The Oregon wannabe Baylor Bears whomped up on old rival SMU last night.
The score was 45-0, or something like that. It’s really beside the point.
So too that former president George W. Bush flipped the coin. Though it was a nifty gesture. And W seemed to be having a grand ol’ time, such events being truly his default mileu and all.
It was the inaugural game at McLane Stadium the school’s spanking fresh new football palace.
Some of the stadium’s stats, when compared with those of the Bears old home, tell the tale of modern big time college athletics.
As if we don’t already know the score.1
In Waco, the new joint, just constructed, seats 45,000 and cost $250,000,000 to build.
The old stadium was finished in 1950, cost $1.5 million and seat 50,000.
So the new place cost almost 20 times as much, but seats 5,000 fewer Bear fans. Hmmm.
Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut, it has 1100 club seats (vs. 600). And a 5000 sq. ft scoreboard (vs. 600 sq. ft.). And two ribbon dashboards (vs. 0).2
There are 168 fixed concession points of sale. And 80 more portable concession points of sale. The old place, may it rest in peace, only had 54 total.
You might say the old Floyd Casey Stadium died of terminal lack of concessionitis.
Another peripheral cause of its demise was, perhaps, lack of gastrointestinal release facilities.3
Okay, enough.
Bottom line. More expensive seats, if less total overall. More than five times the number of places they can sell stuff. And more accommodations if nature calls during a game.
The future is now.
— Seedy K
..and apparently, Baylor Bear boosters do “give a …..”