This is an outstanding piece on the centrality of college football stadiums to America’s small and mid-sized towns. Part shrines, part athletic endeavors, they are economic engines and edifices of social bonding in ways that simply do not exist in most pro venues — indeed, they cannot exist, owing to their suburban nature.
Everyone in Tuscaloosa or Athens or Columbia or College Station knows where “the stadium” is, knows where to park, knows hidey holes and tailgates and dive bars and other hidden gems.
It’s unique. It’s special. And with the game’s taskmasters attempting to turn the sport into a paraprofessional league, it’s a visceral reminder of how vital the campus stadium is to the university and surrounding area.