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Some grounds have the perfect balance between history and beauty, while some grounds have neither. Aidin Ebrahimi looks at some of the best and worst stadiums in the NFL today.
The NFL remains the best-attended professional domestic sports league in the world. Even struggling teams, like the 2022 Chicago Bears, still had an average attendance of 59,823 in games at Soldier Field, the smallest stadium in the league.
Soldier Field is also the oldest stadium in the league, and many people admire it for its history, even though it falls short in terms of beauty and features. Some grounds have the perfect balance between history and beauty, while some grounds have neither.
With that in mind, this article will look at some of the worst and best stadiums in the NFL right now, as of the 2023 preseason. Both history and beauty are equally important here. Also, this list is subjective and you shouldn't be offended if your team's stadium is called one of the worst.
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#6. Worst: Cleveland Browns Stadium (Cleveland Browns)
Let's kick things off with a simple-looking stadium with little to no history. The Browns used to play in the Cleveland Municipal Stadium, which was their home stadium from 1946 to 1995. By 1995, it was beginning to show its age, as the stadium hadn't been renovated since the 70s, but it was filled with history. During that era, the Browns won four AAFC (an NFL rival) championships and four NFL championships (pre-merger) while also having some of the biggest legends ever entertain the 80,000 fans who would turn up at the stadium.
sunsets over Browns Stadium > pic.twitter.com/O2cb2YXr5X
— Mikey McNuggets (@MikeLucasTV) July 5, 2023
The new stadium, known as the FirstEnergy Stadium from 2013 until April 13 this year, was built after the Municipal Stadium was demolished due to Art Modell relocating the Browns and creating the Baltimore Ravens. After the city of Cleveland reached an agreement with the NFL to keep the Browns' history and bring the team back in 1999, the new stadium was built on the site of the old stadium. The new stadium looks slightly dated today, despite recent renovations. It also has no history, as the team has only had three winning seasons and just one playoff win in this period. The fans have also endured a winless season, and their leading passer during this period has been Baker Mayfield.
#5. Best: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Speaking of Baker, he has a lot to prove this year, but at least he'll be playing in one of the best stadiums in the NFL today. Raymond James might need a renovation soon, but we all know what makes this stadium stands out. The pirate ship. The 103-foot ship is one of the most unique stadium props in the NFL and is adored by Bucs fans. Unlike some other stadiums with props, "Ray Jay" is filled with history. The stadium opened right after the Bucs stopped being bad and was host to four playoff appearances in its first five years, along with a historic defense that brought a Lombardi trophy to Tampa in the 2002 season.
Not that anybody asked, but the Raymond James Stadium, home to #SuperBowl LV, is oriented precisely north-south in the Northern Hemisphere. This means the Coriolis Force from Earth’s rotation will deflect any 50-yard kick, nearly 1/2 inch to the right. I’m just sayin’.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) February 8, 2021
They'd make the playoffs two more times in the Jon Gruden era, before going through a dark period until the arrival of Tom Brady. Brady, along with many other stars, led an exciting three-year period of Bucs dominance, which resulted in a Super Bowl ring that they won at Raymond James, becoming the first team to win a Super Bowl at their home stadium. Despite Brady's retirement, the squad is still solid, and they might shock a lot of people this year, which is good news as their fans tend to get much louder when the Bucs are better. They also have, quite possibly, the best field in the league with their smooth Tifway Bermuda grass.
#4. Worst: Nissan Stadium (Tennessee Titans)
This stadium was created in 1999, just in time for the newly named Tennessee Titans to play in it. The Titans replaced the Tennessee Oilers because the "Oilers" name was not relevant to Tennessee and was ridiculed by the fans. Since Tennessee is known as "The Athens of the South", the "Titans" name was deemed appropriate. The Titans had an amazing season in 1999, which included the Music City Miracle in front of a franchise-record crowd at Adelphia Coliseum (the previous name of the Nissan Stadium). Once they made it to the big game, however, they were just one yard short, and haven't returned to the Super Bowl since.
