I had the good fortune of being invited to a 49ers game by a friend who has season tickets for the second regular season game in the new "Levi's Stadium". There are signs all over touting the stadium as the most technologically advanced stadium in the country (arguably the world). While the technology aspect was impressive what I found to be more interesting was that the stadium is LEED certified. The LEED certification is not something that is really a fan experience or high visibility characteristic the way the technology or design aesthetics would be. So overall the stadium felt somewhat hollow and devoid of character. It reminded me of the gorgeous renovated homes on Billionaire's Row in San Francisco when compared to some of the older homes nearby. Character vs modern design.
All of these complaints aside the biggest problem I had was the overwhelming amount of advertisements. They have sold off the rights to every nook and cranny of that facility. There is the 501 Club, the Citrix Owner's Club, the Bud Light Patio, the Pepsi Patio, the Niners Yodel (courtesy of Yahoo), and the list goes on. I'm surprised that my bathroom experience was not sponsored by Quilted Northern, Jurgens, and Lysol. In years past stadium fans were not subjected to the advertisements that the tv viewers were from commercials, but that has shifted and now stadium fans experience even more. There is no sign of this trend reversing and I guess I will just go along for the ride.
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