Whose bight idea was it to take football from out in the elements and put it in a domed stadium where the temperature and other climate conditions could be controlled? There were many attempts to bring the sport inside, starting as early as 1902 when a game was played at new York’s Madison Square Garden.
In 1932, the first championship game was staged inside at Chicago Stadium, because of extreme weather. There field was dirt, and only 80 yards long and the sidelines were10 yards narrower. The playing surface was tightly situated along the spectator seats. Later, arena football organizers most likely used this information as the basis for configuring the playing field for their version of the sport.
The indoor idea was not to make it better for the players but to entice fans to attend the games long before season tickets and luxury boxes were the rule. In the mid-1960s, after the Houston Astros had been formed as an expansion team, they moved into first of the modern indoor stadiums: the Astrodome. Once promoted as the eight wonder of the world, the Astrodome became the home of pro football’s Oilers a few years later.
Originally, the field was covered with live Bermuda grass and received sunlight from the clear panels in the dome’s ceiling high above the playing surface. But the baseball players complained that the glare of the sunlight made it impossible to keep their eyes on fly balls. The panels were painted over and the grass died, which necessitated the use of artificial grass: Astroturf.
Soon, even outdoor stadiums were using Astroturf in an effort to maintain a playing surface with a consistent quality and to possibly reduce injuries. However, this trend has been reversed and the majority of outdoor fields are real grass. much to the joy of football purists.
There are 32 teams in the NFL (National Football League) and only 8 of them play their home games indoors. Of these, two have retractable roofs, which allows for maximum control. Of course, the ultimate control is to put together the better team on the field. However, with today’s high operating costs and astronomical player salaries, owners are looking for every possible playing advantage as well as increasing fan comfort.
Being a new Senior, playing and watching football in the ’40s and ’50s before the leagues merged, and a long-time fan of the game, I believe the weather enhances the fun. Hot September afternoons, crisp Octobers, wet and dreary November games, freezing and snowing December days with the playoffs held in all-kinds of conditions in January.
Under uncertain skies and different field conditions, the players have to reach deep inside and find something extra that allows them to prevail against both the elements and the competition. Isn’t that what football is all about?
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