Fire at Nissan Stadium, wow pic.twitter.com/6A0DiaMaB8
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 15, 2019
The Titans went through a long period of suffering after the departure of 2003 Co-MVP Steve McNair, as their all-time leading passer since McNair has been Marcus Mariota. They did have a period of contention recently with Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry, but it looks like they'll enter a rebuild after a disastrous 0-7 ending to the 2022 season. As for the stadium itself, it has never been renovated and its condition is seriously declining. Since it would cost $1.8 billion to bring the stadium up to the current NFL standard, the team decided that they will make a brand new stadium, which might open in 2026, making Nissan Stadium one of the few untouched stadiums throughout NFL history.
#3. Best: AT&T Stadium (Dallas Cowboys)
Yes, the Cowboys have not made the NFC championship game since 1995, but they've always been a consistent threat in the playoffs, and their stadium is absolutely gorgeous. Since the creation of this stadium, the Cowboys have had four seasons of 12 wins or more, while also having the likes of Tony Romo, DeMarcus Ware, Jason Witten, and Dak Prescott leading the way. They've also won four playoff games, but just can't seem to beat NFC West and NFC North opponents in the postseason. As for the stadium itself, it is the largest stadium in the NFL, with a capacity that ranges from 80,000 to 105,000.
Tonight… my spray tan is RADIATING.. as is AT&T Stadium..
Just commentating tonight alongside the 🐐 @MichaelCole
Getting a feel for the vibes.. the electricity.. preparing for the ASS BEATING I’M HANDING OUT TOMORROW NIGHT
Let’s GOOOO
Happy #WrestleMania38 pic.twitter.com/SlY5pkzz3H
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 2, 2022
Cowboys fans also love to turn up to AT&T to watch their squad take the field, as according to ESPN's attendance stats, the Cowboys have led the league in average home attendance every single year since the creation of this stadium. The year before their move to AT&T, they were 26th in average home attendance. It is nicknamed "Jerry World" due to Jerry Jones originally envisioning it as a large entertainment venue. His vision has come to life, as this ground has been home to a Super Bowl, a College Football National Championship game, the 2010 NBA All-Star game, some of the biggest concerts ever, and two WrestleManias.
#2. Worst: FedEx Field (Washington Commanders)
Remember what was said about the Bucs' Bermuda grass? Well, there are a bunch of different types of Bermuda grass, and FedEx Field's Latitude Bermuda grass is terrible. It has gotten better recently after a makeover, but it's still below standard and is really dangerous. RGIII, Alex Smith, Joe Burrow. What do these three QBs have in common? Well, they all suffered gruesome, career-altering injuries at FedEx Field. In terms of history? Don't even think about it, Washington has only won two playoff games and has never won more than 10 games in a season since the creation of this stadium in 1997.
You guys remember when FedEx Field almost killed/paralyzed Jalen Hurts?pic.twitter.com/CIqHnGarAT
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) June 1, 2023
The fans just no longer care. The ground used to have a capacity of over 91,000, but many seats have been removed due to abysmal fan attendance. As of 2023, the listed capacity is 67,617, but they are struggling to even fill that up, as the Commanders ranked dead last in average home attendance last season, and ranked 30th in total home attendance despite playing nine games at home, and would have been last had the Bengals and Raiders played nine games at their home stadiums. Now that we're getting closer to a potential sale being approved by the NFL, the first step should be making a new stadium.
#1. Best: Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Chiefs)
The fifth-largest stadium in the NFL, Arrowhead is aging like a fine wine, as it is getting more and more relevant with age. They did struggle for many years since the creation of the stadium, but as time went on the team slowly got better and better, and now with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Andy Reid, the team is a legitimate dynasty. What the Chiefs have accomplished since Mahomes became the starter in 2018 has been more than what many teams have accomplished throughout their existence. This has caused Arrowhead to grow in popularity, as some of the biggest music stars in the world are going to perform there.
Pregame snowball fight at Arrowhead 😂❄️
(via @Chiefs) pic.twitter.com/5ycmtoiBTH
— ESPN (@espn) December 15, 2019
Apart from the history, Arrowhead also has a great Bermuda grass surface and has been renovated multiple times in recent years. But we all know what makes Arrowhead so good, the fans. The fans are so loud that no one has a better home-field advantage than the Chiefs. Winning at Arrowhead has always been troublesome, but it has been a nightmare in the Mahomes era. Arrowhead also holds the Guinness world record for the loudest stadium, which it set at 142.2 decibels in 2014, and the Chiefs didn't even make the playoffs that year, showing that the fans, unlike some other fans like the fans at Raymond James, are always loud no matter what.
