking.

[Lions4ever]

Where's the beating a dead horse icon when you need it?

Sorry. Thread is justified. It has pictures of cheerleaders.

[Sir Purrcival]

It has been so long since Empire was gone, fewer people are around now who remember the complaints about that stadium. Among the most common were complaints about how the weather affected the game negatively. Players slipping all over the place, not been able to catch the ball etc. etc. We get more rain than pretty much any other football city in Canada. Yes, nothing like wet seats, damp clothes and a game where nobody is able to complete plays because they can't throw, cut or catch.

I'll take indoors thank you. If fact, I will go on record as a season's ticket holder that if they do go outdoors again, I will strongly consider not renewing. That is what should be the bottom line when it comes to a new stadium. I suspect that I wouldn't be alone in that mindset.

[cromartie]

It has been so long since Empire was gone, fewer people are around now who remember the complaints about that stadium. Among the most common were complaints about how the weather affected the game negatively. Players slipping all over the place, not been able to catch the ball etc. etc. We get more rain than pretty much any other football city in Canada. Yes, nothing like wet seats, damp clothes and a game where nobody is able to complete plays because they can't throw, cut or catch.

I'll take indoors thank you. If fact, I will go on record as a season's ticket holder that if they do go outdoors again, I will strongly consider not renewing. That is what should be the bottom line when it comes to a new stadium. I suspect that I wouldn't be alone in that mindset.

Or, you could just elect a government liberal enough to build you a retractable roof stadium and have the best of both worlds. :lol:

[Dieter]

I guess I'm just an old schooler....although I ain't old yet :lol:

But I like the element of weather and what it brings to a football game. Whether its a hot sunny afternoon, a cooler evening summer game or a torrential downpour our 3 feet of snow....I love all that stuff and how it brings the charm to a game of football.

Maybe I'm just crazy

[giwiens]

To me the whole issue of an outdoor stadium being better than an indoor stadium is usually raised be those who want to wax setimental and/or prefer watching sports on TV. I have watched sports both indoors and out and when it comes to the fall/winter weather in the south-western corner of B.C. I say keep the indoor stadium. An example can be given of an aquaintence of mine who moved here a number of years ago from Edmonton. His reason for not going to games, even when Edmonton is here, is that the games are played inside. Yet, when I ask him about going to games in Edmonton his response is that it is always too cold or too many bugs or too much wind to enjoy the game.

Would I keep my seasons tickets to the Lions if they moved outside? Yes. I am a fan of the game and the team. Would I go to the games when the temperature is in the low singles and it is raining? Maybe.

To me it is all a case of "Are you a fan of the game or the stadium?"

[notahomer]

My problem with BC Place is not the facility but the boozed up yahoos (you know the kind that attack officials). I love the policy of not showing fieldjumpers on TV. Don't give them their 15 seconds of fame.

I never got to see a game at Empire so I can't compare. I do want to see a CFL game in another stadium (Edmonton is probably going to be the one) and I am going to watch my first outdoor game one of these years down the road at Qwest.

[David]

I'll take indoors thank you. If fact, I will go on record as a season's ticket holder that if they do go outdoors again, I will strongly consider not renewing. That is what should be the bottom line when it comes to a new stadium. I suspect that I wouldn't be alone in that mindset.

So while you

A) haven't even seen the design or layout of this new stadium
B) realize that it rains (or as someone even wrote on here earlier *laugh* freezing rains) all of what, 2 maybe 3 out of a possible 11 home games a year, and
C) only 35% of Vancouver's annual rainfall occurs during the Lions' season (late June through late November)

you probably won't renew?!?

One thing I'll never really 'get' about B.C. Place loyalists - aside from an unwavering devotion to an outdated and much-too-large facility devoid of a truly exciting football atmosphere unless it's almost full (which only happens if we're fortunate enough to host a Final or a Grey Cup) is this argument - almost by rote - that an outdoor stadium would be the death knell of the Lions because no one would come to watch them play outdoors in the rain. This despite having the best climate in the league.

One doesn't have to look any further than 100 miles south on the I-5 to realize that a well marketed team that makes a connection to the community can play outdoors in any kind of weather and still receive its full support.

DH 8)

[Blue In BC]

It has been so long since Empire was gone, fewer people are around now who remember the complaints about that stadium. Among the most common were complaints about how the weather affected the game negatively. Players slipping all over the place, not been able to catch the ball etc. etc. We get more rain than pretty much any other football city in Canada. Yes, nothing like wet seats, damp clothes and a game where nobody is able to complete plays because they can't throw, cut or catch.

