Ask Jon Anything - Stadiums, Uniforms, and Pineapple on Pizza
In the slightly paraphrased words of Kevin Green, it is time…to bring back my Ask Me Anything column. I got way off track with our quarterly entries in this category late in 2023, but I want to get back to it. So here is a collection of your questions about anything and everything that’s on your mind.
Besides Lambeau Field, what's your favorite stadium?
This is a tough one for a few reasons. First, I have not had the good fortune to watch an NFL game in any NFL stadium that exists today other than Lambeau Field. I say “that exists today” because my lone NFL road game experience came in the Minnesota Vikings’ Metrodome, which was (correctly) destroyed a few years ago to make way for a much better stadium. So that’s a big drawback for being able to give any kind of concrete answer.
But secondly, and true to form, I have to say “it depends.” Because expanding my scope beyond just stadiums I’ve visited for NFL games, everything becomes really context dependent.
I’ve really loved tailgating at Miller Park, but I like other MLB ballparks for stadium experience purposes. I love the sheer size of Michigan’s Big House, but it is architecturally uninteresting. It doesn’t get much more bog-standard than “one large bowl” for football stadiums. I love the locations for both the Bengals’ and Steelers’ respective stadiums, and I’d love to go see a Pittsburgh Pirates game in person.
If I’m going for sheer “best experience I’ve had at a game,” though, I’d probably have to go with the Indiana Pacers’ home court. Now called Gainbridge Fieldhouse (though referred to as Bankers Life Fieldhouse when I was there), I found the stadium to be pleasant, full of amenities, and easy to access. It was fun to watch a game there, and I’d definitely go back.
Top three uniform sets from the 1990s?
Surprising myself a bit, the uniforms I like the most from the 1990s are all from the AFC! In no particular order, the Jaguars, Chargers, and Patriots all come to mind as having great 90s-specific uniforms.
The Jaguars’ original sets are, for my money, some of the best football uniforms ever. In their early days they were much more a teal and gold team than the teal and black we see today, and their early home sets are great.
The Chargers, meanwhile, had an underrated look in the 90s. I like their current uniforms a lot and powder blue definitely suits them, both in their modern design and from a historical perspective, but Junior Seau looked awfully good in navy.
The Patriots, though, might have had the most 90s uniform of any team in the NFL. Bold colors? Check. Ridiculously gigantic logos on their shoulders? Check. Completely insane sublimated striping on the uniforms for literally no reason at all? Buddy, the biggest possible check. They’ve even got giant asymmetrical leg stripes, just for me. It’s a thing of true 1990s beauty.
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