It’s the week after July 4th, which is arguably the softest part of the sports calendar. We’ve been blessed this year with a remarkable World Cup that’s been held mostly on US soil and the US soccer team hopes to keep their good vibes going tonight with a win, but from a college sports perspective we’re basically in the tumbleweeds.
Seriously, we’re all on pins and needles waiting for the official announcement of UNC’s non-conference basketball schedule, baseball’s season has been over for a couple of weeks, and the deep run could make it to where none of the Diamond Heels make it out to the summer leagues as they have realistically earned a break. Finally, we are a few weeks from ACC Kickoff, where we at least can think about the season before wanting to drown ourselves in a pool of misery for what this season was going to be.
Yeah, Bill Belichick is still the coach.
All of this is to say we’ve hit a real quiet spot in terms of things to talk about with UNC. The nice thing, though, is that it allows for us to reminisce. Hitting this part of July means that anyone who is about to attend UNC for the first time can genuinely start to think about what it’ll be like to hit that campus, and it allows those of us who went there either as a student or as a fan to think about the things we really liked. So, why not embrace those feelings for a few days this week.
Thus, we have the UNC favorites. This week I’m going to ask a question that you get to use the comments to chat about. You’d think the answer would be obvious but really once you start talking about why something is your favorite, others will be surprised. It’ll spark a memory of the best event they’ve seen, or some time with friends, or a simple moment that will live in their hearts forever.
There are three categories with this—sports venues, campus spots, Franklin Street spots. All of these can be past or present spots.
Let’s begin shall we.
Today we can talk about UNC sports venues.
So right now on campus there’s the Smith Center with its renovate or replace discussion, the ever expanding Kenan Stadium, the renovated Boshamer Stadium, the really renovated Dorrance Field, the brand new Shelton Stadium, the current home of several sports in Carmichael Arena, or past venues like Woolen Gym or Navy Field.
What I’m going to say is probably sacrilege to the whole idea of saying that UNC Basketball is my first love, but in terms of on-campus venues Kenan Stadium is my favorite.
Even to this day, Kenan Stadium is a venue that’s just stuck in the middle of campus and basically hidden throughout. There are only a couple of spots on campus that you can actually see it, and the surroundings of the stadium to me are still one of the best in college football. It’s a classic football stadium that celebrates its 100th season this year, and rather than being torn down it’s has just been expanded and improved. The worst seat in the place at the top row of the 200’s in the corner is still has an amazing view of the action down below, and the lower bowl seats make you feel close to the action no matter where you are sitting.
Going to a game at Kenan always feels like an event, even if the football team is horrid. There’s the gathering in Polk Place before you walk to the stadium, or you get together with friends to tailgate. When it’s time you have to walk through campus in order to get inside, and on exiting you’re always going to be reminded of some moment where you made the trek before. Also if you sit in the upper level, you have your own concessions—unlike the Smith Center. Once you ascend the ramp to that area you don’t have to go back down unless you want to.
I also think my love for Kenan is affected by the fact I used to be in the band. Let me tell you, the feeling you get when you are marching out on the field and nearly 60,000 people are clapping along to something you are doing is a high that you can’t replicate. As the band has been slowly but methodically removed from college basketball, they are still an important part of the atmosphere of college football. It is THE thing that reminds you that you are watching a college sport, while basketball morphs into the NBA product.
Those that say the Smith Center: the problem for me is the biggest reason it’s stuck in a replace/renovate discussion—it’s very much of its era. It was clearly built in the 1980’s where function was appreciated more over form. It’s dark, cramped, one level for 20,000 people to try and walk through, and while the place is rocking when it’s full and there’s a close game going on—the fact is that maybe half of the seats in that arena are actually worth going to watch a game in.
So yes, my favorite UNC venue is Kenan Stadium. Use the comments and let us know what yours are.