I'll take indoors thank you. If fact, I will go on record as a season's ticket holder that if they do go outdoors again, I will strongly consider not renewing. That is what should be the bottom line when it comes to a new stadium. I suspect that I wouldn't be alone in that mindset.

The " negative " impact of weather is as much a part of the game as injuries having " negative " impact on the game.

I remember the last game I saw at Empire against the Riders. It was in a torrential rain storm and most certainly had an impact on the game. I was freezing and wet but I had a ball.

I would rather play football in bad weather than good weather, but that's just me.

[Soundy]

The " negative " impact of weather is as much a part of the game as injuries having " negative " impact on the game.

I remember the last game I saw at Empire against the Riders. It was in a torrential rain storm and most certainly had an impact on the game. I was freezing and wet but I had a ball.

I would rather play football in bad weather than good weather, but that's just me.

Just watching the NHL "Outdoor Classic" game, Pittsburgh @ Buffalo, playing in the wind and snow on a rink set up in the Bills' Ralph Wilson Stadium... Hughson and the other pundits are noting that the coldest game ever played there was in December 2003, when the temperature with the wind chill was -26F.

So yeah, maybe a little rain ain't so bad.

That said, I'd still prefer the Dome to the rain

[Sir Purrcival]

I'll take indoors thank you. If fact, I will go on record as a season's ticket holder that if they do go outdoors again, I will strongly consider not renewing. That is what should be the bottom line when it comes to a new stadium. I suspect that I wouldn't be alone in that mindset.

So while you

A) haven't even seen the design or layout of this new stadium
B) realize that it rains (or as someone even wrote on here earlier *laugh* freezing rains) all of what, 2 maybe 3 out of a possible 11 home games a year, and
C) only 35% of Vancouver's annual rainfall occurs during the Lions' season (late June through late November)

you probably won't renew?!?

One thing I'll never really 'get' about B.C. Place loyalists - aside from an unwavering devotion to an outdated and much-too-large facility devoid of a truly exciting football atmosphere unless it's almost full (which only happens if we're fortunate enough to host a Final or a Grey Cup) is this argument - almost by rote - that an outdoor stadium would be the death knell of the Lions because no one would come to watch them play outdoors in the rain. This despite having the best climate in the league.

One doesn't have to look any further than 100 miles south on the I-5 to realize that a well marketed team that makes a connection to the community can play outdoors in any kind of weather and still receive its full support.

DH 8)

Yep, thats about right. I remember the not always so good old days at Empire and although there were games where being outside was great, there were lots that weren't. That wasn't always about rain either. Sometimes, you might end up in the sun for two or more hours roasting and in these days of SPF 30 etc. That isn't a thought I relish either. Now BC Place won't last forever and I am not particularly devoted to that facility for other reasons but I have little interest in trying to guess what the weather is going to do on game day. Hell, even the weather folks don't have a clue 50% of the time and it can change hourly. What started out looking nice turns horrible and vice versa in a matter of 10 mins or more.
I know some don't mind that kind of thing and all power to them but that isn't me. Since I am the sole judge of how to spend my money, it is my POV that I would look very carefully before deciding to re-up for seasons if they go to an outdoor facility again. Been there, done that, don't pine for those days much. I don't think I am alone if this thread is any yardstick of public opinion. Now I have no objection to some kind of retractable roof design but the general train of thought on those is that they are too $$$. So if it comes down to a choice between either indoor or outdoor, I will choose indoor. Obviously, you are as biased in the other direction as I am.

[David]

Now I have no objection to some kind of retractable roof design but the general train of thought on those is that they are too $$$. So if it comes down to a choice between either indoor or outdoor, I will choose indoor. Obviously, you are as biased in the other direction as I am.

To me, the cost of a new stadium and not wanting to shell out tax dollars for a facility that may only be used 20-30 times a year is the soundest argument against - far more so than worrying about a few rainy days (which by the way, would be offset by our beautiful West Coast summer evenings. Just ask the Vancouver Canadians. I'll bet most people who attend their games couldn't name a single player but come to the park just to soak up the atmosphere).

What many overlook is that if they were to build an outdoor facility, I highly doubt it would be completely exposed. There would likely be a cantilevered roof or overhang to protect fans from potential elements like they construct them in the U.K.

DH 8)