Thread: On field seating experiment

Did anyone else see this article. Wow what a fun way to watch a game. I am surprised the metrodome is the place they are trying this out though. With all the newer more hi-tech stadiums I am surprised they are not giving it a try somewhere else.

NBA brawl won't stop Vikings' plan for field-level seats
Kevin Seifert, Star Tribune
November 24, 2004 VNOT1124



A long-planned seating experiment at the Metrodome began attracting national attention Tuesday, five days after a brawl between NBA players and fans in Auburn Hills, Mich., forever changed the way premium seats are viewed for sporting events.

Earlier this season, the Vikings volunteered to test a portable, four-person box the NFL is considering for other stadiums around the country. The field-level seats, enclosed by a padded wall, will be arranged 12 yards from the visitor's sideline at Sunday's game against Jacksonville.

The fans, chosen by the Vikings' sales and marketing staff, will sit in Barcalounger-style chairs and will enjoy catered concessions courtesy of the team. After the game, they will provide feedback on sightlines, atmosphere and value of the seating arrangement. If all goes well, the NFL will consider selling similar seats in stadiums next season.

The experiment comes at a time when the proximity of fans and players is being newly examined after the now-infamous NBA fight Friday night. Steve LaCroix, the Vikings' vice president of sales and marketing, said the team expects no security concerns as a result of the four new seats.

LaCroix noted the team already provides security for the "couple hundred" fans who already watch the game from the field -- either through team-provided field passes or as part of the stadium's handicapped-accessible seating areas.

The New England Patriots tested the seats during a game last season, and the seats also are scheduled to be used in games at Chicago and Miami next month.

Moss 'superb'

The Vikings put receiver Randy Moss through a rigorous 26-minute workout Tuesday, after which coach Mike Tice declared Moss was in "superb" condition. There were no indications of swelling in Moss' strained right hamstring, even after a workout that included 23 consecutive minutes of running pass routes with 25 seconds of rest in between each play.

Sign me up! I would love to be able to watch a Vikings game on the field only 12 yards away. Not only that, but sitting in a lounger and being catered to by the team, they wouldn't be able to get me to leave. :tongue:

Who knows how much these seats would be if they continue them though. Too much for any normal fan I'm sure.

The only people who could afford them would be rich stiffs who don't know the difference between a RB and a CB. They wouldn't care who wins. They should give them to some real fans for each game.

I honestly wouldn't want to be down there. If I had my choice, I would be atleast 10 rows up in the lower level.

It is too hard to see the play develop and to see all the field.

Nice concept if you are more interested in seeing the players up close.

Yeah, but it might be good for checking out a few of the cheerleaders' butts