As I sit here at Lucas Oil Stadium preparing to do stats for CBS Sports on the Colts game against the Chiefs I am marveling at the sheer size of this building. At that’s exactly what it is, a building.  Along with the 63,000 fans I am as comfortable as can be because the retractable roof is closed and the air conditioning is on.  It’s supposed to be an in the 80′s today in Indianapolis, uncharacteristic weather at this time of year in the midwest. And, I have to admit that I’d rather not be sweating or chasing around my paperwork when the wind blows as I might be doing in an open air stadium right now. But, part of me longs for the days of outdoor football so matter what the weather is. It’s great to be comfortable, but I always feel like the elements are an interesting part of sports. I love to see how athletes perform in the elements. How does the wind effect the the kicker? Can a team throw the ball when driving into the wind or rain? How many fumbles will we see in wet weather? There’s nothing like a snow game! It all goes away when an outdoor game turns into an indoor game. In the last three days I’ve been fortunate enough to experience a great atmosphere at a playoff baseball game in San Francisco between the Braves and Giants and now a sold out NFL game with two top teams. The Giants fans at AT&T park waved their orange pom poms and roared throughout a tight extra inning game on a Friday night. The Colts fans are clad in their blue jerseys, most with the number 18 and the name Manning on the back. It’s a great day for football and it will probably be much louder here with the retractable roof closed. But, I do wish we were outside in the fresh air. The folks in the 142 suites here could still close the windows and have their AC. I’ll take the elements anytime. And the pom poms are ok except the video board doesn’t need to prompt the fans to wave them. Artificial enthusiasm? Artificial turf? Air conditioning? Not my idea of a real sporting event.

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Tags: AT & T Park, Colts, Lucas Oil Stadium, NFL | Category Uncategorized