Independence Stadium

I was delighted when TU was invited to face off against Virginia Tech in the 40^th Independence Bowl. The game was a blast. This stadium – not so much. Although Wikipedia says it was recently renovated (2014) and its size (50,000) lets fans feel close-​ish to the action from most points in the stadium, this is pretty much an old, ugly stadium. The alternating red and blue seatbacks are visually confusing, making it hard to tell how many fans are sitting in them. They don’t quite line up with each other in the upper and lower sections, either, which creates an unappealing asymmetrical effect. Although I didn’t use the bathrooms, my wife and my mother both reported them to be gross. Shreveport was a fun spot for a bowl game, but this venue just felt sub-​par. You’d have to think that the stadium would be in better shape if it had a regular tenant like an NFL or college football team with fans expecting a certain level of quality. As it is, it feels like a big piece of architecture that no one is terribly attached to, keeping what could be a handsome piece of football history in a state of outdated mediocrity.